Posts tagged fishing report
Upper Blackfoot River (Idaho) Fishing Report:: Where Big Cutts Roam!
Oct 27th
When you hear about fishing the Blackfoot River, most of our thoughts probably head to Montana, where the Blackfoot River is famous for delivering trophy trout. However, there is another lesser known Blackfoot River that can also satisfy the hungry angler desires to catch big trout. About 30 minutes north of Soda Springs, Idaho lays an oasis for Big Cutthroats.
The goal of this post is to arm the serious angler with the tools and know how to have an unbelievable experience in one of the lesser known Idaho Rivers or the ‘other’ Blackfoot River. The Upper Blackfoot River is formed at the convergence of Lanes Creek and Diamond Creek (both great fisheries) about 30 miles north of Soda Springs. It meanders through pastoral valleys, alongside canyon-like walls and eventually dumps into the Blackfoot Reservoir. This section of the Blackfoot is only about 20 – 30 feet wide with a few ripples that slow to deep pools throughout this stretch. It then exits out of the northwest corner of the reservoir and eventually dumps into the Snake River south of Blackfoot, Idaho.
My fly fishing frenzy buddies (Frenziers) and I headed to Soda Springs Idaho this last weekend to experience rumors we had heard about the large cutthroat trout that inhabit the Upper Blackfoot River. We camped along the Bear River south of Soda Springs just across the county border into Bear Lake County Idaho. We weathered the cold temperatures and awoke Friday morning with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. After awaiting the arrival of 2 fellow frenziers, we fished the Bear River until about 12noon and headed north to fish the Blackfoot River.
To arrive at the Blackfoot River, one must take Highway 34 north out of Soda Springs toward Jackson Hole, Wyoming. About 10 miles North on Highway 34 you will hit the booming metropolis of China Hat (There is one store that has an RV Park behind it). Turn right on Blackfoot River Road and stay, I repeat, stay on the Blackfoot River Road. There are some forks in the Road, but it is well marked with road signs. You will then go from paved to gravel and at that point you continue to the section of the Upper Blackfoot known as ‘The Narrows’, aptly named for the rock cliffs that adorn the left side of the road and the river that runs along the right side of the road. This journey is a mostly eastward jaunt that turns directly north as you enter The Narrows’. Continue north until you are steered east once again (just passed Rasmussen Valley Road) and look for the first Sportsman Access parking lot (equipped with Port-a-Potty) on your right. It is about 100 yards after you start east again. Be sure you get a license. I have been there 3 times and every time I have seen Forest Service or Fish and Game. Also, to keep the fish healthy and around for anglers pleasure, it is a single barbless hook fishery.
I am sure there are different methods for catching these elusive Cutts, but for this post I will focus on what worked well for me and my frenzying fellows. This is where the fun begins. Justin Pond aka “Yetter” and I went upstream as Brent Ramey aka “Big Hoss” and Sean Whalen went downstream. The key to this section of the river is being stealthy. There are grassy banks as well as reed lined banks that make noise as you step on them. Approaching the holes with caution and as quiet as possible are key. Yetter manned his rod with a dry fly, the Royal Wolf (or as we like to call them, A Wolf Royale).
I opted to go with a bead headed olive green/golden blonde colored woolly bugger size 12 with some black hackle on a reel with quick sink line. Now, sinking line is important if you are going to fish with woolly buggers because some of the holes are very deep.
Big Hoss and Whalen both started with the Royal Wolf. As we began our walks in opposite direction, it was only about 20 minutes into it when I heard some commotion coming from Big Hoss and Whalen down river. Whalen radioed into our 2-way that Big Hoss had a monster on. Hoss describes “I casted to the bank over a deep hole and as I looked away for a second I saw out of the corrner of my eye a huge Cutt moulth the royal wolf. Beacuse I had looked away for a second i was just a half a second late in the set which I know helped in setting the hook really well. As I was fighting the fish it came to the surface and I could instantly tell that it was the biggest trout I have ever caught”. As fortune would have it, Hoss had an estimated 24 – 25 inch Cutthroat that he landed up to the bank and asked Whalen for assistance for the final round of the bout, but as Whalen reached down to get the fish, the big Cutt rolled and caught the line on Whalen’s vest causing the line to snap and the monster Cutt swam back to his hole. There were a few expletive’s that were yelled and words that were said which later were regretted.
