Posted: 7/4/2011 11:27:33 AM EDT
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Work has been stressful and time consuming lately and I wanted to get out, but not deal with the crowds. I heard about this place but there is not much information on it at all, for good reason. It's a spring creek on public lands and is accessed by a long series of dirt roads. This was my first time here. I arrived in the morning and began hiking downstream and it was really difficult not to throw my gear down, set up a rod and start fishing. The water was crystal clear and teaming with trout, but that meant the trout were wary and would scatter when they felt my presence.
I hiked about 2 miles downstream in to a large meadow area where I set up camp. The deerflies snacked on me for a while during my unpacking and fishing set up. I began fishing by my camp and I knew I should concentrate my effort in the riffles because the pools were just too clear and the fish knew you were there when you were 50 feet away. Each fishy looking spot held dozens of trout, mostly around 12" long. They were really feisty and really attacked the fly (size 20 Adams was the ticket), stripped line off the reel and performed some amazing acrobatics. After an hour or so of fishing, my hands started feeling cramped. I looked at them, and they were ballooned up to where my knuckles were no longer visible. Damn deerflies. Over the course of the day, they got worse and my range of mobility became limited to keeping them in the claw position. The claw position is suitable for holding onto a rod, so naturally I kept fishing  . I fished about 1.5 miles upstream headed back downstream to camp and walk about 1.5 miles downstream and fished up to camp. I spooked a huge bull and cow elk bedded down a few dozen yards away from me on my way back to camp that evening. I barely slept that night because it felt like my hands would pop from the swelling.
I woke up the next morning rigged up a rod I had not used before and walked a few miles downstream. My first cast and I asked myself, why didn't I try this line on this rod before? Dumbass. So I walked back to camp where I proceeded to get molested by more deerflies, but not on my hands because they accomplished their mission there already. I feared they would not leave my alone until I looked like the elephant man. Time to say screw it, cut the trip short and pack out. Here are some pics, but as usual they do not do justice for the scenery out here. 
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Nothing quite like setting up a tent (or sweet tarp tent in your case) and spending a weekend from sun up to sun down flyfishing a stretch or two of wild river. Although I don't get to do it very often here, back home it was an event every other weekend for years. Great pics. great thread. 
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Quoted:
Looks like a nice bamboo flyrod !?!? Man, I got hooked on bamboo a few years ago. It is perfect for waters this size and for fishing to larger fish on light tippet like the tailwaters here. It really is a relaxing tempo and thee fish fighting feels more connected. |
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Quoted:
I learned a long time ago to low-crawl up to good trout streams. you need to be aware of the sun; it's usually your shadow that spooks them. you need to put "Off" on every inch of exposed skin. those flies really suck it. Crawling was off limits considering my hands were fused into one position. I wish I took pictures of my swollen hands, but I guess I will leave the pictures of swollen body parts to Anthony Weiner 
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