» Backcountry Fly Fishing

Annual WY Trip

Dr. G — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 05:54:48 +0000

Every July my in-laws plan a fishing/camping trip to their native home waters. Its one of my favorite trips of the year. How can you beat casting size 2 terrestrials at slow rising native cutthroats in one of the most beautiful backdrops in the world? You can’t. And on top of that you don’t see another soul, the weather is perfect and wet wading and minimal gear is the only way to hike around in this back country. This year I took out my brother-in-law and his two boys who have never fly fished. We all had a great time and the boys can wait for next year. This is a special bonding trip for the whole family and a chance for boys to become men and for fathers to bond with their sons. I can’t wait to take my little baby once he or she turns 1 next in a couple yrs.

Pictures of the Week #5

Dr. G — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:27 +0000

The Attack

Summer Spinners

In My Rear View Mirror I See You…Watching the twlight…

Picture Of The Week #4

Dr. G — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:32:28 +0000

A father and sons first time fly fishing…

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How do you not get hooked with scenery like that? They did…

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Scott & Bronx Thomas enjoying a summers day in the WY backcountry

The Perfect River

Dr. G — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:07:02 +0000

This past Saturday with the colder than normal weather, I took a break from the wakeboarding and hit a stretch of trout water that I can now call one of my new favorites. Its scenery is breathtaking, I only saw one other angler all day, it comprises most of native trout, its water is crystal clear and the fishing can be as technical as you want it. So what more can you ask for in the perfect stream? It really is a special place and needs to be preserved and respected. This is about as perfect a trout stream gets here in Utah. The weather was less than ideal for big dry and dropper, but that didn’t stop the hungry mountain trout from devouring my PMX and PT. I had always wondered what this stretch of river had to offer, but always found myself either fishing before it or below it. I guess that’s what most of the fishermen do by pure negligence to the other great waters that surround it. I started the day walking about 3 miles of the river to get away from anyone and everyone. I wanted this day to be me, the river and the fish. I don’t know why, but sometimes I just get that way. I really wanted to fish for Cutthroats with dries and everything else came second hand. As I approached the first decent run, I cast my flies into the lower section of the run and bam! A fish caught me by surprise as it launched itself after my floating flies. I had done it!

I had fulfill my days desire exactly like I wanted to. After that I worked my way upstream working all the fishy spots catching Cutts and Browns along the way, but a few hook-ups stick out a little more than others.

The big surprise of the day was right at the base of a little waterfall. There was a little open slot (maybe 2×2) between big boulders that looked like they could hold a fish. Bubbles covered the surface, so as I went to lift my rod to recast I notice some pressure and then a big head came out of the water. I instantly realized I had a huge cutty on. It rapped me around the rear by log, then shot across the stream and wrapped my fly line around my pole and then like a train it shot down stream and snap! It was easily pushing 20 and an eye opening experience to be under control from now on. (because this stream does hold some surprises) The next cast to the above run produced a very nice brown. Go figure…

As I was working my way up stream I noticed a nice little run on the opposite side of the stream. It wasn’t very deep, maybe a foot, but it had an off color bottom and overhanging bushes making it likely that a fish would hang out waiting for the next grasshopper or beetle to fall in. I got into position, made an OK cast and just like it should of , a nice cutty rose slowly and inhaled my PMX. It was as picture perfect as you can get.

The next bend in the river presented what once was a very large beaver dam that had been blowout creating the best hole in the river. I as analyzed the hole I noticed what I though was a log, was really a fish sitting about haft way down in the water column. I crawled up the bank to get a birds eye view and with a better view I noticed that the hole had two nice fish working its main current. After studying them I decided to give my dropper a couple more feet and with that I casted my flies into the run. As they drifted over the feeding fish, one of the fish moved up, instinct set in and I set the hook and had a nice brown on the other end. After letting the run settle for a min I could see that the other larger fish was still working the upper end of the run. I tried to make multiple casts at the fish but only catching the side of the old beaver dam and breaking off my outfit. After a new outfit I cast my flies to what I thought was too far left in the eddy, but out of no where the larger fish moved over and grabbed hold of my pheasant tail and gave me a great fight through the old logs of the beaver dam. It ending up being the most beautiful native cutthroat I had caught all day. As it danced in the water the reds, oranges, greens, and tans were as brillant as they were intended to be.

