Fisherpeople of BARF

[Yakoo752]

Looking to go on a fishing trip with pops... maybe a brother and some friends too.

Please give me some dates and statements of US fishing opportunities

I would love a "river runs through it" trip. Fly fishin in the Rockies but truly open to anything

Either needs to be edible or release and open to any type of fishin. Really want to drink beers and reminisce with pops.

 

[littlebeast]

absolute best fishing in the US is in northern minnesota. walleye (to eat) and northern pike (to fight). side trip to the headwaters of the mississippi river in itasca state park is super cool too. took my mom there a couple of years ago, and we had an awesome time (burgers at the local bait shop on lake lizzie south of there were to die for).

 

[mikev]

Rogue River in Oregon with my Dad was the best trip I have ever been on in my life.

 

[Caddywumpus]

I thought you were giving a call out to all the Portuguese.

 

[Yakoo752]

I would totally be in to minnesota

Wonder if I can time it right


Oregon would work equally well as then Incould involve friends.

Thanks for the comments so far

 

[Ridley]

Pick a river or creek in the area where Montana, Idaho and Wyoming meet and you're good to go(Henrys Fork). Watch out for bears though. I grew up fishing the Conejos in southwestern Colorado and it was awesome, but haven't been there in 15 years so not sure if it's still good. I now fish a small stream in Idaho every year we go elk hunting, but if I tell you I'll be giving up my elk spot

 

[Kestrel]

Did some lake fishing as a kid in the midwest and so on, but have almost exclusively been fly fishing for the last twenty years or so. Trips to Montana, Michigan's UP, but mostly in NC as of late... Countless fishing trips with my dad since my childhood.

It's funny how the whole thing started - I was sick one day from school, and rather than sit around, tried to tinker on something in the garage. Slipped off a stool, and fell on an open tool box drawer. Had to get stitches, and they gave me an anti-biotic at the same time which.. apparently I was quite allergic to. Ended up puking for hours. I was probably 10 or 11 years old at the time?

So like all suburban parents, my old man took me to the local k-mart as a pick-me-up, and offered to buy me a fly rod. We had a small pond near our house, and a friend of mine (who had a fly fisherman father) had been using it there to catch bluegill and so on. Looked like fun, so I wanted to give it a shot.

So we get this basic fly rod kit from K-Mart, and my dad recalled that he also had a fly rod from his youth that he fished lakes with in Ohio. So he also came out to the local pond to give it a shot, and all was good. It was fun. Well apparently he enjoyed it so much that he began to look into fly fishing a little more, and realized that we lived in a great area for it; Western NC has some of the best brook trout fishing in the country. So dad took his two sons fishing, and the rest is history.

It stuck, and we've been fly fishing quite frequently ever since. God knows how many hundreds of miles of streams I've walked at this point with him... and all because of those stitches. In that respect, it's probably the best injury I've ever had.

He's hiding in there toward the bottom.

 

[Yakoo752]

Very cool story Kestrel :thumbup

thanks for all the direction so far. Everything confirms my thoughts... Just pick and place and go, kinda hard to have a bad time.

 

[KazMan]

Ridley's spot(s) are very good. Valley of the Moon south of Jackson Hole Wyoming is pretty good as well with native cut throat trout. Minn is very good as mentioned, but typically you need a boat. There are some beautiful spots in this state as well, but you may want to consider a guided trip where they handle locations, lodging and meals, and you and Pops just go fishing and talk, hang-out, laugh, drink beer, and take pictures.

 

[stangmx13]

this is totally a diff flavor of fishing than in the Rockies... but if u want big hungry fish, u cant go wrong with San Diego / Mexico in the summer for Yellowtail, Tuna, and Durado. smaller charter boats are <$200/person for 12+ ppl and ull prob need to give some of the fish away.

 

[TerryM]

Closer to home for trout fly fishing - Clearwater Lodge was fun for me and a friend (and wives) a couple of times. Not super expensive, good vibe, good guides and is close to Fall River, Hat Creek, Burney Creek, McCloud River, in addition to being on the Pit River. All these get lots of people in season, though. Clearwater does classes on casting, etc. too.

Dunsmuir near Mt Shasta is easier to get to and pretty fun. Rentals right on the river.

In Oregon, Steamboat Inn on the Umpqua River is a great stay. Just up 5 past Grants Pass and hang a right.

 

[Kestrel]

Guides!? Lodges?!

Does CA not have any good remote wild trout water? Or is the population density such that everything just gets hammered by thousands of people, with tons of outfitting operations have set up?

