Fly fishing excursion... minus the trout!

A few months back, I was introduced to a nice guy at a party, and when I said I'd love to go fly fishing while I'm here, he said he'd take me along some time. After he walked away, our mutual acquaintance told me the guy had been a fly fishing guide for years.... some luck! Well this week, he finally invited me to go ;)

He has a fiberglass drift boat that is popular for fly fishing if you don't want to wade the whole time. We met up at Dornan's in Moose, WY where I purchased a $14 one day fishing license and grabbed the WY 33-page fishing regulations booklet. We hoped to keep a fish or two and the regulations in WY are very "technical". For the most part, fishing in WY is catch and release. My friend said that if we caught a few nice ones, he'd take them back to the upscale Austrian restaurant where he bartends a few nights a week and have the chef cook them up for us.

 

I brought sandwiches and beer, and my friend provided everything else. If I had hired a guide to take me on this same 1/2 day excursion, it would have likely cost me $300-$500. I'm a lucky girl! ;) We launched the boat from the ramp, and my friend manned the oars. The Snake River is low right now with plenty of gravel bars, tree stumps and huge rocks to navigate, and it changes from week to week. We passed over some little (Class I) rapids too. An oarsman has to be vigilant and skilled to say the least... I felt safe.

The Tetons backdrop was spectacular the whole way down the river. Our float lasted 6 hours, from 1:30pm - 7:30pm, and ran 14 miles along the Snake River.

About a mile into the float, we pulled over on a gravel bar so my friend could give me a fly fishing lesson. Aside from a family wading/shore excursion with a guide in Alaska in 1992, I'm a newby... I was given a Sage ZXL 9# fly rod to fish with, and my friend patiently explained the fly line, knots and flies, showing me how to cast again and again. He also explained the purpose and use of all the little gadgets and gizmos attached to my snazzy Orvis fishing vest. (Thanks Dad!) I wore non-slip shoes, and we waded in ankle to knee deep onto the rocky bottom to practice casting. Oddly, the water was comfortable at 55-60 degrees. No waders needed.

Fly fishing is a lot different than fishing with a spinning rod. We used water walkers to attract the trout. Like a golf swing or shooting sporting clays, there are SO many little things to remember. When you get one thing mastered you forget the others. It's just something that takes practice until the cast "feels right", and I can safely say that I still have a lot to learn, but it was a fun day on the water and beautiful float trip!

 

The interesting thing about my guide friend is that he has a prosthetic leg! He lost his leg in a car accident at age 19. Now he fishes/guides and also skis. He is involved with charity events, fundraising and helping others with prosthetics enjoy the outdoors. A great guy, known to and well liked by a number of my ranch co-workers!

 

Since my friend couldn't really fish while manning the oars, and I wasn't proficient enough to land an accurate cast in the sweet spots while we floated, we stopped 5-6 times at my friend's known honey holes and anchored on the gravel bars out in the river. He hooked a couple of tiny trout that we threw back, and lost a couple of larger ones. Needless to say, I didn't land one!

I was so hoping to have just one photo of a beautiful, shiny speckled trout to attach to this post, but it wasn't to be. In my defense, and pointed out by my guide friend, he didn't land any keepers either, and we were dealing with some serious head winds the whole way down the river. Not ideal conditions. There's no such thing as a bad day on the water, and seeing 14 miles of the Snake River, as well as the Tetons and the back of the ranch property where I work was a treat!

Let's just say that if things had gone as planned, that would be MY hand around those Cutthroat trout. I found these photos online... trout caught in the Snake River along the same stretch that we fished. Is that cheating? Naa... just thought you might want a visual ;) A ranch guest fished with a guide this week and caught twelve! Damn.

We exited the river at 7:30pm at the Wilson, WY boat ramp, and I headed back to the ranch. On the way, I drove past the finish line of LOTOJA, a one day, 200+ mile amateur bike race from Logan, Utah to Teton Village, WY. Cyclists were just ending their grueling ordeal, and they were all along the roadside heading to the finish line near the ranch entrance. Pretty cool! There's always something going on in this town!