After getting skunked, I was walking thru Sportsman’s Warehouse in Idaho Falls, and saw the fishing report board. It reported that Birch Creek was fishing very well. So I decided to run up there the next day with my brother.
We loaded up the truck with our gear, and some essentials (cooler full of Ranier). We planned on stopping to get some breakfast on the way up, but it didn’t work out… as there was no place to get anything on the way. It is a beautiful drive once you turn off I-15 at Dubois. Birch Creek is hidden in a valley between a couple nice mountain ranges. There is a very large BLM campground that parallels the creek on the west side of the highway for quite a few miles, then another further north, once the creek passes under the highway to the east. We started at the northern campground parking area.
The fish are not large in this creek, but they are plentiful. I came over a hill to take a look, and probably a couple hundred small trout spooked out of the grass like a cloud. They were also pretty hungry for dry flies. It was hoot catching these little guys, however we were a bit over sized with our gear. I had brought along my Echo 5wt rod. A couple times I went to set the hook, and the fish went flying behind me. Next time I go, I’d like to bring a 2 or 3wt, or a tenkara.
The fish in the creek are also very pretty. We caught a mix of rainbows and brookies.
The views around the creek are well worth seeing, even if you don’t catch anything.
And of course, a cold beer makes any day better.
