Westslope 2010 & Little Camping

Just came home from a little adventure right here in eastern WA. I drove up to mountains and fished little mountain streams. First of all, wet-wading is a good enough reason to get out. Then, I have some secret holes to catch fine native Westslope Cutthroat on dry-flies. This is my 4th summer to fish this lovely stream. Every year, the run-off changes the whole structure of the creek and habitats of trout. Yet, it does hold some decent size Westslope and Rainbows. No stocking in this stream so I love both.

I'd like to see what I would get this summer. My best fly to get started and search the water was a Royal Wulff Cripple. And it ended up as the only one I needed......... How about all of my fly assembles and tying efforts?? That's how great this pattern is.

I caught a small yet fat Westslope.

Keep fishing, I caught a hefty 13-incher!!! The rise was definitely of typical Cutts'. So deliberate.



Gotcha!!

In this stream, Westslope is larger than Rainbows. I don't mind catching bows regardless of its size.

In the afternoon, I started to try terrestrial patterns, trailed behind Royal Wulff Cripple. I thought this Flying Tiger Ant should work as I observed lots of ants.

Little yet hefty Cutty liked the ant over Royal Wulff Cripple!!

For the first time at this stream, I saw two people ahead of me. They didn't look like fishing, at least not fly-fisher men (t-shirts & shorts but no vests or packs). I didn't see any fresh foot-prints (dry or wet) at all so I wondered how they got ahead of me.......

I could have walked behind them without bothering each other but I'd rather have gone down and back. I got back to my truck and had enough time to look for a new camping site or two. And potentially new waters to wet my line. I ended up somewhere high in the mountain to secure my solitude. I made a camp. It's been two years that I did this kind of camping..........

I can't eat much in the evening after hard fishing. I just like to get rested. Especially on this day, I didn't hike or fish hard at all so I only had a plate of salad. All I needed was my camping essentials............. I carry my big knife for my camp to feel being a Mountain Man. As the level of Canadian goes down, I try not to hurt myself...........

After I wrote down on my diary and fishing log, I was deciding what to do on the next day with a WA Atlas and Ranger map. Probably "gotta make Laredo by dawn.................."

I lost reading lights and slept in the cab. There were lots of mosquitoes that annoyed me (yet not really bad ones).

I kept my knife and bear-spray in case of intruders but also I dropped my pair of glasses somewhere in the cab, so I was blind anyway instead slept very tight..............