Last Camp for This Summer: Day 1

Aug 17th, I crossed the White Pass for the first time to the west side of WA state. My main focus was to fish Naches area (east side) but there were a couple of waters within a reach in a map and WA fishing regulation for my eyes. I just wanted to drive around and see what would be there. My first try was a seemed to be a little mountain stream, named "OHANAPECOSH RIVER" (can you pronounce it? Don't make me say what).

As I drove following the map, I knew I was right and heard the river running below the steep hills but there seemed to be no access to get down. Then I drove into "Mount Rainer National Park". I really didn't know it was there.

Furthermore there was a huge campground with a ranger station as ones in Yellowstone National Park. According to a ranger, Ohanapecosh is not really a great fishery: access is pretty much none except around campgrounds and trout are small (but there are lots of recreating people so it sounded a good place).

OK........ I really wondered what I would do. I drove north just a bit from the campground and I found a trail down to "Silver Fall",

and a section just below!!

I'd say Japanese fly-fishermen like this kind of stream. But I also have to add only if there are lots of nice trout. It was a very good stretch of mountain stream but trout seemed very scarce and very small as a ranger said. Water was really cold too!! My legs were shaking and got sored eventually. Yet I did manged to catch one. Is this a Cut-bow?? I couldn't ignore the orange slashes though it just looked like a regular rainbow.

Hey, getting larger. This one seemed a regular rainbow without any orange slashes.

This one again had orange slashes though it didn't look like Cut-bows I have caught in Yellowstone area..... Is there any difference between Westslope and Yellowstone Cutts to make a hybrid with rainbow????

It was a poor fishing, considering all, but it was still OK because I was around here for the first time. I am not sure if this was because the water is too cold and/or fishery management. Either way, I ended up with having a trouble. On the way up to my truck, I lost the trail to get back!!! It was an opposite situation from a cat that has climbed up the tree but doesn't know how to get down, really. I had followed an obvious footpath but when looking up from the bottom, what had I done??? I decided to hike up as much as I could, not much crawling, then I started to see campers passing above me. They pointed out the trail head I lost.............. It was very deceiving to me and I realized again that "DO NOT overlook mountains".

Anyway, I got back to my truck and had some decent lunch. On my way back to east side, I dropped by a scenic pullout. As you already know, I usually pay NO attention to sightseeing spots while I am driving for fishing. But I had to stop for this one because I do respect great mountains. It's Mount Rainer. I haven't researched how high she is and how many people have been to the top. Anyway she's gorgeous.

Now I got back to lower side of Naches. It was really hot that was supposedly cool down. It was a bit too early to make a camp and wash out sun-screen from my face, so I fished Naches River at a section just above swimming people. Dry-flies did OK but I might as well tie on a streamer (little one since I was with my 4wt). Some trout really liked it!!

After this, I caught 11-inch rainbow and then 12-inch Cutthroat!! I just lost the picture battle so no pictures here. He really chased my Woolly Bugger and was well-colored along with biting attitude. This was the first time that I caught a trout over 12-inch at Naches, really.

Tired and dehydrated, I drove up to my intended spot and made a camp. Fishing and camping aside, my other focus was to finish the last 60 pages of Percy Jackson Book 5. (Little can on the right was my dinner!!)

I really wanted to see the ending but also I didn't want it to end. This series kept me really going for the past four weeks. It could have been that my Canadian whiskey was kicking in but anyway I kind of cried at certain pages toward the end. Really great series.

Maniacally speaking, Aug 18th is Percy's birthday, so I just finished his "prophecy" just a day before!!