Western Pilgrimage
Coronavirus has had a way of messing with everyone’s lives in 2020. Fortunately, the intrepid angler has still had ample opportunity to sample the bounty of our country’s streams, lakes and coasts. Much of this year I have spent closer to home than would be typical. Instead of traveling around chasing bites, I have spent more time in my local waters. Though we can catch great fish at home, every angler knows the urge to travel and chase new species in exotic locales. So Collin and I had originally planned to fly out to Salt Lake in early summer and visit our friend Adam Hudson of Blue Line Flies. With this year’s unique challenges though, our trip to the Holy waters of the American West was delayed which only served to further heighten our anticipation.
Finally, with work behind us and fish ahead, Collin and I found ourselves in Adam’s Raptor with a raft in tow. A late evening drive put us on the banks of the mighty South Fork of the Snake itching for the days ahead spent fully in the pursuit of wild salmonids.
We woke up early Saturday morning to crisp temperatures and strong, though infrequent gusts of wind. As we had discussed the night before, our plan was to float a 15 mile section of the South Fork of the Snake while hoping to stick a few nice brown trout and cutthroat along the way. Our go-to rigs for the week included various 6 and 7 weight rods to combat the heavy winds. Paired with a floating line on the 6wt and 15ft sink tip on the 7wt, we tied on various streamers and dry flies we thought would work for the day. While rigging up, Adam intervened and tied on a Blue Line Co. micro swivel halfway up our leaders. This would prove to be a huge factor in eliminating wind knots and aiding in fly presentation. With the raft in the water and Adam on the sticks, we pushed away from the boat ramp and started our float. I started off the morning throwing one of Adam’s signature streamer patterns, the Sculperino, fishing a combination of shallow banks and deep pools edges while Collin stuck to throwing double hoppers for most of the morning. The hoppers seemed to entice a few smaller fish hugging the bank but setting the hook on these little guys proved to be a challenge. Throughout the morning the Sculperino moved some solid fish but as the sun crept over the hills the streamer bite began to slow down. While conditions seemed great for hoppers, the bite just wasn’t there, leaving us scratching our heads. We tried almost every hopper and dry fly combination in the box but still couldn't manage to hook up.
During the heat of the day we decided to stop for lunch along a gravel bar and took a few minutes to enjoy the grocery store chicken and warm craft beer before wading a small side channel feeding the main river. We tied on a few small dry flies hoping to kill the skunk and Adam and Collin were quickly able to catch a few Fine-Spotted Snake River cutthroat in the 6-10 inch range. We pressed forward in search of bigger fish and continued to pound the banks with hoppers. After a few fly changes, Collin had settled on a small size 12 black and purple hopper hoping to move some fish off the bank. With very good looking water ahead Adam positioned the boat parallel to the covered banks so Collin could make a cast under the brush. We watched the black and purple colored hopper drift along the shade line and suddenly disappear, followed by a rapid yellow flash. Collin set the hook and began fighting the fish downstream. The current was swift and this fish was well above average making it difficult to bring to the boat. After about five minutes of bull dogging and quick runs, we were able to net the fish and celebrate Collin’s outstanding fish! Adam rowed us to shore so we could snap a few pictures and gently release the chunky 18” brown trout. Stoked on the catch, we still had solid sections of river to fish and we continued to throw black and purple hoppers along the banks. Towards the end of the float, I caught my first cuttie of the day to round out our float on the South Fork of the Snake River.
With the raft trailered, we set our sights to the mighty Madison river in hopes of giant brown trout and a stellar hopper bite. After a quick bite, we made the 4 hour trek to an open campsite right across from the boat launch where we planned to start our morning. We prepped the necessary gear and turned it in early as we looked forward to the next day.
Sunday morning came slowly as it was so greatly anticipated. I awoke from my gently swinging hammock around 06:00 and was ready to hit the water immediately. We waited patiently though, as we hoped the day’s heat might entice some willing fish to come searching for the hoppers that the area can be so well known for. We began our time on the Madison with high spirits and even higher expectations. As time would tell, we would have to revise our strategy and our outlooks before long! We fished from around 08:00 until mid afternoon with nary a solid eat. We fished streamers and hoppers all day long with only very scattered interest from small fish. We experienced an absolutely humbling day on water that we fully expected to produce for us. It’s good to be brought back to earth every once in a while but it can certainly sting when one has such high hopes. I at least, still had a great day as I truly enjoyed rowing Adam’s raft and seeing a few moose along the way! We got off the water feeling mentally and physically beaten down. We retreated to the town of Ennis where we enjoyed a repast while trying to put together a plan for our last day. We were feeling a bit lost as the fishing had been so much slower than expected. Should we stick to the plan and fish the Madison while we were here? Or, should we pull stakes and run somewhere else?
With full stomachs and clear heads we made the decision to drive toward Dillon, MT to fish the Beaverhead River. A narrow tailwater known for its large brown trout, the Beaverhead would be a new river for the three of us so we didn’t know what to expect the following day. We settled camp adjacent to the dam and spent the evening researching various reports and information for the river. The next morning brought warmer weather with an overcast sky which we hoped would work in our favor. As we launched the raft, we could see fish rising in the slow water towards the dam. Large craneflies and smaller caddis appeared to be skating across the surface as trout picked them off. We tied on various combinations of water walkers to imitate the craneflies with a small caddis dropper behind. Confidence was high from the start, the fish activity was much better than previous days and we knew it was only a matter of time before we stuck a fish. The grass filled narrow river allowed us to fish both banks allowing us to cover more water and target the rising fish. Right off the bat Collin missed a large brown on an EP fiber caddis in a slow back eddy against the bank. The group was having small bites but unable to connect, until a big brown slurped my caddis and immediately dug for the bottom. With line getting wrapped in the thick grass and weeds, I did everything I could to keep the fish buttoned, and after a few stabs of the net I was able to land a very healthy 19” Beaverhead brown. We pulled aside for a few pics and released the fish back into the water. The group was stoked and knew that the day would only be sweeter with each fish we caught. By using a combination of dries, nymphs, and streamers we were able to have our best day of the trip on a brand new river. It was great to have such success on water that felt so foreign only hours prior. We called it a day once we reached Grasshopper Landing as we still had a five hour drive back to Salt Lake City to catch my 11pm flight back to Atlanta.
Our time with Adam out west was unforgettable and we certainty look forward to future trips with him. If you are interested in any of the flies or equipment we used on this trip I have provided a link below to a few of our favorite products.
Blue Line Flies Product Links:
