Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 18, Issue 1
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Upper Klickitat River, below Glenwood, Washington
Mike and I left Richland, WA about 6 am taking Interstate I-84 to Toppenish, WA, then heading south to Goldendale, WA. We arrived at the Klickitat River at about 8 am. It was a beautiful day, coyote seen in fields south of Toppenish. West of Goldendale Mt. Adams glistened in early morning sunlight. Driving down a steep road to the Klickitat River we saw a bald eagle on a gravel bar in the middle of the stream just above Summit Creek. We fished about 500 yds above the bridge at Summit Creek. After about an hour we moved down, still above the bridge about 300 yards to a large ‘pool’. Mike fished at the top of the pool using a streamer and I was below nymphing (on the bottom). I saw a large fish jump and then a very large what must have been a chinook turn just below the surface. I then hooked a very large fish on a size 10 orange scud fly. It moved around in the pool ignoring any tugs from the fly line. It moved to the lower end of the pool and then took off downstream, running about 40 yards. I was wading and followed it as fast as I could go. By the time I caught up with it at the lower pool, it had turned around and gone back up the original pool. This took all my fly line out well into the reel backing (~50 yds). On the run back upstream my line broke (leader was unfortunately only 5 lb. test). We then moved downstream and tried a bend in the river about ½ mile below the bridge (hiking down in where some large timbers had been discarded down the slope). No strikes. Drove down the road another ½ mile and saw another good place by two large basalt dome rocks, but we did not try. We left for home about 3 pm.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The weather was pleasant, mostly sunny, 35 F but warm.
2. Leidl Creek Ramp would be a nice area to camp, right where a bridge goes over the stream. There is a roadway turn-out just south of Leidl Creek Ramp with a panoramic overlook of the river. We drove several more miles downstream into Stinson Flat Ramp. These areas look like good places to fish but require some hiking to get to river. Below Stinson Creek (Klickitat Canyon) there is no road and this part of the river must be floaded in order to gain access ( ~4-5 miles).
3. A resident Washington fishing license for 2009 was about $22.
Rainbow Trout
Caught by Tyson Lower Provo River
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Lower Provo River, Provo Canyon, Utah
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 17, Issue 1
Monday, November 30, 2009
Lower Provo River, Provo Canyon, Utah
I arrived below the ‘Trailer Park’ (about 1 mile below Deer Creek Reservoir) at about 11 am. I fished the ‘big bend’ in the river by the trailer park for about 1 and ½ hours with no strikes and no observable fish activity. I tried both nymphing (Tyson method) with a sow bug and flash-back midge and with a white streamer with no luck. I moved down stream, crossing the river to the south side of the stream. I tried nymphing with no luck. I then noticed across the stream against the far bank what appeared to be caddis flies just above the surface. I switched to the streamer and almost immediately caught a 14” brown trout on a size 6 beadhead, all white streamer with a slight tail. After a while I switched back to nymphing and caught a ~20 inch Rainbow on a size 20 flash-back midge. He appeared to be an ol’ buck and put up a good fight. It turned out to be a great day. I left about 3 pm.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The weather was sunny, very little breeze, but cold, i.e., 29 degrees F.
The water level was very low, maybe the lowest I have ever seen. Wading across the river to go downstream from below the trailers was not a problem at all.
2. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Vol. 17, Issue 1
Monday, November 30, 2009
Lower Provo River, Provo Canyon, Utah
I arrived below the ‘Trailer Park’ (about 1 mile below Deer Creek Reservoir) at about 11 am. I fished the ‘big bend’ in the river by the trailer park for about 1 and ½ hours with no strikes and no observable fish activity. I tried both nymphing (Tyson method) with a sow bug and flash-back midge and with a white streamer with no luck. I moved down stream, crossing the river to the south side of the stream. I tried nymphing with no luck. I then noticed across the stream against the far bank what appeared to be caddis flies just above the surface. I switched to the streamer and almost immediately caught a 14” brown trout on a size 6 beadhead, all white streamer with a slight tail. After a while I switched back to nymphing and caught a ~20 inch Rainbow on a size 20 flash-back midge. He appeared to be an ol’ buck and put up a good fight. It turned out to be a great day. I left about 3 pm.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The weather was sunny, very little breeze, but cold, i.e., 29 degrees F.
The water level was very low, maybe the lowest I have ever seen. Wading across the river to go downstream from below the trailers was not a problem at all.
2. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Middle Provo River at Midway Utah
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 16, Issue 1
Monday, October 26, 2009
Middle Provo River, North of Midway, Utah
Jerry, Charlie (a friend of Jerry’s) and I traveled to the Middle Provo River north of Midway, Utah, a mile or two passed the round-about near a new subdivision entering the Fisherman Access parking lot on the north side of the road. We arrived about 3:30 pm. Charlie and I hiked passed the beaver pond (with now 2 dams rather than the one the last time we were there in September) to the river ‘bend’ area. Jerry fished downstream from us. I was nymphing and Charlie was fishing with a size 6 beadhead, all white streamer with a slight tail. Charlie almost immediately caught a brown, then another, then another (They were 10-13”.) Then he hooked and landed a beautiful 21” hook-jawed brown. Charlie would in the next hour or so catch about 6 more browns from 10-14”.
Having watched him catch the big brown, I switched to a streamer. I tried a black leech pattern with no luck. I then tried the Carey Special (size 6 brown body). I still had no luck. I then put a small lead shot weight above the fly about 18”. I immediately caught a 10” brown. I later switched to a size 10 flash-back hare’s ear pattern and caught a 12” brown. One key to Charlie’s success was how he brought the line in after casing across the stream. He would “strip” it in, in very short (2-3”) increments. He showed me how to do it and I caught the two browns. We fished until about 6:15 pm. Jerry down below caught one brown.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The weather was cloudy with the temperature about 45 F, starting to turn windy.
2. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Vol. 16, Issue 1
Monday, October 26, 2009
Middle Provo River, North of Midway, Utah
Jerry, Charlie (a friend of Jerry’s) and I traveled to the Middle Provo River north of Midway, Utah, a mile or two passed the round-about near a new subdivision entering the Fisherman Access parking lot on the north side of the road. We arrived about 3:30 pm. Charlie and I hiked passed the beaver pond (with now 2 dams rather than the one the last time we were there in September) to the river ‘bend’ area. Jerry fished downstream from us. I was nymphing and Charlie was fishing with a size 6 beadhead, all white streamer with a slight tail. Charlie almost immediately caught a brown, then another, then another (They were 10-13”.) Then he hooked and landed a beautiful 21” hook-jawed brown. Charlie would in the next hour or so catch about 6 more browns from 10-14”.
Having watched him catch the big brown, I switched to a streamer. I tried a black leech pattern with no luck. I then tried the Carey Special (size 6 brown body). I still had no luck. I then put a small lead shot weight above the fly about 18”. I immediately caught a 10” brown. I later switched to a size 10 flash-back hare’s ear pattern and caught a 12” brown. One key to Charlie’s success was how he brought the line in after casing across the stream. He would “strip” it in, in very short (2-3”) increments. He showed me how to do it and I caught the two browns. We fished until about 6:15 pm. Jerry down below caught one brown.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The weather was cloudy with the temperature about 45 F, starting to turn windy.
2. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Lower Provo River, Provo Canyon, Utah
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 15, Issue 1
Friday, October 23, 2009
Lower Provo River, ‘just below the trailer park’
I drove to the Lower Provo to the trailer park parking area off the freeway at about 10 am. The water was very low and I conditions looked ideal. I fished at the ‘bend in the river’ pool for over an hour, then tried nymphing above it and waded across the stream trying below it. No luck. While fishing the big pool I saw what has to be one of the most unusual sights in Mother Nature. A, what appeared to be a ~16-17–inch brown, jumped three successive times all in a row across the entire pool. It jumped out then in, out then in, and out then in, every time coming about 2-3 feet out of the water. I stood there quite amazed at the spectacle. Later, across the pool a very large rainbow (estimated to be >20”) rolled out of the water and back in. Its side was a distinct and beautiful pink/salmon color.
So, having fished for about 4 hours with no luck, I began to wonder why these very active fish were not biting. Just as I was preparing to leave I noticed some fish activity beginning to pick up across the pool in the calm water. I switched to a streamer (black size 6 leech pattern) with no luck. I then tried a Carrie Special streamer (size 6, brown body, with a few long brown hackle strands along its length) on a sinking tip line. I then caught a fat 10” rainbow with few spots, and then a 12” brown trout. Fish were starting to jump across the pool so I switched to a size 8 parachute hopper—dry on top. A ~16-inch brown took the fly after a few teasing casts. I later had several fish bite at the hopper but missed hooking any of them. I left about 4:15 pm.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. It is interesting that, like what we found in Yellowstone in July, the fish seem to really decrease activity from about 11am to 3:30 pm. Then they can really come alive as evening approaches. This may have something to do with bug activity below the surface, i. e., hatches, etc., it is hard to say. I will add to the list to my “why” list that seems to be growing.
2. It was recently stated from a study that the Provo River has about 3,000 fish per mile. That means there would be on-average about 30 fish for every 20 lineal yards of stream. In other words for a fisherman standing on the edge of the stream who can cast 10 yards upstream or 10 yards downstream would have access to about 30 fish across the water.
3. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Vol. 15, Issue 1
Friday, October 23, 2009
Lower Provo River, ‘just below the trailer park’
I drove to the Lower Provo to the trailer park parking area off the freeway at about 10 am. The water was very low and I conditions looked ideal. I fished at the ‘bend in the river’ pool for over an hour, then tried nymphing above it and waded across the stream trying below it. No luck. While fishing the big pool I saw what has to be one of the most unusual sights in Mother Nature. A, what appeared to be a ~16-17–inch brown, jumped three successive times all in a row across the entire pool. It jumped out then in, out then in, and out then in, every time coming about 2-3 feet out of the water. I stood there quite amazed at the spectacle. Later, across the pool a very large rainbow (estimated to be >20”) rolled out of the water and back in. Its side was a distinct and beautiful pink/salmon color.
