By Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter

Had a chance to revisit the "Hogpen" the other day with my Fflogger friends Nate Matthews, an editor from Field & Stream, and Tim Romano, the photo/blog man. Frankly, the day was really hot and bright, so the fishing wasn't, except for a few sporadic hopper eats and a very sporty interlude of throwing tiny ant patterns at some rainbows laid-up in the same riffle.

The fish finally turned on an hour before sunset, and while Nate and I stayed the course with dry flies ... master Tim tied on a nymph rig and proceeded to hammer fish in a downstream carnage spectacle that smacked of Sherman's "March to the Sea."

Which would have been fine, except it left me feeling soiled ... violated. Maybe it's a generation thing, but I was taught that when heads are popping, it's "go dry or go home." Maybe it's that Colorado-bred nymph-o-mania issue. No doubt, Tim put the smackdown on the trout with at least a 10-1 ratio advantage on us. And yeah ... I know all about dry fly snobs, and have heard the arguments that nymph fishing is actually a more technical and challenging way to chase trout; it's 3-D fishing after all.

But I'm not buying it. I'm not going to sell my soul, and become another "bobber geek." Well, at least not unless I really, truly must. Am I wrong here?

By Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter

Jason Owens, a.k.a. "all star Boulder angler" got invited to go scope out a potential fishing operation on Christmas Island for travel group Angling Destinations. Late one day he spotted birds crashing. Birds crashing = Tuna. The problem? No boat and they were only armed with a ten weight. They quickly located the barely seaworthy craft in the photo above and headed out. Soon after they located the fish, Jason hooks one and proceeds to fight it for almost two hours. By now it was well into the night and they were way off shore. The estimated 50lb fish dragged them a mile and nearly spooled Jason. Finally, they got it into the boat, breaking the rod when thrashing beast came aboard. Needless to say there was endless sushi that night after they were rescued by photographer Eric Berger who brought them gas, headlamps, and a gaff.

By Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter

Ah, prime tourist season in the West. The raft hatch is in full swing; the guides are churnin’ and burnin’ those low (mostly) clear waters in the dwindling days of summer with flocks of ride-along anglers, en masse. If you’re keen on tailwater fishing … especially if you row your own … or just want to get away from the armada mayhem, I have two words of advice: Fish downstream.

Personally, I’m high on the solitude factor, so I’ll always trade hookup volume for some river space. And, by fishing downstream of the “prime” water, you often get shots at bigger fish (especially browns) though, admittedly, they’re fewer and farther between.

Yesterday, for example, I fished the Byington-Lorenzo section of the South Fork in Idaho with Charlie Meyers and Matt Woodard. The wind was hoofin’ but we coaxed some classic eats by using Rainey’s Grand Hopper patterns, and landed a good number of fat cuts and browns.

My favorite “downstream” options: Putting in at the 13-mile access on the Bighorn in Montana, and chasing the alligator browns, especially in the fall; The Gunnison in Colorado, from Pleasure Park down to Austin, during hopper season (right now); The Yellowstone below/downstream from Livingston in spring; the Missouri River, around Cascade, Montana, where you can drift hoppers right in the middle of the current; The Colorado, from Glenwood down to Silt (throw streamers against the banks to turn big fish in the morning); and, of course, the “C” section of the Green in Utah. Sure, the shuttle logistics are a drag when you fish the C, but this is where guide Terry Collier caught “Old Moe,” his 17-pound brown.

Anyone can play bobber games in the aquarium. But if you’re serious about your fishing and your sanity, you’ll go with the flow … down low.

Kirk Deeter

By Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter

Uh, yea that post a couple of days ago about brown trout being the biggest, baddest, mutha's... This you-tube video begs to differ.