I've fished stuff in NC that sees *maybe* 5-10 people per year, if that. Backpack in ~8 hours with gear, and stay for a few nights in areas that were too remote to log... that not only only have no road access, but not even trail access. (There's some serious trail blazing involved.)

 

[KazMan]

Guides!? Lodges?!

Does CA not have any good remote wild trout water? Or is the population density such that everything just gets hammered by thousands of people, with tons of outfitting operations have set up?

I've fished stuff in NC that sees *maybe* 5-10 people per year, if that. Backpack in ~8 hours with gear, and stay for a few nights in areas that were too remote to log... that not only only have no road access, but not even trail access. (There's some serious trail blazing involved.)

We do, but it's like Fight Club :laughing

 

[Yakoo752]

Guides!? Lodges?!

Does CA not have any good remote wild trout water? Or is the population density such that everything just gets hammered by thousands of people, with tons of outfitting operations have set up?

I've fished stuff in NC that sees *maybe* 5-10 people per year, if that. Backpack in ~8 hours with gear, and stay for a few nights in areas that were too remote to log... that not only only have no road access, but not even trail access. (There's some serious trail blazing involved.)

I don't know CA well enough to just start going out on my own. I could tell you some great places for trophy pike throughout WI though.

But that's what I am talking about. I don't know if my 65 year old dad is in to hiking for 8 hours though :laughing

 

[TerryM]

Lodges are places to stay if you're not doing a day trip. Motels and tents work too. A guide can teach you more in a half day about local stuff than you could learn in a week on your own. Does cost $$$. Just depends on what you're looking for. I can have about as much fun without catching anything.

 

[Ridley]

TerryM's suggestion of the northeastern part of CA is a great suggestion if you want to stay instate. Dont forget down by Bishop, the Owens River, Hot Creek, Bishiop Creek and a few others. It can be hot in the summer but the caddis hatches on the Owins can be crazy. Bishop is my favorite area to fish in Cali. Even more local would be the lower Yuba River, below Englebright Dam, but you would need a guide to fish the best section, which is between the dam and Hwy 20 bridge. You can fish downstream of Hwy 20 without a guide, and it is really good too, but its a lot of water to cover if you don't know where you're going. Heck, you and your dad could make it a statewide tour of trout waters in California...A day on the lower Yuba, a day on the lower Sac (which is pretty freakin awesome, but its kinda tough to fish without a boat, and a guide would be your best resource for water that big), the Upper Sac near Dunsmear, Pit/McCloud/Fall Creek/Hat Creek, and the Bishop area - Owens/Hot Creek. Drive from region to region fishing and camping. That would be one heck of a "local" trip for anyone. So when do we leave

 

[lefty]

Guides!? Lodges?!

Does CA not have any good remote wild trout water? Or is the population density such that everything just gets hammered by thousands of people, with tons of outfitting operations have set up?

I've fished stuff in NC that sees *maybe* 5-10 people per year, if that. Backpack in ~8 hours with gear, and stay for a few nights in areas that were too remote to log... that not only only have no road access, but not even trail access. (There's some serious trail blazing involved.)

I have not read the entire thread, but the area around Lake Shasta has some AMAZING trout fishing. Look at guide services in/near Weed, CALIF..

I took my granddaughter fishing at a sure catch lake on Sunday. She was able to reel in her first Bluegill. She even touched it!! It was a 3 mile hike each way- not bad for a 3 y/o!!!

 

[Kestrel]

We do, but it's like Fight Club :laughing

If you ever make it to NC, PM me and I'll share a few secret spots

It's not terribly hard here, though. NC has thousands of miles of trout streams. If you take even half an hour to just get off the road, odds are you'll never see another soul.

North Carolina is kinda like CA, but slightly miniaturized, and without the massive population.

 

[KazMan]

If you ever make it to NC, PM me and I'll share a few secret spots

It's not terribly hard here, though. NC has thousands of miles of trout streams. If you take even half an hour to just get off the road, odds are you'll never see another soul.

North Carolina is kinda like CA, but slightly miniaturized, and without the massive population.

:laughing I will keep that in mind if we get back to the east coast next year. There are many places in Cali, but I made the mistake of telling a friend of a spot that was gifted to me, and went up there and he was there with like 6 people and I had to hike in another 3 miles or so. Told myself never again, and told him never again f'er as I took so much crap from my sponsor (being asian an all :laughing)

 

[i_am_the_koi]

:nchantr