I would have to say that the highlight of the trip was some of takes I had while site fishing my way back. The first was a cutty in really shallow flat water, it was sitting on the bottom of the stream. I thought my cast would for sure spook it, but just like some of the other takes it moved up a couple feet to eat the dropper and the fight was one and off with in seconds…The last was just before I got back to the car. I spotted a rising fish and as I got closer I saw what I thought was a nice cutty. I casted up to it, but only had a take from a tiny fish. I tried a couple more casts in different seams, but with one last desperation try I cast back to where I saw the fish. The water turned and the large trout hammered my pmx in less that a foot of water. As it raced by me I noticed it wasn’t a cutty, but an oversized brookie. I got all excited, but it was short lived as it ran under a log and snapped the line. It was OK…I was fulfilled. It really was a perfect day of fishing on a perfect little trout stream.

Picture of the Week #3

Dr. G — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:47:20 +0000

Picture of the Week: My older Bro Jeremy Gillespie got this awesome picture just before my last cast on a high country lake…Props Bro!

Gillespie’s Annual High Country Trip

Dr. G — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:36:36 +0000

Every year my whole Gillespie family tries to go somewhere in the back country on a fishing/hiking trip. Most of the time my parents don’t come and its just the kids hiking into beautiful alpine lakes, but this year I decided we should try somewhere just a little different that the whole family could enjoy. It payed off big, everyone had a great time and we still got to hike around and explore the five different lakes in the area.

Trip highlights:

Road from Hell: The first night we tried to take a rough road into a place that we wanted to camp for the weekend, but after 5 miles of beating we turned back and camped at the trail head.

Seeing a Black Bear: As we walked around the lake scouting for places to fish I noticed a big black object about 200 yrds away. As it saw me it got on two legs and looked at me. I though “Bigfoot” then “Bear”. I tried to motion to Jer, but he was too late. We decide to tell our younger sibling that it was just a Moose so they did get freak out the rest of the trip. But that didn’t matter because the best fishing was right where I spotted the bear in the first place. We could see where it was bedded down and its skat. As it got darker the youngest Addie said in a trembling voice ”Jeremy There’s a Bear” and sure enough the bear must have been coming back to bed down and it was 20 yrds in front of us. It stood up on two legs, probably thinking if it could eat us all, but with instinct Jer being 6’6 , and I stood up and waived our arms until it ran back into the forest. He finally lived up to his nick name “Jer Bear”

Sight Fishing:After bushwhacking to find the lake, we stumble on some rising fish in shallow water. After seeing what they were feeding on we crawled in and Jer landed the first fish of the trip a nice brookie. The rest of the night was fast action for top feeders.

Float Tubing:The next morning we packed our float tubes into a near by lake. Jer and Gunner went out, while Greg, Mal and I hit the cruisers from the shore. The were a little more selective with the bright sun, but a small dropper produced fish all morning, but you had to hook on sight not feel. Pretty fun stuff. Jer did good from the tube, where as Gunner had a couple problems with water getting into his waders and falling down 5 times trying to get out of the shallow mud. For the last 2 hrs I decided to get out on a float tube and I’m glad I did. Jer was throwing leeches and hooking up almost every cast. So I switch from choro’s to leeches and instantly started hooking up with 15-17 inch brookies. It was a ton of fun to be back out in a tube. It had been years and something much needed.

Four Wheeling:We had a great time four wheeling around the roads by our camp. It was a good break from fishing and a chance to explore the area outside of a jeep. We even took the family to a remote lake and had a picnic for the 4 th of July.

Perfect Camp Spot: They are those camping spots that are just right, well this one was one of those. We camped at the end of a 5 mile dirt road as far away from all other humans as possible. It was a pic perfect spot with a great view of a mountain meadow. Plus it was only a 1/2 mile hike to our lakes we fished most.

