And now its Summer!

So the last month and a half have just been a whirl wind. Its summer now and that means little fishing on the Republican. But not little fishing. May was sweet. After that first day of the month catching three fat bass, the rain started coming down and didn't stop for almost a whole month. So bass fishing was pretty much shot. That being said I spent a few more days on the river than normal and it paid off in spades! On the 17th I took a friend fishing who had been wanting to go with me for a while, but could never quite find the time. We set out at the Sage and for what ever reason, be it the stars aligning or just an act of god something wonderful happened. The previous weekend I saw a huge fish. Nothing like what I have ever seen before out there. At first I thought it was a decent carp. Until I saw the spots. A massive brown trout swam by me like he didn't have a care in the world. I knew if I move he would see me and be gone. So I just stood still and watched him cruise by. The following weekend I quietly snuck over to the run where I had seen him and made one cast, just upstream and right on the edge of the bank. The " Sand Sage Special" drifted right along the bank and suddenly the line paused briefly. By pure force of habit I set the hook and was connected. From under the cut bank came the big trout. He swam straight out into the current and was 20 yards downstream before I knew I had him. The fight was short but intense and before I really knew what was happing I was scooping a 19 and 1/2 inch wild brownie into the net. A truly amazing fish. After a couple pictures were taken I slipped him back into the river of which he is clearly the King. This was by far one of the most  lifting experiences in my fishing career. Very few people even fish out here. I fish it roughly 20 times a year and never dreamed of even seeing a fish like that out there. Let alone actually catching and landing one. The following weekend I took yet another friend to the republican and I managed to catch two more brownies. Neither one compared to the brute from the previous week, but they were both beautiful and wild and just as amazing. The mythical brown trout I set out to find three years ago not only exist, but some of them are true giants. The reality is that by putting my time in and learning the river and the fish in it, I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and knew what to do when the big one struck. Since then its gotten warm, and I have spent many early morning in pursuit of largemouth bass. I've taken on teaching a really neat lady that works with my wife how to fly fish. Caught some really nice fish. One bass was well over the 5lb mark which is pretty good for out here. And there is still plenty of summer left to find some bigger ones. But harvest season is almost upon me and I may not get a chance to write for a while. So until then have a safe and fish filled summer. Take a kid or a new friend with you once in a while so that they can learn what its all about. With out new generations learning and loving our sport, the future of our rivers, streams and wild fish could be rough. They need allies. And we need to fight for them