Walk much?

We awoke at the same time at about 3:00AM to a small noise outside. We were expecting raccoons because of previous camps at this spot. We even stacked the coolers and the food totes in a way so that they were inpenetrable to critters. As we both looked out the tent window, we saw a skunk. We made some noise and shined  a flash light on it. As it ran off we both laughed. We never expected that. 2 years prior it was raccoons here at Lufkin Bottom. This year it was a skunk. Again, wildlife is the biggest reason I love this float.

Next morning started off a little warmer than it had been. I snapped some pictures before we started off.

This is the shoreline heading up-river from our campsite. I caught this little guy here before we got in the boat. He rose to a small white dry fly. I chose this fly because my BWOs I had been using got torn to pieces.

We floated down to this cove and grassy shore line. We decided to fish around it for awhile. We caught some small trout in the cove right wear the fast water meets the slow.

Some of the trout were browns and some were cutthroats. It was fun fishing even if they were just small trout. After catching my share of these little guys, I wanted to try the deeper fast moving water.

I grabbed my nymphing rod because it looked like a good run for it. After fishing it for awhile I saw a rise out of a BIG trout. It came up not once but twice! I quickly ran back to the boat and grabbed my dry fly rig. Another reason I had put down the dry fly rod was because the wind was picking up. After a few bad attempts at casting out to where I saw the rise, it was as far out as I could cast, I finally hit the spot. Time slowed down as I watched my white fly float down the run. Sure enough the big trout rose and took it! I was not just surprised, but completely amazed. The fish swam straight at me. I had no choice but to back up. Unfortuately I stumbled in some roots and fell backwards onto my rear end. I did this and lost tension on my line. When I stood back up, the fish was gone. Isn't it always the way. It would have been my biggest trout yet but that's fishing.

It wasn't a complete loss though. I tried that run again and hooked up with a good size cutthroat. It was among the biggest fish of the trip. It is a completely different experience when you catch a large fish on the surface with a dry fly. Its so visual and surprising when it happens.

After a quick lunch of peanut butter and honey, we pushed off. We floated by a few more eagles. These turned out to be golden eagles which aare even bigger than bald eagles.

We even caught sight of a second moose. Picture opportunities were not convenient but I managed to snap a quick shot. By now the wind was howling so we weren't really fishing but merely enjoying the float and the scenery.

We originally were going to stay another night on the river but the wind made us change our minds and row the rest of the way to the pull out. By then we were pretty much ready to go. It was the end to a great trip. When pulling out with the boat we saw this sign that asked for the heads of all the rainbow trout anglers caught. We released all ours but thought it was funny and worth mentioning.

Later that day

We found a nice gravel island to pull the boat over and hit the good looking water that flowed around all sides of the island. Howard walked down to some really nice water at the end of the island. He had his nymphing rod with him. I decided to continue using a dry fly. The water I walked to was very shallow and full of rocks. I got a lot of hits on my BWO. The only thing was that none of them stuck. After awhile one did and I found out why I was having this trouble. It was a white fish. I had caught a white fish on a dry fly! Hadn't done that before. Whitefish are bottom feeders but I guess being that the depth of the water was so shallow it went after the dry anyway. It made for a fun catch though.

Howard came back after awhile and I asked him how he did. He informed me that he caught a small brown on a dry fly after failing with the nymphing rig. Not bad but not the same action we had while floating.

I took some pictures of this area at the back of the island. The river flowed down to lower levels of the same river. It was kind of neat to see this kind of structure.

I told Howard I would row til we found our next campsite. We floated past some beautiful scenery including these rugged cliffs. This canyon float has some of the neatest views looking up from the river. When I row I find that its hard to not take a ton of pictures. It's the only time I seem to notice the landscape. When I'm not rowing I am focused on the water and finding fishy spots.

Howard started casting his BWO into his fishy spots and before too long he had hook into a small brown trout. We got to the campsite not too much later and decided to set up the tent to let it air out again. After we had camp set up, we decided to fish along the banks for awhile.

