Wild Trout Safaris Alaska Trips

We took Brookies, Cuts, Browns and Rainbows. A pig well over 10lbs was hanging out in the upper spill but was not taking anything. Too spooked I guess. Down river, the fishing was quite good. Better than the spill way. Copper Johns below worked well below the flow gates. In the screen we found Mike's Money midge, olive May fly emergers and Hexegena. Big numbers each. The river is chuck full of bugs. The surface action was outstanding maybe the best I've ever seen. However it was real small stuff, like #22 -#26. A gray thing with wings was by far the best! It was hard to see it, so I'm not quite sure. Possibly PMD, Blue wing olive's too. But again quite small. Lots of fish rising. A huge hatch! There are many, many fish in this river! Literally tons. A beautiful river too. As lovely as any small river in the world. As good as fly fishing gets!

The Roaring Fork: 2:30pm.
We fished the Roaring Fork after lunch. We drove 11 miles up river from the "Pan" to the "Fork." We put in at Woody Creek Canyon across the bridge at Wink Jaffey Park. The fishing was good both up and down steam. Up was maybe a little better. There were redds on both sides of the river with fish hanging on them. We avoided the redds and fished mid-stream. This is the quintesentual "free-stone" river. A small Madison. Just plain perfect! Be warned the rocks are round and very slippery. Cleats are recommended. The fish were plentiful and good size. They ranged from 16" to 20" and real fat! Strong too. Brown and Rainbows. The fish were in the slack pockets behind the boulders. We were all near double figures within a few hours. But just a few of these healthy fish are all you need feel fulfilled. The screen was full of free living caddis, Hexegena, olive serendipities, golden stones, Mike's Money midge. Also, charthouse peeking caddis in a #18, but real fat. There were also some empty chamois caddis rock cocoons. We caught fish on big Prince Nymphs. #6- #8. Also Irish Spring in #6-#8 and in a #12. Golden stones in a #8-#12, peasant tails in a #10-#14. Red peasant tails worked too in about a #12. A #10-#14 Chamois caddis worked well as did a Flesh Gordon in a #10-#14. A few fish were also taken on money midge, olive work horse and a glow bug. That evening, three Black bears, a sow and two cubs, sat on the far bank of the river, eyeing one of the redds and watched us until we left for the hotel. I assume they fished too.

That night we ate in Glenwood Spring at The Brewery: 8:30pm. The food was good and the company fun. The place made us a table for 18 persons. No smoking, with lively local feel and fare. We had a good time. We chowed and chatted until about 1030pm. Everyone felt a part of the group. We will go back there next year. The next morning we woke later maybe 6:30am. We fished in the same place the day prior, on the Roaring Fork. I netted 9 good size fish before driving to Aspen for lunch.

Frying Pan * Roaring Fork: April 9&10. 2005

The Frying Pan: 8:00am
We fished toilet bowl a little too long. The fact that one could see them cruising chasing yet only eyeing our flies kept us trying. Force feeding is a big temptation. However, we did catch a few, some fairly large. The best patterns in the toilet bowl were pink Mysis shrimps and yellow glow bugs. A 25incher was force fed for a photo. Also, a few took the Mighty Lemon Head and Row v. Wade and an olive scud. In the other spill way there were fish as well.

We only had a small group with us on this journey, 15 in all. But, I suggest, based on the success of the trip, we will have more next year. It should be the same dates. I know it's a mid-week trip, but with the Advance classes being in Yellowstone, it just makes it easy to work around. Besides it's too far from here in one day. So, why not join our Advance class for a day of fishing en route. The fishing this year in Yellowstone was good. We took about 50 fish out of Lewis lake as a group in 4 hrs. We also did well on the Firehole. But even if the fishing was poor, hey, it's Yellowstone! So take a few days off to join us next year on the Big Horn River, with the Extreme class.

If you missed the Big Horn, I'd say you missed out. Good fishing and good friends. The rain kicked us off the river, by way of lightning both days at about 3pm. The spring had left a wet prairie which combined with hot sunny days to spawn some ferocious thunder storms by afternoon. But, not before we put a lot of real nice fish in the net. Big, healthy and pretty too. (Send me your photo's for my page! Justin is doing a good job of getting them up. So send them! Hurry, hurry!)

The scenery was also very interesting. The west as Lewis and Clark saw it exactly 200 years ago, to the month! Also about 128 years ago, General G. Custer's body fell not more than 20 miles from "Gene's Big Brown" hole. (The first honey hole named by the Extreme class, on the Big Horn River.) Blain also took a pig or two out of that hole. As did many others, including the discoverer of the hole, Justin.