So, having fished for about 4 hours with no luck, I began to wonder why these very active fish were not biting. Just as I was preparing to leave I noticed some fish activity beginning to pick up across the pool in the calm water. I switched to a streamer (black size 6 leech pattern) with no luck. I then tried a Carrie Special streamer (size 6, brown body, with a few long brown hackle strands along its length) on a sinking tip line. I then caught a fat 10” rainbow with few spots, and then a 12” brown trout. Fish were starting to jump across the pool so I switched to a size 8 parachute hopper—dry on top. A ~16-inch brown took the fly after a few teasing casts. I later had several fish bite at the hopper but missed hooking any of them. I left about 4:15 pm.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. It is interesting that, like what we found in Yellowstone in July, the fish seem to really decrease activity from about 11am to 3:30 pm. Then they can really come alive as evening approaches. This may have something to do with bug activity below the surface, i. e., hatches, etc., it is hard to say. I will add to the list to my “why” list that seems to be growing.
2. It was recently stated from a study that the Provo River has about 3,000 fish per mile. That means there would be on-average about 30 fish for every 20 lineal yards of stream. In other words for a fisherman standing on the edge of the stream who can cast 10 yards upstream or 10 yards downstream would have access to about 30 fish across the water.
3. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Middle Provo River below Jordanelle Dam
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 13, Issue 1
Thurs., October 1, 2009
Middle Provo River, North of Midway, Utah (near Dam)
Steve, Jerry and I fished the Middle Provo about a mile below the dam on Jordonelle Reservoir north of Midway Utah. (The river flows south through this high mountain valley of farms and rural homes.) We arrived at about 8 am and after parking in a Fisherman Access Parking Lot (very nice facilities all along the Middle Provo). The temperature was about 29 F and we hiked through one inch of new snow (first of the season). The stream is not large and is wade-able with occasional deep runs. We headed upstream from the fisherman's access point next to the river. I caught a ~16 inch brown on a size 18 flashback midge nymphing (Tyson method) and several other smaller browns. Steve and Jerry both had fish on that broke their lines.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The weather started out very cold (29 F), but as morning gave way to midday the sun came out warming things up and highlighting the beautiful fall colors of aspen, scrub oak, and other mountain flora and fauna.
2. This part of the Middle Provo has a wooden walkway that winds through the wetlands on the East side of the river. It is very nice and must provide a beautiful area to observe birds and animals throughout the summer.
3. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Vol. 13, Issue 1
Thurs., October 1, 2009
Middle Provo River, North of Midway, Utah (near Dam)
Steve, Jerry and I fished the Middle Provo about a mile below the dam on Jordonelle Reservoir north of Midway Utah. (The river flows south through this high mountain valley of farms and rural homes.) We arrived at about 8 am and after parking in a Fisherman Access Parking Lot (very nice facilities all along the Middle Provo). The temperature was about 29 F and we hiked through one inch of new snow (first of the season). The stream is not large and is wade-able with occasional deep runs. We headed upstream from the fisherman's access point next to the river. I caught a ~16 inch brown on a size 18 flashback midge nymphing (Tyson method) and several other smaller browns. Steve and Jerry both had fish on that broke their lines.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The weather started out very cold (29 F), but as morning gave way to midday the sun came out warming things up and highlighting the beautiful fall colors of aspen, scrub oak, and other mountain flora and fauna.
2. This part of the Middle Provo has a wooden walkway that winds through the wetlands on the East side of the river. It is very nice and must provide a beautiful area to observe birds and animals throughout the summer.
3. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Middle Provo River at Midway Utah
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 12, Issue 1
Wed., September 28, 2009
Middle Provo River, Above Midway, Utah
Tyson, Alan, Ben and I left Provo about 5:30 pm and arrived at the Middle Provo River at about 6 pm. We came at this time (evening) as our previous trips indicated that activity on the water really started to pick up later in the evening. We arrived and parking in the Fisherman Access on the north side of the road (several miles passed a round-about near a new subdivision). We headed about ¼ mile upstream passing the beaver dam on the right. (We came here again a month later and there is now a second beaver dam a pool below the first dam.)
Fish were breaking the water surface and jumping everywhere. A hatch or something was gloing on as there were huge numbers of very tiny flies swarming together just above the surface of the water mainly near the edges of the stream. Ben and Alan tried a Griffith’s gnat (probably a size 14) on top. Tyson was using a streamer (a size 6 black ‘maribou’-type pattern he tied) and caught several fish. Ben caught about 10 brown, the largest being about 13”. Alan caught a few browns as well. I caught a ~14”-inch and a ~17-inch browns nymphing (Tyson Method) on a size 14 caddis emerging pupa nymph pattern. I caught 3 other smaller browns. Strikes seemed to pick up as it got darker. We left at about 8:15 pm, when it was getting very dark. (It had not occurred to us to bring flashlights although I cannot get too excited about fishing in the dark even with lights.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. We arrived and parking in the Fisherman Access with about 6 other cars there. However we only saw about one other fisherman on the stream near where we fished (which I believe is about the best spot, i.e., at the ‘bend in the river’.
2. The weather was nice and warm, sunny, but cooled off pretty quickly as the sun sank below the western mountains (about 6 pm).
3. This is a beautiful spot on the Middle Provo River, which has been under an ongoing renovation project (Provo River Restoration) for a number of years. The river is easy to walk to, not a lot of trees.
4. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Vol. 12, Issue 1
Wed., September 28, 2009
Middle Provo River, Above Midway, Utah
Tyson, Alan, Ben and I left Provo about 5:30 pm and arrived at the Middle Provo River at about 6 pm. We came at this time (evening) as our previous trips indicated that activity on the water really started to pick up later in the evening. We arrived and parking in the Fisherman Access on the north side of the road (several miles passed a round-about near a new subdivision). We headed about ¼ mile upstream passing the beaver dam on the right. (We came here again a month later and there is now a second beaver dam a pool below the first dam.)
Fish were breaking the water surface and jumping everywhere. A hatch or something was gloing on as there were huge numbers of very tiny flies swarming together just above the surface of the water mainly near the edges of the stream. Ben and Alan tried a Griffith’s gnat (probably a size 14) on top. Tyson was using a streamer (a size 6 black ‘maribou’-type pattern he tied) and caught several fish. Ben caught about 10 brown, the largest being about 13”. Alan caught a few browns as well. I caught a ~14”-inch and a ~17-inch browns nymphing (Tyson Method) on a size 14 caddis emerging pupa nymph pattern. I caught 3 other smaller browns. Strikes seemed to pick up as it got darker. We left at about 8:15 pm, when it was getting very dark. (It had not occurred to us to bring flashlights although I cannot get too excited about fishing in the dark even with lights.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. We arrived and parking in the Fisherman Access with about 6 other cars there. However we only saw about one other fisherman on the stream near where we fished (which I believe is about the best spot, i.e., at the ‘bend in the river’.
2. The weather was nice and warm, sunny, but cooled off pretty quickly as the sun sank below the western mountains (about 6 pm).
3. This is a beautiful spot on the Middle Provo River, which has been under an ongoing renovation project (Provo River Restoration) for a number of years. The river is easy to walk to, not a lot of trees.
4. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Lower Provo River--at the 'Trestle'
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 11, Issue 1
Thurs., September 24, 2009
Lower Provo River, ‘at the Trestle’
I arrived at the Trestle on the Lower Provo River at about 7:15. I hiked about 200 yards down the north side of the river to ‘Half-moon Bay’. I saw a large fish turn in the water right in front of me and then another one jumped. I tried nymphing (Tyson Method) using a sowbug and a flash-back midge (size 16-18). No luck. I switched poles (dry fly on top) and still no luck. I then tried a ‘pale morning dun (PMD) wet fly (looks like a yellow-bodied PMD but with a streaming brown hackle rather than white dry fly hackle). I had an immediate strike then caught a pretty ~10 rainbow on the size 10 wet fly. I left about 11 am.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The temperature was about 38 F in the early morning warming to a very nice day by 9-10 am. The water level was down relative to July but still a bit high at this time of year per my previous experiences with Tyson.
2. It was recently stated from a study that the Provo River has about 3,000 fish per mile. That means there would be on-average about 30 fish for every 20 lineal yards of stream. In other words for a fisherman standing on the edge of the stream who can cast 10 yards upstream or 10 yards downstream would have access to about 30 fish across the water.
3. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Vol. 11, Issue 1
Thurs., September 24, 2009
Lower Provo River, ‘at the Trestle’
I arrived at the Trestle on the Lower Provo River at about 7:15. I hiked about 200 yards down the north side of the river to ‘Half-moon Bay’. I saw a large fish turn in the water right in front of me and then another one jumped. I tried nymphing (Tyson Method) using a sowbug and a flash-back midge (size 16-18). No luck. I switched poles (dry fly on top) and still no luck. I then tried a ‘pale morning dun (PMD) wet fly (looks like a yellow-bodied PMD but with a streaming brown hackle rather than white dry fly hackle). I had an immediate strike then caught a pretty ~10 rainbow on the size 10 wet fly. I left about 11 am.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The temperature was about 38 F in the early morning warming to a very nice day by 9-10 am. The water level was down relative to July but still a bit high at this time of year per my previous experiences with Tyson.
2. It was recently stated from a study that the Provo River has about 3,000 fish per mile. That means there would be on-average about 30 fish for every 20 lineal yards of stream. In other words for a fisherman standing on the edge of the stream who can cast 10 yards upstream or 10 yards downstream would have access to about 30 fish across the water.
3. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Middle Provo River at Midway Utah
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 10, Issue 1
Wed., September 23, 2009
Middle Provo River, Above Midway, Utah
Steve, Jerry, and I arrived at the Middle Provo River at about 7 am parking in the Fisherman Access on the north side of the road (several miles passed a round-about near a new subdivision) north of Midway Utah. We headed about ¼ mile upstream passing a beaver dam on the right. (We came here again a month later and there is now a second beaver dam a pool below the first dam.)