I decided to fish working up the river and along a grassy bank. I actually walked up on the bank and in the grass which was a good 4 feet above the water. Doing this I could see into the water really well and unfortuantely I saw nothing and caught nothing.

Well that's not entirely true. There was a gorgeous sunset that evening. I was unable to capture the full beauty of the colors in a picture but it was truely gorgeous. My mom told me later that she saw it also that night........in Cincinnati......hmmmmm.

Once at camp, I decided it was going to be a two-can dinner for me so I went Italian with Chef Boyardee ravioli and added a Dinty Moore Beef Stew. It hit the spot. Afterwards I threw a life jacket next to a tree and sat downa nd leaned back. It was a cold clear night again and the sky was full of stars. I enjoyed some more Butterfingers while talking to Howard about the great day we had shared. We both agreed it had been a great day and we both would be using dries again tomorrow. There aren't to many of these kind of days I've found and I didn't want to end it early like the previous couple. I stayed up all the way til like 9:30. Unfortunately it ended on a very unperfect note.....I wasn't able to share my day with my Sara or my little buddies. I had bad reception in this spot and had to talk through texts. Other than that it really was another one of those perfect days.

Day 4..... One of those perfect days

 We woke the next morning to two bald eagles across the river. I think this is my favorite part of this area, all the eagles. It's amazing to see them in their natural state. By now we had breaking camp down to a science. It didn't take us long to get back on the river. Once we did, right away I caught a nice white fish on a stone fly nymph. Good start!

We floated down river a little ways to the first island that seemed to have perfect structure and riffles. Howard decided to hit the riffles while I tried the hole and along the cliffs.

Again it looked like the perfect spot. I tried nymphing and a streamer but had no luck. I couldn't believe it. Howard finished his riffles and went on past me to try the far end of the island. While he tried it I did succeed in one goal I had, I saw a moose! He was on the other side of the river among tall grass. I saw him for only a short while before he saw me and casually walked away.

I failed to get any pictures better than  this however. Howard came back just in time to see it too. He had no better luck than I in this spot. I decided however I wanted to try a dry fly against the rocks when we floated past. This turned out to be the best decision of the trip. I had tied a couple of Blue Winged Olives over the previous winter and I had heard they were the dry fly of choice this time of year on the South Fork. I caught this nice Cutthroat on my first cast along the cliff. I decided to stick with this dry fly approach.

I caught a small brown next. This was exciting because it was trout action. What happened next made the trip. We were looking at a campsite along side the river when I cast into a back eddy. I was trying to read the name of the site on the sign when I heard the hit. I instinctively set the hook when I heard it without even seeing the take. I felt a larger fish right away. Howard pulled the boat aside while I fought this fish. I saw it was a larger brown trout and gave him the proper respect. I let him tire himself before bringing him close enough to net. I was thrilled. I hadn't expected to get a big brown on a dry. Howard made the comment that this was the type of fish we were after, in fact, this was the fish of the trip.

The dark coloration on this fish was beautiful. It had bright white tipped fins and even a kype in its jaw. I didn't measure but I bet it was 18 inches anyway and muscular. Unfortunately a water spot happened to be on the lens and every picture I have of it has this smudge. How unfortunate. It  sure was the prettiest brown I have ever caught and in the most exciting manner too.

I made sure to give him plenty of time to regain his strength while watching him in the net. It would be hard to top this fish. I definitely tried though.

I offered to row then but Howard said he was enjoying me catching these fish. I didn't argue. I quickly caught another good brown. I made sure to get a picture of the trout with my fly in its mouth. I got a good shot here but that smudge still shows.

I was casting my BWO along the shore in slack water. I was catching brown trout after brown trout. It's amazing that a technique could make such a difference.

 I bet I caught 8 or 9 browns in 30 minutes!

 None were as big as the 18 incher but any trout on a dry fly is super exciting and each one was gorgeous.

It was in water such as this calm shore line that I had so much luck. What a perfect scenario. It's a beautiful fall day, I'm wearing just my favorite t-shirt and having nonstop dry fly action with a fly that I tied myself. Although I was having one of the best fishing moments I've ever had, I decided Howard had to have a turn.

