Tag: Idaho

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2018 Summer Adventure part 2 (Idaho)

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.

 

 

 

Posted on

2018 Summer Adventure Part 1 (Idaho)

This summer was a very busy time, hence not very many updates were posted to the site. I will now attempt to remedy that, with a huge blast of posts in the next couple days.

We will begin the story at the beginning of June. I flew with my son out to Idaho Falls, so he could stay the summer with his grandma like he has for the past few years. When my mom picked us up from the airport, we immediately drove out to Heise Hot Springs, where they have their 5th wheel parked (right on the bank of the South Fork.) I had packed my waders, rod, and accouterments, and was ready to hit the river as soon as day broke. Unfortunately what I awoke to was the river running close to 20k CFS. Way too high to fish in.

With that setback, I proceeded to come up with alternate plans. First step, acquire fishing license from Jimmy’s Fly Shop.  Of course, I couldn’t just get a license, I also had to pick up another t-shirt to add to the collection.  With license in hand, I decided to give Warm Springs a try.

Grabbed the keys to my mom’s old explorer, and headed up the river road. Didn’t see another car on the drive up the road, only a large moose that I had to follow for a quarter of a mile or so, before she darted into a marsh. The river road from Heise is a beautiful drive, especially with no traffic to worry about, as in the peak season, it can be a bit harry with all the shuttles moving trucks with drift boats from launch to launch, and the road is only one vehicle wide.

Unfortunately, the fishing in the creek was not any better than in the river. I proceeded to walk up and down the whole creek a few times, with not even a bite. I did SEE two fish, but the problem is, they saw me well before I saw them, and they darted away. The trip was not a total waste, as the area is one of the prettiest around.

 

20180601_103847Continue far enough up the stream, and you will start to see the springs bubbling up through the silt in the bottom of the creek.

There are quite a few beaver dams along the creek from where the springs come up, all the way to the South Fork where it drains in. The final pool is a fairly sizable lake, that is crystal clear. Inside this lake are what I refer to as sharks. It is full of huge trout. This lake is not very accessible, with a very steep bank, and bushes lining it, as well as the bottom is made of about 6ft of very fine silt. One of these days, I will bring a kayak to this place, and attempt to get one of the sharks. Until then, they will taunt me from afar, every time I drive up to Warm Springs.

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