The Sawyer Killer Bug

The Sawyer Killer Bug was suggested by Chris over at TenkaraBum.com  This fly was created by Frank Sawyer many many years ago and from what I have been reading about this bug, everyone who fishes by it swears by it.  Frank is better known for his pheasant tail nymph and his book on these flies is a classic but its this fly that gets me the most excited.  I cant wait to fish this little guy.  It will be the first fly on my line.

Big Ugly Trout Need Love Too

Dede and Barb have been fly fishing in the Jackson Hole area since the 70’s. I met them as a young buck working in the Jack Dennis Fly Shop in Jackson, Wyoming in 1987. They came in the shop, asked me some questions and quizzed me hard. I was the new kid in town. Fortunately I knew enough that they accepted me and we’ve been friends ever since. For years we never fished together. It’s typical if you work in a fly shop. Your customers become friends but you rarely ever fish with them. It’s because you never have time to fish with all your customer/friends. There’s so many of them and you only have a couple days off a week. But sometimes it works out. Luckily ten years ago it worked out that Granny and I fished with Dede and Barb on one of their secret waters. We had so much fun that we fish together at least once a year ever since.

Kubswin Lake isn’t really one of Dede and Barbs secrets. Anyone who chases big trout about knows Kubswin has some of the largest browns in the entire west, but because it’s a lake they rarely go there. When they go, it’s usually a one time thing because they get skunked. These trout are very hard to catch and as a rule anglers walk away shaking their heads wondering if the lake has any fish in it at all. Granny and I and Dede and Barb have certainly had these days. Nonetheless, that’s where we spent Tuesday and Wednesday

Monday night Granny and I drove to stay and have dinner at Dede and Barbs. These gals take great care of us when we stay over. We brought down some steaks and wine and they cooked it all up with some fresh veggies. Morning came fast and after  some quick coffees we drove to the lake. The weather continues to be as good as you could ask for. Despite Kubswin sitting at over 7,000 ft there was little to no wind and temps reached 80º each day. When we arrived at Kubswin it was almost calm. This sounds good to a rookie lake angler but the truth of the matter is that trout are so spooky under a placid lake that when your cast hits the water all nearby trout retreat to the deep. They think and eagle or an osprey is diving for them. I ran into this repeatedly when I was walking the shoreline and casting to cruisers. All but one took off just from seeing my fly line in the air. The one that stayed around followed and refused my fly.

We all spend more time fly fishing on lakes than the average trout fly fisher and we each have rigs and vests we only take to lakes. My rod of choice is my 6-weight Ross Essence FC. To match that rod I use the Ross Airius Reel and I have five spools to go with. Each spool has a different Rio fly line. There’s a floater, Midge Tip, Intermediate sink, Slow Sink (Type 3), and a Fast Sink (Deep 7). With those I can cover top to bottom of most lakes simply by changing spools. The line I use the most often is the Intermediate which in Rio lines is called the Aqualux.

We each carry a wide range of flies. Most of your once a year lake fly fishers simply pound away with various streamer patterns. Streamers definitely provide some success but I find that most of my catches  are made by patiently sight casting to risers with dry flies or slowly twitching nymph and midge patterns just below the surface. The speed and way you move your flies makes all the difference in the world. Lake fly fishing is extremely challenging and if you haven’t fished them much there’s lots to learn. I enjoy the challenges lakes present me with and especially the chance at catching huge trout. I also find them rarely crowded like many of our best rivers.

It wasn’t until about 1 pm on Tuesday that one of us hooked up. I was daydreaming while retrieving each cast and chatting away with Dede. Then she hooked up. It was obviously a big fish because her reel sang as the beast headed for the middle of the lake. Barb and I reeled in while Granny, who opted  to observe this weekend, came running with the camera. The fight lasted a good five minutes before she netted an obese 23” brown. Fat probably wasn’t the best word to describe this enormous trout. This amazing brown trout was an absolute monster and a perfect example as to why we like the challenge of lake fishing. And rather than eating a huge streamer, this brown ate one of Dede’s small nymphs while she was doing a very slow strip down near the bottom.

