Fly Fishing the West

Vol. 31, Issue 1

July 22-27 2019

SELWAY River, LOCHSA (pronounced Lock-saw) River just west of the SELWAY-BITTERROOT WILDERNESS AREA in central Idaho 

Monday, July 22, 2019—Todd, Steve, and I travelled from Tri-Cities, Washington in the morning arriving in Lowell, Idaho (population 23). It is at the confluence of the SELWAY and LOCHSA rivers which form the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River. (The streams are wide and shallow in areas and are indeed ‘clearwater’. One can see the river bottoms clear as a bell along most stretches. (See Video below). These streams are ‘big water’ i.e., the SELWAY flow this time of year is ~1,000 ft3/sec., the LOCHSA ~700 ft3/sec. (This compares to the Lower Prover River flows out of Deer Creek Reservoir of about 450 ft3/sec. this time of year.) Neither river has upstream dams so the flows are natural snowmelt out of the surrounding Bitterroot mountains. Uniquely, the SELWAY river has occasional areas along it’s shoreline that are sandy beaches. Salmon and steelhead run up these rivers to spawn.

From where the SELWAY flows into the LOCHSA, there is a road that follows the SELWAY up 19 miles, of which 7 miles is paved. The road ends at SELWAY FALLS—a spectacular series of cascading water into deep pools. There is a campground here and a trail head where horse and backpackers can hike along the stream for another 20 miles to Moose Creek in the SELWAY-BITTERROOT WILDERNESS AREA. (One way to get into this area without hiking, or by bush plane, is to drive in from the east side of the wilderness area (a 2-hour drive from DARBY, MONTANA) to Paradise Campground. From there one can raft down the upper SELWAY River to SELWAY FALLS, a 5-day rafting trip. 

We stayed at Ryan’s Wilderness Inn at Lowell which was a nice small family-owned motel of six units with a down-home café. After dinner Steve walked across the highway to the LOCHSA River to fish. He hiked upstream about 1/4^th mile to what we named ‘Slab Rock’. At about 8:30 pm (almost dark) he caught a 15-inch and 20-inch cutthroat trout both on a size 14 elk hare caddis fly. 

Tuesday, July 23, 2019—After breakfast we drove up the SELWAY River road (all 19 miles) to SELWAY FALLS. (One can see the river from the road all the way.) We noted road mileages on a map places that looked good to fish. They turned out to be miles 8, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17. SELWAY FALLS itself was too rugged to hike down to to try to fish. 

We fished several places noted but found little success. Todd and Steve each caught several small cutthroat and rainbows. (See pictures below). 

Wednesday, July 24, 2019—After breakfast we drove about 50 miles along the LOCHSA RIVER (Idaho Highway 12). This is designated a NATIONAL SCENIC HIGHWAY and is part of the LEWIS and CLARK Trail. It follows the river closely all the way. We drove as far as the GEORGE  COLGATE LICKS Memorial and Loop Trail right next to the highway. We fished the LOCHSA River across from the memorial. The stream is much smaller here and we had good success catching 4-5 cutthroat trout from about 6-10 inches, on flies on top of the water. After fishing and lunch a couple who hiked the loop trail (about 1.5 miles) said they had seen a moose, so we did take the hike. [George Colgate was a cook accompanying a hunting party in the area in September of 1893. They were caught in a snow storm and lost their horses. They tried to float down the LOCHSA River in a crude raft but it fell apart. Colgate became ill and could not move with the others so they voted to leave him. The party was later rescued. His remains were found the next year near the area of the memorial. The loop trail, which we took, is a nice walk to a meadow and warm springs area where animals come to lick the sodium-rich rocks at the springs.] We fished the LOCHSA part way back down Highway 12 toward Lowell. The river had a stretch of fast water with side pools and deep, green water above and below the rapids. Caught no fish here after about an hour. We drove further back toward Lowell and fished off of a very large rock outcropping. There was cascading water above that emptied into a very deep, long pool. Steve caught an 11-inch cutthroat and a 12-inch mountain whitefish on a #3 Mepps Vibrax lure with the treble hook replaced with a single hook. (Treble hooks not allowed on either river.)  

Thursday, July 25, 2019— After breakfast we drove up SELWAY road to mileage marker 15, (i.e., 15 miles in from where the SELWAY river enters the LOCHSA). This, I believe, was the best place to fish. The stream cascades down through boulders and empties into a long stretch of deep, green water. Todd caught a nice 13” cutthroat on a zugbug fly trolling a weighted line with a spinning rod. He caught several others. I caught 6 mostly rainbows (the largest being about 10”). Two took a size 10 bright orange egg pattern fly. One took a size ~8 purple chubby and the others on a size 10 elk hare caddis. I also had two much bigger trout on with the elk hare caddis but both flipped the hook after about 15 seconds. One was pulling line out against my fly reel drag. 

