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Fished the white river today because I had always wanted to try it. I was disappointed with finding very little public access at first, and also disappointed that the local tackle store didn't know where a certain SWA was. After trial and error, we found a place to fish at about 9:30 AM. We got down there and found the river to be high and very fast, yet shallow, but very clear. I threw a curly tail for 10 minutes with not a strike. So I put on ole mister wiggly (nightcrawler) and first cast when I was drifting it...BOOM nice bow. ~15" and healthy. Very colorful. He had a very fat leech on his jaw which I pulled off. Hooked in the lip and I let him go. We fished around this area for 15 more minutes and I caught 1 more 13" bow that was fat and my dad caught a 12" bow and 17" bow. We also headed upstream a bit and found a few more decent pockets. I hooked a nice bow maybe 17" or so and he jumped and got away. We went to the other side because it looked like there was a bit more slack water over there, especially where some logs were which would be THE SPOT later. Went over to where the logs were and was disappointed to snag up 5 times, 3 nightcrawler rigs and 2 curly tails, without a strike. My dad hooked a small bow and lost it. I cast out on my 6th rig, quite annoyed by this time, but was pleased to have a nice hit. I set the hook and after a nice battle caught and released a bow about 17". After yet another snag
I went up the head of the little slack water and cast out. I brought it up over some shallow water and it dropped in the slack. I had a slight bump. I set the hook and had something HEAVY on. I could barely move the thing. I reeled it in a few feet and saw a monster rainbow. After seeing me, he got scared and really started to fight! My drag was screaming and I jumped in the flowing water that was almost to my chest to follow him downriver. I followed him about 100 yards downriver and had finally got him fairly close. After a long battle, including snagging me up once but he got himself out, I finally got him in. It was a HUGE rainbow that I estimate at 25" and probably all of 6.5 lbs. I held him up and right before we took a picture he wanted nothing of it. With a powerful surge he went out of my hands and was in the river. Its too bad I didn't get a pic but I don't think I'll ever forget him...what a monster. I was thinking to myself it couldn't get any better than it is now...I would be wrong. I went up to the SAME SPOT, cast out and brought the wiggly into the slack water. I saw a huge, monster of a trout charge it and miss, I then saw him do it again and this time he didn't miss! I set the hook and my drag screamed like that for the first time this year. He jumped and I saw a fish that made my last catch look rather petite: at least 9 pounds and he was a brown! He screamed my drag and I followed him downriver. The last fish was a great fight but nothing in comparison. This fish got me in the current and screamed about 50-60 yards of line in nothing flat. I made my stand near a big boulder and tough current. I couldn't walk down the bank any further because of the trees on the bank,and I couldn't wade in the river because it got too deep and too fast. I decided to try to tire the beast out. After about 10 minutes I had maybe gained 10 yards of line on him if that. He was just too strong and there was no chance in hell I was going to land him, I knew this. 5 minutes later my line must have been as thin as thread and stretched out like no other...he snapped the line. Most anglers would be disappointed, but I can honestly tell you it didn't bother me too much. I had just fought 2 huge fish for 25 minutes and my arms were tired and I was stunned. I couldn't believe this river! I sat there for about 10 minutes, thinking about the last 25 minutes or so. During that time my dad lost a nice fish, easily 4 lbs or so. I barely noticed. He also landed a monster 5" rainbow in the same spot I got the two monsters
I went upstream a bit more and landed a nice 2 lb bow. We then went a few hundred yards downstream at another hole that was similar. We caught a bunch of nice bows...nothing over 16" though. After this we each had 9 trout landed and probably each had half a dozen lost. It was about 3 now. I took a nap (tired from fighting the monsters!) and when I got up it was about 4:30. I saw a promising looking run and caught a 2 lb. whitefish out of it on the first cast. A few hours later I met up with my dad again, he with 12 trout now and I with 11 trout and a whitefish. I caught one last trout, a beautiful, but skinny, 16" bow. After this it was about 6:30 and we decided to call it a day. Saw a raft that just pulled out and talked to the two guys. They had caught 40 fish total, mostly on panther martins and worms. They said they caught a few between 5 and 7 lbs as well. We knew a raft was the way to fish this river, it was mostly pocket water with few holes or slack water inbetween. The fish were all over though. This is perhaps the most overlooked stream in colorado 
what a day...
BTW fish near the city park in meeker and some downstream and upstream from there. Great fishing. Watch for private property.
what a day...
BTW fish near the city park in meeker and some downstream and upstream from there. Great fishing. Watch for private property.