Day 3......Dry fly intoduction

It got cold that night!  We woke up to a thick fog and a layer of frost.  We were in a campsite that wasn't going to see the sun until about 10 because of the ridge behind us. We NEEDED that sun though.  We put the tent away wet again because of the frost.  We did however have time enough to set our wading boots in the sun to thaw out. After a breakfast of shredded wheat, I snapped some pictures of the fog burning off and of the sun shining through the golden trees.  It was a beautiful morning. 

There was a hole in the fog as it floated across the river. It was neat to see through the fog and see blue sky in the distance.  A boat floated by as we were packing up. I noticed that they were using dry flies. I thought it was awfully cold to be using dries. As they passed by they said  "Go back to sleep because the fish were still sleeping too."

This campsite was actually on a large island. The large trees were gorgeous in the morning sun.

I thought the sight of our boots thawing out in the sun in front of the boat was also neat. Once we were set, I decided to try the same spot I had such luck in the night before.  Again, I caught a few white fish on the same nymphs as before. No luck with trout though.

Further down the stream, we stopped at a gravel bar to fish the water around it. Howard caught the first Cutthroat here. These are the fish the river is famous for. He caught it on a stone fly nymph also. I caught a white fish. We were both a little disappointed because the water looked perfect. I couldn't help but wonder if our tactics were the best ones. Nymphing was usually the best tactic. Fish eat on the surface less than 10% of the time. It HAD worked so well the previous year BUT it also was a few weeks earlier in the season.

We got in the boat again, this time Howard rowed. Just at the far end of the island, my indicator dove downward. I could feel that this fish was fighting differently from previous whitefish. Then I saw the color and the red slash on the throat. I said aloud, "It's a cutthroat, a gorgeous cutthroat!" I think Howard chucked. I still value every trout I catch, I don't get out much and cutthroats are my favorite fish anyway. Howard pulled the boat aside to take some pictures of it. I appreciated this. I needed more trout pictures.

We floated to the next gravel bar. This spot looked absolutely perfect. I nice run emptied into a pool with a huge drop off. I decided I wanted to streamer fish this hole. Right away I pulled a large cutty up from the deep, chasing a black streamer. It turned its head on it right at the last moment. I was disappointed and excited both. Unfortunately I caught nothing here and saw nothing else. As Howard came down from fishing the run, I told him I hadn't nymphed this hole so go ahead and give it a try. He caught a real nice rainbow then. The biggest rainbow of the trip. So much for streamers taking big fish.

I decided I wanted to use my new rod and reel so I converted it from streamers to a nymphing system with two stone flies because that is what took the rainbow. At the next stop, I got yet another couple white fish. This is the first of many pictures with my new rod. I like how it handled the fish. It's a seven weight so it put the fish on the defensive and the large arbor reel easily handles the line. I knew I made a great decision in getting this rod. We continued with nymphs the remainder of the float that day. We stopped to set up camp around 4 so the tent could dry out and we could fish the water around the camp. I had seen I fisherman stepping slowly around a grassy bank throwing a dry fly right along the bank. I decided I wanted to try this trout stalking. I picked up the rod Howard had lent me that I had rigged with a BWO that I had tied. I then tip-toed along the bank working up river. I caught this small brown trout, the first brown trout. I was excited because I had always wanted to stalk around small creek (I worked up a creek that ran into the main river). Dry fly fishing is always the most fun way to fish. I walked the bank back to the camp.

When I arrived to the camp, Howard was calling it a day also. He had tried using a streamer where the water got deeper. He said he had caught a small brown also. This fish will be a formidable trout one day if it keeps after bait fish almost as big as itself. He mentioned that he had caught one of every fish in the river that day. I had caught all too including the rainbow from the night before. Not a bad day at all.

We decided beef stew was sufficient for dinner. Afterwards we shared some more butterfingers. I tossed a life jacket next to a tree and sat down to call Sara. Reception was not good in this spot so we settled for texts goodnight. It was going to be another cold night and stomping around in waders all day wears a person out so we went to bed by 8. We both fell right to sleep. Another great day on the Snake.