Friday, July 26, 2019— After breakfast we travelled back up the SELWAY River road to mile 11. This was a good spot as I caught 6 small trout (up to 10” on a purple chubby and #12 elk hare caddis fishing the shallower water by the shore above a runout into a deep, green pool. I also had a large fish on with an elk hare caddis fly but I lost it after 10-15 seconds. Todd and Steve also caught several trout on parachute hoppers on top of the water. Steve missed a large trout he saw which almost took his fly.

In the evening after dinner at the motel café we went across the highway to “slab rock” and fished from 7:30 to 9 pm. Here the water is about 4 feet deep and swift. I had several good hits fishing both a black (with blue metallic ribbing) and green/brown streamers (both tied by Tyson). I euro-nymphed a size 12 elk hare caddis and missed one strike. Getting dark and hard to see my line, I put a pinch-on, bright orange strike indicator on my leader. Pulling the line up through the current the indicator got even with me (just below my feet) a very big trout tried to rip the indicator right off the line. 

Saturday, July 27, 2019— We left in the morning to travel home, stopping one more time on the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River to fish-- with no luck. Henry David Thoreau observed that, “….a man may fish his entire life before he realizes that what he is trying to catch is not fish at all”. The SELWAY and LOCHSA Rivers are amazing wonders of nature, with beautiful vistas and storied history. I don’t think we will forget our experiences of this week anytime soon.

Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:

1. Weather and Bugs--The weather was very nice the whole week, no rain. There were no mosquitoes but there were large and small flies that were pesky, but they did not bite.
2. Fishing the Streams---Hiking down from the road to the shores of both streams was generally difficult. They are lined with large river rock (smooth, round stones near the shore) but the banks also have large, jagged, rough, white rocks with black moss on them, which, being very steep, make it difficult to both get down to the river from the road and to move up and down the stream shoreline. Hip waders (compared to chest waders with wading boots) provide little arch support and almost no ankle protection trying to navigate these rocky conditions. Hence to protect one’s feet it is recommended that booted waders be used. (Interestingly see LEWIS and CLARK’S description of the LOCHSA River area relative to this rocky terrain in Item 6 below.)
3. Wildlife---We saw many humming birds, deer (white tail, some bucks), bald eagles, a beaver, ground squirrels, and chipmunks during the week.
4. Near the upper end of the SELWAY Road there is a large log (maybe 2 ft diameter, 30 ft tall) sticking up in the middle of the river. How did it get there? (See picture below).
5. Fishing Licenses---A non-resident Idaho fishing license for 2019 was $53 for a six day license. Any lures used must be single hook, barbless.
6. LEWIS and CLARK---Regarding this part of the BITTERROOT MOUNTAINS, on September 13, 1805 Meriwether Lewis, having come over Lolo Pass and following the upper LOCHSA River on their way to the Pacific Ocean, recorded in his journal, …the road was “much worse than yesterday….. excessively bad and thickly strowed (sic) with falling timber…Steep and Stoney”. Wm. Clark recorded the next day, …. the party made but 13 miles, passing “emince (sic) Dificuelt Knobs Stones…and emencely (sic) Steep…”.  (Source: Undaunted Courage- Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West, by Stephen E. Ambrose, pages 292-293)

VIDEO- Beautiful, Clear Selway River (CLICK then ENLARGE view, to see) JUL19

Selway River Falls JUL19

Steve and Cutthroat on Selway River JUL19

Selway River Cutthroat Caught by Todd JUL19

Selway River Cutthroat with Purple Chubby Fly in Mouth JUL19

George Colgate Memorial Trail Lochsa River JUL19

Selway River Tree Stump in Middle (How did that get there?) JUL19

Fly Fishing the West

Vol. 30, Issue 1

Sept. 17-19, 21 2018

Clark Fork (Deer Lodge), Missouri River (Land of the Giants), Box Canyon on Henry’s Fork of the Snake River, Island Park, Idaho

Monday, Sept. 17, 2018—Tyson and I went with nephew Trent Brown (Montana Fishing Guide) at 8 am to the Clark Fork near Deer Lodge. We floated the small stream in a drift boat for about 8 hrs. We fished mainly dry flies toward the bank and some streamer fishing and nymphing. Tyson caught one brown and lost several others using streamers. Later in the day he caught a 16” brown on a streamer “mouse” pattern. A fly called a purple chubby also worked well casting right next to the bank. We stopped the boat about 3 pm to fish. Trent went down a small side stream and caught a 19” brown on a size 12 purple chubby (see picture below). We caught about 6-8 more, smaller browns and several mountain whitefish. It was a sunny, warm day, maybe not the best for fishing, but it made for an enjoyable day under the Montana big sky. 

