Definitely a pristine & out of the way place. Thanks for sharing (even if some of the photos did make my knees ache, lol.).
Desert Canyon
I've had my eye on a desert canyon near the Idaho-Nevada border for about a year now, and finally decided to do some exploring. Glad I did. I'm not giving our details beyond that because I plan to go back. Let's just say it was a good day.
Glorious early morning
![Cloud Sky Atmosphere Afterglow Dusk]()
Nevada mountains in the distance with fresh snow
![Sky Plant Mountain Tree Natural landscape]()
Dropping into the canyon
![Sky Mountain Natural landscape Plant Terrain]()
First glimpse of the river
![Sky Mountain Plant Natural landscape Water]()
After parking the car I walked a primitive trail downstream for about an hour before getting in the water. The trail crossed a couple of skree fields which proved tricky in spots (I have bad ankles). It was a moderate hike with tricky spots and I was glad I brought my wading staff.
![Sky Cloud Mountain Plant Natural landscape]()
![Plant Mountain Bedrock Highland Watercourse]()
Finally got in the water and began working my way back upstream. I was fishing stimulators all day on 6X tippet. Fiesty rainbows behind every rock, and taking flies aggressively - literally jumping out the water with the fly in its mouth the moment it hit the water. Nothing huge, typically 8-12 inchers, but the fish of the day pushed it closer to 14. I'm going back there for sure. Here's more pics. Enjoy.
![Vertebrate Food Fish Salmon-like fish Fin]()
![Marine invertebrates Salmon-like fish Fish Marine biology Water]()
![Water Plant Sky Mountain Fluvial landforms of streams]()
![Water Sky Plant Plant community Mountain]()
![Hand Fish Salmon-like fish Finger Marine biology]()
![Water Plant Sky Tree Fluvial landforms of streams]()
![Water Sky Plant Mountain Natural landscape]()
![Salmon-like fish Fish Marine biology Water Ray-finned fish]()
Glorious early morning
Nevada mountains in the distance with fresh snow
Dropping into the canyon
First glimpse of the river
After parking the car I walked a primitive trail downstream for about an hour before getting in the water. The trail crossed a couple of skree fields which proved tricky in spots (I have bad ankles). It was a moderate hike with tricky spots and I was glad I brought my wading staff.
Finally got in the water and began working my way back upstream. I was fishing stimulators all day on 6X tippet. Fiesty rainbows behind every rock, and taking flies aggressively - literally jumping out the water with the fly in its mouth the moment it hit the water. Nothing huge, typically 8-12 inchers, but the fish of the day pushed it closer to 14. I'm going back there for sure. Here's more pics. Enjoy.
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Impressive, and interesting. The flies look like size 10s or so. I don't think I could get a 12 foot 6X leader to work very well with that setup. With flies that size on small streams I usually go with 4X. The guidelines seem to agree with me, but of course rules are made to be broken. I wonder if, as an experiment, you had tried larger tippet, that would have resulted in fewer hookups.
I would say just fish and leave all that nonsense in the trunk
Did you read it? That's basically what the editorial says.I would say just fish and leave all that nonsense in the trunk
I was just trying to possibly simplify things for Alosa. I acknowledge there are many ways to skin a cat; you got yers and I got mine. The important thing is to have as much fun as humanly possible. Slapping around a size 10 stimmy with an 8-10' leader on a semi-remote small freestone stream is a good way to approach that in my book. A shorter, stouter leader makes it easier for me to be accurate in my casts and mends. I could see where Alosa might want to go long and fine to a fish holding in a glassy tailout or something but I bet the fish were up in the deeper pockets at the head and middle of riffles and runs, given the low, end-of-summer water. Plus, when you put in the footwork like Alosa did the fish are usually less cautious. Hey Alosa nice choice of thread color btw.
Fire orange thread on the head of the fly. That's how I tie most of my stimulators.
![Vertebrate Organism Fish Marine biology Fin]()
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