Bighorn Spring Trip - Day 2

Thursday March 12th, weather was somewhat more friendly than Day 1. Winds became discouraging occasionally during the morning. Over all it wasn't too bad.

Fishing was again mix of everything: methods, flies, and bites. I caught 3 whitefish!! (no pics).
Jared hauling in a nice trout at one of channels just below "Bay of Pigs".

It seemed lunch was again out turning point. What's today's special?

"Guide Dog #2 = Chilly Dog"!! Of course, chilly contained extra burgers. This is the real guide lunch. Nobody goes hungry on the river with me.

We felt better. It must be time to feed trout. Shortly after, we spotted a group of rising trout after trout!! They were feeding on midges!!

We both took several trout each, along with many more near-misses!!

As some claims, hatch fishing at Bighorn can resemble the condition at spring creeks. Flies I developed for Livingston's spring creeks just work - which I know with big confidence.
Midge APE

Foam Emerger Type 1

Pupaerger.

HOWEVER!! following pictures of my stomach pump results will rock your vision. Even disturbing. Definitely unbelievable as we felt. Watch carefully what we found.

Beetles!! Baetis!!
Although we took many trout with midge flies and we knew we were doing right things, where these bugs came from? Actually while I was tying on midge flies, before our first catch, something hit my face. Looking back, it was one of those beetles above. As pictures show, those beetles and baetis should not have been from the day before. It had to be sometime just before we got there. Who knows? It was quite a learning & observing experience. We ended up fishing for rising trout for two hours!

It was a warmer day so we started streamer fishing, guessing water temp must have been up, a bit earlier than Day 1. We got a few bites but not as red-hot as Day 1. We took my boat out almost 7pm. That means we drove back to Livingston/Bozeman very late.

It was a great trip with my guide friend. As much as we just wanted to enjoy fishing, my objective = learning & observing the Bighorn = was achieved very efficiently as I was with Jared, who is a very good guide.

Bighorn is definitely a year-around fishery. Dry-fly, nymph, streamer, and Hot lunch!! if you want to experience all at Bighorn, come & join my trips!

Year in Review & Season's Greeting - Part 2

Wish all of you had a great Christmas weekend. Here's the review of latter half of 2010 as I'd like to say "Happy New Year!!" to every one. Again, there are too many memories & trout to pick one or a few for making a card. This year would better be like this.

July: I resumed serious camping and fishing in eastern WA again since 2007.

My objective and enjoyment were to catch 12 to 16-inch Westslope Cutthroat in my secret mountain stream.

August: There are more times for camping and fishing in August also. I prepared hearty meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I hope there will be more opportunities like this in the next year right here in Montana.

After the lunch above, I caught a nice Brookie. I really enjoyed their colorings.

September: It ended up the highlight of this year that made me feel I was done in WA State and leave to Montana. September 2nd, I landed a huge Chinook Salmon while I was hunting for 16 to18-inch Westslope Cutthroat with my 6-wt rig.

It was so heavy and satisfying that I still feel back on my arms.

Two weeks later, I caught the best Westslope so far at the same spot where I landed the Chinook above. I really felt I fished enough and accumulated enough experience to go back to Montana.

October: While I was looking for a place to live in Livingston, I could manage some fishing during the short trip. I caught the tie record of rainbow at Madison, 19-inch. And that became the last trout caught as "non-resident angler" in Montana.

Right after I moved into Livingston, I enjoyed to fish around Yellowstone River around Livingston. Also I could make out to Madison River within Yellowstone Park on the second last weekend from closing (Oct 31st).

November: As the cold weather was coming in, I went to O'Hair Ranch to fish Armstrong Spring Creek on November 3rd. This huge brown was caught at the end of the day and became the 2nd last trout for 2010.

On November 6th, I made another day-trip to Yellowstone Park as my Park entrance from Oct 31st allowed me. It was a very slow day with bright weather and too many people all along Madison in the Park. But finally at the very end of my day, I swung my Coyote and caught a respectable rainbow as the last catch of 2010...............

Next year, I will do my best for breeding beef cows all around in Montana and then becoming a fly-fishing guide around Livingston. I'm working on to "import" Japanese anglers into Livingston or at least guide in general around here.

Thank you for dropping by my blog and wish all of you will have great New Year Eve & Day and then after. All of your reviews and comments have been what keep me going and keen to fish & write at this blog. Please keep them coming and we will fish together whenever we meet up at the river!! Thank you again!!

Day 2: River Told Me What to Do

Aug 18th, Day 2.
Before that, I have to report the night before.
9:00pm, I went to sleep.

10:30pm, I woke up with sweat!! It was really hot in my truck cab!!

Last week and four weeks ago, I camped at the same spot that was about several more miles to the top of mountains. And both nights were freezing. It was not exactly several miles up vertically............, you know. Also I cursed some because the day was supposed to be cool down. Instead it ended up 95F in the mountain and 99F when I got back to my house......OMG

A bit of tired and uncomfortable morning to get started but I didn't compromise my toasts along with my cowboy coffee and eggs & hams.

Then another ascending problem happened!! The day before was with my feet and walks but this morning, I experienced a hard time to drive up to the road from the campground. My little GM Sonoma (GM = Gallatin-Madison) barely made it........ I'll be careful next time where to drive in and back.

Then I stepped into my secret holes, packing a gourmet lunch in my backpack.

