I have relocated to Idaho Falls. What an area! We are growing fast over
here. Lots of spec houses being built, even in the freezing cold we are
having, but it is a beautiful area with lots of room. They just opened up a
new, monstor, Sportsman's Wearhouse not far from me, in a shopping center,
that is something to see. It is like an ongoing sportsman's show. They've
got it all, with centers of every sportsman's kind and a full service, fly
fishing center that has great prices.
My brother was up from Logan, Utah for the holidays and he showed me some
walk to spots on the South Fork of the Snake, yesterday. It was a clear,
powdered snow on the ground, ice in the guides day, but I stayed warm in
polar fleece clothing and fingerless gloves. I did alot of hiking around a
large island. The water is way down as they've cut off the flow from
Palasade's Dam. We floated the river in Oct.( 9,000 cfs @ that time) and
now it is 1,200 cfs. The water was near freezing and my guess was the
cutthroat found santuary in very light flows in select pocket sections of
the river. I went fishless working a # 6 black, rabbit fur sculpin pattern
all along a cut bank next to the island. I was wading out in the river on
the edge of a riffle casting in towards the bank. When I got downstream,
some 200 yds. there was a windfall along the shore that created a deep
pocket out off its edge. The first cast and I got the "big tug" and several
three head shakes and he was off. Next cast and I landed a handsome, pink
sided cuttbow of around "18. I hiked back to my brother and he was camping
out on some white fish and hooking one after another on a bead-headed, small
nymph. Great day on the water. We saw grouse in the trees, both Golden and
Bald Eagles, deer, a racoon, a flock of trumpeter swans and many ducks and
geese. It's a major flyway. The area also has moose, but we didn't see
any. I've got a well set up fly tying room and will tie, and do lots of
dreaming before next summer's season.