Our fishing remained slow both days but was very rewarding. We only landed a total of five fish, but the smallest was 17 inches. Dede caught four of these and three of them were over 20 inches. All the ones over 20 inches were impressive to say the least. One was impressive not only because of his size, but he was one of the ugliest big browns I’ve ever seen! His bottom jaw protruded so far out past his upper it was ridiculous. It’s a wonder he could even eat with this obscurely shaped mouth.

I only landed one but he too was a monster. This brown trout ate an olive bead head leech late in the day  and schooled me out into the lake. I rarely need backing when trout fishing but this fish required about thirty feet of it! It was another great weekend. Next for me will be back to the Harriman Ranch on the Henry’s Fork for the last of the Mahogany Dun hatch.

Our fishing remained slow both days but was very rewarding. We only landed a total of five fish, but the smallest was 17 inches. Dede caught four of these and three of them were over 20 inches. All the ones over 20 inches were impressive to say the least. One was impressive not only because of his size, but he was one of the ugliest big browns I’ve ever seen! His bottom jaw protruded so far out past his upper it was ridiculous. It’s a wonder he could even eat  with this obscurely shaped mouth.

I only landed one but he too was a monster. This brown ate an olive bead head leech late in the day and schooled me out into the lake. I rarely need backing when trout fishing but this fish required about thirty feet of it! It was another great weekend. Next for me will be back to the Ranch on the Henrys Fork for the last of the Mahogany Dun hatch.

as ridiculous. It’s a wonder he could even eat with this obscurely shaped mouth.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

WoodBurning Fly

Here is a wood burning I did yesterday of a fly.  The fly is burned onto the end of a rod case I have working on for a friend and I think It added just the right touch to the end of a great looking case.  It is just about complete and I will be sharing it with you when it is ready, but for now, this is all you get.

I also just got my new business cards in the mail the other day.  I have been sending out so many paintings and prints lately that I thought it was about time to get some cards printed up.  I used my Iron Blue Wingless fly from earlier this year as the work of art and I think it really works. 

Poor Sally

Via my request for flies to render as somewhat artful creations, I recieved this 'poor sally' from Alan over at http://Smallstreamreflections.blogspot.com   I decided not to attempt to duplicate his original because it is so well done. Instead I have done a 5x7 claybord etching of this classic and left out the color.  The end result is better looking than the pic shows.  I enjoined working on this piece so much I think I will have to do more of these type etchings.

I have received quite a response from my request with a lot of flies now in my in box so bare with me while I cycle through them.

Nothing but Yellow Belly

September 26, 2010

What a September! Today was in the 80ºs. The sky was cloudless and there wasn’t an ounce of wind all day. The willows, aspens and cottonwood trees are glowing with gold and the hillsides are vibrant red from the wild roses, mountain maples and hawthorns. Hardly a single turned leaf has fallen yet. September is truly the best time of year in the Yellowstone area and this year we are having the best of the best.

Today I floated the Moose to Wilson section of the Snake River in Jackson Hole Wyoming with Gary Eckman and Cooper. Cooper you should remember from previous blogs is Gary Eckman’s fourteen year old son that has become quite a proficient fly fisher. We got an early start today of about 8 am. Right now, 8 am is about sunrise here. It should have been freezing cold but instead it was a balmy 50 degrees. We all wet waded from start to finish.

Fishing started surprisingly slow despite the seemingly perfect conditions. I rowed the first hour while Cooper practiced his streamer fishing and Gary plopped an ant pattern along the banks. Other than a follow on the streamer and a small swirl behind the ant the cutthroats were asleep. Wildlife always seems to make up for lack of fish. We saw a gigantic bull moose tearing up some willows, a mule deer and her nearly full grown fawn, numerous elk, eagles and a long tail weasel along the banks as we drifted. Just to spice things up even more we floated into the famous “Bourbon Channel”. I’m not a big fan of the channel as it is one if you are the oarsman you row and that’s it. You can’t relax and enjoy your surroundings for even a split second or you’ll sink the boat. The Bourbon Channel is small and winding. The water moves fast and there are boat flipping snags and debris every inch of the way. It’s probably one of the most treacherous sections of all the Snake River. Take your eyes off what’s ahead of you for a second and your life is in danger.

