Sorry to miss you

It is Friday Sept. 19 and I am sitting in the Spokane Airport headed home. I just finished three days on the Lochsa. I was hoping to mix my annual trip to Lowell with your week but once again work schedules dictate life.

The Lochsa was better than I have seen it this late in years. The flow looked more like the end of July than the middle of September. Hatches were meager but regular with small mayflies and a range of caddis sizes. I did see one stonefly in my room. The best fishing was from dawn to about noon and then from 6:00 to dark. Even with that, there were still fish active through the afternoon. I managed about a dozen to a dozen and a half fish a day - I must have missed 3 or 4 for everyone hooked. Mostly in the 10 to 16 inch range. All on dries. I did reach one of my goals of getting a 20" fish - twice. A buck and a hen. Both on orange stimulators. I did most of my fishing in the catch and release area but got the big hen down on the Clearwater. The fish liked stimulators and adams best but some came up for elkhair caddis. As usually most were at the head of pools - or at least that is where I fished most. No steelies in the upper rivers yet but a lot have been passing Lower Granite Dam so they might come up if you get any rain.

Have a great time and I wish I was there.

David