report

Fishing the last couple weeks has been like the water levels.... up and down. Last week Friday the river was rolling at about 290 c.f.s. in the morning, only to jump to 350 by mid-day and then to 550 by dark. The next morning at around 4 a.m. the river had spiked to almost 900 c.f.s., the highest I've personally ever seen it in the fall. It fell to and stabilized at about 500 c.f.s. for a couple days, only to spike again to just over 700 c.f.s. yesterday. Strange stuff. Friday was one of the worst days I've ever guided from a weather standpoint. Sideways rain, 20 m.p.h. winds and a growing river. The fish actually responded well. We landed a giant brown within the first 20 casts on a swung marabou tube fly. I'm still awaiting the pictures, but as soon as I get them I'll throw them up here. At about midday we hooked and landed another huge brown, this one a big male that ate a black over orange Northern Lights. To cap the day off, a third fish came to the net at around 3:00 p.m., this one a slightly smaller male that was about as big around as it was long. An awesome day considering the terrible conditions that we were dealing with. The next day (900 c.f.s.) required the use of the drift boat to even safely get around in the river. The fluctuating conditions put a bit of a hamper on the fishing, but hey, we got to see the sun in the afternoon for the first time in about a week. On Monday, Matt Z., Charlie and myself floated a stretch of the river that we don't do all that often and were rewarded with one good fish and another that was very briefly attached to a marabou. We saw more mallards than anything else and it was good to be out there with the guys enjoying a beer and relaxing. Today, Timmy and I fished several stretches of our most local tributary and had a decent morning. Not much going at the first stop, but at the second area Tim got a grab and I landed one of the smallest lake-run fish I've ever caught. I'll never complain about lifting the tip of the rod and feeling head shakes, even if it is from a pretty small fish. We haven't seen a ton of fish on gravel yet. I think that they were starting but the crazy water levels may have pushed them around a bit. Once things stabilize and they re-acclimate themselves a bit, they should really be on the gravel. The quicker they spawn and recuperate, the better. That's when the real fun starts. 15 degree mornings, snow and lots of coffee and iced guides. Hammerin' um.