We successfully navigated through even the most hair-raising mazes of the channel. There was no doubt that my workout for the day was complete. Once we got back to the main river the fishing turned on. It could have been the time of day but I think it was the slower water. This time of year the Snake River cuttys like a steady flow along a rocky ledges and the drop-offs just below riffles. There were plenty of bugs hatching. This late summer weather continues to deliver PMD’s. It’s late for PMD’s but we saw some. Then there were numerous Mahogany Duns and the occasional Snake Drakes, a large mayfly about a size 12. Fish began to rise and we all fished dry flies for the remainder of the day.

Today’s highlight, was watching Cooper catch his biggest fish ever on a dry fly on the Snake. The catch occurred during a time when he was getting a little distracted. The Snake River has one of the best sucker populations you can imagine. If you look into the water from the front of the boat while drifting you notice huge fish moving along the bottom all day long. While many anglers freak out thinking they are all huge trout, most of us know that most of these fish are actually suckers. Naturally, the fact that they are so much bigger than most trout in the river, Cooper wants to catch one bad. And while he should be carefully mending and watching his drifting dry fly, he’s often in a trance staring into the water ahead of the boat. I always watch his drifting fly and find myself constantly telling him to mend, dry your fly, recast and when we are lucky, set the hook. I must sound like a broken record.

Fortunately for us, not the cutthroat, Cooper was watching his fly when a big yellow belly slowly elevated from bottom to the surface and ate his Mahogany Wulff. You could see that this was a big trout and somehow Cooper kept his cool and set the hook on him like a pro. But once the fish was on, Cooper got very nervous. Now he truly knew how big this trout was and like any kid he wanted this fish in the net. He wisely asked for advice on the best way to get him there. Gary and I were thrilled and did our best of coaching Cooper through the event. He handled it beautifully and a few minutes after hook up I netted Cooper’s gorgeous cutthroat trout.

It was another great day on the Snake River in Jackson Hole Wyoming. Cooper relished in his success for an hour or so before going on a full time sucker hunt. Gary and I  enjoyed the weather and scenery and took turns fishing and rowing. We caught plenty of fish but today was by no means as good as it has been in previous weeks. As much as I’m not ready for it, what we really need to trigger our fall fishing is fall weather. Next on the agenda Granny and I will be chasing some big browns and brookies on some secret lakes. Stay tuned . . .

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Tenkara Midge and A Request

Fly number 270 for the year.  With less than 100 posts to go I am running out of juice looking for flies to paint so I am asking my blogging followers to send me pics of their favorite flies.  I need you to take a pic of you favorite fly in your vice, in the lip of a fish, or just the fly all alone and send them to me.  I will be looking for dries, wets, streamers, anything that catches fish.  Help me finish this year out.

Dry Fly + Some

"There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the worm."  ~Patrick F. McManus, Never Sniff a Gift Fish, 1979

I thought of this quote the last time I went out fishing as I pulled in rainbows.  I had been out there about half an hour, fishing this honey hole for all its worth when another angler shows up with his worms and tries to fish next to me.  I eased over a bit and let him fish the same bend in the stream as me.  I was having a good day and there was a good number of fish for the both of us so why the heck not.  Well after about 30 more minutes and me out fishing him five to zip, he grumbled something about how the fish were to small anyway, packed up his worms and moved on leaving me once again all alone with the 'small' fish.  It was about this time I hooked into a 13incher and gave my brief worm angling friend a little grin as I pulled the fish in.

This has happened more times than I can remember on this stretch of river and it is actually more rare to have a corn chucker or worm angler out fish a fly here.   I suppose this might be the case because this area of water is heavily fished by locals and the fish have seen more of the corn worms and powerbait than natural flies.  Is there science to back this up this claim? I don't know.  All I know is that I always do well there and the only reason I don't fish there more often is because the pressure of local anglers also brings the pollution and crowds I try to avoid when I fish.  Unfortunately it has easy access and if I am pressed for time it is the first spot I think of.

Join Me in Brazil!

The awe-inspiring, legendary Peacock bass on the fly!