Yetter and I continued upstream. I came to a tasty looking deep pool and cast my woolly bugger into the middle of the river. I allowed the current to drift my fly into the deep pool and began stripping. I mixed up my strips, but the most effect strip I used was the long semi-hard strip, then wait 1 second and strip again. After my second strip, I saw a flash and felt my line go hard with fight, only to be disappointed as the fish spit my bugger to the curb. We continued on to the next hole, which is a strategy I wish we would have adhered to more often on this trip. The fish in this river are very smart. I found that you have about 5 – 7 cast per hole before you need to move on to the next hole, especially after you catch a fish. And, there are plenty of great holes. Then hit those same holes with the same 5 – 7 casts on the way back. Following this strategy will net you a lot of Big Cutts.
As Yetter and I came to a typical Blackfoot River hole (shallower on one bank with a deep hole on the other bank) the wind began to pick up. Yetter was still fishing with the Royal Wolf and began to have difficulty. I offered some limited casting lessons with the dry fly and began casting the Royal Wolf as close as I could to the opposite shore. As I was offering advice on the effective double haul method for longer casts, I dropped the fly gently on the water about 2 feet from the opposite bank. We began evaluating the cast when out of the corner of my eye came a slurping Cutthroat’s head that sucked the Royal Wolf in for a treat. My delayed hook setting was key to the proper set like Hoss had explained with his monster fish. I have found that when I set the hook fast on a dry fly take, I usually set the hook right out of the fish’s mouth. After a worthy fight, we got the 16 inch Cutt to shore, snapped a few photos, and gently released him back into the water.
We then journeyed to the prime spot just up from the previous hole to a place where the water flowed a little faster than normal and slowed to a nice deep pool. My first cast with the woolly bugger on sinking line was met with one of the most stunning ‘hits’ I have had fishing a river for trout. The fight was on! I worked the drag until it was just right and watched as the biggest Cutt I have ever caught on a river was rolling around the surface as its beautiful reddish golden color flashed in the sun. After about a 10 minute fight, I steered him to slower, shallow water and admired his grandeur. This Cutt was about 21 – 22 inches in length with a decent girth.
About 10 minutes later I caught another small one and hooked another big Cutt that got away. With this success, we radioed Big Hoss and Whalen notifying them to switch to woolly buggers and the rest of the afternoon we all caught some nice fish.
As we moved upstream, I heard a splash in the water thinking big Cutts were rising. However, as I looked upstream I saw something that I have never seen before, nor do I believe I will ever see again. It was a handcrafted paddle boat with a weathered, older local gentleman that had been trapping muskrats and beavers. He had about 10 muskrats and the largest beaver I have ever seen in my life. The beaver was the size of large golden retriever and the tail looked almost as deadly as the enormous set of chompers that rested inside the dead animal’s mouth. We had an interesting conversation about how Eskimos used to eat the beaver tail and it was considered a delicacy, through out the years he had been trapping and selling the animal’s hides. It was a welcomed quick break from the day’s fishing. He will forever be known as the Beaver Whisperer.
We continued to fish until dusk approached. Finally our stomachs beckoned us to find food. So we loaded up, shared success stories, and headed out. We satisfied our hunger at a local favorite in Grace, Idaho called Bergy’s where well crafted burgers, English chips, and rowdy Reese’s peanut butter cup shakes abound.
All in all, the Blackfoot River in Idaho can offer some of the best “Cutt” fishing a river could offer. However, technique, strategy, proper gear, and fall weather will be key to enjoying this fine river’s Cutthroat Trout.
I hope this post is helpful to those anglers that are looking for the lesser known rivers that can be just as enjoyable as the famous ones. Please give any feedback or comments.
