Round Two on the Bear River

Fishing Time:  8:30 am to 5:30 pm

Weather:  windy, cloudy, T-50s

Moon Phase:  99% Moon            

Location:  Bear River

Bait:  Glow bugs (egg pattern), streamers, Mepps spinners

Who Went:  Rick, John, Me

Our spirits were high as we headed down the dirt road for round two at the Bear River in hopes that the spawn would be in full swing.  We decided to cheat a little and hit one of the best spots on the river where we usually end our run with hopes of catching a few fish and then returning again at the end of the day to catch a few more.  We were surprised to see that nothing was doing.  Not sure if it was due to the wind and unsettled weather, the moon phase, or what the story was.  We moved on to all the other spots and were still disappointed with no spawning browns at any of them.  We threw on some streamers and started fishing the deeper holes giving in to the fact that the spawn is either done or still hasn't started yet.  Rick landed a decent 20-inch brown on a streamer but that was it for the day on streamer fishing.

 

As the weather started warming for the day, we located a few spawning fish, but were even more surprised when none of them showed any interest in our glow bugs.  Rick has fished the spawn here for 17 years and never seen that kind of behavior before.  After many hours of casting, I was finally able to coax one into biting.  It was 26-inches long with a huge hook jawed head.  

I didn't get a weight on it, but my guess is 6-7 pounds.  John was the one that spotted this fish swimming downstream so he took some credit and posed for a picture with the fish as well.

We fished the remaining stretches of the river and didn't see any more fish until we arrived at the first hole where we started the day.  We were excited to see a bunch of nice fish spawning.  John and Rick started casting above them and letting their glow bugs drift right through the middle of them, but again no bites!  It was frustrating to see so many big fish right in front of you that wouldn't bite.  After multiple efforts, Rick finally tricked one into biting and hooked one of the feistiest Bear River Browns I've ever seen.  It ended up being a really nice fat female full of eggs!  

The eggs were coming out of her like crazy, which told us that they are not done spawning as of yet.  I have no idea why they were so picky today, but that ended up being the last fish of the day.  It’s difficult to call it a bad day of fishing when you land a 26-inch monster brown and I still went home happy, but on the Bear River in October my expectations are always ridiculously high!

Bear River... Heaven on Earth

Fishing Time:  7:30 am to 10:30 am

Weather:  Clear skies, T-50s

Moon Phase:  24% Moon

Location:  Bear River

Bait: Nymphing glow bugs (egg pattern)

Who Went:  Rick, Me

It’s that time of year again and the brown trout are beginning their annual spawning rituals on the Bear River.  Rick and I were tied up all week with work and family commitments and were only able to find a 3 hour window on Friday morning to fish.

 

Rick has been fishing this secret honey hole for 17 years now, and literally has every inch of the river memorized with all the honey holes that usually hold spawning brown trout.  Rick’s first couple spots on the river were empty with no spawners so we moved on and finally found one large brown hanging alone at the top of some small riffles.  I snuck up and spied on him from the bank as Rick casted upstream towards him.  The fish wasn’t very aggressive, but after a few casts Rick put it right on his nose and I watched as his glow bug disappeared.  I yelled set the hook!  After a fairly good fight, Rick had this beautiful 26.5-inch brown posing for a picture.

We continued to walk upstream, stopping at all of Rick’s honey holes along the way, but soon realized the spawn is probably still a week away.  This year has been an exceptionally warm fall so it’s not surprising that the spawn may be a little later than normal.

On our final stretch of river we found some prime spawning grounds occupied with some early spawners.   It was my turn to test my fly casting skills and it wasn’t long until I had a nice brown on the end of my line.  It’s not a Bear River monster, but a nice fish to say the least.  Rick also landed another nice, yet typical, Bear River brown.  This place is unreal! 

We observed a couple larger fish swirling at the top of some riffles and I made some upstream casts while Rick filmed me.  I hooked up with a bruiser and Rick caught it all on film as I landed the fish I've been waiting for all year.  It was a very healthy hook-jawed male with beautiful orange colors!  

Landing this big brown made my day and our small 3 hour time slot to fish began feeling worth the effort.  We almost called this trip off due to the short time on the river, but after landing a couple very nice fish, I think we made the right decision.