Tuesday, Wednesday,  Sept. 18, 19, 2018—Tyson and I again went with Trent each morning about 8 am to Holter Reservoir, which is below Hauser Dam. On Tuesday we traveled in Trent’s very nice jet boat first several miles up the east canyon called “Gates of the Mountains”. This is a part of the Missouri River which is very scenic and inaccessible by motorized vehicle. It has steep cliffs mixed with pine and fir trees. The cliffs have many caves and rock formations. It also has ancient petroglyphs of buffaloes at one place in the canyon wall. We then returned to the ‘lake’ part of the reservoir and fished for several hours with no luck. We then proceeded south toward Hauser Dam, an area known as “Land of the Giants” We nymphed from the drift boat both days and caught about ten 16-18-inch mostly rainbows on a size 18 green machine and one rainbow on a sowbug with another fish lost on a sowbug. ).One brown was actually ‘chunky’ like some rainbows, which I had never seen before. We lost several good-sized fish. One that broke the line right at the green machine fly. Later in the day on Wednesday we fished the ‘lake’ part of the reservoir where large fish were ‘finning’ on the top of the water, due to a massive callibaetis mayfly hatch on the lake. Trent caught the largest fish of the trip (a fat 19-inch rainbow) on a hare’s earnymph suspended a couple of feet below a palsa pinch on a strike indicator (see picture below). During the hatch on the lake Tyson had a big rainbow take a size 18 green machine fly suspended a couple of feet below a parachute dry fly. The tippet broke just as he set the hook. Later on Tyson lost another big one using the palsa pinch/hare’s ear setup as Trent.

Friday, Sept. 21, 2018— On Thursday, Nancy, Tyson and I traveled from Helena (where we stayed with Rachelle Brown, recently moved from Seattle) to Ashton, Idaho. About 7 am on Friday morning Tyson and I drove about 25 miles north to Box Canyon on the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River to fish. We started where the Buffalo River flows into the Henry’s Fork. Tyson caught a couple of rainbows on an olive streamer, one about 16 inches. He also caught 6 small fish using nymphs (all rainbows and one mountain whitefish. We returned to the car about 1 pm for lunch. In the afternoon I went to the upper part of Box Canyon where the Buffalo Rivers enters the Henry’s Fork. I caught two fish there, one a rainbow and one a 10-inch brook trout (see below) on a size 16 tan midge. At about 6 pm fish started breaking the water with one small and a large fish jumping 1 foot out of the water. I switched to a size 12 parachute hopper and caught 3 more fish, two rainbow and another brook trout, all 8-10 inches. Tyson caught another 16-inch rainbow and several other smaller fish, one being a brook trout, all on a streamer. We returned to Ashton about 6:30 pm.

Other Miscellaneous Information/Observations:

1. The weather was very nice in Montana. Monday was warm and sunny (72 F high). Tuesday was cooler and Wednesday was cool and overcast (45 F in the morning). It looked like rain on Wednesday, but never did. Returning in the boat from Land of the Giants on Tuesday we were heading into a 10-15 mph breeze making the water choppy with 2-3 foot swells.
2. The water in the Missouri had a green tinge to it, possibly from some algae growth occurring during the previous several weeks. We met another fishing guide on the dock who said the off color had slowed the fishing down the past week. (Youtube videos show the Land of the Giants water to be very clear, not green as we had it.)
3. We saw deer in Montana and in Box Canyon a Great Blue Heron, see pictures below.
4. The trip was very memorable with Trent Brown as our guide. We would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a Montana fishing guide. He is one of best at what he does, for sure. Also staying with Rachelle, his sister, was very nice as well. (She was considering possibly one day getting into the bed and breakfast/over-night stay business.)
5. Non-resident Montana fishing license for 2018 was $35 for a two-day license. (So, I had to buy two two-days even though we only fished 3 days in Montana for $78.) In Idaho a one-day non-resident fishing license was $17.
6. Regarding this part of the Upper Missiouri River (upstream from Holter Dam), on July 19, 1805 Meriwether Lewis (Lewis and Clark) on their way to the Pacific Ocean recorded in his journal, “…we entered [much] the most remarkable clifts that we have seen. These clifts rise from the waters edge perpendicularly to a hight of 1,200 feet…the towering and projecting rocks…seemed ready to tumble on us. For a distance of 5¼ miles [the river is] deep from side to side nor it there in the first 3 miles…a spot…on which a man could rest the soal of his foot… From the singular appearance of this place I called it the ‘gates of the rocky mountains’..”.  Lewis was also within a couple of hours march from one of the great gold deposits [in the west], Last Chance Gulch, near Helena, Montana…. But they were not looking for gold. As far as Lewis and Jefferson were concerned, animals, not minerals, were the great wealth of the Rocky Mountains. They caught cutthroat trout, encountered buffalo, deer, large elk, grizzly bears, bighorned sheep, beavers, otter, cranes, geese, red-breasted mergansers and curlews, ‘and a great number of snakes’. They were hampered by prickly-pear cactus, numberous  bothersome ‘musquetoes’, and ‘needle grass, an invention of the devil, consisting of barbed seeds which “penetrate our mockersons and leather legings..”.  On July 27, they arrived at Three Forks where the Missouri split into the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallitin Rivers.” (Source: Undaunted Courage- Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West, by Stephen E. Ambrose, pages 252-258.)