Dr Gillespies 2008 Frenzy Recap
Jul 20th
This years Frenzy was like no other…or wait maybe it was? How would I know this was only my second year particapating as a true F’er. Before I get into any details I need to give a quick background of what the Frenzy really is and how it came to past. The Frenzy was started 7 years ago as a few choice fisherman decided they needed to leave life, marriage, kids, and work and enter into the unknown world of a fish bum for a 5 day adventure that would change their life. Since the first Frenzy had such a deep effect on these men they decided to make the last week in May an annual occurance. This year the Frenzy started well before its offical date (June 12-16th) with the advent of trash talking emails and bragging rights posts to the Frenzy blog. The anticapation was thick and I don’t think anyone really got anything done at work in the week leading up to the Frenzy. The 2008 Frenzy began as little groups started merging together and migrating to a little town up north we like to call Rexburg. Dave Hancey, Brent (Hoss), and myseft road together in Dave nascar truck. After what seemed like a short drive, we arrived to Chubbs private lake to be greeted by a 20 minute down pour of rain. That didn’t stop Hoss though. He got out and was ready to hit the lake as Dave and I hung out in the dry truck. There must have been some karma in Hoss’s actions, because right off the bat he saddled up a hog Bow and was the first on the board. 
We were greeted by Gene and Hoss jumped on with him. So the match was on! Dave and Travis vs Hoss and Gene. It was fun everytime someone would hook up with a Bow that boat would would let out a confident yeeehaaaa!!! 
We all caught tons of bass and each of us hooked up with a big bow that satified our hunger for large trout. But like most hungry boys we needed some Craigos, “all you can eat pizza” to fullfil that craving. So we meet up with the rest of the F’ers for the official Frenzy 2008 kick off dinner. (Travis and Dave received a penalty for getting salads) After rolling out of Craigo’s we hit up the local Wal-Mart of Rexburg called ???. To get zingers, energy drinks, and I guess a little bit of normal food and more zingers of course. On this Frenzy we were going to live in style.
Hoss got us all top of the line frenzy appearel (Hats and Shirts) to match are top of the line f’ing attitudes. The next stop was Chubb’s Island Park cabin where we got unpacked, set up the XBox, hungout and waited for Dave and Hoss. (They stopped and fished Henry’s Fork for a chance at some caddis) That night Hoss, Dave and I tied flies where the rest of the crew Chubbs, Gene, Jack and Yetter played some serious boxing. Jake, must have been tired he moved just as much as the player he controled. 
The next morning we woke up before I shut my eyes completely to go to sleep, at least it felt like it. We had one thing in mind and that was the world famous Madison River below Hegben Lake. 
We raced as fast as we could to get there. At least that’s what Dave was thinking when he passed Chubbs and the crew going 130 MPH. The river was a little high as expected, but the water was crystal clear and perfect for some early moring nymphing. We each found our battle grounds on the river and right off the bat started hooking up with fiesty Rainbows, Whities and an occasional Brown. My favorite spot on this trip was the back point of the island. There was a nice run and a big deep eddy right below. I spent as well as the rest of the crew alot of time there catching fish after fish on San Juans, zebra midges, copper johns and ap emergers.
On the other hand Hoss and Dave crossed the river (Crazy!!!) and found their own little unfished honey hole where hoss caught 5 fish in a row on a green caddis. As we all started getting hungry we made our way to West Yellowstone, stopping to throw a couple casts in Hegben and then off to the Beartooth for some tasty BBQ and cheese fries to die for. 
With some advice from Bud Lily’s Fly Shop we decided to hit the Box Canyon for the chance to hit the coveted Samonfly hatch. Just like last year, by the end of the float we were mad, confidence shattered, 100 flies short and ready to write off this section of the Henry’s. Hoss even got a “Thumbs Up” from a guide when he asked him how the fishing was. That made Hoss’s day. I’m just glad they were far enough away that Hoss couldn’t swim over there to beat him up and eat him for dinner.