Steve and Jerry fished the slower water at a distinct bend in the river. I went upstream about 200 yards fishing the rapids. This was an amazing display of activity. Fish were breaking the surface constantly. A ~16-inch brown trout jumped about 2 feet out of the water right in front of me. A caddis fly would fly around near the surface of the water, land on the water briefly, then fly off. As I watched this a trout took one of the flies right off the top of the water. I switched from nymphing having tried a sowbug, flashback midge, and black ant to dry flies on top. I tried a lot of flies then finally caught a 9” brown on a size 12 red/brown pattern with a lot of hackle. After about 2 hours here I moved down to where Steve and Jerry were. I caught an 8” brown on a size 18 flashback midge. I tried a sow bug with no luck. (Several fisherman that know the Middle Provo say it is sowbug water but I have not had any luck with it as of yet, like on the Lower Provo. I switched to a caddis larva, size 12 (emerging pupa if you are looking in a fly shop) and on the first cast caught a 12” brown. We left about 12:30 pm to return home.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The weather was nice and sunny and it warmed up from the cool morning pretty rapidly.
2. This is a beautiful spot on the Middle Provo River, which has been under an ongoing renovation project (Provo River Restoration) for a number of years. The river is easy to walk to, not a lot of trees.
3. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Vol. 10, Issue 1
Wed., September 23, 2009
Middle Provo River, Above Midway, Utah
Steve, Jerry, and I arrived at the Middle Provo River at about 7 am parking in the Fisherman Access on the north side of the road (several miles passed a round-about near a new subdivision) north of Midway Utah. We headed about ¼ mile upstream passing a beaver dam on the right. (We came here again a month later and there is now a second beaver dam a pool below the first dam.)
Steve and Jerry fished the slower water at a distinct bend in the river. I went upstream about 200 yards fishing the rapids. This was an amazing display of activity. Fish were breaking the surface constantly. A ~16-inch brown trout jumped about 2 feet out of the water right in front of me. A caddis fly would fly around near the surface of the water, land on the water briefly, then fly off. As I watched this a trout took one of the flies right off the top of the water. I switched from nymphing having tried a sowbug, flashback midge, and black ant to dry flies on top. I tried a lot of flies then finally caught a 9” brown on a size 12 red/brown pattern with a lot of hackle. After about 2 hours here I moved down to where Steve and Jerry were. I caught an 8” brown on a size 18 flashback midge. I tried a sow bug with no luck. (Several fisherman that know the Middle Provo say it is sowbug water but I have not had any luck with it as of yet, like on the Lower Provo. I switched to a caddis larva, size 12 (emerging pupa if you are looking in a fly shop) and on the first cast caught a 12” brown. We left about 12:30 pm to return home.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The weather was nice and sunny and it warmed up from the cool morning pretty rapidly.
2. This is a beautiful spot on the Middle Provo River, which has been under an ongoing renovation project (Provo River Restoration) for a number of years. The river is easy to walk to, not a lot of trees.
3. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Lower Provo River
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 9, Issue 1
Tues., September 22, 2009
Lower Provo River, Provo Canyon, Utah--Below Trailer Park
I arrived at the Lower Provo River at about 8 am about one mile below the Deer Creek Reservoir just below the trailer park. I fished the ‘bend in the river’ pool for about 1 hour nymhing. I hooked a large fish in a size 16 sowbug (Tyson method nymphing). It came partially out of the water, heading back into the deep part of the pool and was gone.
About 11 am I drove down to the ‘train trestle’ and tried ‘half-moon bay’ (~200 yds below the trestle on the north side of the stream) with no luck. The wind was starting to blow making a normal cast hard to make. I moved down to ‘Jason Run’. I hooked a ~16-18 inch brown on a size 18 flashback midge. Then something quite magical happened. The fish jumped at least 5 feet out of the water! I was absolutely amazed. (It reminded me of Chinook salmon trying to jump steep waterfalls heading upstream to spawn.) As soon as it dove back into the water it was off the hook and gone….almost like it never happened.
About 2 pm I met Alan and we tried ‘moose bend’ for a while with no luck. The weather was still unsettled with some wind. Later in the evening we tried the flat water about a mile below the trestle. (There is a stairway off the freeway where we fished.) As it began to get dark there seemed to be some activity across the river. Alan caught a ~12 inch rainbow fishing a dry fly, wading half way across the stream and casting to the far bank.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. In the morning hiking down from the road to the trailer court area I saw two deer walking along the railroad tracks.
2. This part of the Middle Provo has a wooden walkway that winds through the wetlands on the East side of the river. It is very nice and must provide a beautiful area to observe birds and animals throughout the summer.
3. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Vol. 9, Issue 1
Tues., September 22, 2009
Lower Provo River, Provo Canyon, Utah--Below Trailer Park
I arrived at the Lower Provo River at about 8 am about one mile below the Deer Creek Reservoir just below the trailer park. I fished the ‘bend in the river’ pool for about 1 hour nymhing. I hooked a large fish in a size 16 sowbug (Tyson method nymphing). It came partially out of the water, heading back into the deep part of the pool and was gone.
About 11 am I drove down to the ‘train trestle’ and tried ‘half-moon bay’ (~200 yds below the trestle on the north side of the stream) with no luck. The wind was starting to blow making a normal cast hard to make. I moved down to ‘Jason Run’. I hooked a ~16-18 inch brown on a size 18 flashback midge. Then something quite magical happened. The fish jumped at least 5 feet out of the water! I was absolutely amazed. (It reminded me of Chinook salmon trying to jump steep waterfalls heading upstream to spawn.) As soon as it dove back into the water it was off the hook and gone….almost like it never happened.
About 2 pm I met Alan and we tried ‘moose bend’ for a while with no luck. The weather was still unsettled with some wind. Later in the evening we tried the flat water about a mile below the trestle. (There is a stairway off the freeway where we fished.) As it began to get dark there seemed to be some activity across the river. Alan caught a ~12 inch rainbow fishing a dry fly, wading half way across the stream and casting to the far bank.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. In the morning hiking down from the road to the trailer court area I saw two deer walking along the railroad tracks.
2. This part of the Middle Provo has a wooden walkway that winds through the wetlands on the East side of the river. It is very nice and must provide a beautiful area to observe birds and animals throughout the summer.
3. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Montana Streams--Madison, Jefferson, and Clarks Fork
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 8, Issue 1
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Madison, Jefferson, Clark's Fork Rivers
Drive from Island Park, Idaho to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Nancy and I left Island Park, Idaho at 8 am heading home to Tri-Cities, Washington. (Its about 600 miles home so the following records observations along the way only; did not try to fish.) We drove northeast on Idaho State Highway 20. Just passed Henry's Lake we took Highway 87 north, which turns into Montana Highway 287 heading toward Ennis, Montana. The highway follows the Madison River all the way into Ennis. The river is wide and flat through most of this area. We stopped at a Fly shop in the middle of town in Ennis. A clerk in the shop said he mainly fishes the stretches that have some 'holes' or deeper runs using 6X tippet.
North of Ennis the Madison leaves the highway east and crosses the Jefferson River about 33 miles north. Here the Jefferson is about half as wide as the Madison and deeper. It runs through farms and grasslands between low mountains on either side (west and east). Highway 287 joins Interstate I-90 near Cardwell and it leaves the Jefferson River about 7 miles west at Whitehall, Montana.
About 25 miles west of Butte, Montana Interstate I-90 crosses Warm Springs Creek, which flows into the Upper Clark Fork River. About 33 miles south of Missoula around Mile Marker 138 is a bridge with what looks like would be an excellent fly fishing spot. The interstate follows the river all the way to Missoula, where it is joined by the Blackfoot River several miles before entering the city. The Clark Fork then follows the interstate I-90 west for about 40 miles passed Missoula to St. Regis, Montana. The Clark Fork is a beautiful stream of normally wide, dark green water. At Mile Marker 75 west of Missoula there is a Camp site exit with fishing access near a train bridge. There is room to cast on the stream here. I-90 crosses the stream again at Mile Marker 68 with more beautiful looking, very fishable water. There is another excellent looking spot to fish at Mile Marker 48 where Cedar Creek flows into the river. (This is about 15 miles east of St. Regis.)
The Clark Fork turns north at St. Regis. Beyond here another smaller, beautiful stream comes into I-90 at about Mile Marker 29. (Reminds me of the Provo River, but smaller.) From here to the Idaho border the drive is through a beautiful canyon of dense stands of firs and pines. Looks like a good place to camp at Henderson, Camels Hump Road (about Exit 22). At Mile Marker 10 the St. Regis Creek comes in (small stream).
Vol. 8, Issue 1
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Madison, Jefferson, Clark's Fork Rivers
Drive from Island Park, Idaho to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Nancy and I left Island Park, Idaho at 8 am heading home to Tri-Cities, Washington. (Its about 600 miles home so the following records observations along the way only; did not try to fish.) We drove northeast on Idaho State Highway 20. Just passed Henry's Lake we took Highway 87 north, which turns into Montana Highway 287 heading toward Ennis, Montana. The highway follows the Madison River all the way into Ennis. The river is wide and flat through most of this area. We stopped at a Fly shop in the middle of town in Ennis. A clerk in the shop said he mainly fishes the stretches that have some 'holes' or deeper runs using 6X tippet.
North of Ennis the Madison leaves the highway east and crosses the Jefferson River about 33 miles north. Here the Jefferson is about half as wide as the Madison and deeper. It runs through farms and grasslands between low mountains on either side (west and east). Highway 287 joins Interstate I-90 near Cardwell and it leaves the Jefferson River about 7 miles west at Whitehall, Montana.
About 25 miles west of Butte, Montana Interstate I-90 crosses Warm Springs Creek, which flows into the Upper Clark Fork River. About 33 miles south of Missoula around Mile Marker 138 is a bridge with what looks like would be an excellent fly fishing spot. The interstate follows the river all the way to Missoula, where it is joined by the Blackfoot River several miles before entering the city. The Clark Fork then follows the interstate I-90 west for about 40 miles passed Missoula to St. Regis, Montana. The Clark Fork is a beautiful stream of normally wide, dark green water. At Mile Marker 75 west of Missoula there is a Camp site exit with fishing access near a train bridge. There is room to cast on the stream here. I-90 crosses the stream again at Mile Marker 68 with more beautiful looking, very fishable water. There is another excellent looking spot to fish at Mile Marker 48 where Cedar Creek flows into the river. (This is about 15 miles east of St. Regis.)
