Jedediah Smith Wilderness Area

Floyd and I had Saturday morning free while staying at the Grand Targhee resort and decided to explore the nearby Jedediah Smith Wilderness Area as there is a beautiful creek that runs out of here into the local valley. On the way there, we spotted a nice cinnamon colored black bear. It was clear and strong and seemed to be perfect for trout. We could not find any present though and hiked our way in about 2.5 miles trying different water and enjoying the canyon. There were waterfalls on both sides of the canyon and at one point, you could see seven different falls from standing in a single place. We crossed several fresh avalanche paths from this winter that has taken out trees with snow still insulated under some of the debris. As we hiked in the wilderness manager was on his way out from doing some work on the trails and mentioned he had never caught any fish here or heard of anyone doing well fishing the creek. At least it was a nice day out and the hiking in the canyon was beautiful. I had never been here before and I am glad I got the time to stop and enjoy this wonderful place.

Guided Trip With Dad

Tetons in the distance

Dad and I had a meet up in Jackson for a few days with the intent of getting out for a day trip with a guide. I had not been on a guided trip before so this was a new experience for me. Initially, we were all set to float the canyon section of the South Fork but as is typical with fishing trips, conditions changed. Flows nearly doubled the day before our scheduled float. A quick alternative was devised and we were off to Yellowstone National Park to enjoy a day fly fishing for mackinaw and brown trout. We went out with Scott Smith as our guide and worked a popular lake and its channel with sinking lines and various streamers and buggers. The day was so enjoyable, we found fish, spotted wildlife, had varying weather from rain to full sun, a nice lunch and dad got some great casting help from Scott as well. Dad and I picked up our first lake trout of the year and both got a respectable brown trout in the mix too. Dad quickly nicknamed his monster headed brown trout "Madame Leech" as she had a few anchored to her. All good things seem to end quickly and as the day waned we headed for the boat ramp and concluded the float. Thanks to Scott for such an excellent time on the water. I can't wait to get back to the Jackson area and spend more time on the local waters.

Greenbelt Highwater

I went and attacked the edges on the greenbelt this evening. The river is over the initial flood level, limiting the amount of open movement I had without waders. The water was not as muddy as I would have expected with a lot more visibility in more of a tannin brown tone than actually being muddy. I rigged up the six weight with a bugger and went cranking along the slack water limits but didn't land any browns. I had one positive strike and saw some mini browns working midges on the surface in a back eddy. I just managed to get in some time on the water between storms. It has been very Seattle like with regards to moisture here in the valley lately. The red winged blackbirds were working hard bringing insects back to their nests. A nice evening to be out in the brief evening sunlight.

Swollen river


Outfit for the evening


End of the trail for me


Upriver view with the next approaching storm

Plains Lakes, High Wind, And Not Quite Ice Out

I went out in the float tube briefly before the high winds pushed me off the lake. I spent the rest of the time between wind storms fishing from shore. There wasn't much going on. I had some light hits and managed to hook one cutthroat that escaped before I brought him to hand. The weather was spectacularly entertaining to watch. Storms were moving in on both sides of the lake. After I had my fill of the plains lakes I went up to check on ice out. It is not quite here yet. I took a few casts in the high country but didn't spot any working fish or activity. The creek up high was beautiful with the high snow banks. They still had cave structures formed over the water in places.

Quick Mountain Bike Tuneup

I got the mountain bike out and took a quick evening ride after the high winds died down from earlier in the day. The bike is old but still fun to ride even with its failing components and clumsy weight. This solitary red fox was out working the fields this evening and seemed unsure of what to make of me. He watched me intently until I began to move on at which point he continued his hunt heading the other direction.