Been a while since the last post. The annual TroutTamer fly fishing trip to Idaho this year was challenging, a bit humbling at times, but always fun. I followed up the official week-long trip with a solo expedition the following week, which was full of its own adventures and lots of fish.
The Idaho trip, for me at least, started on the Henry's Fork. Here are some of the daily summaries/highlights from my perspective.
Monday: Henry's Fork pontoon float: Warm River to Ashton
The crew floated our pontoons on a full day's float. We pulled out at likely spots, as fishing on the move was a bit challenging at times. I fished dries most of the day (standard EHC) and picked up some nice bows (10"-16") and some smaller browns (12"). Nymphing was productive as well, but picked up quite a few whitefish, some of which were lunkers. We probably stopped a bit too frequently on the upper part of the river, as it was dark by the time we packed up the boats and we had to cruise through the last part of the float quickly (some of which looked like very tasty water).
Tuesday: Henry's Lake/Henry's Fork below Osborne Bridge
Henry's Lake was TOUGH. Noah was the only one to pick up a fish on a chronie. Most of the reports from others on the lake were that the fishing was off. Pretty much just drank beer, got a suntan and enjoyed the scenery in the boats we rented. Man, can't go wrong with the scenery.
Later that evening, the crew headed down to the more technical water of the Henry's Fork. It was my first shot at fishing technical water below Osborne Bridge. The Brown Drake hatch was in full swing once the sun set. Landed a few fish (10"-12") on Brown Drake hackle. Noah hooked into a 21" monster. I could never quite get used to the "pick your spot on the bank and wait for the risers -- then stalk them" approach. Spring creeks are different that way. It was nice though to get into some fish in this technical water, as it built the confidence a bit.
Wednesday: Guided trip on Henry's Fork (Box Canyon)
Since Thurman didn't make it (poor sap), I went solo with a guide, Barker. It had its advantages because I got individual attention and got to fish some water he usually doesn't touch. He walked the boat right below the dam to fish some deep holes. I hooked into some monsters here (estimated 20"+), but lost them after long fights. These fish used the current to their advantage with the small thread files we were using (red, brown, olive -- size 16-18-ish). Barker got me into a lot of fish, landing a couple nice bows in the 16-18" range on nymphs and also some fish on dries (Chernobyls) in the 12"-14" range. Barker considered the conditions tough compared to other days, but still got me into quite a bit of action. It was an interesting float in that the guide actually walks the drift boat down the middle of the river, hopping boulders, to fish the deep pocket water where the fish hold in the middle of the river, not the edges. A guide definitely has a hard days work in the Box Canyon. Barker was a funny guy and a huge smart-ass, with probably his most notable quote after GJ asked why we didn't land our fish, "I got not talent in my boat!". Bastard. That's Barker below. Notice he wouldn't even let me hold my fish ;-)
Thursday: Henry's Fork: Wade fishing The Ranch and Osborne Bridge
As predicted, fishing The Ranch was technical. Had success catching a few small guys (10-12") on a Brown Drake hackle. Simply beautiful area. Osborne was more of the same, but I started to get the feel. Nothing large to hand, but hooked into a little under a dozen fish (10-12") on the Brown Drake hackle.
Friday: South Fork of the Snake River float: Cottonwood to ?
This was one of my favorite days of the trip. The river and surroundings were second to none. We actually ran into Barker again, as he was guiding the same stretch this day. The river was moving pretty quick, so the strategy was to stop at likely spots and wade-fish. Oh, and were there plenty of spots! I was impressed at the numerous islands that presented themselves during the float, creating a ton of awesome side channels and seams that held lots of fish. I went to the Chernobyls once I saw some risers early in the day and never went back. Caught a ton of fish just working the side channels with the dry, with the prize being a hookup with a 19" cutt, who slow sipped the fly in the smallest of side channels, only about 4 feet wide. So sweet.
That about wrapped up the main part of the trip for the entire crew, but I continued on to fish for almost another week. As expected, another great trip was put together and executed. Beyond fishing, the trip included a lot of good-natured ribbing, plenty of drinking, lots of food, and some great exposure to a new fishing destination. Oh, and I should mention that it was a treat to meet Mike Lawson at his fly shop.
