Tuesday, June 25, 2013

30 on His 30th!

My best bud Weston was up with me in Pittsburg this past weekend to celebrate his 30th birthday.  We have fished together over the years, but usually I take him along when I have some harebrained idea of where some fish may or may not really be.  Well, this weekend I promised him we would hit the mother-lode for his birthday in order to repay him for all the hit or miss trips.  Pittsburg did not let us down.  He was a brown trout shy of the "grand slam" in the first half hour and the fish just kept on coming.  Once he hit thirty, we stopped and called it a morning.  It was a great feeling to just relax and enjoy being on the river with a good friend and not have to worry about the stress of getting him on fish. 

I still have some more available dates for Pittsburg this summer.  Please let me know soon if you would like to give it a shot, as I only have a few weekend days available.  If you are lucky and have some weekdays free, I do have a good amount of those still open.  I am looking forward to my trips coming up in the next few weeks!  Thanks!

Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com
First nice brookie of the trip!

Artistic?

Muppet

Nice leaper

Who looks the best in this picture?

Nice orange belly for a stockie

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Time to Relax....

Had a good friend of mine up this past weekend and it was great to just sit back and relax.  There was no need to set a plan in stone, as we were just looking to fish as much as we cared to each day.  We fished all over Pittsburg and found some spots that were producing, while others seemed barren of fish.  Overall, we landed a few dozen fish and the best part was that not a single one was a stocked fish from this season.  The majority were wild, but most were holdovers from seasons past, including the salmon that we tied into.  With our fishing goals accomplished, we left plenty of time for a campfire and relaxing beverages.  It is nice to be reminded of what fishing trips are all about sometimes.  Too much pressure is often put on landing large numbers or sizes of fish and the purpose is lost in the mix. 
Holdover or Wild?  You decide...

Nice salmon...

Brookie

Salmon from across the river!

Time to relax!

Monday, June 10, 2013

Good Old Fashioned Fun...

I was able to just plain and simply have fun this weekend.  I was "guiding" a group of friends up in Pittsburg, but in reality, I was just having a good time.  There were good stories, a few good beverages and even some very good fish landed.  I enjoy nothing on this planet more than, fly fishing and good friends sitting around a camp fire telling stories and just living.  If you are ever in my neck of the woods, and see me out on the river, feel free to come on over and say hello. 
"V" with his nice salmon!
 
 
Must be photo shopped...
 Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com


Sunday, June 2, 2013

A Personal Best Weekend...

I was lucky to guide a repeat client this weekend who I knew was a proficient fly caster.  It would have been tricky for a newbie based on water flows.  I was able to scout around Friday evening and the water was fairly high in most of the well known areas.  Luckily, I had a hunch and bet a bunch on a specific area and it payed off!  Saturday we were able to land about a dozen decent fish including two holdover bows and a 19" leaping salmon.  Our half day Sunday was a bit slow to begin with and then became a great morning quality wise.  We landed a nice 21" salmon that put on a show for us first.  Then, after landing a few medium size fish, we battled a monster that came unbuttoned after showing itself twice.  I was shocked at the size of it... Certainly the largest fish I have had a client hook since I have been guiding.  It put on a proper demonstration on how to free itself from a hook by screaming the drag twice, only after the initial two cannon ball leaps, followed by hunkering down into the rocks. We were disappointed that we were not able to bring the fish to net, but I tend to look on the bright side of things.  We were in the right spot, at the right time, with the right fly, fooled a monster into taking the fly with the correct drift, and set the hook.  From my perspective the fish earned his freedom and I look forward to having another client hook into him again later in the season!  Overall, a fun weekend with plenty of fish to keep us busy and no foul weather to speak of.   I still have some Pittsburg availability left for July as well as August, but the books have been filling quickly.  Shoot me an email if you would like to know my complete availability.  Thanks for stopping by!
-Patrick

Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com

Fat Bow!

Fatter Bow!

19" Salmon
 

21" Leaper (Personal Best for Phillip!)