The Clark Fork turns north at St. Regis. Beyond here another smaller, beautiful stream comes into I-90 at about Mile Marker 29. (Reminds me of the Provo River, but smaller.) From here to the Idaho border the drive is through a beautiful canyon of dense stands of firs and pines. Looks like a good place to camp at Henderson, Camels Hump Road (about Exit 22). At Mile Marker 10 the St. Regis Creek comes in (small stream).
Henrys Fork of the Snake/Harriman State Park
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 7, Issue 1
Monday, August 10, 2009
Henry's Fork of the Snake River at Harriman State Park
Island Park, Idaho
The Henry's Fork of the Snake River at Harriman State Park is coming out of Box Canyon. (This land was donated by the estate of E. H. Harriman, the Union Pacific Railroad magnate of the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" fame.) Here it flows into an area known as the Ranches, then the park. The water here is wide, flat and shallow flowing through meadows where sagebrush replaces pine trees. The stream bottom is rich in green, flowing weed beds. Trent, Jerry, Todd, Steve, and I traveled south on Idaho Highway 20 from Island Park Dam at 6:15 am to a fisherman access parking lot, I believe just north of the park. It was still dark and we hiked a short ways downstream after crossing a canal parallel to the stream. Todd crossed the stream in the fog and I lost sight of him. Going up or down stream seemed to make little difference because all the water looked the same, i.e., wide, fast and shallow with an occasional small rock or boulder sticking up in the middle. I fished this water with a dry fly/sinking tip setup. I also added a dropper to some of the bigger dry flies, i.e., a size 18 flashback midge. After fishing for about an hour I went looking for what aquatic life might be in the stream. Turning over both rocks and logs at the stream edge I found, 1) tiny brown 'midge' looking bugs crawling on the rock underside (I have seen these on almost every stream I have ever checked across the rocky mountain west), 2) two leeches, one about an inch long, and 3) a lot of huge "rock rollers" caddis larvae inside rock casings. (The larvae had big yellow bodies with premature wings and black heads.) I subsequently tried two size 4 Wooly Bugger flies, one with a bullet-type bead head and one without. I did get one good strike on the bead-head fly, but nothing else. (A Maribou Leech may do better.) Trent had to leave at 8:30 am, which he did. We did not stay much longer. Essentially no one had any luck fishing that morning.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. Fishing this wide, flat, shallow fast water is altogether different than the more prevalent fly-fishing of riffles, holes, deep runs, slow, meandering water, etc. It would be fun and a challenge to figure out how best to approach this kind of water and learn just how to fish it successfully.
2. A 2009 Idaho out-of-state fishing license was $53 for 7 days, i.e., $12.50 for the first day and $6 for each successive day plus a "convenience" fee of $4.96.
Vol. 7, Issue 1
Monday, August 10, 2009
Henry's Fork of the Snake River at Harriman State Park
Island Park, Idaho
The Henry's Fork of the Snake River at Harriman State Park is coming out of Box Canyon. (This land was donated by the estate of E. H. Harriman, the Union Pacific Railroad magnate of the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" fame.) Here it flows into an area known as the Ranches, then the park. The water here is wide, flat and shallow flowing through meadows where sagebrush replaces pine trees. The stream bottom is rich in green, flowing weed beds. Trent, Jerry, Todd, Steve, and I traveled south on Idaho Highway 20 from Island Park Dam at 6:15 am to a fisherman access parking lot, I believe just north of the park. It was still dark and we hiked a short ways downstream after crossing a canal parallel to the stream. Todd crossed the stream in the fog and I lost sight of him. Going up or down stream seemed to make little difference because all the water looked the same, i.e., wide, fast and shallow with an occasional small rock or boulder sticking up in the middle. I fished this water with a dry fly/sinking tip setup. I also added a dropper to some of the bigger dry flies, i.e., a size 18 flashback midge. After fishing for about an hour I went looking for what aquatic life might be in the stream. Turning over both rocks and logs at the stream edge I found, 1) tiny brown 'midge' looking bugs crawling on the rock underside (I have seen these on almost every stream I have ever checked across the rocky mountain west), 2) two leeches, one about an inch long, and 3) a lot of huge "rock rollers" caddis larvae inside rock casings. (The larvae had big yellow bodies with premature wings and black heads.) I subsequently tried two size 4 Wooly Bugger flies, one with a bullet-type bead head and one without. I did get one good strike on the bead-head fly, but nothing else. (A Maribou Leech may do better.) Trent had to leave at 8:30 am, which he did. We did not stay much longer. Essentially no one had any luck fishing that morning.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. Fishing this wide, flat, shallow fast water is altogether different than the more prevalent fly-fishing of riffles, holes, deep runs, slow, meandering water, etc. It would be fun and a challenge to figure out how best to approach this kind of water and learn just how to fish it successfully.
2. A 2009 Idaho out-of-state fishing license was $53 for 7 days, i.e., $12.50 for the first day and $6 for each successive day plus a "convenience" fee of $4.96.
Henrys Fork of the Snake/ Coffee Pot Rapids
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 6, Issue 1
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Henry's Fork of the Snake River at Coffee Pot Rapids
Island Park, Idaho
The Henry's Fork of the Snake River has its origin from Big Springs and outflow from Henry's Lake to the north. Downstream from the Mack's Inn Bridge the river flows west. The water is wide, calm and a beautiful setting. After several miles it turns south into a section called Coffee Pot Rapids. Here the stream narrows and becomes more swift with rapids and some boulders and log jams. Trent, Steve, Jerry, Les, Todd, and I arrived by traveling north on Idaho Highway 20, turning west on Coffee Pot Rapids Campground Road just before Mack's Inn. Traveling to the end of the dirt road, we parked and had a hike down to the stream of about 200 yards. Todd went downstream, Trent crossed the stream (waded). and the rest went upstream. Steve and I fished a long deep run (about 30 yards). I fished the top of the run and he was next downstream. Steve caught 8 MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH nymphing (Tyson Method) on a size 18 flashback midge. They ranged in size anywhere from 12"-14" with one that must have been 16". (It is the largest whitefish I have seen.) I caught two WHITEFISH (both about 13") on the same fly. After I caught the two, I switched to a number of other flies and caught one more WHITEFISH on a size 8 black stonefly. (Switching did apparently keep most of the whitefish at bay as I caught none, including trout, thereafter.) Trent was fishing dry flies with a dropper with little luck (one small rainbow). Todd and Jerry caught several small RAINBOWS nymphing, and dry flies, respectively. This is a beautiful part of the river, remote and serene.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. When we arrived at Coffee Pot Rapids (2 pm) it was a nice, partly sunny day. By about 6 pm a thunderstorm rolled in. It began to rain,... then rain hard,... then hail started coming down,... then very hard hail. We took cover in under pine trees until it was over. (The hail lasted about 20 minutes.)
2. Upstream from Mack's Inn is a popular rafting area where one can see lots of wildlife, including moose, and large trout in the deeper sections of the river.
3. We ran into a few other fishermen, probably because it was Saturday. I did not see any of them catch anything. We spotted a mink or small otter swimming down the stream.
Vol. 6, Issue 1
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Henry's Fork of the Snake River at Coffee Pot Rapids
Island Park, Idaho
The Henry's Fork of the Snake River has its origin from Big Springs and outflow from Henry's Lake to the north. Downstream from the Mack's Inn Bridge the river flows west. The water is wide, calm and a beautiful setting. After several miles it turns south into a section called Coffee Pot Rapids. Here the stream narrows and becomes more swift with rapids and some boulders and log jams. Trent, Steve, Jerry, Les, Todd, and I arrived by traveling north on Idaho Highway 20, turning west on Coffee Pot Rapids Campground Road just before Mack's Inn. Traveling to the end of the dirt road, we parked and had a hike down to the stream of about 200 yards. Todd went downstream, Trent crossed the stream (waded). and the rest went upstream. Steve and I fished a long deep run (about 30 yards). I fished the top of the run and he was next downstream. Steve caught 8 MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH nymphing (Tyson Method) on a size 18 flashback midge. They ranged in size anywhere from 12"-14" with one that must have been 16". (It is the largest whitefish I have seen.) I caught two WHITEFISH (both about 13") on the same fly. After I caught the two, I switched to a number of other flies and caught one more WHITEFISH on a size 8 black stonefly. (Switching did apparently keep most of the whitefish at bay as I caught none, including trout, thereafter.) Trent was fishing dry flies with a dropper with little luck (one small rainbow). Todd and Jerry caught several small RAINBOWS nymphing, and dry flies, respectively. This is a beautiful part of the river, remote and serene.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. When we arrived at Coffee Pot Rapids (2 pm) it was a nice, partly sunny day. By about 6 pm a thunderstorm rolled in. It began to rain,... then rain hard,... then hail started coming down,... then very hard hail. We took cover in under pine trees until it was over. (The hail lasted about 20 minutes.)
2. Upstream from Mack's Inn is a popular rafting area where one can see lots of wildlife, including moose, and large trout in the deeper sections of the river.
3. We ran into a few other fishermen, probably because it was Saturday. I did not see any of them catch anything. We spotted a mink or small otter swimming down the stream.
4. A 2009 Idaho out-of-state fishing license was $53 for 7 days, i.e., $12.50 for the first day and $6 for each successive day plus a "convenience" fee of $4.96.
Henrys Fork/Buffalo River Confluence, Island Park, Idaho
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 5, Issue 1
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Henry's Fork of the Snake River at the Confluence of the Buffalo River
Island Park, Idaho
The Henry's Fork flows south out of Island Park Reservoir at the Island Park Dam. About 200 yards below the dam the stream curves east to a landing area where dory boats are launched to float Box Canyon. The stream is wide, deep and relatively fast flowing with riffles down lower in the stream. This whole area of the stream is limited to fly fishing (and possibly artificial lures) only and is catch-and-release (if I read the fishing regulations for this part of the river correctly.) About 200 yards below the boat launch the stream turns south and is joined by the Buffalo River that has a very nice fish ladder built so fish can move upstream out of the Henry's Fork into the Buffalo.
At 7 am Todd and I drove south on Idaho Highway 20 from the Island Park Dam turnoff, crossing the Buffalo River, then taking an immediate right turn (heading west) on the first dirt road south of the Buffalo. The road is Riverside Drive (I believe) and you follow it all the way to the end (about 2 miles). We parked here and took a short hike down to the Henry's Fork, crossing a dam and fish ladder on the Buffalo to get there. Where the Buffalo enters the Henry's Fork there are riffles forming a natural pool with a long deep (about 6' deep) run (about 30 yards).