Day 2, 1st on the River

 It rained ALL night long.  Luckily though it was not bitter cold when we awoke the next morning.  We started the day with Cinnamon Toast Crunch and put away all the gear and the soaking wet tent.  I don't think the tent got put away dry much at all that week.  We arranged everything in the boat as necessary and we set off. It was about 10:30 by the time we got on the river.  There was a good stretch of water upstream of the ramp that I wanted to fish but hadn't the time for.  Maybe next time.

 It hadn't rained that morning but it was expected to rain for the majority of the day.  This being said we decided to throw a tarp over all of out gear in the back of the boat.  Clouds were always in view that day. 

 We caught whitefish right off the bat that day and all day long.  We were using two sizes of stone fly nymphs that had worked real well for us in previous years.  We threw some streamers in some inviting water but to no avail.  I had a large cutthroat chase a big white streamer in but it gave up as it got closer to shore.  This was disappointing  because the hole I was fishing in seemed to be perfect. 

 We saw tons of Bald Eagles that day.  In fact we floated right underneath a couple.  I absolutely love hearing the call of these animals.  Its a very high distinct screech.  All day long we heard it.  It's a neat experience to watch them soar all around also.  I found it is very hard to row, fish, and take pictures while on a big rushing river.

We stopped at nearly every good looking gravel bar or inside turn to try our luck.  We caught a lot of whitefish with our nymphing rigs.  In fact I broke in the new rod with some whitefish (I took the streamer off and rigged it with a hopper and stone fly dropper). 

 We saw plenty of Eagle nests along the way too.  This particular nest had two eagles in it.  I wish the pictures had turned out better but its hard to focus in with a zoom lens and keep it still while floating down the river in a boat.

Along this stretch of water was a lot of nice cabins and homes.  This is the stretch of river that is above the canyon stretch that is nothing but wilderness for miles. This particular house was interesting.  The lawn was emerald green and immaculate.  I could see through every window.  I noticed that the interior was decorated as a rustic cabin might be.  Personally, I would probably want to buy this house but I can hear Sara now, "the drive way must be horrible in the winter!"  Can't ask for a better back yard though!

 Here was another eagle we saw later in the afternoon.  It's body against the blue blue sky makes for a pretty picture.  These birds watch as you float near but seem rather trusting as you float past because they never turn their head.

 We pulled into a campsite that we have used before.  It is the first one after the ramp that we normally use in Conant.  It is right across from a huge cattle ranch.  The field across the river had hundreds of cows in it and they made it all the way down to the bank of the river.  We set up camp early so as not to get caught in the dark.  After the tent was up and the rain fly was hanging on a limp because we were trying to dry the inside of the tent after it was soaked from being packed away all day.  Howard was cooking some cans of clam chowder up on the stove.  I decided to try out a run right in front of our campsite.

I waded out past the cove behind me in the picture and started catching fish right away.  I had tied on a bead-headed pheasant tail nymph to drop from my stone fly.  I was catching white fish on both!  Some of the fish ate the pheasant tail but got caught up on the larger hook of the stone fly.  This happened twice and you can always tell because it feels like the fish are twice as big as they actually are since you pull them in sideways.  It was a great half an hour or so of fishing.  I bet I caught nearly a dozen right there at camp.  To top it all off, I landed this monster rainbow (the first trout of the trip) with my last cast right before I walked in for dinner.  Howard asked if I wanted to keep it like we are told to do with the rainbows but I told him it was too much work to fillet it up and I had no problem with catching rainbows.

 Howard was gracious enough to snap some pictures of me fighting some of the fish.  These sort of pictures are always my favorite because they capture the action I was going through and shows the moment for what it truly was.  We went to bed a little later that night.  We just couldn't get up out of our seats on the bank.  The clouds from the day were long gone and the sky was full of stars.  It was a nearly full moon and the sky was lit up.  There was also the mooing of the neighboring cows in the air.  We had some Butterfingers that Karen had given me for my birthday for my birthday cake.  It was in fact my birthday that day.  Howard and I agreed that there is no better way to celebrate.