High Sierra Topix

Yes, this TR is from Idaho and Montana, not in the Sierra, so I thought it would be best in this area of the board. If this is more "fishing hole" appropriate, then the "powers that be" can kindly move it there, if they wish. No worries.

I would wager that many of you have heard the early 1970’s song “Signs” by Five Man Electrical Band, a song which was later covered by Tesla, amongst others, which is what the title of this post is alluding to. Anyhow… I just got back from a two-week fly fishing trip to Idaho and Montana and after looking at some of my photos, it seemed like a unifying theme, albeit, it wasn’t thinking about this when I was taking the pictures to begin with. Odd how these things happen sometimes, eh?

I went to some of my favorite spots; such as Rock Creek, the Selway, the East Fork of the Bitterroot, Silver Creek, et. al., as well as some new places; like the West Fork of the Bitterroot and a few other small streams that will remain un-named here. Most worked out quite well, solid hatches, rising fish, plenty of catching and what you would expect of the waters in Idaho and Montana in a typical July. The only stream that just wasn’t ready was the West Fork. Great looking water, but it was a bit off color and the water was still really cold. Too bad, but I’ll have to try it again in the future. (i.e. an excuse to go back!)

Why do so many anglers go to these two Rocky Mountain States? Here’s one reason:

[rimg]http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa10 ... 787b4b.jpg[/rimg]

…and here’s another:

[rimg]http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa10 ... 3d14c6.jpg[/rimg]

…and perhaps a combo of the two previous:

[rimg]http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa10 ... f5a392.jpg[/rimg]

I guess this sign could be posted in many places all around Idaho and Montana:

[rimg]http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa10 ... bbb8fd.jpg[/rimg]

Sometimes they warn you about what you mind find:

[rimg]http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa10 ... fe4502.jpg[/rimg]

…and sometimes the sign is accurate!

[rimg]http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa10 ... 0b2af8.jpg[/rimg]

Of course, a fishing trip is not just about the fish, it’s also about your surroundings, the sights, the sounds, the smells, etc., the people, and the local flora and fauna

Here’s some of the flora:

[rimg]http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa10 ... fa60ef.jpg[/rimg]

…and here’s some of the fauna:

[rimg]http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa10 ... bd15ac.jpg[/rimg]

and of course, there might be a sign warning you to look out for other fauna as well:

[rimg]http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa10 ... b3c2e6.jpg[/rimg]

…and yes, yet again, sometimes its accurate!

[rimg]http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa10 ... ca6196.jpg[/rimg]

These are only a few of the females in the harem. The one large male, with a huge rack of horns, was a bit camera shy.

These last two pics don’t have a sign associated with them, but perhaps a strong warning or some kind of warning about being a dumb @$$ is in order. On my way home, as I was passing through Twin Falls, ID, I stopped by the Perrine Bridge, to recollect the time I did a bungee jump off of it, back when I was younger (and more of a dumb@$$ myself!)

[rimg]http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa10 ... e16566.jpg[/rimg]


Well, today, it was the BASE jumpers turn. I took a picture of the first two to jump (the guy with the red parachute was in a wheelchair!)

[rimg]http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa10 ... 15d31f.jpg[/rimg]

and then right after these two, a guy jumped and his chute just BARELY opened, and while most of the other jumpers drifted successfully to the landing zone, the second guy more or less plunged right into the brush right at the base of the bridge, 486 feet straight down! His chute opened just enough for him to walk away, albeit kind of slowly. The other spectators and I were glad he was able to walk away, but damn, that was CLOSE! Quite a buzz-kill. Personally knowing some people that do this kind of thing, I don’t think any kind of warning (or a sign) would deter these folks even one little bit. I think I’ll stick to sticking trout and leave the really dangerous stuff to the younger crowd, thank you.

I could go into more details and specifics about other places I went and fish caught, but I think you get the general idea. Good times, good fishing and yes, I want to go back already!

Cheers!

--F.G. Dave

Great report!

The Bull Trout is new to me, here's a great primer on them (and some other trout species as well): http://fwpiis.mt.gov/bulltroutid/training/training1.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Andy