Todd fished the pool and I fished just below the pool in the run. Todd caught a 12" RAINBOW on a size 14 bead-head flash-back midge nymphing (Tyson Method). I then hooked and landed a ~19" RAINBOW on a size 18 flash-back midge. This was a beautiful fish, both heavy and fat. Todd then caught an ~13" MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH on a size 16 bead-head flashback pheasant tail. After an hour or so here, we moved down the stream about 100 yards where a part of the Buffalo River flows into the Henry's Fork. This water is mainly riffles about 3 feet deep in a run about 20 yards long. Todd caught two small RAINBOWS here. I tried a size 12 Royal Wulff on top. A 10" trout came all the way to the surface, looked at it, then swam away. We returned to the 'pool' and both Todd and I had bigger fish on that got away. Todd caught two smaller RAINBOW trout.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. Catching the 19" RAINBOW above took me back to the same time/same place exactly year two years earlier. Fishing in the same spot with the same fly I lost two fish of similar (or possibly larger) size. Both took the fly and headed immediately into the fast current. One jumped and the other broke the water in a roll. Both broke my 5X (5 lb. test) line. [OK, when it comes to fishing I am still trying to work my way up from rodeo clown!])
2. It was a beautiful sunny day. We saw an OSPREY fly by with a fish in his talons. The OSPREY lives in a tree just southeast of the stream.
3. The Island Park area is known for its wildlife, e.g., deer, moose, fox, and a variety of birds.
4. A 2009 Idaho out-of-state fishing license was $53 for 7 days, i.e., $12.50 for the first day and $6 for each successive day plus a "convenience" fee of $4.96.
Vol. 5, Issue 1
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Henry's Fork of the Snake River at the Confluence of the Buffalo River
Island Park, Idaho
The Henry's Fork flows south out of Island Park Reservoir at the Island Park Dam. About 200 yards below the dam the stream curves east to a landing area where dory boats are launched to float Box Canyon. The stream is wide, deep and relatively fast flowing with riffles down lower in the stream. This whole area of the stream is limited to fly fishing (and possibly artificial lures) only and is catch-and-release (if I read the fishing regulations for this part of the river correctly.) About 200 yards below the boat launch the stream turns south and is joined by the Buffalo River that has a very nice fish ladder built so fish can move upstream out of the Henry's Fork into the Buffalo.
At 7 am Todd and I drove south on Idaho Highway 20 from the Island Park Dam turnoff, crossing the Buffalo River, then taking an immediate right turn (heading west) on the first dirt road south of the Buffalo. The road is Riverside Drive (I believe) and you follow it all the way to the end (about 2 miles). We parked here and took a short hike down to the Henry's Fork, crossing a dam and fish ladder on the Buffalo to get there. Where the Buffalo enters the Henry's Fork there are riffles forming a natural pool with a long deep (about 6' deep) run (about 30 yards).
Todd fished the pool and I fished just below the pool in the run. Todd caught a 12" RAINBOW on a size 14 bead-head flash-back midge nymphing (Tyson Method). I then hooked and landed a ~19" RAINBOW on a size 18 flash-back midge. This was a beautiful fish, both heavy and fat. Todd then caught an ~13" MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH on a size 16 bead-head flashback pheasant tail. After an hour or so here, we moved down the stream about 100 yards where a part of the Buffalo River flows into the Henry's Fork. This water is mainly riffles about 3 feet deep in a run about 20 yards long. Todd caught two small RAINBOWS here. I tried a size 12 Royal Wulff on top. A 10" trout came all the way to the surface, looked at it, then swam away. We returned to the 'pool' and both Todd and I had bigger fish on that got away. Todd caught two smaller RAINBOW trout.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. Catching the 19" RAINBOW above took me back to the same time/same place exactly year two years earlier. Fishing in the same spot with the same fly I lost two fish of similar (or possibly larger) size. Both took the fly and headed immediately into the fast current. One jumped and the other broke the water in a roll. Both broke my 5X (5 lb. test) line. [OK, when it comes to fishing I am still trying to work my way up from rodeo clown!])
2. It was a beautiful sunny day. We saw an OSPREY fly by with a fish in his talons. The OSPREY lives in a tree just southeast of the stream.
3. The Island Park area is known for its wildlife, e.g., deer, moose, fox, and a variety of birds.
4. A 2009 Idaho out-of-state fishing license was $53 for 7 days, i.e., $12.50 for the first day and $6 for each successive day plus a "convenience" fee of $4.96.
Henrys Fork of the Snake/ Chester Dam
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 4, Issue 1
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Henry's Fork of the Snake River at Chester Dam, Idaho
Nancy and I drove from Rexburg, Idaho (heading for Island Park, Idaho) to Chester Dam just north of St. Anthony, Idaho, arriving about 11 am. Here the Henry's Fork is a wide river flowing though farmland. The turnoff (north) from Idaho State Highway 20 to a stop sign (then west are both well marked, but the turnoff to the dam is not (onto a dirt road about 0.7 miles from the stop sign). It is just a short distance across a canal to the "dam". The dam is more of just a 10' wall across the stream over which water flows, some of the water being diverted into a canal for irrigation. There were two older brothers there fishing already. They were spin-cast fishing with live minnows in the white water exactly below the dam. I fly fished below them with a nymph (Tyson method), size 18 flashback midge and caught 3 MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH about 12-14". The two brothers were eating lunch and saw me catch the whitefish. They asked if they could keep them, to which I agreed. I switched to a size 6 realistic-looking dark green stonefly and caught another whitefish. (I switched to the stonefly thinking the whitefish would not take such a large fly. I was obviously wrong.) I fished for another hour or so trying several other flies with no luck. The two brothers finished lunch and returned to fishing. Each of them proceeded to catch a 16" and 17" BROWN TROUT on the minnows out in the white water below the dam overflow.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The two brothers we met at the dam were very nice and gave Nancy (who was on the bank watching, while reading a C++ book, I think) some smoked brown trout. It was very good.
2. A couple walking their dog stopped and said hello. He indicated that a great place to fly fish was actually on the other side of the stream, also just below the dam. He said one could drive downstream 2-3 miles to "Farmfun (?) Bridge" which is a single lane bridge over the stream. Then drive back up the otherside to the dam. He said one could wade out a ways into the stream which is more amenable to fly-fishing. We did not have time to try it.
3. Back at the "stop sign" where we turned left to go to Chester Dam, we drove straight (north) to a bridge crossing FALLS CREEK. This stream looked like excellent water to fish. It had very deep runs above and under the bridge. There were several people swimming there at 2 pm in the afternoon. Leaving the area back on Idaho Highway 20 heading north from the Chester Dam turnoff one will cross FALLS CREEK as well (about 3-4 miles). The water looked very good here also.
4. A 2009 Idaho out-of-state fishing license was $53 for 7 days, i.e., $12.50 for the first day and $6 for each successive day plus a "convenience" fee of $4.96
Vol. 4, Issue 1
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Henry's Fork of the Snake River at Chester Dam, Idaho
Nancy and I drove from Rexburg, Idaho (heading for Island Park, Idaho) to Chester Dam just north of St. Anthony, Idaho, arriving about 11 am. Here the Henry's Fork is a wide river flowing though farmland. The turnoff (north) from Idaho State Highway 20 to a stop sign (then west are both well marked, but the turnoff to the dam is not (onto a dirt road about 0.7 miles from the stop sign). It is just a short distance across a canal to the "dam". The dam is more of just a 10' wall across the stream over which water flows, some of the water being diverted into a canal for irrigation. There were two older brothers there fishing already. They were spin-cast fishing with live minnows in the white water exactly below the dam. I fly fished below them with a nymph (Tyson method), size 18 flashback midge and caught 3 MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH about 12-14". The two brothers were eating lunch and saw me catch the whitefish. They asked if they could keep them, to which I agreed. I switched to a size 6 realistic-looking dark green stonefly and caught another whitefish. (I switched to the stonefly thinking the whitefish would not take such a large fly. I was obviously wrong.) I fished for another hour or so trying several other flies with no luck. The two brothers finished lunch and returned to fishing. Each of them proceeded to catch a 16" and 17" BROWN TROUT on the minnows out in the white water below the dam overflow.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The two brothers we met at the dam were very nice and gave Nancy (who was on the bank watching, while reading a C++ book, I think) some smoked brown trout. It was very good.
2. A couple walking their dog stopped and said hello. He indicated that a great place to fly fish was actually on the other side of the stream, also just below the dam. He said one could drive downstream 2-3 miles to "Farmfun (?) Bridge" which is a single lane bridge over the stream. Then drive back up the otherside to the dam. He said one could wade out a ways into the stream which is more amenable to fly-fishing. We did not have time to try it.
3. Back at the "stop sign" where we turned left to go to Chester Dam, we drove straight (north) to a bridge crossing FALLS CREEK. This stream looked like excellent water to fish. It had very deep runs above and under the bridge. There were several people swimming there at 2 pm in the afternoon. Leaving the area back on Idaho Highway 20 heading north from the Chester Dam turnoff one will cross FALLS CREEK as well (about 3-4 miles). The water looked very good here also.
4. A 2009 Idaho out-of-state fishing license was $53 for 7 days, i.e., $12.50 for the first day and $6 for each successive day plus a "convenience" fee of $4.96
Weber River by Park City, Utah
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 3, Issue 1
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Weber River north of Park City, Utah
Tyson, Alan, Ben and I left Salt Lake City at 5:15 am traveling north on Interstate I-15, then east on Interstate I-84 passed Park City to Coalville, Utah. Out of Coalville we took Harbor (?) Road west crossing the freeway to Fisherman Access points along the Weber River (indicating the river to be a "Blue-ribbon Fishery" with a limit of 2 trout/day. (The river flows south to north, parallel to the freeway, through this high mountain valley of farms and rural homes.) The temperature leaving Salt Lake City was 64 F and dropped to about 45 F at Coalville. The stream is not large and is wade-able with occasional deep runs. We headed downstream from the second fisherman's access point by a field next to the river (of campers attending the 'Brooks Family Reunion', which I read on a tee shirt).