Since our confidence was gone, we (Hoss and I, Dave was too tired) decided to stop by the Buffalo River to get some of it back. It was just what we needed little Brookies and Bows on dry flies. After a handful of those and a taste of the beautiful scenery. We were ready to return back to the Cabin for some hamburgers, hot dogs and of course some Zingers and a Monster. Since we hadn’t had enough fishing for one day. Dave (Who wanted to go) , Hoss and I stopped by the Henrys Lake Outlet to check it out. No fish, but we limited out on a stunning Island Park sunset.The next morning started out alot like the former except we sleep in an hour longer. Which was needed. We hit the Madison again and this time we knew what to expect. Everyone caught plenty of fish and just as always. The Madison didn’t disapoint one bit. It was fun to hook up with Yetter, Gene and Jake as we all fished the Island and all caught and released some nice Bows and whities as the rest of the crew that crossed the river were getting into their own fish. On the way out of the canyon we stopped at Randy Harrops shop and got to talk to him and get some of his wise advice. He told us about Cliff Lake and how it was fishing well, so we had to try it out. As we pulled up to the lake we were stunned at its raditant ocean blue water and green pine tree back drop. About 30 seconds after Yetters first cast he hooked into a nice bow and then another. Then Gene landed three in a row. It was looking like it was going to be a fast action day, but the bite slowed down after that for our boat. Hoss won big fish honors with his 22 inch bow and the other boats caught fish too. The highlight of Cliff Lake wasn’t the fishing, but the huge rope swing that caught our attention. We were bugging a couple girls about going off, when they dared us to go off. We said ok and next thing we knew we were half stripped down( well some of us, Chubbs?) flying through the air and into the icy high mtn lake. It was a blast and a much needed break. To top of the experience we gave the two Montana girls a ride back to their camp on the drift boat, while finding out that they had just recently done Acid and while in the boat smoking up a bowl of Pot with Yetters help.(one heck of a wind stop yetter) Pretty dang amazing who you will find in Montana!
After fishing and breaking my fly rod, we packed up the Island Park cabin and headed to the Victor manison. Pretty nice place for a bunch of dirty, stinky fishermen. 
When we arrived at the house it was pretty late, but we still had enough energy to try the pond that was in the backyard. After fishing mice and streamers with no love we decided there were no fish in the pond and went to bed. As I woke up the next morning I was determined to catch a fish out of Chubb’s pond, but just like the night before no bites and not even the sign of a fish. That was just fine cause we had the South Fork on our list today. The water had dopped from 18,000 cfs to around 13000 cfs, but compared to the Madison it was raging and a little off colored. We had three different boats on the water. Travis’s, Slice of Lime, Dave’s Aluminun Dory and Yetter’s White Water Machine. I fished with Hoss and Dave on this float (Dam to Conant) and just like the master fly fishermen they have become we started catching fish on big streamers right off the bat. 
Later in the day we switched to a deep nymphing rig to get our flies down to where the fish were hanging out. The flies of choice were large rubberlegs, yellow sallies nymphs, san jauns and glow bugs. The highlight of this float was the adventure down one of the small side streams. We almost died trying to stop, then out of no where Chubb’s hooks up with a monster Cutt-Bow that takes him and Gene down the river to try and land the monster trout. The real fun came when Hoss spotted a large redd with actively spawning Cutts. These were big mature colorful fish that had one thing in mind, getting it on! Over the next hour Hoss, Dave and I caught and released a haft dozen of these magificent creatures. It was amazing to watch the fish swim into position to intercept the glowbug and then fight like mad. 
The rest of the float everyone caught and released plenty of fish, but the surprise of the trip was when Hoss hooked up with a 10# Sucker that we invisioned being a trophy Brown. It gave him an awesome fight and was still a trophy of a fish, even though no one will say it is. To help out with Fish and Game we decided that we were going to keep all Rainbow trout we caught, so with 5 Bows in the cooler we were set to have a fish fry that night. Which I hope was good because I cooked them and no one threw up or got sick.