Since I had been puzzled last week, I was wondering which fly to trail behind Royal Wulff Cripple (no more picture here). I was wondering, whether midges or tiny mayflies, Sparkle Duns have been always great.

Indeed trout preferred Sparkle Dun to Royal Wulff Cripple = 2 : 1.



I caught one Westslope Cutty with a Royal Wulff Cripple. And that turned out to be the last Cutty in this lovely little mountain stream for this summer.

Isn't this really a gourmet lunch? From the top to bottom, Pringles, wheat bread, salad (with folk), ranch dressing (dip), turkey breast ham with cheese, and roast beef.

As I headed back to my truck, I broke my record of my catch from the smallest. This was about 2-inch long, yet it still bit on my fly. Can anyone do this??

Also, as I was heading down, I did my little trick; tying on a size 10 Woolly Bugger in black. Just about to quit for the season, I got hooked into one. I bet it was a rainbow, ranging 13-14-incher. It really fought for the best I ever experienced. At the last moment, as I was ready to land and to take a pic or two, it spat out my fly and was gone..................

It surely had been cool if I had landed and taken a pictures or two.

I actually smiled as my potential best had been gone. Of course, I must have screamed more if I had landed it. But this summer, I felt that "river" and "fishing god" were giving me some fits on purpose.

Along with the 2-, 3-, 4-inchers that love to rise on my dry-flies, I think my secret holes' future is bright!!! Get rested for the season and I will see you boys and girls next summer.

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!!

Little Getaway Day 2: PM - Leech Lake

I went back to my truck at about 11:00am, way to early for lunch and to end the day. I drove around the area. I wanted to explore the area I hadn't been to. Whether driving or fishing, I hadn't driven cross the pass to the west side of WA State. Just at White Pass, I had heard about one of popular fly-fishing water, Leech Lake. As I pulled in and parked, I thought "it looks easy to get along the bank all the way".

Before I started fishing, it was right time to have a lunch. I really think I did a very good job for a gourmet lunch, maybe better than any other fishing-guides do. I prepared a nice tuna salad and very meaty sandwich along with Gatorade, coffee, salt & pepper, olive oil, and ranch dressing. I kept them cool enough for two days.

This was the first time to visit here and I was not well-equipped for the lake fishing. Furthermore, I was with my 4wt and 8-foot rod and no floating crafts. Yet, I believed there should be a way to sneak around from the banks. At least, I had good selections of flies in my vest. But, I noticed that the lake was deeper than I thought with lots of fallen trees, moss, weeds, and potentially muggy spots. Within 10-foot wading, it was crotch-deep and I didn't have enough casting distance. I walked around whatever I could. As I was doing that, I saw lots of rising trout. Though I am not a stillwater enthusiast, I had some good guesses. Besides midges, there was Callibaeties. I picked up a nymphal shuck and I believed this was Callibaetis.

I finally walked into the spot where I could wade and cast. A nice 12-inch Brookie came out!!!

Gotcha, new friend!

I like vermiculations, then fine spots like Brown Trout, along with orange belly like Cutthroat.

I tried to fish till my limit (5 a day here though I am not interested in killing and eating them). Though it was a fine day at the lake, I started to feel some chill by wet-wading to my waste without wader. So I quit.

On my way back, I stopped at a scenic spot, called Clear Creek Fall. It is very steep fall I have ever seen. I wish I could express more with my own words and pictures, but this all I could take.

I think I can make a little camping again next week. And I am planning my fishing plans for September around here. Before I hit the road to Yellowstone at the end of October, there will be lots of explore and adventure around here in eastern WA.

Little Getaway Day 2: AM - Draw

1:40am, I woke up in my truck cab because it was cold but managed to fall back in sleep.

2:30am, I woke up again. It was really cold and I felt there would be no way to go back in sleep. And this is the modern camping technique, I guess; I started my truck with the heater onto max.

Probably before 3:30am, I woke up again because now I felt I was being cooked. I shut off my truck and slept well till 6:00am.

I believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I cooked probably the best breakfast at camping. I kept eggs and ham cool enough and I didn't burn them either. As seen on the right, whole wheat bread were ready to be toasted next.

To solve the puzzle that I encountered on the previous day, I made a hike again to my favorite hole. Midges were hatching all over again. But this time, I didn't see any risers before and after 10:00am............... My dry-flies were not bitten at all. This is the first time that the river didn't tell me anything to catch fish. All I heard was "it's not your day, dude". I again had to do a little trick to fix the "skunk". I hooked into one and only one for the morning. I could tell it wasn't 15 or 16-inch, but it fought more than its size. As I landed, my first word that came out from my mouth was "FAT!!". Just a 13-incher. She must have been gorging on large stonefly nymphs.

Gotcha!

Now my trick is revealed. I tied on a little Woolly Bugger in black, size 10. Not always a favorite way to catch trout in small moutain streams, but since I saw lots of stonefly nymphs' shucks, I bet something meaty should work when dry-flies wouldn't bring up trout.
In a way, this size of Woolly Bugger is a special tie to cast with my 4wt rod. I usually tie my streamers way way larger, you know.

I couldn't bring up any large Westslope on my dry-flies, yet I didn't get "skunked" either. So I'd like to call it a draw. I've been on top of the game in this mountain stream but this time, it fought me back pretty well. Then, I enjoyed this sadistic and frustrating situation in order to be a better observer.