Jeepin: With a tip from a local we decided to Jeep into another lake that rumored to having some nice fish. The road proved to be a true jeep road and one more suited for a four wheeler, but that’s why half the fun just getting to the lake and testing your jeeping skills. I made the group get out a couple times going up some rock slide hills.

Big Bookie:This was the reason for choosing this area. My goal was to catch just one over sized Brook Trout. It took fishing 5 lakes and on the last day, it all came together. I had scouted this lake the day before and knew from the slashes that there were some big fish in it. I had decided with the aggressive top water shows that these fish were chasing minnows to the surface and devouring them. So with this in mind I tied on my trusty brown Sex Dungen, snuck to the area and casted it in. Strip, strip, strip, then as I could see my fly I noticed a huge brookie fallowing it. With only 5 ft left and in two feet of water I raised the fly a little and witha flash the fish opened his mouth and consumed my 3 inch fly and headed for the safety of the deep. The fight was on! I yelled across the lake to the rest of the family I GOT IT , I GOT A BIG ONE! Then I though don’t be an idiot, focus and don’t lost it. I was shaking from head to toe in excitement. As the big fish tired and came to shore I was the happiest man on the mountain and glad to share the moment with the family. It was the challenge and trophy I dreamed about. It didn’t come easy, but it was a great way to finish off the trip with a big bang.

The Annual Lancaster Boys Fishing Trip

Dr. G — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:26:59 +0000

This years trip up north was awesome as always. All the in-laws (14) got together and for our annual fishing/camping trip that we wait for each year. The fishing in the area was a little hit and miss. With the huge snow pack we had this past winter some of the rivers were high and muddy and others were clear and pristine. The key was to think out of the box and try new places. (Since there are 100s of streams in the area) For me these trips are a chance to step back and enjoy the solitude of being alone on a high country trout stream, since the in-laws fish in the morning, golf in the afternoon and fish again at dusk. But for me the fly fishermen the best time to be out is in the middle of the day, plus I don’t really golf when I’m in some of the best native cutthroat land. So I wake up late tie up some huge #2-4 dry flies and am off chasing hungry native Cutthroats by 10, until I’m beat from hiking through willows,usually dusk. This years trip was a little different in a couple ways. One is the fact that a couple of my other brother-in-laws that normally don’t come, came and they don’t golf either so they decided to come with me on some of my trout chasing trips. The other is that this year I had a hidden agenda, I was going after the 3 of the four native Cutthroats in WY. To start the “Cutt Slam” program that the WY DNR has put on. Basically the “Cutt Slam” is to catch the 4 native Cutthroats in WY. Take a pic, state where you caught it, and date. Then submitted the application form to the WY DNR and they will send you back a nice hand drawn certificate of completion. The key to the program is to get people aware of the native cutthroats that inhabit the state and to make them learn and study them in the process of trying to catch them. (Where to find them, what they eat, etc…) Luckily in my quest, we were staying in the perfect area to do it all in the same day. The Tri-Basin Divide is the area where three watersheds start and where you can catch three of the four native cutts. The Bonneville, Colorado, and Fine Spotted Snake River Cutthroats. I was able to spend a beautiful afternoon catching the three different species, as well as help 4 first timers catch their first fish on a fly rod. So in all it was an awesome trip with people I love, in a place that I love and doing what I love. How can you beat that for 5 straight days…Plus it was nice to have some sun this summer and no a single rain drop which was odd for this year. But best of all I am 3/4 to completing my “Cutt Slam” and in the research I was able to find a couple new streams that yeilded big cutties that have become some of my new favorites in the land of my in-laws.

Off Roading, Brookies and Browns

Dr. G — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:42:00 +0000

With a free Friday morning to do whatever I pleased. I was having the hardest time deciding on a location to fit my desires. Its what I was thinking when I feel asleep and the first thing on my mind when I woke up at 6 am. I even sat in bed tossing and turning until I decided, I had better just go and where ever I end up will be better than working. It came down to the Price, Provo and AF. With a left hand turn the decision was made to chase the elusive high country Artic Grayling and Beautiful Brook Trout of Silver Lake Flat.

