Idaho 2022
July 8-17, 2022
A backpacking and fishing journey through the Clearwater National Forrest!
Oh man, where do I start? At the beginning I suppose, which was oddly enough a YouTube video of some dude catching cutthroat in a crystal clear mountain stream in Idaho. One look at that stream and the planning started immediately. This trip just HAD to happen.
Wes, Mike, Matt, and Jesse quickly jumped on board and figured out an itinerary including flying to Missoula, Montana, driving a rental car across Hoodoo Pass into Idaho, then hiking deep into the backcountry with way, way too much gear in our packs. And that's exactly what we did. Here is a day by day break down.
Day 1
As with many trips, Day 1 started at 4am at Wes's house and ended up with us catching trout somewhere far away. In this case it was Kelly Creek, Idaho. But before that we had to meet Matt in Harrisburg, swing by Dallas, breeze through Missoula and pick up Mike, survive a giant hail storm, throw snowballs at 6,000 feet, and be entertained by a drunk local named Mark. Just a normal day, I'd say. Oh, and of course there was Durango's! And just before dark a few westslope cutthrout trout were caught, amidst just a touch of yelling!
Day 2
The second day started with a cloud of mosquitoes trying to eat us as we packed camp into out backpacks and set off down the trail toward the wilderness. The Kelly Creek trail is spectacular. Simply spectacular. It's also steeper and longer than we thought. Oh well, we survived and made it to an empty outfitter camp that we made home for two nights. The camp had some great things, like a huge pile of firewood. And some not so nice things, like a kitchen tent with dead regurgitated mice and the smell of rotten food.
It didn't take us long to string up the rods and do what we do. The water was up a bit which made wading tough, but we managed to catch a number of small rainbows, some cutbows, and even a few nice sized cuts. That was about the same time Jesse arrived, who jumped right in and started fishing immediately. We took a break for dinner and got back after it. Matt found a "path" down to the creek for us and we fished until almost dark. We finished the day off with a campfire, a few whitefish in the pan, and plenty of laughs.
It didn't take us long to string up the rods and do what we do. The water was up a bit which made wading tough, but we managed to catch a number of small rainbows, some cutbows, and even a few nice sized cuts. That was about the same time Jesse arrived, who jumped right in and started fishing immediately. We took a break for dinner and got back after it. Matt found a "path" down to the creek for us and we fished until almost dark. We finished the day off with a campfire, a few whitefish in the pan, and plenty of laughs.
Day 3
This was the big one! The whole point of this trip was to "go where others won't". And boy did we. We continued on the Kelly Creek trail from the outfitter camp and started fishing upstream at Hanson Meadows. The scenery was second to none and the fishing wasn't too shabby either. Small rainbows and hybrids were again readily available, but a good number of large cuts were also caught. We hiked and fished, fished and hiked, and fished some more for a large portion of the day before scampering up a very steep hillside, bushwacking for a while, and finally getting back on the main trail.
We were most of the way back to camp when Wes realized he lost his gun somewhere during the day. Hoping for some luck a few guys backtracked to look for it but, no dice. That was a pretty big bummer, but some peanut M&Ms brought back the smiles. We had to make a big decision that night. Should we stay at the outfitter camp enjoying the cots and firewood, or make a move in search of bigger fish? Obviously we chose bigger fish so this was our last night at the camp.
We were most of the way back to camp when Wes realized he lost his gun somewhere during the day. Hoping for some luck a few guys backtracked to look for it but, no dice. That was a pretty big bummer, but some peanut M&Ms brought back the smiles. We had to make a big decision that night. Should we stay at the outfitter camp enjoying the cots and firewood, or make a move in search of bigger fish? Obviously we chose bigger fish so this was our last night at the camp.
Day 4
After having some Tiny House Coffee (thanks Dan) we cleaned up the camp and set off for a 3.5 mile hike to where Cayuse Creek dumps into Kelly. We were very fortunate to get a superb campsite right on the river with a million dollar view. After resting for a bit we ventured up Cayuse and began catching nice sized cuts right away. We liked the slower water and deeper pools in Cayuse. Oh, and something happened that night. Something expensive.