For the third year in a row I will be hosting a trip to the Amazon in Brazil for peacock bass. Peacock bass are one of the most incredible species of fish you will ever catch with a fly. I have been chasing them for over ten years and can truly say that out of the 250 species I’ve caught, they are in the top three! I love them! They explode on your fly and for the first thirty seconds pull so hard they scare even the most experienced anglers. They are king of the Amazon and because they are so aggressive you can catch numerous peacocks on any given day whether you are a novice or expert. Peacock bass may very well be the most beautiful fish on Earth. There are four different species of peacock bass that you can expect to catch along with numerous other species of fish from jacunda to aruana.

The dates for this incredible trip are Saturday through Saturday, March 5-12, 2011. The trip will have 8 anglers  including me. The cost of the trip is $4395 based on double occupancy. This price includes airport pick up and drop off in Manaus, Brazil, one nights stay in Manaus at an excellent hotel, travel to our camp in the Amazon, fishing guides, accommodation and food. It does not include international airfare (expect airfare to be about $1500, with currently a direct flight from Atlanta to Manaus on Delta or United Airlines from Miami), your Brazilian Visa (about $160), tips to fishing guides, camp staff and airport pickup, taxi drivers or food while staying the day in Manaus.

The outfit we are using is River Plate Amazon Outfitters. I had a couple options as what trip or type of trip to do. Based on my experience in the last two years, I booked what they describe as the "Floating Tent Camp – Regular”. You will not be disappointed and can  see for yourself, many descriptions, explanations and photographs on the the River Plate Amazon Outfitters website. It’s truly incredible!

Further information, photographs and stories of some of my past peacock bass fishing trips are to be found at this blog and Jeff Currier's Global Fly Fishing web site.

Check out this great Amazon Peacock bass fishing map, courtesy of River Plate Amazon Outfitters.

If you are ready to sign up or would like more information feel free to email me at: jeff_currier@hotmail.com or use the "Contact Jeff Currier" button on the right hand side of this blog.

Of all the incredible gamefish in the Amazon basin, the one that has received the most press is the peacock  bass. Peacock bass are known as pavon in Venezuela and Colombia or tucunare in Brazil and Peru. While four distinct species are generally recognized, some fish biologists suggest that a dozen or more varieties might actually exist throughout South America. Peacock bass are not a true bass such as the largemouth and smallmouth bass found in North American waters, but comprise a genus within the family Cichlidae.  Cichlids are a diverse family of tropical fish found primarily throughout Africa, South America and southern Asia.  Of all the incredible gamefish in the Amazon basin, the one that has received the most press is the peacock bass. Peacock bass are bass are known as pavon in Venezuela and Colombia or tucunare in Brazil and Peru. While four distinct species are generally recognized, some fish biologists suggest that a dozen or more varieties might actually exist  throughout South America. Peacock bass are not a true bass such as the largemouth and smallmouth bass found in North American waters, but comprise a genus within the family Cichlidae.  Cichlids are a diverse family of tropical fish found primarily throughout Africa, South America and southern Asia. Of all the incredible

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Brookie Streamer

Here is a ink sketch of a brookie streamer.  Best used in those remote mountain plunging pools that often hide beautiful fish.  I particularly favor a yellow bucktail, black or red throat hackles and or tail, black body, and tinsel flash ribbing.  Whats your go to stream side - plunge pool streamer.

Fishing The Tenkara Setup

Yesterday I took my new Tenkara setup for a test run and was immediately impressed with the way it performed.  On my third cast a nice 10 incher took the fly and the fun never stopped.  One after another, rainbow after rainbow and even a moderate sized brown attacked my presentation with amazing vigor.  It had to be the best two hours of fishing I have had in a long time.  They weren't the native brookies I had planned on testing the rod out on but with the time constraints I had to settle for a lower elevation stretch of river.  I was sure happy I settled.

I did have one big shoulder 13 inch Bow that tested my fly and my 7x but I managed to chase him down and pull him in.  I found that fighting these bigger fish on a setup like this, without a bit more line to peal off fighting the fish, it is more of a challenge.  I did a lot of moving up and down the bank trying to baby the line and hold the fish.  The reward was worth the effort. I also was a bit unsure what to do with my free hand now that I had no line to hold. I eventual got use too the feel and became comfortable with the cast and various ways to fish a tenkara fly.
I fished the normal dead drift, the cross current pull, the upstream pause and pull, the down stream pull and pause and found for these fish the dead drift worked the best and the up stream pull a distant second.

