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Nothing better then heading North back home to my childhood waters and slayin some pig brownies on the fly! They were loving my custom pumpkin head and bh hares ear...ended up with around 15 that morning, all over 16", biggest around 24" (in the vid). Caught 2 nice cuts in the mix as well! Fun day!
[url "https://youtu.be/_AGYjRcF1bI"]https://youtu.be/_AGYjRcF1bI[/url]
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Looks like a good time. However you don’t have to head that far north this time of year to pick up big browns. I picked up about 15 trout in 2 and a half hours today in SW Utah. Biggest Cutt was 11 inches, biggest rainbow was 14 and biggest brown was 24 inches. Managed 4 browns in the 20- 24 inch range. Only a few browns spawning yet but many big browns moving upstream and acting very aggressive. I was throwing BH Prince nymphs , Brown and Pearl Zonkers- all worked fine.
Lower elevation streams near St. George are also fishing well on hoppers.
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Great fish! Is there anything more prestigious for fresh water fly fishing than a big brown?
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Though I know the question was rhetorical, I would say that there are a lot of species more prestigious than browns for freshwater fly fishing. But, that's just me.
Nice fish!
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[quote riverdog]Looks like a good time. However you don’t have to head that far north this time of year to pick up big browns. I picked up about 15 trout in 2 and a half hours today in SW Utah. Biggest Cutt was 11 inches, biggest rainbow was 14 and biggest brown was 24 inches. Managed 4 browns in the 20- 24 inch range. Only a few browns spawning yet but many big browns moving upstream and acting very aggressive. I was throwing BH Prince nymphs , Brown and Pearl Zonkers- all worked fine.
Lower elevation streams near St. George are also fishing well on hoppers.[/quote]
Agreed, just happen to be home visiting family. I enjoy some great brown fishing down here in Southern UT as well, although the options are much more limited.
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[quote richyd4u]
I enjoy some great brown fishing down here in Southern UT as well, although the options are much more limited.[/quote]
Funny...I guess perception is reality. I lived in Logan for awhile and in Wyoming for a few years and I would argue that southern Utah has better brown fishing for big fish than both. I think you need to get out and explore a bit more....
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[quote wormandbobber][quote richyd4u]
I enjoy some great brown fishing down here in Southern UT as well, although the options are much more limited.[/quote]
Funny...I guess perception is reality. I lived in Logan for awhile and in Wyoming for a few years and I would argue that southern Utah has better brown fishing for big fish than both. I think you need to get out and explore a bit more....[/quote]
I agree with the waters around Logan...unsure as to where you lived in Wyoming, but I've caught many a monster brown up on the Ham's Fork, The Madison and of course the North Platte has produced some monsters for me. That being said...nothing down here compares to the quantity and size of browns (not even the Fremont or Sevier drainage) that the Weber, Provo, and Green produce. I grew up fishing these waters and have spent the last 6 years fly fishing everything around this area. We will just have to agree to disagree here.
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Yup...we will have to agree to disagree. As much as I loved the Ham's and Green below Fontenelle, only the Big Sandy could rival my favorite stretches of water in Southern Utah when it comes to numbers of big fish.
I remember a trip not too long ago when my father and I caught over 20 18+-inch fish (rainbows and browns mixed the largest being around 25 inches) from one pool in Southern Utah.
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The truth is that sometimes perception is reality. My reality may not match yours, but it doesn't change what is true for you! Another truth is that we all find good fishing where we are fishing! Part of the reason I moved to Wyoming was for the adventure in learning new places and finding new favorite spots to fish. I am constantly looking for the next best thing...and usually I find it!
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Just my take on North vs South. I think it’s easier to fish in solitude and consistently find browns 20 + inches down south. However up north I catch far more fish overall and the fish fight much harder. My last trip I used an 8’6” 5 wt ( 12 year old Orvis T3). That rod was over kill on those fish. Other than 1 fish that I barely hooked and came off in the first 2 seconds they didn’t begin to have a fighting chance. I don’t think it took me 15 seconds to land any fish. I think even a descent 3 wt would have performed as well. Up north a lot of the bigger fish really put up a fight. If they get past you downstream they’re off to the races and a challenge to land. I don’t play any trout. I fight hard and it’s probably never took me more than a minute to land any trout.But besides the solitude and the importance of very accurate casting I really enjoy the challenge of landing a big fish in fast water. And to think of it because of the general slower water down south the casting is very forgiving. I also enjoy being able to catch trout without having to put on warm clothing much more of the year down south. They’re both great areas even if a bit different. Utah on a whole is thankfully underrated on its fly fishing.
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