Lowell 2009

[Z]

Talk about good times. Friends, fish, food and fires. What a great week to see old friends and meet new ones.

Catching was good at times, and sometimes it was fishing. None of it time poorly spent.

Road construction, waiting times, flaggers who give doggie treats. Smiles. Fresh coffee... unexpected breakfast waiting for you. Sleeping in, waking up early and waiting for the sun. Friends. People that know how to train a good dog. Tucker not Carlos. Fish that head down low and shake on a bamboo rod. Dead salmon on a rock. 146 A,B and C.

Talk about good times.

Z

[Lotech]

Sounds like everyone had a great time. Wish I could have been there. I need to hit 146 one more time before I die. Were Neil & Ladyfisher there?

[Jack Hise]

Best Birthday I ever had! Glad to see you made it home ok Z.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

We are visiting VEE's Mom in Tri-Citis on nour ay back home. Leaving Lowell this nmorning was difficult to do The 34 degree outside temperature made it a bit easier..

We made sure there were still fish in the rivers for the locals on Sunday after everyone else departed.

Z, you hit the nail right on the head. It was a great week (or more for some of us), with good friends from all over the country. The fishing was, admitedly, more difficult than in years past, but then it is fishing, not catching.

It was great to see so many old friends and all the new faces show up at Lowell. Women's Fishing day was a hoot according to VEE, but I'll let her tell the story.

Anyone with photos of fish, friends, fires or tiers, I'd appreciate seeing them for inclusion in a wrap up article for FAOL. I will give photo credit.

We should be home on Tuesday afternoon.

REE

[Flyfisher121]

Z,
It was great for us, to finally meet the wonderful, friendly, flyfishermen and women... that we have communicated with on line we are already making plans to attend the central washington fish-in as well as the idaho 2010

Flyfisher121
PS pictures to come as soon as possible!!!!

[MarkKillam]

Well put Z

[DG]

I agree, one of the best Lowell fish-ins I have attended. The road construction and 5:30 diesel alarm clocks made it interesting. Fished my way out on Sunday, caught a bunch of fish, got checked by the warden for the first time in all my trips there, and fished the green sign/brown sign pool for my last hurrah, and discovered that the ants were the ticket after all.

Couple pics coming in a few days when I get back home.

Cookie

[DG]

OK, got the pics processed and uploaded...

Well, October caddis were what I went there to fish, and they were what I ended up catching most, but far from all, of my fish on. The old standby orange-bodied muddler seemed to work well for a few days, especially in fast and choppy waters:



But the CDC caddis were my best fly by far:



Even though they drown after a couple fish and need to be dried out on the defroster between pools. This is the drying patch for the first afternoon as I came down the Lochsa:



They did not, however ALWAYS catch big fish. There seemed to be a lot of smaller fish this year, 6-10", and some a wee bit smaller, but with big appetites:



The water was in great shape, low and clear. Mark Killam fishing in the upper 110's:



Z at the green/brown sign hole:



FFB fishing in the 140s:



And getting into cutties:



We did have a little fire to contend with. There were prescribed burns up the Selway and Lochsa both. Some days it wasn't too bad:



But other days it got real smoky:




Continued in next post

[DG]

FFB took me to Rock Creek for a side trip, to get the cutts out of our system and diluted with some browns and a few bows. Foo fishing in the rocky stretch:



And a nice fish on a dry right at dusk:



And we had to stop and try Lolo Creek on the way back into Idaho:



I also got to spend a day fishing with an old buddy, Jay Much, who now works in that part of Idaho and knows all the secret spots:




And, last but not least, we made the paper!:

[Afishyonado]

Great photos! I am having withdrawals from this trip. Nice to have met all of you there and hope to repeat.