To get to the Big Horn River we drove down a lengthy dirt road crossing what seemed like a never ending prairie, on the untouched lands of the Crow Indian Reservation. Also enroute, we encountered two Grizzly bears, one very close, (Photo) as we left Yellowstone Park from the east gate heading into Cody, Wyo. What a beautiful drive that was as we followed the North Fork of the Shoshone River as it descends from the Absaroka Mt. Range out of Yellowstone Park. On the windy drive, we almost ran into a big horn sheep standing in the middle of the road. The other Grizzly, we saw as we returned back from the 'Horn" headed south into Yellowstone from Gardner, Montana. We only saw it at a distance, as it was eating an elk calf in what was a ragging blizzard! Yes! snow on the 8th of June. These bear citing's mark the second time we've seen bears on this year's Extreme class trips. The other being the black bears we encountered on the Roaring Fork River in Colorado.

The fishing on the Big Horn was good. We really started to figure them out by the second day. So it goes. We should really fish it, even better, next year. (Yes, we are going back next year.) Tan, pink and orange scuds worked well. San Juan worms (orange and brown), Mike's Money midge, peach Gig-a-low, and hares ears also worked. But, by far the best pattern was a soft hackle sow bug. A very light pink colored dubbing, with a gray hen hackle collar. We did net a good number of fish over twenty inches. Browns and Rainbows mostly, with one Cutthroat taken. (Photo's will attest to the size and beauty.)

The accommodations in Ft. Smith (the native village on the Big Horn River) were very nice. Cheap too! They were mobile trailers that were well furnished clean and roomy. They also had TVs, kitchens, couches with multiple bathrooms. There was plenty of space for tying flys, playing Texas hold-em or just lounging. (It is a dry reservation so bring your own if you are so inclined.) All the meals were provided by the outfitter that own's the properties. "Big Horn Fly and Tackle." Duane, the owner, is a nice man. Lunches we did ourselves on the river. A small grocery store provides whatever is needed in the way of food for lunches or any other meal for that matter. All the rooms are fully equipped to prepare all meals in house if desired.

Tight lines to you all. Thanks again. To the rest of you, I'll see you soon. -mike

Slough Creek July 2005

Hey Gang.
Wow, what an ending to the Extreme Class of 2005. Slough Creek was beautiful! Without question the prettiest part of Yellowstone park. I can say that the places we visited this year in the Extreme class as a whole, were very aesthetic. I guess trout just live in beautiful places. Slough Creek was no exception. Oh ya, we saw another bear on the trip. That makes 6 bears in all for the 2005 Extreme Class. Add that to the 11 we saw in AK this year and we had an exceptional bear viewing year. (Caught lots of fish too.)

The Slough Creek trip, our last trip of the year, was set up to be a camping trip. But, not many camped. A few of us did, I being one them. Most just drove in from nearby lodging towns like Gardner and Cook City. Cook City being the most popular. What a great place - Cook City. This old mining town will be on my list of places to visit for years to come. I had the good fortune of rendezvousing with many of the gang there for what was a great meal in what was the quaintest of quaint little American towns. It may be the group, or the towns we visit, but whatever it is, we sure have fun on these trips. "Don't miss the breakfasts," or the dinners.

OH, did I mention we went fishing? Many in the class had been hoping for a "Dry Fly" destination. So I put Slough Creek into the line up. Slough is in the farthest north east corner of Yellowstone park. Slough Creek is famous for being the quintessential dry fly fishery. "Hopper Heaven." The trip involves a 5 mile hike into the river. Not a bad hike mostly flat and very scenic. But that hike must have scared a few of you (Brian) away because we only had 15 persons make the trip. Those who did were well rewarded. Even if we wouldn't have caught a fish, the scenery would have been enough.

But we did catch fish, many. Nate was high man with 35. Gene was right behind him also with more than 30. I think only a few of us did not make it to double figures. They truly were a pretty fish. The Yellowstone Cutthroat, for me is the most beautiful fish in the world.

To my knowledge, only two fish were taken underneath the surface. (Small beadhead pheasant tails dropped behind a dry.) All the rest were taken on top via foam dry flys. Terrestrials were the ticket. Black Foam Beatles, black Cicadas and black Chernobyl Ants were best. We took a few on a green bodied Madam X and small tan and yellow foam hoppers too. Only a couple of fish were near 20", most were under 18". Whatever the size it's fun to have em take it from the top. The river water was crystal clear and some of the holes were over 15 ft deep. Swimming was such a temptation. It was warm too. We didn't use waders. Just hiking shorts.

Being able to see every fish that rose to the surface in that clear water was great fun as well as frustrating for it seemed like I had a hundred refusals. But when they took it, there was no doubt. They hit it hard and quick, taking the fly straight to the bottom.

My 11 year old son Mickey had a blast. All day long it was, "I got another one Dad." We started the hike out around 4pm. With a granola break, I'd say it took us two hours to make it back to the trail head.

The time of year, the Summer break schedule and Alaska caused me to believe that this was to be the Extreme Class' one and only time into Slough Creek, but after fishing it again I'm sure I could be talked into putting it on the list again. Maybe at some later date say September in a Summer/Fall style Extreme class of some sort. But that is all "pie in the sky." If you missed this trip, I'd say you miss an event. See you all again in the Extreme Class 2006. Tight lines, mike.

Next year's Extreme Class is going to be bigger and better with two new destinations. We start January 19th 2006. Join us!