About 7:30 am Alan had a good fish on fishing with a dry fly as a strike indicator trailing a small midge pattern about 2 feet below. Tyson and I moved further downstream about 120 yards passed a lot of flat, shallow water to a bend in the river near a cow pasture. Here was a run of about 30 yards of water on the west bank from 4-6 feet deep. I fished for 30 minutes (Tyson method nymphing) with no luck. I then switched to a size 14 black ant (on the bottom) and caught an 11" and 13" MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH. I switched to a size 22 midge pattern (used on the San Juan River in New Mexico) and caught 3 more WHITEFISH of similar size. Tyson came up from downstream and fished the rapids just above the deeper part of the run and caught 5 more WHITEFISH and a beautiful 12" (what we think is) 'BONNEVILLE' CUTTHROAT (tan in color with few spots) casting to the opposite bank. He was fishing the bottom with a size 16 sow bug and a size 12 'silver spider' a foot above the sow bug. (Tyson tied both of these flies. The silver spider has a thin silver body with hackle along the length of the hook shaft.) Alan and Ben did not have any luck fishing dry flies on top although there were what appeared to be Caddis flies everywhere. We left about 11:30 am and arrived back in Salt Lake City about 12:30 pm on what turned out to be a warm summer day.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The weather was sunny, but cool in the morning as we were at an estimated elevation of `6,200 feet. The day warmed up pretty fast. There were no mosquitoes to speak of.
2. Walking along the stream consisted of mostly of tall grass. We noted that clumps of grass next to the stream edge were chalk full of caddis or similar flies. When you brushed against a clump of grass, hundreds of flies would ascend out of it.
3. Checking under rocks in the stream revealed small stick-looking caddis shells (empty), time crawling midges, and a sow bug.
4. This was an interesting fishing experience because the Weber River is known to have large brown and cutthroat trout in it. The challenge (at least for us on this day) was to figure out how to entice the trout to take a fly before the whitefish would. We really didn't figure that out.
5. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Vol. 3, Issue 1
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Weber River north of Park City, Utah
Tyson, Alan, Ben and I left Salt Lake City at 5:15 am traveling north on Interstate I-15, then east on Interstate I-84 passed Park City to Coalville, Utah. Out of Coalville we took Harbor (?) Road west crossing the freeway to Fisherman Access points along the Weber River (indicating the river to be a "Blue-ribbon Fishery" with a limit of 2 trout/day. (The river flows south to north, parallel to the freeway, through this high mountain valley of farms and rural homes.) The temperature leaving Salt Lake City was 64 F and dropped to about 45 F at Coalville. The stream is not large and is wade-able with occasional deep runs. We headed downstream from the second fisherman's access point by a field next to the river (of campers attending the 'Brooks Family Reunion', which I read on a tee shirt).
About 7:30 am Alan had a good fish on fishing with a dry fly as a strike indicator trailing a small midge pattern about 2 feet below. Tyson and I moved further downstream about 120 yards passed a lot of flat, shallow water to a bend in the river near a cow pasture. Here was a run of about 30 yards of water on the west bank from 4-6 feet deep. I fished for 30 minutes (Tyson method nymphing) with no luck. I then switched to a size 14 black ant (on the bottom) and caught an 11" and 13" MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH. I switched to a size 22 midge pattern (used on the San Juan River in New Mexico) and caught 3 more WHITEFISH of similar size. Tyson came up from downstream and fished the rapids just above the deeper part of the run and caught 5 more WHITEFISH and a beautiful 12" (what we think is) 'BONNEVILLE' CUTTHROAT (tan in color with few spots) casting to the opposite bank. He was fishing the bottom with a size 16 sow bug and a size 12 'silver spider' a foot above the sow bug. (Tyson tied both of these flies. The silver spider has a thin silver body with hackle along the length of the hook shaft.) Alan and Ben did not have any luck fishing dry flies on top although there were what appeared to be Caddis flies everywhere. We left about 11:30 am and arrived back in Salt Lake City about 12:30 pm on what turned out to be a warm summer day.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The weather was sunny, but cool in the morning as we were at an estimated elevation of `6,200 feet. The day warmed up pretty fast. There were no mosquitoes to speak of.
2. Walking along the stream consisted of mostly of tall grass. We noted that clumps of grass next to the stream edge were chalk full of caddis or similar flies. When you brushed against a clump of grass, hundreds of flies would ascend out of it.
3. Checking under rocks in the stream revealed small stick-looking caddis shells (empty), time crawling midges, and a sow bug.
4. This was an interesting fishing experience because the Weber River is known to have large brown and cutthroat trout in it. The challenge (at least for us on this day) was to figure out how to entice the trout to take a fly before the whitefish would. We really didn't figure that out.
5. Non-resident Utah fishing license for 2009 is $12, $32, or $70 for a 1-day, 7-day or 1-year license, respectively. The annual license is good for the 365 days subsequent to the day it is purchased.
Grand Teton/Yellowstone Nat'l Parks
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 2, Issue 1
July 20-25, 2009
Pacific Creek/Snake River in Grand Tetons National Park
Yellowstone River, Lamar River, Slough Creek in Yellowstone National Park
Monday, July 20-- Jerry, Steve and I left Salt Lake City at 7 am traveling north on Interstate I-15 up through Logan, Utah over to Bear Lake. Continuing north through Montpelier, Idaho, we stopped at Paris, Idaho and took a tour of the Mormon Tabernacle (erected in 1888). It is an imposing structure with a pulpit, from which every President of the LDS Church from John Taylor on has spoken. We continued north crossing into Wyoming and entering Star Valley. Salt Creek runs from the south into the Salt River near Afton, Wyoming. This is a beautiful valley. We saw several deer. The Salt River is known as a great fishing stream. In the valley the river flow and color reminds me of the Provo River, but with less water. Continuing north to Alpine Junction, Wyoming we turn northeast along the Snake River heading for Jackson Lake Lodge (north of Jackson Hole about 40 miles). This is beautiful country getting into tall firs and pines. The Snake River here is ‘big’ water with many rafters floating down from different launch sites. The water is green and would be fishable with the right gear. We did not stop to fish.
We arrived at Jackson Lake Lodge about 4 pm. (Jackson Lake is fed primarily by the Snake River flowing south from Yellowstone Park. From Jackson Lake the Snake continues south flowing out of Jackson Lake Dam.) We proceeded to fish below the Jackson Lake Dam in the evening. The water is fast and pretty flat, but deep, coming out of the dam. We caught a 13” MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH (on a size 14 sow bug—tied by Tyson).
Tuesday, July 21—At 7:30 am we drove 5 miles to Colter Bay and rented a boat on Jackson Lake. (They didn’t rent them until 8:30 am.) We fished for about 3 hours catching nothing. We trolled worms with ‘ford fender’ flashers, a Rapala, and weighted flies. It was Jerry’s opinion that the trolling speed of the motor was too fast, even at the slowest speed setting. The weather was warm and clear with beautiful views of the Grand Tetons and surrounding peaks. At 1 pm we drove up Pacific Creek Road several miles and parked at a road side turnout by a split rail fence. From there it is a short hike of about 150 yards through tall bushes on a deer trail to Pacific Creek. (This is a beautiful small stream in a creek bed too big for the flow, i.e., wide open creek bed.) Steve and I went downstream and Jerry went up. We fished about two hours mostly nymphing and with dry flies on top with no luck. We joined Jerry upstream at a bend in the stream that was curved and fairly deep. (This bend is directly below the road about 30 feet down a steep incline.) Jerry caught a pretty ~17” CUTTHROAT. He caught several other smaller fish (CUTTHROAT and RAINBOWS) on spinners. In the evening we drove south to Deadman’s Bar on the Snake (a rafting launch site south of Grand Teton National Park about 10 miles). The Snake River here is very wide, deep, and fast. We did not try to fish.
About 8 pm in the evening we saw a number of elk out the picture windows of the Jackson Lake Lodge (looking toward Jackson Lake and the Grand Tetons).
Wednesday, July 22— At 7:30 am we fished the confluence of Pacific Creek and the Snake River. It is a nice ‘beach’ type area with deep, green water. I caught a MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH on a size 14 sow bug –a Tyson tied fly. Jerry caught two ~12 inch RAINBOWS on a spinner.
At 9:30 am checked out of our cabin at Jackson Lake Lodge and headed north to Yellowstone National Park, entering through the South Entrance. The Snake River just inside the Park looked very fishable but with a bit of a hike to get down to the water. We did not try. Just north of the Snake we followed the Lewis River, which has lots of water but it is down in a steep canyon. We drove to Fishing Bridge and saw one fish (a lone stray cutthroat about 16” long. Driving north from Fishing Bridge we drove into the Navajo Picnic area along the Yellowstone River to eat lunch. The Yellowstone River is beautiful here--wide, clear, and picturesque. There were geese and red and white diving ducks on the water.) I fished along the shore for an hour--nymphing with a strike indicator, with no luck. Several other fly-fisherman fished there as well. We saw no fish caught. We drove to Mammoth Hot Springs and checked into the Lodge (a room, two double beds, with a common bath and shower arrangement down the hall. It reminded me of the bunkhouse at the Green Giant Pea Cannery in Dayton, Washington where I worked for several summers while attending college.)
Thursday, July 23— At 7:30 am we drove east across the park to the first turnout south of the campground at Slough Creek. No other cars were there. It is an easy 50 yard walk to the creek. Jerry fished the wide, slower water by the turnout and Steve and I went downstream several hundred yards. We fished two places where the shallow water fed into deep long runs. We fished there (the same place) for about 4 hours with no bites. (This was a place where you know they are in there so we just stayed there and literally went through the fly box trying everything we had. Steve also tried dry flies on top.) We could see smaller fish nipping at the dry flies, but never taking them.) Getting ready to leave we did a 'bug check' looking under rocks in the stream. Under one rock in a still pool of warmer water were some large 'rock-rollers' (large yellow larvae with premature wings and a black head in thick pebble casings) and a single fairly large, dark grey ‘grub’-type larva with no protective shell or casing. I had never seen such an insect larva as this one in a stream before. Not having a match for this in the fly box, I put it on a size 14 hare’s ear caddis fly and made one last cast back into the hole. Immediately, I had a strike. I called Steve back to help me land a beautiful ~19 inch CUTTHROAT. (It was returned to the stream unharmed.) Jerry caught 3-4 CUTTHROATS where he was fishing, including a nice ~15 inch CUTTROAT on a size 12 black wet fly, by drift fishing it about 3 feet down with a small sinker below a bubble.