The little guys were fun and the day was a total win.  I am glad I made it out.  Now I have something more to dream about when I am back at work.  This trip is just what I needed to fill the old inspiration tank.
Id like to write a bit more but work is creeping up on me and as the saying goes, 'first things first.'  I will leave you with this.  If you havent tried Tenkara on a small stream, you are sure missing out.  I LOVE MY TENKARA!!!!"  Thanks again Daniel from Tenkara USA for this killer set-up.

(Keen observers might notice the poor fin condition on alot of these fish.  Not all the fish I caught were this beat up but even the rough looking ones were still fun to catch.  hopefully next time I will be able to hook into those native brookies after a bit of hiking and hunting blue lines.)

Hooking Fish With Tenkara

Ok, so I got your attention and you are expecting some fish photos but you are going to be disappointed....for today.  No time to load them but check back tomorrow for some rainbows in hand and a full report.  Today its just a teaser.

I managed to ditch all the work I really should be doing this morning for a few hours to take my virgin Tenkara USA 12ft fly rod out for the first time.  WHAT A FREEKIN BLAST!!!  Third cast of the new rod and BAMM.  10inches of jumping bow.  then another and another.  I lost count after the first 30min.  Probably the most active 2 hrs of fishing I have had in a long time.  I LOVE MY TENKARA 12FT.

Blue Framed Dry

Granny Catches Huge Granny

September 21, 2010

Micah Kruger, a.k.a. Meeks and I had such a nice day on the Nunya yesterday that I thought I’d take Granny there today so she could enjoy this incredible September weather and catch a few fish. We made a very casual start of leaving the house at about 10 am and by the time I finished the bike shuttle and launched it was almost noon. We did a higher stretch than what Meeks and I did just to mix it up a little. Just like yesterday there were fish rising everywhere. That didn’t last long however. The wind started in a matter of minutes after we launched and the calm surface of the Nunya turned more similar to a walleye chop.

Our fishing never got any easier. I watched Granny begin the day by doing something I often do. She tied a  Trico pattern on and on her first cast it was gone. It turns out; we people in our mid 40’s are losing our eyesight. We refuse to believe it so occasionally we miss those little holes, particularly the second one where you stuff your tag end through the hole you make with your Clinch Knot. Trying much more carefully, she attempted to tie on a CDC Mahogany Dun. Everything was looking great. She even went as far as to lick her knot and pull it tight at the same time. That was the mistake of the year. The fly slipped from her clenched fingers and she stuck herself right smack in the tongue!

She was a little shook up at first. I was biting my own tongue to keep from laughing (That could have led to a very troublesome day for me). The reason I wasn’t too worked up was that I knew it  was not just a flattened out barbless hook but rather a completely barbless hook from the get go. They always come out easy and sure enough I plucked it out with my forceps and she didn’t feel a thing.

The a few hours into our day the wind was a horror causing difficult casting and even harder rowing. It seemed that when we had our few breaks and a fish would eat the fly, Granny would miss them or lose them in a second. We called for a beer break and then the wildlife showed up for us. While we sat and relaxed tucked in some willows to get out of the wind along came a moose cow and her two calves. We watched them for nearly an hour. When we went back to floating we ran into another three more moose. I think the sound of my boat and oars was muffled by the strong winds. We went on to see a total of six moose and a family of Great Horned Owls.

The winds of September died off for our last mile of floating. The temperature dropped and a few small fish worked what was left of spent mayflies and wind smoked terrestrials. Granny finally landed a few small trout. Although our fishing was nothing like what I experienced yesterday, we squeaked out another summer like day and the wildlife more than made up for the lack of fish. It was another great fishing day in the books for 2010.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

 

Me, Meeks and Middle Nunya

September 20, 2010

I’m not so sure it was entirely exhaustion that caused Micah Kruger a.k.a. Meeks, Dougy and I to struggle to get to the back porch this morning, but we struggled. Luckily the coffee was good and the sun warmed us up fast. In no time our plan for the day began to form. Doug was quick to say he thought it was best he drive back to Livingston Montana. I thought about getting some work done but now that Meeks lives in Oregon we rarely get to fish together, we were fishing.