Day 5
Day 5 was another beautiful clear day! Unfortunately Jesse had to head home in the morning but the rest of us set off to fish Cayuse again. That creek had unlimited bends, pools, riffles, and runs that we explored all morning. In the afternoon we took advantage of the heat and bright sun to wash up and do some laundry in the creek. It was very much welcomed by all!
The afternoon session was just as fun. We hiked up the Cayuse trail and fished a new section of the creek. Matt really started to hammer the fish with his "swing and wait" approach, especially when he found what he called "dumb fish". Another great day with a campfire to top it off.
The afternoon session was just as fun. We hiked up the Cayuse trail and fished a new section of the creek. Matt really started to hammer the fish with his "swing and wait" approach, especially when he found what he called "dumb fish". Another great day with a campfire to top it off.
Day 6
This was a day of transition. Wes's favorite! We woke up and hiked back to where the car was parked at the trailhead. The hike went smoother than we thought and a light rain kept us cool. We spent a few hours fishing under and around the Kelly Creek Bridge before loading up and driving back to Missoula. Of course we stopped at Durrangos for food and souvenirs. We deposited Matt at his hotel, stocked up on real food at Wal-Mart, and drove back over the pass. We decided to car camp at the Cedars Campground on the North Fork of the Clearwater. Man was that a good decision! We didn't have a ton of time to fish that evening, but big things were in store.
Day 7
We started fishing at camp and worked down the North Fork. Ugh. What a treacherous river to wade. The current was pushing hard, the water was deep, and the boulders were everywhere .... and loose. Mike and I started with spinners and caught next to nothing. Wes did pretty well on nymphs, but we were all wore out by lunchtime. We did see a moose and an elk cross the creek, which was by far the highlight of the morning.
Even though the creek was tough to fish, the forest was other-worldly. The cedar trees were enormous, hundreds of feet tall and a dozen feet thick at the base. The ground was soft and covered with ferns. It was like hiking through a fairy tale.
After lunch we hiked downstream in search of easier water. We found our old friend waiting for us ... more tough wading. As always we pushed through and caught fish, plenty of them, but still not the size and frequency we wanted. That night though, after dinner, we struck Idaho gold. Pure gold. We discovered that by simply walking around the corner and working upstream on the same river, things were different. Oh so very different. The river was slower, smoother, and apparently filled with what we were after. We went to bed that night with really, really high hopes for the next day.
Even though the creek was tough to fish, the forest was other-worldly. The cedar trees were enormous, hundreds of feet tall and a dozen feet thick at the base. The ground was soft and covered with ferns. It was like hiking through a fairy tale.
After lunch we hiked downstream in search of easier water. We found our old friend waiting for us ... more tough wading. As always we pushed through and caught fish, plenty of them, but still not the size and frequency we wanted. That night though, after dinner, we struck Idaho gold. Pure gold. We discovered that by simply walking around the corner and working upstream on the same river, things were different. Oh so very different. The river was slower, smoother, and apparently filled with what we were after. We went to bed that night with really, really high hopes for the next day.
Days 8 & 9
Magic. Pure North Fork magic. Two full days of sunshine on what just might be the Earth's most perfect trout stream. Our euro rods stayed bent for what felt like forever. The fish were hungry and big. The average size was over 12 with plenty caught at 16. Wes even landed a Bull Trout that was close to 20. Truly I have never fished a finer stream.
It was hard to pull ourselves away, but alas, reality beckons. Around noon on Saturday we hiked back to camp, packed up the Ford Escape, and drove back to Missoula. Showers and real toilets at the hotel were most welcome, followed by a gigantic meal at The Montana Club. Huckleberry cobbler is as good as it sounds. Sunday morning's breakfast was equally good at the Laughing Grizzly and then it was off to the airport and home.
I will see you again, North Fork, that I promise.
It was hard to pull ourselves away, but alas, reality beckons. Around noon on Saturday we hiked back to camp, packed up the Ford Escape, and drove back to Missoula. Showers and real toilets at the hotel were most welcome, followed by a gigantic meal at The Montana Club. Huckleberry cobbler is as good as it sounds. Sunday morning's breakfast was equally good at the Laughing Grizzly and then it was off to the airport and home.
I will see you again, North Fork, that I promise.