Saturday: Travel to N.F. Tongue River, Wyoming (Bighorn Mountains)
The day was pretty much a cruise straight there, passing through Yellowstone and then on up into the mountains. The campground I usually stay at was full, as I didn't arrive until 9pm. Fortunately, there is a lodge nearby, and I was able to pick up the last "rustic cabin", which had no plumbing, but was a clean one bedroom cabin that could sleep 3, with a couple tables. I'd stay there again for sure.
Sunday: N.F. Tongue River all day fish
I got up early and went to my favorite hole. Nobody was there. The water was a tad higher than the last time I was there, and there was a new beaver pond just upstream. Amazing how quickly things change. I was relieved to walk down to my favorite hole and see the usual nice fish flashing in the crystal clear water. The fishing was a bit technical, as the higher flows created tricky currents. After I finally found my position, and dialed in on the fly, (small and dark parachute dries), the fish started to come. I brought in more than a handful of fish in the 15" range (as well as a ton of smaller fish), but those larger fish were an absolute blast on my 3wt rod. Small flies + small rod + small river + big fish + slow takes = fishing heaven. I worked another hole with nymphs and picked up a lot of fish on the same brown thread-flies we used in Idaho. Hmmm, I think I have another new fly to start keeping my arsenal. I ran into a moose while on the river, about 50 yards away. Knowing that's not the best of positions to be in, I took off for a while and let her pass. After a solid full day on the river, found and opening and camped in the North Tongue Campground. (I ran into another moose at my camp the next morning, pic below.)
Monday: Travel to Missoula
Just a travel day. I showered and re-supplied for camping. I decided to put some solid time in on the St. Joe River in Idaho the next day.
Tuesday: Travel to St. Joe in the morning, full day of fishing
Since I was heading in from Montana, I found the road from St. Regis that cruises to the St. Joe from upstream. The road was in great condition, and I was overjoyed when it finally met up with the Joe. Where the road dropped in, a smaller road continued upstream to the head waters. Since I had never been up this high on the Joe, I went quite a few miles upstream, pulling out at likely spots. There were a lot of them. It didn't take me long to find my first hole, only minutes after spotting the river. It was still early and cold, so I decided to nymph. What do yo know -- they crushed the brown thread-fly, but they did take my black stone on occasion. I nymphed for most of the morning, but threw on the occasional dry, which they took too (parachute adams). Once it warmed up, I pretty much stuck to the dry, and the fish were more than willing. In mid-afternoon, I started heading back downstream to setup camp at Tin Can Flat campground, then fished the waters around there. Caught a ton of fish, with the average being around 13" and the largest about 16". Nothing excessively large to hand, but caught a ton of fish on both nymphs and dries. (Oh, and I should mention that my camera was dunked for the final time mid-day and didn't recover -- no more pictures after this point in the trip. I have a new Pentax Optio W30 in the mail as I write this.)
Wednesday: St. Joe Morning fish, NF CDA evening fish/scout, Spokane
Went back to a couple of my favorite St. Joe runs in the morning and crushed on dry flies. The St. Joe was simply magical. No joking, I probably caught around 80 fish in about a day and a half of fishing. It was crazy good!
After having my fill of the St. Joe, I decided to pack up camp and head over the pass from Avery to Wallace (~30 miles) about mid-day. I'd never taking this route before. Much of it is a one-lane dirt road, but it was in great condition, with multiple single-lane tunnels and bridges sprinkled throughout the journey. The scenery was spectacular. I didn't stop and fish, but there were some tasty smalls streems/creeks that I have on my radar to fish sometime in the future. After arriving in Wallace, I had intentions of seeing what the NF of the CDA was like, so I headed there. Surprisingly, being mid-week, there were a lot of folks on the water, with dudes fishing most every nice hole as I made my way upstream. Although there were campsites available, the number of folks threw me off, so I decided to just fish the rest of the evening and head back into Spokane for some downtime. I ended up with a handful of fish to hand after about an hours fishing. I'll be looking to fish the NF of the CDA in the fall, when there should be less folks around.
Thursday: Hang out w/cousins in Spokane
Hung out with my cousins all day and hit a show at night. Nice mellow day.
Friday: Rocky Ford Creek/travel home
The next morning, I decided it was time to start trekking home. But, I had one last stop along the way, and I though it would be a nice bookend to the trip: Rocky Ford. The trip started with a spring creek, so it was appropriate that it ended with a spring creek. I went down to the second access and hit the bend. Huge fish everywhere, but they rejected just about everything I threw. I finally threw a beetle with a scud dropper about a foot below, and after about the second drift, I barely saw the beetle go under. After quickly setting the hook, a monster was on the end. After a decent fight, I landed a 24" brute. Ironically, the biggest fish I caught on the trip was the closest to home. I figured this was a perfect way to end the trip, so I headed home to recover over the weekend.
