Hiking In For High Country Honey Holes

Hiking In For High Country Honey Holes

- Tom Claycomb

September is my favorite month to fly-fish the Idaho backcountry. The snow pack melt has dropped making streams more manageable. After feeding all summer the fish are bigger, and I usually have the stream to myself with the locals in elk and deer mode.

My brother-in-law Bob Statton and his son Tom flew into Boise to join me for a recent trip. Tom had just finished a 30-day backpacking venture of his own and was in top shape. It’s always good to have a young workhorse on the trail.

We reached the campsite by midmorning, threw up our tents and then hit a nearby hole for bull trout. I don’t know if they run that far upstream to spawn or if they follow the salmon to eat their eggs. But some years they’re stacked in like cordwood.

I tied on a big black bead head Wooly Bugger with a 1/64-ounce bullet weight on the line making it easier to cast. I may also fish a nymph, such as a Copper John, and I usually switch to an Elk Hair Caddis at some point. The caddis is my go-to for evening hatches.

We caught some nice fish but nothing giant. About dusk we headed back to camp, built a roaring fire, and whipped up dinner.

There’s nothing more relaxing than sitting around a campfire after a day of hiking and fishing. I long ago tired of squatting in the dirt and bring a compact stadium chair. Leaning back against a log, it’s surprisingly comfortable. True to form, I dozed off by the fire.

Next morning, I dipped a pot of coffee water out of the river, whipped up an oatmeal breakfast and then led the way back down to the bull trout. After another hour of so-so action, we decided to head downstream and see new water.