As Doug headed north Meeks and I broke for the Middle Nunya. The last time I floated on the Nunya was with Granny a good month ago and the fishing was excellent. After the challenging two days we experienced on the South Fork of the Snake River, a chance at some better fishing made total sense. Once again the weather was perfect. We have nice Septembers in the Yellowstone area but this one has been one to remember. As I pushed off from the boat ramp, rising fish dotted the river ahead.

Meeks had two hopper patterns rigged up about two feet apart. The Nunya is slow moving and the resident trout have plenty of opportunity to recognize a fake from the real thing. I wasn’t too confident in the big flies but I figured I’d watch Meeks try them. Fish after fish, Meeks drifted his hoppers without a take.

“Meeks we need to go small today”, I stated.

I had a small dry already rigged on my 4-weight Ross so Meeks grabbed the oars and told me to give it a whirl. The fly I had on was one of my CDC Vladi Trzebunia dry flies size 18. The pattern always works and sure enough the first riser I presented it too ate. It was a nice rainbow that began the fight down deep but jumped and broke me off.

We assumed we had it figured out after that rainbow nailed my small dry on the first cast, but it still wasn’t that easy. I couldn’t find another of my Vladi flies so I tied on a Mahogany Dun. The Lawson’s Thorax Mahogany almost never lets me down but the first few trout I cast too refused it. Meanwhile Meeks too was changing through various flies with poor results. These fish were tough. I dug deeper into my tackle bag and finally I stumbled into a well used CDC fly. Sure enough, the first fish I fed it too ate it and we were on the boards.

That first landed fish was like magic. I’d swear that for the next few hours every fish we showed that fly too ate it. Meeks and I took turns with my 4-weight and the productive European fly. We landed an array of rainbows, cutthroats and brook trout. One of our highlights today included a beautiful rainbow we found rising tight to the bank. He was rising like a porpoise with his back completely breaking the surface every time he rose. He was so cool looking we kicked back and watched him for about five minutes. He was in difficult spot to drift a fly too but I miraculously got it there to him thanks to a gust of wind. I wasn’t too surprised when he ate but was when I actually felt him fighting on the end of my line. I thought for sure I had too much slack.  Minutes later I was releasing a hefty Nunya rainbow. Meeks too landed a memorable fish today. He watched the white lips of a quality cutthroat move from about six feet down to rise to the small fly. If you haven’t ever experienced the leisurely take of a cutthroat it’s something you must do. They do it so slowly that even the most experienced anglers often pull the fly away before the cutty eats it. Somehow, Meeks kept his cool and watched those white lips close down on the fly before he struck. Then when he did strike, it was perfect, the fish was there and he too landed the gorgeously fall colored cutthroat trout.

The last three days have been spectacular. Fishing with old friends is something that can’t be beat. We covered a lot of water from the near forty miles of South Fork to the five miles of the Nunya. It will be awhile before we do it again together but we certainly will. Tonight begins Granny’s’ weekend and I have a funny felling I’ll be right back on the Nunya tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

A Fly & A New Look

Here is a quick fly and a few words.

Unfortunately the little trip I had planned with Jason from Killbillies.com fell through due to other commitments with our day jobs but I am so pumped for a bit of trout fishing that I still plan on making a bit of a trip later this week. I plan on testing my new Tenkara set-up from TENKARA USA on some killer native rainbow and brookie streams in the upstate.

On another note.
You might have noticed the new look to the blog and header. I thought it was appropriate for the start fall. I have also added a BUY A PRINT button at the top of this page for purchasing both 8x10 and 5x7 trout prints and low prices. There is also a few other buttons including a PAINT YOUR FISH button and a BUY A FLY page. Please check them out and feel free to email any questions you might have.

