I Think the Rain Just Stopped....

This was my thought last night around 8 PM as I sat on the deck of the camp.  It has been raining off and on up here for the past week.  Literally, each evening we have been getting some torrential downpours along with some days of just good solid rain.  I woke up this morning and it was still raining, but at about 9 AM I saw the bright fireball in the sky and it has not left all day!  I hope this is the beginning of a nice long dry stretch to get the flows back under control.  Just as a heads up for you, the flows have been posted wrong all week long.  They were showing 1st Lake Dam at 144cfs and it is currently somewhere around 400-450cfs in my best judgment.  Needless to say the Trophy Stretch is barely fishable in only a few select safe areas.  The lake is coming down nicely though and I would expect in the next few days that they drop the flows to a normal 200-300cfs.  There should be some nice salmon waiting for us when they do! (Power of positive thinking!) I have had some successful clients in the past few days and we did the best with what we had for conditions.  High water usually brings out some nice fish and these trips were no exception.  I knew our numbers would be lower due to the lack of fishing in the Trophy Stretch, but was pleasantly surprised with a few of the other fish we did land.  I still have openings for July and August, so let me know if Pittsburg is on your agenda! 
-Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com

22" Leaper! 

20" Salmon, What a show that one put on!

15" Holdover, Drag Runner!

Venison ;)

Having Fun in Pittsburg!

Just a quick check in to let you know that I am in Pittsburg for the summer and still have a few open slots.  I do have a couple of weekends as well as many weekdays.  I am checking my cell phone every day and my emails every other at this point, so get in touch and I will get back to you as soon as I can!  I hope to hear from you!
-Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com

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

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!

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



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!)

Memorial Day Weekend... Rain, Flooding, Salmon, Wild Brookies and Snow?

 

What a weekend!  Sometimes all you can do is just make the best of the hand you are dealt.  Well, we were dealt temps falling through the 40's into the 30's and pouring rain, then temps hitting the upper 20's and snow/sleet and eventually, just as it was time to head for home, 60's and sunny!  That is Pittsburg for you!  The toughest part for us was just the amount of rain we had and how high the rivers eventually became.  I could have headed over to some ponds and went for some stockies, but I had the day off from guiding and decided to do what I enjoy the most:  Explore for wild brookies and salmon!  The choice was confirmed correct as I was able to land one of my largest wild Pittburg brookies as well as about a dozen 15-20 inch salmon. (Insert "I got lucky" cliche'. "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut", It's better to be lucky than talented"... etc.)  The conditions in the river will continue to be very tough over the next several days as the flows are completely out of control right now.  I have added a couple of pictures and a video for those of you who are familiar with Pittsburg.  Can you say high water!? 

 

Patrick@fishstoryguideservice.com



 

20" LEAPER!

14" Wild Brookie... Been eatin' well!

About the average size of the dozen or so landed... Sometimes we get real lucky :)

First Lake Dam overflow! 

Trophy Stretch BLOWN OUT!

Lots of water!

Murphy Dam Spillway!