Whew! Another excellent 2 week fishing adventure in the books. The official TroutTamer trip is in a bit of question for next summer, but we'll see how things pan out. But, one thing is for sure: I'll be on the water somewhere.
'Till next time,
Josh
Tuesday: Henry's Lake/Henry's Fork below Osborne Bridge
Henry's Lake was TOUGH. Noah was the only one to pick up a fish on a chronie. Most of the reports from others on the lake were that the fishing was off. Pretty much just drank beer, got a suntan and enjoyed the scenery in the boats we rented. Man, can't go wrong with the scenery.
Later that evening, the crew headed down to the more technical water of the Henry's Fork. It was my first shot at fishing technical water below Osborne Bridge. The Brown Drake hatch was in full swing once the sun set. Landed a few fish (10"-12") on Brown Drake hackle. Noah hooked into a 21" monster. I could never quite get used to the "pick your spot on the bank and wait for the risers -- then stalk them" approach. Spring creeks are different that way. It was nice though to get into some fish in this technical water, as it built the confidence a bit.
Wednesday: Guided trip on Henry's Fork (Box Canyon)
Since Thurman didn't make it (poor sap), I went solo with a guide, Barker. It had its advantages because I got individual attention and got to fish some water he usually doesn't touch. He walked the boat right below the dam to fish some deep holes. I hooked into some monsters here (estimated 20"+), but lost them after long fights. These fish used the current to their advantage with the small thread files we were using (red, brown, olive -- size 16-18-ish). Barker got me into a lot of fish, landing a couple nice bows in the 16-18" range on nymphs and also some fish on dries (Chernobyls) in the 12"-14" range. Barker considered the conditions tough compared to other days, but still got me into quite a bit of action. It was an interesting float in that the guide actually walks the drift boat down the middle of the river, hopping boulders, to fish the deep pocket water where the fish hold in the middle of the river, not the edges. A guide definitely has a hard days work in the Box Canyon. Barker was a funny guy and a huge smart-ass, with probably his most notable quote after GJ asked why we didn't land our fish, "I got not talent in my boat!". Bastard. That's Barker below. Notice he wouldn't even let me hold my fish ;-)
Thursday: Henry's Fork: Wade fishing The Ranch and Osborne Bridge
As predicted, fishing The Ranch was technical. Had success catching a few small guys (10-12") on a Brown Drake hackle. Simply beautiful area. Osborne was more of the same, but I started to get the feel. Nothing large to hand, but hooked into a little under a dozen fish (10-12") on the Brown Drake hackle.
Friday: South Fork of the Snake River float: Cottonwood to ?
This was one of my favorite days of the trip. The river and surroundings were second to none. We actually ran into Barker again, as he was guiding the same stretch this day. The river was moving pretty quick, so the strategy was to stop at likely spots and wade-fish. Oh, and were there plenty of spots! I was impressed at the numerous islands that presented themselves during the float, creating a ton of awesome side channels and seams that held lots of fish. I went to the Chernobyls once I saw some risers early in the day and never went back. Caught a ton of fish just working the side channels with the dry, with the prize being a hookup with a 19" cutt, who slow sipped the fly in the smallest of side channels, only about 4 feet wide. So sweet.
That about wrapped up the main part of the trip for the entire crew, but I continued on to fish for almost another week. As expected, another great trip was put together and executed. Beyond fishing, the trip included a lot of good-natured ribbing, plenty of drinking, lots of food, and some great exposure to a new fishing destination. Oh, and I should mention that it was a treat to meet Mike Lawson at his fly shop.
Saturday: Travel to N.F. Tongue River, Wyoming (Bighorn Mountains)
The day was pretty much a cruise straight there, passing through Yellowstone and then on up into the mountains. The campground I usually stay at was full, as I didn't arrive until 9pm. Fortunately, there is a lodge nearby, and I was able to pick up the last "rustic cabin", which had no plumbing, but was a clean one bedroom cabin that could sleep 3, with a couple tables. I'd stay there again for sure.