At 5 pm left Slough Creek and drove east trough a canyon along the Lamar River characterized by very large boulders between which the water (a lot of water) cascaded from pool to pool. At a turnout near the top of the canyon stopped and hiked down to the 'raging' water. Jerry caught a ~13’ rainbow on a size 10 black wet fly almost immediately. Just above us on the stream Steve had a fish on a size 12 black gnat that broke his line. Steve then caught a 15" CUTTHROAT on a size 14 black ant. After about 45 minutes, we ended up vacating the spot as a thunderstorm was passing through the area and it had begun to rain.
We then drove east toward the East Entrance to the Park along the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek (to beyond Ice Box Canyon). The waters here meander through picturesque meadows below Ice Box Canyon. There were quite a few fishermen along most of these stretches. We stopped and watched a lone black bear along the side of the road busily eating yellow flowers in the meadow. He then crossed the road right in front of us.
We returned to the Lamar River and fished above (about a mile) the ‘boulder’ area we had fished earlier. This part of the river was flatter but still with deep, long, green water runs. I caught a ~15 inch CUTTHROAT on a size 8 black stonefly. This catch was interesting because the fly was barely in the water (by accident) next to the shore and the fish came from out of the depths, grabbed it, then disappeared back to the deep immediately. I had fished this fly (nymphing) through this deep run a number of times already with no strike. Shortly after catching this fish, Jerry came hurriedly up the stream having seen a black bear across the river from him start to swim the river to his side.
We drove back to Mammoth Hot Springs and then north to Gardiner, Montana to see the ‘Arch’ entrance to the park erected in honor of Teddy Roosevelt. We followed the Gardner River the 5 miles to Gardiner. It looks like a good fishing stream all along the way. We saw a group of about 9 big horn sheep on the cliffs to the right of the road heading north.
Friday, July 24— At 7:30 am we drove back to the Lamar River area with the large boulders. I caught an ~13 inch CUTTHROAT on a size 8 light-colored ‘stonefly’. Steve caught a ~13’ rainbow on a size 12 black ant. About 10 am we returned to Slough Creek and parked at the second turnout from the campground. There were already several cars with fishermen there. Jerry and Steve fished the bend closest to the cars (only a 30 yard walk through sage brush) and I went upstream. I fished a small ‘hole’ for about 1 ½ hours (nymphs mostly) and got no strikes. I returned downstream. Jerry had caught several CUTTHROAT on a SIZE 10 black wet fly and had one that broke his line. We ate breakfast about 4 pm at a picnic area several miles west of the Slough creek turnoff.. We returned to Mammoth Hot Springs and took a self-guided tour of the hot springs at about 7:30 pm. Hot water bubbling up from the earth brings with it limestone (normally white). Bacteria grow in the water adding different colors to the rock. We would have liked to have taken the Ranger-guided tour, but it occurs only once a day-- at 9 am.
Saturday, July 25— We checked out of the lodge at 6:30 am, ate breakfast at a picnic area across from the General Store and Ice Cream Shoppe and headed for Old Faithful on the way home. We saw Old Faithful blow about 9:10 am. It was difficult to see any water as steam surrounded the spout. It lasted about two minutes. We then headed for West Yellowstone, Montana at the West Entrance, stopped at two fly shops, then proceeded home to Salt Lake through Idaho Falls/Pocatello and down Interstate I-15. We arrived home about 6 pm.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. We found that on the open meadow streams (e.g., Slough Creek) sunny hot days seemed to reduce any fish activity in the afternoon from about 1-5 pm.
2. We observed a lot of lone buffalo bulls throughout the Lamar Valley as well as in other areas of the park. They also had no qualms about walking right down the middle of the roads, stopping traffic in both directions.
On Thursday we took a ½ mile hike to see Wraith Falls near Lava Creek Picnic area (not much water in the creek.) On the hike we saw Uinta ground squirrels and two yellow-bellied marmots, both of which are very curious animals.
3. Driving east from here, just beyond Blacktail Deer Plateau, Jerry spotted a black bear sow and two cubs on the slope of a mountain ridge about 1000 yards from the road. They were meandering across the hillside in and out of clumps of fir trees. The cubs would lag behind the mother and then have to catch back up. After we pulled over to the side of the road to watch them (for about 20 minutes) we had 15-20 other cars from both directions stopping to observe.
4. The Gibbon River, which is between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction is a pretty stream that would be quite fishable. Leaving on Saturday we saw an elk cow standing in the middle of the stream in a meadow. (A great picture not taken for sure.)
5. On the Madison River, near the West Entrance to the park, we could see many (probably smaller) fish breaking the surface at a turnout. We did not have time to fish.
6. In total, we saw lots of elk, deer, bears (three occasions), buffalo, nine big horn sheep, large sand hill cranes, baby bald eagle, ospreys, Uinta ground squirrels, marmots, lesser chipmunks, snakes, and frogs. Some disappointment, however, in not seeing a moose or any grizzly bears.
Vol. 2, Issue 1
July 20-25, 2009
Pacific Creek/Snake River in Grand Tetons National Park
Yellowstone River, Lamar River, Slough Creek in Yellowstone National Park
Monday, July 20-- Jerry, Steve and I left Salt Lake City at 7 am traveling north on Interstate I-15 up through Logan, Utah over to Bear Lake. Continuing north through Montpelier, Idaho, we stopped at Paris, Idaho and took a tour of the Mormon Tabernacle (erected in 1888). It is an imposing structure with a pulpit, from which every President of the LDS Church from John Taylor on has spoken. We continued north crossing into Wyoming and entering Star Valley. Salt Creek runs from the south into the Salt River near Afton, Wyoming. This is a beautiful valley. We saw several deer. The Salt River is known as a great fishing stream. In the valley the river flow and color reminds me of the Provo River, but with less water. Continuing north to Alpine Junction, Wyoming we turn northeast along the Snake River heading for Jackson Lake Lodge (north of Jackson Hole about 40 miles). This is beautiful country getting into tall firs and pines. The Snake River here is ‘big’ water with many rafters floating down from different launch sites. The water is green and would be fishable with the right gear. We did not stop to fish.
We arrived at Jackson Lake Lodge about 4 pm. (Jackson Lake is fed primarily by the Snake River flowing south from Yellowstone Park. From Jackson Lake the Snake continues south flowing out of Jackson Lake Dam.) We proceeded to fish below the Jackson Lake Dam in the evening. The water is fast and pretty flat, but deep, coming out of the dam. We caught a 13” MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH (on a size 14 sow bug—tied by Tyson).
Tuesday, July 21—At 7:30 am we drove 5 miles to Colter Bay and rented a boat on Jackson Lake. (They didn’t rent them until 8:30 am.) We fished for about 3 hours catching nothing. We trolled worms with ‘ford fender’ flashers, a Rapala, and weighted flies. It was Jerry’s opinion that the trolling speed of the motor was too fast, even at the slowest speed setting. The weather was warm and clear with beautiful views of the Grand Tetons and surrounding peaks. At 1 pm we drove up Pacific Creek Road several miles and parked at a road side turnout by a split rail fence. From there it is a short hike of about 150 yards through tall bushes on a deer trail to Pacific Creek. (This is a beautiful small stream in a creek bed too big for the flow, i.e., wide open creek bed.) Steve and I went downstream and Jerry went up. We fished about two hours mostly nymphing and with dry flies on top with no luck. We joined Jerry upstream at a bend in the stream that was curved and fairly deep. (This bend is directly below the road about 30 feet down a steep incline.) Jerry caught a pretty ~17” CUTTHROAT. He caught several other smaller fish (CUTTHROAT and RAINBOWS) on spinners. In the evening we drove south to Deadman’s Bar on the Snake (a rafting launch site south of Grand Teton National Park about 10 miles). The Snake River here is very wide, deep, and fast. We did not try to fish.
About 8 pm in the evening we saw a number of elk out the picture windows of the Jackson Lake Lodge (looking toward Jackson Lake and the Grand Tetons).
Wednesday, July 22— At 7:30 am we fished the confluence of Pacific Creek and the Snake River. It is a nice ‘beach’ type area with deep, green water. I caught a MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH on a size 14 sow bug –a Tyson tied fly. Jerry caught two ~12 inch RAINBOWS on a spinner.
At 9:30 am checked out of our cabin at Jackson Lake Lodge and headed north to Yellowstone National Park, entering through the South Entrance. The Snake River just inside the Park looked very fishable but with a bit of a hike to get down to the water. We did not try. Just north of the Snake we followed the Lewis River, which has lots of water but it is down in a steep canyon. We drove to Fishing Bridge and saw one fish (a lone stray cutthroat about 16” long. Driving north from Fishing Bridge we drove into the Navajo Picnic area along the Yellowstone River to eat lunch. The Yellowstone River is beautiful here--wide, clear, and picturesque. There were geese and red and white diving ducks on the water.) I fished along the shore for an hour--nymphing with a strike indicator, with no luck. Several other fly-fisherman fished there as well. We saw no fish caught. We drove to Mammoth Hot Springs and checked into the Lodge (a room, two double beds, with a common bath and shower arrangement down the hall. It reminded me of the bunkhouse at the Green Giant Pea Cannery in Dayton, Washington where I worked for several summers while attending college.)
