I too had to leave the fish-in early and with much regret. No, I wasn't injured, just had other commitments. Leaving early however left me with no opportunity to take advantage of all the fishing wisdom gathered there so I will ask you all for your thoughts.

On Wed. morning I had the pleasure of fishing a few hours with Lotech Joe and we sampled a couple of spots on the Lochsa above the resort. One was a long flat faded into a short quick riffle and on to a wide 3 ? 4 foot deep run over 16? cobble bottom. Joe started at the top and I at the bottom. This spot turned out to be a puzzle. At first look, I saw no rising fish and started working attractors around the submerged boulders and seams. Soon I noticed several yards downstream, a couple of average fish repeatedly jumping clear out of the water. Obviously chasing something quick but I could see no bug activity that would cause it. These fish were holding in a small slick about 10 feet long. The strange part was that I could see no other rising fish across the whole run which was maybe 50 yd?s wide and 150 long. I moved down to slightly upstream of the slick and waded out as far as was comfortable, leaving about a 30 foot cast. I then noticed occasionally a good sized fish head and tail rising on the far side of the slick. He too would come cleanly out of the water like a porpoise. I suspected caddis but still could not see any flying off or on the water. Since I already had a stimulator tied on I floated it over the slick a few times without a take. The risers would ignore it and go after something along side. Switched to an X- caddis with the same result. Several good casts over the fish but no takes and they were still rising. When in doubt, go smaller right. So I tied on a 16 bwo quill parachute. A nice 12? cut took it on the first good drift and I quickly pulled him out of the slick area in hopes the other fish would not be spooked. By the time I had him landed, the hook out, and released, the other fish was up again. It took about four tries to get a good, fly first, no drag, drift over the area but he took with gusto, coming nearly out of the water again and cleanly hooking himself on the way down. This fish was a very nice chunky 16? westslope cutthroat and a good fighter. I played him to the net and held him carefully while I slipped the hook out of the corner of his mouth.

I carry but seldom use a throat pump. This seemed like a time it would be justified to see what was on the menu for today but while fumbling around for the pump and juggling a flyrod and healthy trout, he slipped the net and swam off. Later, I thought about wading out and seining the drift line through the slick, but it was just too deep. So I am left wondering.

This was a beautiful stretch of prime holding water and there should have been trout all thru it but I didn?t see another rise in the next half hour and had no further hits. So the puzzle is, what were these two or three fish taking with so much energy and why only in this one small slick more or less in the middle of a wide river that should have been full of fish. I am sure it wasn?t bwo?s That was just something that I tossed em. The main course remains unknown. I have marked the spot on my GPS and will try it again someday.

Any thoughts would be welcome.

And Joe, I greatly enjoyed meeting and fishing with you. Since we are nearly neighbors, I am sure we will get together again soon.