Slow Fishing Couldn't Be More Fun

September 18-19, 2010

Five days in a row without fishing breaks that four day record I set a few weeks ago. But I had work to get done because from here on out I need to be ready to enjoy the fall and some of the best fishing of the year. The last two days I fished with friends Ben Brennan, Doug McKnight and Micah Kruger (Meeks). All three guys worked for me in the Jack Dennis fly shop years ago and unlike most of my former employees they are still in the fly fishing business. Ben lives in Jackson, WY and is a fishing guide for Snake River Anglers. Doug lives in Livingston, Montana and just quit working at the Yellowstone Angler Fly Shop to pursue his art and fly tying. Doug is a contracted fly tyer for Umpqua Feather Merchants and is the man behind patterns such as the Home Invader, Sweetgrass Hopper and the Pigpen Leech. These are great flies and if you don’t have them in your box you need to get some. Meeks lives in Bend, Oregon and is a representative for fly fishing service products including Fishhound, a fly fishing information site and FLyBOOK, a fishing guide and outfitter reservation system. When you get a chance, definitely check out the Fishhound website.

We don’t see enough of each other these days so we wanted to make sure we did something exceptional. Our choice, an overnighter in the canyon of the South Fork of the Snake River. Even though I’ve been on the South Fork weekly all summer long, I loved the idea of doing it again. As you know by now from my previous reports the South Fork has fished its best in over ten years.

We launched our two boats at Husky (two miles below the Palisades Dam) Saturday morning and pulled out at Byington, some thirty-four miles downstream on Sunday night. When we pushed off, the boats were heavy and low in the water due to our camping supplies and an excessive amount of food and drink. One thing we all love to do is eat like kings on a camping and fishing trip. We had bratwurst, steak, chicken, a heap of veggies, cookies and chocolate bars along with a few tasty brews to wash the delicious food all down. Regardless of the weight, we started fishing immediately. I rowed Doug in my boat and Ben rowed Meeks. Doug busted out of the gates with a healthy brown on his Home Invader streamer pattern. Things were looking good but that brown actually turned out to be the only fish for the first few hours. At about 2 pm I took a small side channel and Doug twitched a big ant pattern on the  surface and caught a big cutthroat/rainbow hybrid. Shortly after we met up with Ben and Meeks for lunch and unfortunately they had not landed a fish yet.

It was obvious the South Fork was not fishing like it had all summer. It finally slowed down. I often wonder how a river can simply shut down like this. Perhaps it’s from the fishing pressure or simply a slow down in hatches. The South Fork typically shuts down in August then picks up again in September. But not this year. It’s been good since the season started. It was no wonder it finally got tough.

Tough fishing was not going to put a damper on this trip. The weather was a toasty 75º degrees. There was very little wind and the bratwursts made for a scrumptious lunch. We had a ways to go before night fall so we turned the next few hours in to a joy ride out of the civilization found on the Upper South Fork stretch and floated into the wilderness of the Canyon. Entering the canyon at sunset is a sight to behold. Making few casts at the same time and you may as well have died and gone to heaven. Doug racked up a couple nice cutthroats before we rowed into camp near the mouth of Pine Creek.

Preparing camp was simple. There was no need for tents. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. We just threw down our insulate pads and sleeping bags and set up our camp chairs. Then we watched Meeks make a kitchen and prepare about twenty shish kabobs. My mouth was watering at the shear sight of them. It was all I could do to hold back. Luckily the talk and drink kept us all in check. By the time our feast was over the sky was full of stars. We brewed up a nice fire for warmth and kicked back. Just as all was perfect,  Ben’s dog went crazy barking up a tree. I whipped my light into the tree expecting to see a raccoon and was surprised to see a baby pine marten. He was cute as can be gazing down at us from the cottonwood tree. I’ve seen quite a few over the years but it was a first for the boys. We watched him a few minutes then the dog lost interest and it was back to the fire.

It’s amazing how fast these weekends go by. We had a relaxing morning warming up in camp with coffee then fished hard all day. Today Meeks hopped in my boat and Ben and Doug fished together. The fishing was slow again. We caught a few nice fish but it was nothing like the fishing I’ve been spoiled with all summer. However there were no complaints. Today was an unusual 80º degrees and anytime you get a bonus day of summer in September you smile. We pulled the boats and empty coolers out at the Byington Boat Ramp at 7 pm and made a dash for burgers at the Knotty Pine in Victor Idaho. A great trip with friends came to an end.

Ben has to work tomorrow but Dougy, Meeks and I might wet a line somewhere special for a few hours tomorrow. We’re pretty beat from our two day adventure so we aren’t committing to anything. We’ll just wake up in the morning and decide on fishing over coffee on the back porch.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site