FinFollower

Something Different for Fall

October 3, 2019 by Leigh Leave a Comment

It seems like the Connecticut DEEP has stocked more trout in the Farmington River than the human population of some western states. The Housatonic smallmouth action has been nothing less than exceptional. So why am I sitting here in a kayak throwing poppers to hungry bream and rock bass? Simple. I wanted something different.

Instead of standing shoulder to shoulder with other anglers, driving an hour to get to good water, worrying about water temps or reading flow levels, I threw the kayak on the car and was floating within 15 minutes.

This end of the Housatonic is known more for pleasure boats and water skis, yet the inlet leading to the public launch is relatively quiet. Only an occasional boater, returning from a day on the water, asks me how I’m doing.

And I am doing great. Bream and rock bass are hitting the balsa poppers so hard that two of them were reduced to hook and rubber legs. The water is calm, relatively clear, and the takes are easy to spot. I paddle almost effortlessly into small coves, cast, and wait for strikes.

Just like upstream, where the trout are waiting, the fall scenery is part of the experience.

Regardless of where you are and what you’re fishing for, hope you can get out and enjoy some fall fishing.

Enjoy!

Stories from Clark – Part Four – Clarks Fork

August 27, 2019 by Leigh 3 Comments

Note: This is the fourth and last post on my Wyoming trip. Over 4 days we fished the Lower Shoshone, Upper Shoshone, Greybull, and Clarks Fork rivers. If you missed them, here are links to Part One, Part Two and Part Three.

For our last day together we decided to keep it local. We started the morning on the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River, near our cabin. This river is 150 miles long and runs through Montana and Wyoming.

It’s a big river that has fast water and riffles, followed by long pools. All held fish. We tied on various hopper/dropper combos and hit the water.

I’m not a biologist, but I was told that the fish below is a cutbow, based on the white-tipped fins.

The brown below was in shoulder water. The hopper/dropper worked and he fought me into the grass.

We also fished up in the canyon section, where the water got faster and deeper, and the wading got tougher. The fish were wild and hungry. No fish pics, but if you decide to fish near Bridal Veil Falls, be prepared to split your time climbing over minivan-sized rocks and casting to stealthy trout hiding in the pocket water. I came back with scraped shins from climbing and sliding into remote areas.

When I look at the pictures from this trip, this has to be one of my favorites. The Clarks Fork at dusk, with the Beartooth Mountains in the background.

This trip was well worth it. I caught 3 new species of fish: native Yellowstone cutthroat, cutbows, and the beloved and much maligned whitefish (or as I referred to it, western grayling). The views were spectacular. Very different from what we see back east.

If you are interested in making a similar trip, please let me know. I’ll be happy to share what we learned and what we packed for this trip.

Enjoy!

Stories from Clark – Part Three – Greybull River

August 25, 2019 by Leigh Leave a Comment

Note: This is the third of four posts on my trip to Wyoming. Over 4 days we fished the Lower Shoshone, Upper Shoshone, Greybull, and Clark’s Fork rivers. If you missed them, here are links to Part One and Part Two.

Our third day was probably the most adventurous. We went offroad to find native Yellowstone cutthroat in the Greybull River. This spot was recommended to me by the Wyoming DEP, and it was by far my favorite river of the entire trip.

If you are unfamiliar with the Greybull, it is a tributary of the Big Horn, approximately 90 miles long. It runs through some of the most remote backcountry in the Greater Yellowstone area. The river was reportedly named for a white buffalo that had been seen on its banks. It is somewhat famous for supporting the best genetically pure population left of Yellowstone cutthroat trout.

We started with a two-hour drive to the town of Meeteetse (pop 370), followed by a 20-mile drive down a winding dirt road, terminating at the Jack Creek trailhead inside the Shoshone National Forest.

Upon arriving we found a small campground with a handful of sites, equipment needed to feed horses and metal bear boxes to protect campers’ food. One of our first sightings was three fully loaded pack mules headed into the brush.

At the trailhead, the Greybull is a small river. Mostly pocket water, crystal clear, and as we soon found out, loaded with native cutthroats. And while there are some riverstone islands to fish from, the area where we began wading was lined with willows on either side, several feet thick. Another barrier to easy access.