Thursday, July 23— At 7:30 am we drove east across the park to the first turnout south of the campground at Slough Creek. No other cars were there. It is an easy 50 yard walk to the creek. Jerry fished the wide, slower water by the turnout and Steve and I went downstream several hundred yards. We fished two places where the shallow water fed into deep long runs. We fished there (the same place) for about 4 hours with no bites. (This was a place where you know they are in there so we just stayed there and literally went through the fly box trying everything we had. Steve also tried dry flies on top.) We could see smaller fish nipping at the dry flies, but never taking them.) Getting ready to leave we did a 'bug check' looking under rocks in the stream. Under one rock in a still pool of warmer water were some large 'rock-rollers' (large yellow larvae with premature wings and a black head in thick pebble casings) and a single fairly large, dark grey ‘grub’-type larva with no protective shell or casing. I had never seen such an insect larva as this one in a stream before. Not having a match for this in the fly box, I put it on a size 14 hare’s ear caddis fly and made one last cast back into the hole. Immediately, I had a strike. I called Steve back to help me land a beautiful ~19 inch CUTTHROAT. (It was returned to the stream unharmed.) Jerry caught 3-4 CUTTHROATS where he was fishing, including a nice ~15 inch CUTTROAT on a size 12 black wet fly, by drift fishing it about 3 feet down with a small sinker below a bubble.
At 5 pm left Slough Creek and drove east trough a canyon along the Lamar River characterized by very large boulders between which the water (a lot of water) cascaded from pool to pool. At a turnout near the top of the canyon stopped and hiked down to the 'raging' water. Jerry caught a ~13’ rainbow on a size 10 black wet fly almost immediately. Just above us on the stream Steve had a fish on a size 12 black gnat that broke his line. Steve then caught a 15" CUTTHROAT on a size 14 black ant. After about 45 minutes, we ended up vacating the spot as a thunderstorm was passing through the area and it had begun to rain.
We then drove east toward the East Entrance to the Park along the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek (to beyond Ice Box Canyon). The waters here meander through picturesque meadows below Ice Box Canyon. There were quite a few fishermen along most of these stretches. We stopped and watched a lone black bear along the side of the road busily eating yellow flowers in the meadow. He then crossed the road right in front of us.
We returned to the Lamar River and fished above (about a mile) the ‘boulder’ area we had fished earlier. This part of the river was flatter but still with deep, long, green water runs. I caught a ~15 inch CUTTHROAT on a size 8 black stonefly. This catch was interesting because the fly was barely in the water (by accident) next to the shore and the fish came from out of the depths, grabbed it, then disappeared back to the deep immediately. I had fished this fly (nymphing) through this deep run a number of times already with no strike. Shortly after catching this fish, Jerry came hurriedly up the stream having seen a black bear across the river from him start to swim the river to his side.
We drove back to Mammoth Hot Springs and then north to Gardiner, Montana to see the ‘Arch’ entrance to the park erected in honor of Teddy Roosevelt. We followed the Gardner River the 5 miles to Gardiner. It looks like a good fishing stream all along the way. We saw a group of about 9 big horn sheep on the cliffs to the right of the road heading north.
Friday, July 24— At 7:30 am we drove back to the Lamar River area with the large boulders. I caught an ~13 inch CUTTHROAT on a size 8 light-colored ‘stonefly’. Steve caught a ~13’ rainbow on a size 12 black ant. About 10 am we returned to Slough Creek and parked at the second turnout from the campground. There were already several cars with fishermen there. Jerry and Steve fished the bend closest to the cars (only a 30 yard walk through sage brush) and I went upstream. I fished a small ‘hole’ for about 1 ½ hours (nymphs mostly) and got no strikes. I returned downstream. Jerry had caught several CUTTHROAT on a SIZE 10 black wet fly and had one that broke his line. We ate breakfast about 4 pm at a picnic area several miles west of the Slough creek turnoff.. We returned to Mammoth Hot Springs and took a self-guided tour of the hot springs at about 7:30 pm. Hot water bubbling up from the earth brings with it limestone (normally white). Bacteria grow in the water adding different colors to the rock. We would have liked to have taken the Ranger-guided tour, but it occurs only once a day-- at 9 am.
Saturday, July 25— We checked out of the lodge at 6:30 am, ate breakfast at a picnic area across from the General Store and Ice Cream Shoppe and headed for Old Faithful on the way home. We saw Old Faithful blow about 9:10 am. It was difficult to see any water as steam surrounded the spout. It lasted about two minutes. We then headed for West Yellowstone, Montana at the West Entrance, stopped at two fly shops, then proceeded home to Salt Lake through Idaho Falls/Pocatello and down Interstate I-15. We arrived home about 6 pm.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. We found that on the open meadow streams (e.g., Slough Creek) sunny hot days seemed to reduce any fish activity in the afternoon from about 1-5 pm.
2. We observed a lot of lone buffalo bulls throughout the Lamar Valley as well as in other areas of the park. They also had no qualms about walking right down the middle of the roads, stopping traffic in both directions.
On Thursday we took a ½ mile hike to see Wraith Falls near Lava Creek Picnic area (not much water in the creek.) On the hike we saw Uinta ground squirrels and two yellow-bellied marmots, both of which are very curious animals.
3. Driving east from here, just beyond Blacktail Deer Plateau, Jerry spotted a black bear sow and two cubs on the slope of a mountain ridge about 1000 yards from the road. They were meandering across the hillside in and out of clumps of fir trees. The cubs would lag behind the mother and then have to catch back up. After we pulled over to the side of the road to watch them (for about 20 minutes) we had 15-20 other cars from both directions stopping to observe.
4. The Gibbon River, which is between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction is a pretty stream that would be quite fishable. Leaving on Saturday we saw an elk cow standing in the middle of the stream in a meadow. (A great picture not taken for sure.)
5. On the Madison River, near the West Entrance to the park, we could see many (probably smaller) fish breaking the surface at a turnout. We did not have time to fish.
6. In total, we saw lots of elk, deer, bears (three occasions), buffalo, nine big horn sheep, large sand hill cranes, baby bald eagle, ospreys, Uinta ground squirrels, marmots, lesser chipmunks, snakes, and frogs. Some disappointment, however, in not seeing a moose or any grizzly bears.
7. The trip was 5 days, covered about 1200 miles and cost about $1150. You need a Wyoming fishing license to fish in Grand Teton National Park. For Yellowstone National Park a 2009 3 day fishing permit is $15. A non-resident one day license in 2009 is $14/day.
8. It was a great trip taken in the spirit of adventure as inspired by Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery as they explored the West in 1803. John Colter, a member of the initial Lewis and Clark expedition, later explored the Grand Teton and Yellowstone areas extensively.
San Juan River, New Mexico
Fly Fishing the West
Vol. 1, Issue 1
Friday, July 3, 2009
San Juan River, New Mexico
The San Juan River flows out of the Navajo Reservoir in north-central New Mexico. Its source is mainly snow melt from the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado/northern New Mexico. Navajo Reservoir stores water for summer use and flood control in the Spring. The river is cold and clear coming out of the reservoir. It meanders down through northern New Mexico into Utah and eventually feeds into the Colorado River. The stream is tree-lined and lies in a beautiful setting of red rock cliffs and junipers.
We (Norm, Alan and Ben) left Albuquerque at 5 am in a light rain, arriving at about 8 am. From the "Texas Hole" parking lot Alan and Ben headed upstream and Norm and I waded upstream as well. The stream just below the dam is wide and flat and depth-wise is easily wade-able, although the large, flat sandstone rocks in the bottom of the stream are moss-covered and very slippery. Norm and I fished with nymphs on a strike-indicator (Tyson's setup). We caught nothing and had no strikes for about 2 hours. (There were about 8 other fishermen on the stream near us. We saw one fish caught (about 12-13 inches). We moved back down stream passing a number of other fishermen. About 200 yards above Texas Hole we caught several small rainbows; I with a size 14 red ant on top of the water. We saw Alan and Ben down below us. They bother were fishing dry flies on the top of the water.
About 1:30 pm Norm and I fished Texas Hole. This is a cascade of three separate tributaries coming into a bowl area of very deep water. There were already about 6 fishermen fishing there with another 6 in boats and single-man float rafts. We "got in line" fishing the slower waters off to the side. I caught a 13" rainbow and several others on a size 18 sow bug. Norm caught several more rainbow of similar size on a size 22 black pearl-bead midge. After about 2 hours we worked our way to the fast water of the main tributary. We caught more rainbow of similar size. In the faster water I lost a good sized fish in the current (on 2 lb. test line) then caught a 16 ½" brown trout on a size 18 flash-back midge. Norm had one break his line as well. (There were a number of fishermen around us catching fish at this location.) We tried elk hare caddis, pale morning dun, red-body midge and "San Juan" worms with no strikes.)
About 4 pm Norm and I moved downstream where the water is wide and flat but too deep to wade across. We fished here casting both dry flies and nymphs on floating line to no avail. Alan and Ben joined us here and we fished until about 8:45 pm with no strikes. Earlier in the day Alan caught several rainbow including a 15 incher on a Royal Wolf, and lost another of good size. Ben caught a rainbow as well. We left for home about 9 pm.
Overall the trip was very nice and lived up to the expectations of fishing one of the better trout-fishing streams in the West. There would have been fewer fishermen had the trip not been over a major holiday. The fish are big and seem plentiful. (Many that we saw showed signs of having been caught before.) There were two kinds of rainbows, i.e., 1) the more typical silvery and pink with many dark spots, and 2) a much lighter, almost tan, salmon-colored species with few spots. It is a beautiful fish to behold against the backdrop of the shallow stream bed. We arrived back in Albuquerque just after mid-night.
Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:
1. The stream reminds me of Rocky Ford Creek in Washington state. You can see the fish, large ones. Norm and I had one rainbow about 16 inches sit just below our boots (sometimes only one foot away) in 2 feet of water waiting for us to move and kick up sediment from the rocks. It would then feed on what washed downstream. Hence the term "San Juan shuffle", per our local guide, Norm.
2. In talking to other fishermen, they apparently catch the bigger fish on the San Juan using nymphs that are very small (in the 22-26 size range). I had no flies that small. (They are so tiny: I am still not sure how they can even tie them on the line.)
3. I caught several rainbow on a size 14 red ant, trying it because I was many red ants walking down to the stream. One fisherman said sometimes the stream is full of red "ants" because termites actually lay their eggs in water near the stream edges.
4. The day turned out to be sunny and warm, possibly contributing to less activity by fish during the day, particularly in the slow, flat water.
5. When we left in the evening the mosquitoes were out in force and very bothersome (although repellant we had worked quite well.)
6. A one-day 2009 New Mexico fishing license (both resident and non-resident) was $12, but you had to buy habitat recovery/improvement permits as well for an additional $9.
PICTURE: Norm on San Juan River
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