First week of the trip, focus was on the grouse and fishing was just an afterthought; now it’s time to approach it with steely-eyed determination. Which route? the interstate, a pretty drive in it’s own right, or the back roads where I can immerse myself in the sights, sounds and smells and truly become a part, if only for a brief time, of this beautiful land? Easy choice - needed to gas up, re-stock, hit the Taco bus one more time and the speed limit’s 70 on the blue highways anyway.
Heavy olive hatch in the parking lot
I guess from the air it looks like a beaver?
My pics don’t do this place justice; a stunning site as you drive into town
Was going to spend some time up here, water I’m always driving by and never fishing, but it was climbing and thickening, so onward
to the canyonlands
first look, should have cleaned the windshield
handsome country
apparently they’d had a bit of wind the day before; guy showed up with a chainsaw 5 minutes later and we hauled the pieces over to a nice family from Minnesota in a Winnebago next campsite over
tent pitched (rain due in the evening); quick stop at the shop for latest intel - 6 gates open, 8000cfs (Plan A, B, C out the window), 42 degrees, pink + zebra, deep, long leash (8-9’), olives just starting
squadron grounded for high crosswinds and (self) maintenance
an hour of swinging softhackles was good exercise but nothing more
time for pink and 2 BBs; tight to the bank, picked up him and his twin on consecutive casts, lost their cousin at the net
nice way to wait for the water to boil for morning coffee & oatmeal
things were pretty quiet downstream, so off to see what’s happening up higher; lots of rainbows making babies (took a shot through my sunglasses and was surprised it worked, kinda)
6 gates open, as advertised; #7 added the next day
got a few in the soft water where it turns the corner, including a pig whitey; a couple eagles up on the rocks
back across the mountains for her, and off to Three Forks for me; nice place for a break to glass for ducks
quick side trip to the big city to drop off the leaking sieves that masqueraded as waders for the past 10 days (they should change the name from Freestone to Freesoak; upgrading, we’ll see if quality control on USA-made is better); their new digs are impressive
45 and windy, but the Yellowheads say it’s spring nonetheless
think I have about 50 shots of this place
dinner with the uncle downstairs at the Sac, then one last place to visit before the morning flight home; down in the benches
