Thanks John, great read and pics as always as I stay in today watching the inauguration.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
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Thanks John, great read and pics as always as I stay in today watching the inauguration.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
John,
I really think you deserve a travelogue award of some kind. Your reports are so good they belong in a coffee table book.
Thanks!
I agree John. Your "year of bamboo", combined with your knowledge of your local rivers, would make for a great book. Something to consider.
- Jeff
Jeff - Joe - George - Lew
Thanks guys.
John
Had some fun testing my new CDL Parachute at Birch Creek this afternoon. That of, course, required fishing for several hours to make sure that catching a fish on the very first cast wasn't a fluke. Somewhere around twenty rainbows, ranging in size from several inches to about a foot long, proved it wasn't.
This was the second fish that took the fly. ( Took a pic of the first one, but it was out of focus. )
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/j...003_edited.jpg
Started at the well tested testing riffle and caught seven or eight fish rather quickly.
Then I decided to head on further upstream than I usually do. Haven't fished up there for several years, since I generally prefer the water a couple miles downstream from this spot. But this time of year, I thought the fishing would be better upstream because of all the springs keeping the water temps more favorable for the fishies.
This is a downstream shot from a spot that was very productive.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/j...006_edited.jpg
This is an upstream shot from the same spot.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/j...005_edited.jpg
So if you take these pictures up to Birch Creek and locate the spot with the exact views in both directions, you'll have some great fun with a small stream rod and little dry flies !!
After working out the CDL Parachute for about an hour and a half, I put on a size 18 Quigley Cripple for a change of pace. Put it on just before I arrived at a really nice little run. Six fishies in just a matter of minutes in that small patch of water.
Also fished some water today that I have never been on. Since it was about 10F** when I came through Terreton, I thought I would spend some time before getting started checking out the creek further up the valley. Found an access a couple miles above where I usually fish. Smaller water, but had a real nice spring creek look to it.
After fishing downstream for a couple hours, I returned to that access to do some more exploring.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/j...009_edited.jpg
Saw a fair number of smaller trout in this section. Ended up catching four on the CDL parachute. Scared a lot more than that by almost stepping on them. This stretch held mostly small to very small rainbows. Could be a LOT of fun with a 1 wt rod on a calm day.
John
** There is an inversion in place in this general area recently and the temps are higher at higher elevation. While the temps at Terreton only got into the low 20's today, it was in the mid to upper 20's where I was fishing.
That's a wonderful stretch of water. Some nice little rainbows to play with too. Might be worth a peek during the warmer months as well.
- Jeff
John, something just came to me after all these months of looking at your pictures and that is the 'wide openness' that in my opinion identifies a lot about the west and you've always captured that feeling well in your pictures. Thanks again for a great report. Can't wait to return to ID.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Jeff -
I was checking out a topo map for the area this morning to double check the elevation ( 6500' ). It looks like the little creek that I explored yesterday is one of FIVE that come together just about a half mile downstream of where I was fishing to form what most people consider Birch Creek.
Can't hardly stand to wait for early spring ( or more early spring like weather ) to get back up there and check out those other four creeks, and on down below where they come together. There are days and days of exploring to do, assuming that the one I was on yesterday is typical of all five, and that the creek below the "confluence" is similar to the water I usually fish further downstream.
George -
Very interesting observation. Especially how the feeling is captured and conveyed by the pics. If the "openness" wasn't there to convey, I probably wouldn't be here to take pictures.
Nevada is probably my favorite State because it is the most "open" part of the country I know, plus it has more mountain ranges ( something like two hundred plus ) than any other state. Idaho is a close second, for the reasons you get that feeling that it identifies the West, plus the variety of fishing we have here. Utah ranks right up there for its variety of terrain and landscapes from the Uinta Mountains to the red rock country down around Escalante.
Good chance those States will show up in this thread before the end of the year. Along with Oregon, and a few others ????
John
Not a lot of competition for fishing space up there this time of year, is there John?
First, I digress. Ran into the son of one of my acquaintances this morning down at Jimmy's. Ben told me about a new channel connecting two large channels of the South Fork somewhat downstream of the section where I spend most of my time. Sounds like it could be very interesting water to fish, and that it will enhance the fishing downstream of where it joins the southern channel of the main river.
Checked it out this afternoon. Easy access. Pretty well iced over right now, but in a month or two it could present some great opportunities.
At the point the new channel connects with the older part of the mainstem, there were seven trumpeter swans hanging out. Of course they took off headed away from me, so I left my camera in my pocket. Fool that I am. They flew away a very short distance, then they all did a 180 and flew almost directly overhead. While my camera was still in my pocket.
From there I headed on over to the Aerie Run. The complete lack of precipitation around here for the past several weeks makes it look more like late March than mid January.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/j...001_edited.jpg
The word is generally that fishing has been on and off. Today it was on. I caught a fish.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/j...003_edited.jpg
Had to take the pic in macro, just in case REE sees it. I know how disappointed he would be if it weren't a close up.
Did have an immature bald eagle fly quite close by. Of course, I didn't notice him soon enough to get the camera out of my pocket.
Fished Aerie Run for a little over an hour. Somehow, I lost or destroyed three prince nymphs in that time. I thought the curse of the prince nymph was gone, but now I'm not so sure.
Score for the day -
Swans - 7 John - 0
Eagles - 1 John - 0
South Fork - 3 John - 1
But the more I use the Elkhorn, the more I like it. Hope to get out again tomorrow on some new water and catch some trout.
John