Later that night as the rest of the crew was playing boxing and watching some crazy show. Dave and I snuck out to the upper pond that we knew had fish in it. (we saw one at least jump) This was by far my favorite part of the 08 Frenzy, because it was scary, wild and proof that putting in the time sometimes pays off. So we got to the big pond as it was dark 10 pm. I put on a PMX after about ten casts, I saw a big splash where my fly was and I had a big fish on for about 3 seconds. I thought, ok now we know there are fish in here, now I have to find out what they are eating. After one other bite on the dry. I had a hunch to try a black bugger that I really like. It was the ticket! On my second cast I hooked into a fat 17-19 inch Cutt-Bow that fought hard. After that it was all over I caught and missed several Cutts in that same age class for the next two hours. Dave was getting mad at me cause his luck wasn’t going so good, but on the last bend it all changed as he landed a nice Cutt to top off the night. The last day of the Frenzy was a bitter sweet day. On the positive side we were going to fish the South Fork again from Byington to Lorenzo, but on the negative side it was going to be over before we knew it. On this float I fished with Gene and Jake who were great company and who sure could catch some fish. 
In fact everyone caught lots of fish this float it was just one of those days when the Cutts, Browns and Bows were feeding the whole day. We estimated that between the three boats over 100 fish were landed in the short 5 hours that we fished. I will never forget pulling up to the endless supply of log jammed runs that were perfect for catching big browns. 
Which we did on 8 accounts in the same spot or Gene trying to fight a big fish as we went down the bridge rapids. Too bad we didn’t have enough time to fish the last 5 miles of river. This was a great float and a picture perfect ending to such a remarkable trip that symbolizes friendships, appreciation of nature and all her beauty and a feeling of freedom from such a heckic world. So after all this when people ask me how the Frenzy was, I answer back with a smile and a “thumbs up”, because they would never really understand how great it really was.
In Search Of Gold…Kern River drainage of the Southern Sierra Nevada’s
Jun 3rd
There is one elusive trout on my list of fish to catch that I have yet to check off my list. It is only found in its pure native state in two locations around the world. One is the Wind Rivers in WY and the other is the Kern River drainage of the Southern Sierra Nevada’s. I thought, since my older brother just moved to Bakersfield, CA which lays at the base of the Sierra’s, I could try my hand at these beautiful Golden Trout and spend some quailty time with my Bro, Sis and Brother in-law. The trip was awesome. We ended up not being able to catch a pure Golden Trout (didn’t have enough time to hike in 15 miles to the Golden Trout Wilderness), but we were able to fish the upper Kern River and catch Native Kern River Rainbows which are a mix between Goldens and Rainbows even though the river was running at 3,000 cfs (normally 500 cfs) Check out the pics
Travis vs Wild- I only brought a sleeping bag, fishing stuff, and Zingers!!! Pine needles never felt so good and the rock blocked the rain pretty good. 
Dodgers Game 
Stillwater "Ice Off"
May 21st
So life has been kinda crazy the past few weeks. So much so that I haven’t been able to make it out fishing as much as I would have wanted to by now. In the past three weeks I graduated from UVU, went on a 7 day Caribbean Cruise, went Turkey hunting for the first time and finally this last weekend was able to hit a couple different lakes in search for some “Ice Off” trout.
So on Friday (May 17th) I only had to put in 4 hours at work so I opted to show up to work latter and hit Strawberry Reservoir in the morning from 6am-12pm. Fishing wasn’t red hot like it usually is during “ice off”, but I was still able to connect a couple times with some aggressive cutts. The best part of the day was I was finally being able to get out of the city and enjoy time on the water.
Sat. May 18th- Since I hitt Strawberry the day before and it wasn’t on fire I decided to hit a little lake lets call Lake X. Fishing was a lot better. I was hooking up a lot, but kept breaking off these oversized fish. Dang!!! I finally was able to horse one to the net and it was a beautiful Colorado Cutthrough about 22 inches. These fish are awesome, they are my favorite of the trout world.
If your board at work and want to see some more fish porn check out my personal fly fishing blog at www.xstreamoutdoors.blogspot.com
One of the coldest days ever on the river
May 2nd
Aaron and I went up on the Provo River Thursday May 1st and it was absolutely FREEZING!!! For the first 10 minutes we threw on some nymphs just waiting for the fish to start rising and when they started it was just crazy. There were more fish rising then I have ever seen on the Provo. We caught a lot of fish and missed even more. It was one of the best days I have had on the Provo ever, even though our tots fell off due to frostbite.