Sunday: N.F. Tongue River all day fish
I got up early and went to my favorite hole. Nobody was there. The water was a tad higher than the last time I was there, and there was a new beaver pond just upstream. Amazing how quickly things change. I was relieved to walk down to my favorite hole and see the usual nice fish flashing in the crystal clear water. The fishing was a bit technical, as the higher flows created tricky currents. After I finally found my position, and dialed in on the fly, (small and dark parachute dries), the fish started to come. I brought in more than a handful of fish in the 15" range (as well as a ton of smaller fish), but those larger fish were an absolute blast on my 3wt rod. Small flies + small rod + small river + big fish + slow takes = fishing heaven. I worked another hole with nymphs and picked up a lot of fish on the same brown thread-flies we used in Idaho. Hmmm, I think I have another new fly to start keeping my arsenal. I ran into a moose while on the river, about 50 yards away. Knowing that's not the best of positions to be in, I took off for a while and let her pass. After a solid full day on the river, found and opening and camped in the North Tongue Campground. (I ran into another moose at my camp the next morning, pic below.)
Monday: Travel to Missoula
Just a travel day. I showered and re-supplied for camping. I decided to put some solid time in on the St. Joe River in Idaho the next day.
Tuesday: Travel to St. Joe in the morning, full day of fishing
Since I was heading in from Montana, I found the road from St. Regis that cruises to the St. Joe from upstream. The road was in great condition, and I was overjoyed when it finally met up with the Joe. Where the road dropped in, a smaller road continued upstream to the head waters. Since I had never been up this high on the Joe, I went quite a few miles upstream, pulling out at likely spots. There were a lot of them. It didn't take me long to find my first hole, only minutes after spotting the river. It was still early and cold, so I decided to nymph. What do yo know -- they crushed the brown thread-fly, but they did take my black stone on occasion. I nymphed for most of the morning, but threw on the occasional dry, which they took too (parachute adams). Once it warmed up, I pretty much stuck to the dry, and the fish were more than willing. In mid-afternoon, I started heading back downstream to setup camp at Tin Can Flat campground, then fished the waters around there. Caught a ton of fish, with the average being around 13" and the largest about 16". Nothing excessively large to hand, but caught a ton of fish on both nymphs and dries. (Oh, and I should mention that my camera was dunked for the final time mid-day and didn't recover -- no more pictures after this point in the trip. I have a new Pentax Optio W30 in the mail as I write this.)
Wednesday: St. Joe Morning fish, NF CDA evening fish/scout, Spokane
Went back to a couple of my favorite St. Joe runs in the morning and crushed on dry flies. The St. Joe was simply magical. No joking, I probably caught around 80 fish in about a day and a half of fishing. It was crazy good!
After having my fill of the St. Joe, I decided to pack up camp and head over the pass from Avery to Wallace (~30 miles) about mid-day. I'd never taking this route before. Much of it is a one-lane dirt road, but it was in great condition, with multiple single-lane tunnels and bridges sprinkled throughout the journey. The scenery was spectacular. I didn't stop and fish, but there were some tasty smalls streems/creeks that I have on my radar to fish sometime in the future. After arriving in Wallace, I had intentions of seeing what the NF of the CDA was like, so I headed there. Surprisingly, being mid-week, there were a lot of folks on the water, with dudes fishing most every nice hole as I made my way upstream. Although there were campsites available, the number of folks threw me off, so I decided to just fish the rest of the evening and head back into Spokane for some downtime. I ended up with a handful of fish to hand after about an hours fishing. I'll be looking to fish the NF of the CDA in the fall, when there should be less folks around.
Thursday: Hang out w/cousins in Spokane
Hung out with my cousins all day and hit a show at night. Nice mellow day.
Friday: Rocky Ford Creek/travel home
The next morning, I decided it was time to start trekking home. But, I had one last stop along the way, and I though it would be a nice bookend to the trip: Rocky Ford. The trip started with a spring creek, so it was appropriate that it ended with a spring creek. I went down to the second access and hit the bend. Huge fish everywhere, but they rejected just about everything I threw. I finally threw a beetle with a scud dropper about a foot below, and after about the second drift, I barely saw the beetle go under. After quickly setting the hook, a monster was on the end. After a decent fight, I landed a 24" brute. Ironically, the biggest fish I caught on the trip was the closest to home. I figured this was a perfect way to end the trip, so I headed home to recover over the weekend.
Whew! Another excellent 2 week fishing adventure in the books. The official TroutTamer trip is in a bit of question for next summer, but we'll see how things pan out. But, one thing is for sure: I'll be on the water somewhere.
'Till next time,
Josh
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