Again I took the bear spray. If it was going to be used, this would be the day. Luckily that was not the case, although we did hear some rattlesnakes.

My first native Yellowstone cutthroat was probably all of 8″, but we caught fish twice that size.

This was one of my better ones, caught in one of the few long pools we encountered.

We stuck with the hopper/dropper setup from the day before, but later in the day switched to dry flies. All were effective.

While the Greybull is not easy to reach nor easy to wade, we were rewarded with hungry cutthroats and beautiful scenery.

Enjoy!

Stories from Clark – Part Two – Upper Shoshone River

August 23, 2019 by Leigh Leave a Comment

Note: This is the second of four posts on my trip to Wyoming. Over 4 days we fished the lower Shoshone, upper Shoshone, Greybull, and Clark’s Fork Rivers. To see the first post, click here.

Our second day, the upper Shoshone River, was very different than the day before. Aside from wading versus floating, we were going into wild trout country, and the chance of a grizzly bear encounter was much higher. It was the first time on the trip that I carried bear spray (the black canister in the picture below). That’s Yellowstone in the background.

We drove through Cody, past the Buffalo Bill Dam on the way to Yellowstone. After awhile, the river began to parallel the road. This was skinny water, but also contained some sizeable trout.

We continued to fish using a smaller, shorter version of the hopper/dropper setup. While our offering was attractive, these trout are fast and smart. We missed a few strikes and had flies taken from 3x leaders. Most of what we caught looked like this. Not large, but a wild fish is always beautiful.

We put fish on the line at almost every spot. Wading was moderately difficult. There was very little bushwhacking involved since most of the places we stopped were near roadside pull offs.

We enjoyed the hiking and wading almost as much as catching these wild gems.

Enjoy!

Stories from Clark – Part One – Lower Shoshone River

August 21, 2019 by Leigh 2 Comments

Note: This is the first of four posts on my trip to Wyoming. Over 4 days we fished the Lower Shoshone, Upper Shoshone, Greybull, and Clark’s Fork Rivers.

Our first day of fishing was a float trip on the lower Shoshone River with North Fork Anglers outfitters of Cody, WY.

If you’re not familiar with the Shoshone, it is a 100-mile long river that cuts through northern Wyoming. Its headwaters are in the Absaroka Range in Shoshone National Forest. It ends when it runs into the Big Horn. The river is divided by the Buffalo Bill Dam. We fished the lower Shoshone first and waded the upper the next day. That trip is the second installment of this series.

As we walked from the shop to the truck, our guide Mike told us we were basically going down the hill. He was right. We drove a short distance to a public launch in downtown Cody.

He quickly rigged us with a hopper/dropper setups, and within a few minutes we were leaving Cody and on our way. It was sunny, mid-80s, blue sky day, perfect for a float.

Mike basically grew up in Cody, so he knew the water well. He also provided some of the local history and respected private land rights, an important consideration when fishing in Wyoming (or anywhere else).

We were into fish early on. Big browns and rainbows took the dropper and protested vehemently all the way to the boat.

Mike consistently put us on fish, and knew when to change the rig or move to a new spot. I stayed in the rear of the raft all day, but felt that I had equal chances to catch fish.

This is not a river that is easily waded. In addition to private land restrictions, the water runs fast and there is very little bank. At times it felt more like a rafting trip.

For someone visiting from the northeast, the scenery was a major part of the experience.

The time flew. We caught fish throughout the float, and found it hard to believe it was after 5 when we reached the pullout. It was a great day, and we both have nothing but good things to say about Mike and North Fork Anglers.

If you are considering a float trip in the Cody area, we would recommend the lower Shoshone.

A Note on Traveling:

We stayed at VRBO property in Clark, 3o mins north of Cody. We had a great host. She told stories about the area, lent tools to fix a broken reel, and most important shared her bear spray. We were only a mile from the Clark fish hatchery. Employees there were a great source of info. I would recommend this property. It is about 2 hours south of Billings. Less than a mile to public access for the Clark’s Fork. If you want to learn more, email me.

Enjoy!