... on the Brushy Fork Creek, a headwater tributary to the Lochsa and Clearwater Rivers in Northern Idaho.



There is no resident rainbow population in the Lochsa system, according to several Idaho Fish and Game Biologists that I have talked to. They consider all rainbow looking fish in the system to be steelhead.

So - I bring you a steelhead caught on a TenkaraUSA Ayu, fishing a small, dark FEB Hopper pattern.



The system also is home to West Slope cutthroat trout, including inhabitants of this little hole on Spruce Creek, a tributary to the Brushy Fork Creek ...



... such as this ...



... pure West Slope cutt, and, of course, some steelhead / cutthroat hybrids ...



These are all juvenile trout, the "young of the year", and the cutthroat and his hybrid cousin will stay as residents. That little juvenile steelhead has a 750 mile trip down to the Pacific ahead of him, and a return trip in several years as a much bigger fishie !!

Beautiful, remote backcountry creeks and lots of fun fishing the Tenkara on them.

John

P.S. These creeks are also spawning grounds for wild chinook salmon. Saw a good number of very small fry which quite possibly were chinook. They, too, will be headed downstream to the Pacific shortly. And will be much larger than the steelhead when they make their spawning run in 3-5 years.