High Country Part 1

[cpierce]

I spent three days last week on a medium sized stream and I hiked into various parts of it. This is such a pretty stream that I ended up with way too many pictures of both it and the fish. It's one of my favorite streams. I just wish it was closer.







This next picture is probably the biggest pool I ran into. It doesn't look it from the picture, but it would have made an amazing swimming hole. It was well over my head deep.

I was expecting great results from it. I was sure it had a monster lunker in it.


This was what I caught... the smallest fish of all that I caught on this stream.


Either I spooked what else was in there, or the little guy went back and told on me. I didn't get another one there. But I caught plenty of fish in other pools. Beautiful hard fighting fish that headed right out into the current. The stream is still about bankfull from spring. In some places there was no place to really wade or get by the deep pools. I ended up wading thigh deep up multiple cascades. It was slow, and I used both bushes and my wading staff to stay on my feet. Some I had to beat through the brush to get around.


[size 3]The fish were worth the fight to get to though. The average size was about 12 to 14 inches with a few bigger. So they weren’t huge, but they are native cutts, and I love seeing the different colorings and spots on them all. [/size]







In one area the fish were really dark colored.



They were tucked in tight on a lot of very fast pocket water.







This one had hitchhiker on his chin.



I also didn't see much in the way of bugs just a few caddis and mayflies. Then on my last morning there I hike about a half mile in to a different area. There were dragonflies coming off the water all over the place. It was amazing how many there were. I have seen lots of dragonflies hatch, but never this many on a fast freestone stream. It was really weird.


I wonder if that is a common occurrence, and I just haven't run into it before?

I won't bore you with too many more fish pictures, but I did put some others in an album in the BFT members gallery.

http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/show...hp/cat/868
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[Squarehog]

Awesome Pics!
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[iliketofish]

Thanks for the report! I miss traipsing around the streams down there! Though I usually had an electrofisher on my back rather than a rod in my hand...
Are those cutts bonnevilles or yellowstones (if that's not too much to divulge [])?
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[windriver]

Thanks for another great report. I've been fishing in the Florida keys and I'm not sure I wouldn't trade to feel the cool creek water flowing over my legs again.

Windriver
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[Freebird63]

Very nice, thank you for sharing. I have yet to catch a brookie since I moved to Idaho.
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[gstott]

Your posts are really making me think about heading to the mountains and leaving the bass alone for a bit. Beautiful fish, thanks for sharing them. I wish the open water season was a little longer around here. It's hard to fit everything in over a few short months.
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