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RECENT TRAVELS: WISCONSIN/ALASKA/OREGON

5K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  Rambler 
#1 ·
Wisconsin Driftless area is still one of my favorite places on earth. The access, solitude and beauty is hard to match. Throw in 5,000 fish per mile in some streams...can't be beat!

My girlfriend took an interest in fly fishing so I decided to take her up and have a buddy of mine guide her. We found some great water despite the recent floods and she handled the snaggy, overgrown and tight quarters very well. It's pretty easy to get frustrated when you're getting hung up every other backcast.

After a few shaking loose, she managed her first trout and fly rod fish.



Alaska was next on list and it was more of a sightseeing trip...although I did book us a guided day fishing for grayling. The scenery was everything you'd imagine it to be. Pristine streams meandering through the mountains. No one else within miles.

Grayling are incredibly fun to catch. Coming up from deeper holes to eat a tiny dry fly with so much force, you'd sometimes set the hook while they were airborne!

Most of them were on the smaller side, but I did manage to move a big one and spent the better part of 15 minutes pulling the fly away from the scrappy runts until it finally committed again.



I had plans to fish the salmon run as well, but after seeing SO many fish in the rivers it just didn't strike me as sporting at all. You couldn't walk 5 feet into the water without kicking 20 fish and there were people every 10 feet catching so many fish it didn't even appear to me that anyone was having fun.

The beauty of Alaska was overwhelming and we took every opportunity to hike, take flight/boat tours, etc.









Next up I made the best of a work trip to Boise and headed across the border into Oregon a few days before and after.

It was pretty surreal catching trout when it's 95 degrees outside in a river winding through canyons and yet, your toes still get numb from cold. I suppose that's a benefit of reservoirs if you're looking to find one.

The first 2 days I had the benefit of rain and 30mph winds along with the second day being Monday. I was shocked at the lack of anglers, especially with the quality of fishing this stretch of river can offer.

Just after sunrise and the first cast of the trip yielded a nice one.



Spent the remainder of the day and next moving around and fishing as much water as possible in search for the bigger fish. Only managed 15 or so but all except 3 were over 16" which is plenty fine by me.

During the golden hour of the 2nd day I tied into my PB river/fly rod brown trout in swift current with no still water in sight on a 4wt. It was certainly an "experience" to say the least landing this thing myself. Lots of playing checkers and getting downstream of it...only to have it bulldog downstream 20 more feet and reposition itself time after time. There's also the nerve racking moments where it's just sitting in current staring at you and your rod hand is shaking trying to keep tension on the hook...all while praying it doesn't make another run because you don't know if your leader, hook or muscles can handle it.

Anyway...made a judgement call, slowly guided it into shallow water and finally got it to the net.



Off to work for a few days and then upon my return it was pretty apparent that nice weather brought out every person in a 100 mile radius that owned a fly rod. I made the best of the situation by locking down a good spot, which seemingly angered a few guys who got in downstream of me, determined to wait it out until I decided to pack it in...which after 6 in 90 minutes I obliged. I'd rather end it on a good note than being annoyed the remainder of the day.

A few portraits of willing participants...





Did I mention I'll be back there in a few weeks???

Thanks for your time.

Tight lines.
 
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#11 ·
Great report! I've always wanted to work some fishing into a business trip but have yet to pull it off.

It is also interesting and something I've noticed how even in seeminly more remote locations that certain waters can get very crowded. Even in remote places it can take fishing off times, bad weather, less target species and less known water to get away from the crowds.
 
#13 ·
Rambler said:
BTW - if your business travels ever take you to Salt Lake try to work in a side trip to the Green River tailwaters below the Flaming Gorge dam.
Green River is definitely on my list!

DasGoby said:
Great report! I've always wanted to work some fishing into a business trip but have yet to pull it off.
I figure if work is paying for the flight...might as well add a day or 2 for personal time. Plus...regular travels may never take you to some of the great fishing destinations.

DasGoby said:
It is also interesting and something I've noticed how even in seeminly more remote locations that certain waters can get very crowded. Even in remote places it can take fishing off times, bad weather, less target species and less known water to get away from the crowds.
Trout water especially. Big fish + easy public access is a nightmare scenario if you're looking for solitude. Add in the fact that 80% of most rivers are "unproductive"... Luckily for me, I also like fishing tiny streams for 6 inch trout and hiking 2 miles to get there.
 
#15 ·
Dr. U - your post + a chat I got into with a fly fisherman on the DuPage the other day reminded me of a side trip I took to the Flat Tops when business took me to Denver in '96. Thought I'd share a couple of shots. One is of my old fly gear. Don't have the rod any more but I still use the old Pflueger 1492. The other shot is where I was fishing.

If you're ever in Denver try to work in a trip to the Flat Tops. It's absolutely outstanding.
 

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#18 ·
CBatt2 said:
Dr. Utssab, amazing scenery and congrats on the PB trout!
Rambler, I always enjoy your photos and the info you share. Haven't been to Colorado in over 20 years. Thanks for reminding me!
Glad you appreciate my photos & stories. I'm going to write a longer one about the Flat Tops but in the interest of not hijacking Dr. U's thread I'll start a new one.
 
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