I sent in the coordinates on the GPS and was off. The narrow dirt road leading up to the lake was full of rocks and everything my Jeep loves to climb. As I reached the lake I was surprised to find that it was as low as I have ever scene it. The lake was only a 1/3 full, due to reconstruction on the dam. I decided to try the inlet which in most unfamiliar lakes will produce. To my surprise as I was walking down to the water I could see a few rises in the early morning mist. I tied on a #20 Para Adams and an Orange Griffin Gnat. My first cast produced a nice take, but the fish must have been joking. I missed about 5 fish in a row and thought “Man, what am I doing wrong? Maybe they are Grayling with their small mouths???” So I decided to try the “God Save the King” Technique. It where you save God Save the King before you set the hook. It must have worked because for the next hour and half I hooked and release about 90% of my fish. The Brookies have their fall colors and were remarkable. I left and decided to hit Tibble Fork to see if the Browns were up in the river. The spawn was on and the Browns were everywhere. I hooked up with a handful of fish and decided I had had my share of fish for the day. (That’s a great feeling for fly fishermen) Didn’t see and Graylin, but the Brookies and Browns were enough to feel my cup and restore my confidence.

Reunion Weekend

Dr. G — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:45:00 +0000

So I have been looking forward to this weekend for a long time. It was the weekend of the Clegg and Lancaster reunions in Star Valley. I know what your thinking that would stink to try and joggle both, but I’ll tell you what we did it and it was a blast. My little bro Gunner and sis Addie came along for the trip and were tons of fun to hangout with even though they sleep almost the whole drive both ways. We got to the Clegg reunion Friday evening, which was up at the Star Valley Ranch said are hello’s, ate some dinner, talked fishing and were on our way to set up camp at the Lancaster’s before it got to dark. That night we had a hot dog roast and hung around the fire telling stories and rekindling friendships. The next morning didn’t come soon enough knowing that we would be fishing one of my favorite little streams in the world. I woke up at 4 am and tossed and turned until 5 am, when I finally decided to get up and check what time it was. In doing so I woke up the whole camp with the car alarm going off as Addie opened up the door. When Aaron, Gunner and I finally got to the river. I was evident that it was going to be one of those great days on the river. When we finally got to “The Meadow” right off the bat Aaron holds up a nice Cutty that he had landed on one of his first casts. Gunner and I moved over to where Aaron was and I hooked up with a nice Cutt on my Copper John dropper. We ended up catching 9 Cutts in that hole within an hour. The highlight of that hole was the nice 17 inch Cutt that Gunner caught on one of his first cast into the first of the run. It was great to see him make a nice cast and then watch as his top fly shot down and he was hooked up. The rest of the morning we tried a couple more spots and caught another 6 fish, but just as the fish started to key on my top fly we had to leave. In all I caught 7 fish and 4 of those were on my big #2 Royal PMX and the rest were on my Copper John or Hares Ear. It was great to be on the river for at least a couple hours and enjoy the time with family. Its memories like these that make reunions so special. The rest of the day we spent either at the Clegg’s or Lancaster reunion for their main programs. To top off the trip we jumped off the bridge into the Salt River with Deon and Scott (which was a blast) and stopped by the Red Barron for one last homemade shake and greasy food.

Lancaster Guys Trip 2008

Dr. G — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:46:00 +0000

This years fishing trip was a little bit different than years past. In fact it was the complete opposite from last years crystal clear water. We all met at the Lancasters house (7:30 am) to get stuff packed up and be out the door. But we must have been dreaming, because we didn’t get on the road until 10:30am. It was so nice to finally get on the road. I don’t know what it is exactly, but once you finally shut the Jeep door and drive away there is a calmness that comes over me, as if I have just left one crazy life behind and starting a new one. These trips are more about the journey than the actual fishing that we go for. The packing, the preparation, driving, anticipation, stories, camping, golfing, seeing grandpa and grandma, and just spending time in the great outdoors is what makes these trips so special and valued every year. We made one short shop in Evanstan at the local Wal-Mart like we always do, to pick up some food, fishing tackle and the expensive WY fishing licence that seems to take years fill out. By 2 pm we had arrived at the old CCC camp along side the river where we had camped last year. (For the sake of the little streams and the little pressure it can handle. I won’t give out any names to its location) We set up camp, which involves setting up the castle of all tents. Its a 21′ by 15 ‘ wall tent that my father-in-law picked up last year and is so nice to have. Its like having a mini cabin to stay in. I didn’t hurry to the river like I am accustom to doing. Instead I hung out got the Jeep unpacked and helped set up camp. As I glanced over to the raging river of chocolate milk below me I couldn’t help but think we really messed up on the timing this year. I can remember thinking to myself I hope we can at least catch something. (with not much confidence) After many different thoughts running through my head like determining where to fish and what would be best. I decided to string up both rods and give it a chance. As I started tying on my flies I started thinking this was going to be awesome and the challenge I was looking for. As I walked along the trail I was looking for one thing, a pocket of slow water. My first hole I stopped at didn’t produce with San Juan’s and a Crystal bugger. I decided to move up stream in hopes of a better hole and that’s exactly what I found. It was the perfect Beaver Pond that made a nice slow moving back eddy. My first cast with my double streamer outfit (Crystal and Golden) produced a hit. Then the second cast, I stripped once nice and slow and then I felt some tension, hook set fish on! It was a nice native Cutthroat trout and a confidence builder for myself. 2 casts later I found myself with 3 fish in the net and a nice dinner to bring back to the crew. Aaron and Ty worked their way up to the hole and we all fished together having a great time. Aaron landed two more Cuts and Ty and I landed 4 more to finish up the first night of fishing. Later that night I fillet the trout, ate some tasty hot dogs and we sat around the campfire telling and listening to stories of past childhood pranks, Andrew’s Taiwan adventures and past fishing trips. The next morning didn’t bring much change to the the raging river. I guess that’s the price you pay for having a good snow year. (Runoff into July) The crew decided to venture to another close by stream that was said to be running nice and clear. We got to the river around 7:30 am and could only fish until 9:30 am due to our tee time. We stayed about a half mile from the trail head where I imagine most people due their fishing. We only caught a couple fish each, but the clear little stream did allow me to fish dry flies and raise a nice little native. Next was the Red Barron which was just what I needed to hold me over as I attempted to play 9 holes of Golf. I will have to admit It was a lot of fun. Too bad Aaron, Curtis and I, lost to Dan, Bernell and Andrew and had to buy them shakes as we stopped by the Barron for some dinner. We stopped by the Lancaster farm on the way back to camp to see the grandparents. I always enjoy spending time with such great people that seem to have this complicated world all figured out. I love hearing their stories about past fishing and hunting trips and sharing with grandpa my secret flies and watching his reaction. They are the reason why small town life is so appealing to me. Its a simple, but hard working life style where you come to love the people and land around you. One day at a time. When we got back to camp I wasn’t messing around. I strung up my fly rod and headed straight for the meadow. I found a couple side pockets and some hungry trout. But when I finally decided to meet up with Aaron and Andrew at the Big Beaver Pond. That’s when things started looking a little brighter. As I came around the corner Andrew had just hooked up with his first fish of the trip which ended up being the largest also. We all fished the big deep hole and all had a great time hooking into the little natives. As we walked back I was once again reminded of why I am so passionate about fishing. It’s about the places fly fishing takes you, the adventure of the unknown and the people that you meet along the way. As Andrew and I walked back to camp well past dark. We were meet by the welcoming smell of peach cobbler. I loaded up the plate said my goodbyes and was on the road home. Back to my life that I had left behind. Now I have had some pretty bad drive homes but this one was pretty dang hard. I think I was seeing double vision by the time I pulled into PG at 2 am.