I need to "Taylor" this report on "Machine Gun Creek"; we would only have a day and a half here. To reach the creek, we climbed "Voodoo Pass", on the border of Montana and Idaho. The extent of the lodgepole pine forest that had been damaged by mountain pine beetles was very disheartening; the whole area is ripe for a massive fire in the future.
![LogepoleForestImpactedByMtPineBeetlesP7200605.jpg]( "LogepoleForestImpactedByMtPineBeetlesP7200605.jpg")
The pass lies at 6000'. The high meadows were filled with wildflowers, especially the fetching elegant Mariposa lily
![ElegantMariposaLilyP7200564.jpg]( "ElegantMariposaLilyP7200564.jpg")
and phlox (with a yellow crab spider waiting in ambush).
![YellowSpiderOnPhlox_7200552.jpg]( "YellowSpiderOnPhlox_7200552.jpg")
As we descended down the Idaho side, the flora changed to include several types of Penstemons,
![Penstemon_7200624.jpg]( "Penstemon_7200624.jpg")
a Rein orchid,
![OrchidFlowers_7200645.jpg]( "OrchidFlowers_7200645.jpg")
and white bog orchid.
![WhiteBogOrchid_7200618.jpg]( "WhiteBogOrchid_7200618.jpg")
As we drove along "Machine Gun Creek", we were both distracted by juicy-looking water. We picked a site at a National Forest Service campground, I set up my tent, and we settled into our camp chairs to enjoy a cold beer along the banks of the creek. Here too, the shore was covered with wildflowers: elephant's-head louseworts, Jeffries shooting stars, lupines, and others.
Jeffries shooting star
![JeffriesShootingStarP7200663.jpg]( "JeffriesShootingStarP7200663.jpg")
elephants-head lousewort
![Pedicularis_7200680.jpg]( "Pedicularis_7200680.jpg")
And there were Columbia spotted frogs and western terrestrial garter snakes along the shore.
![ColumbiaSpottedFrogP7210717.jpg]( "ColumbiaSpottedFrogP7210717.jpg")
![WesternTerrestrialGarterSnakeThamnophiselegansP7210713.jpg]( "WesternTerrestrialGarterSnakeThamnophiselegansP7210713.jpg")
The air was filled with birdsong, especially song sparrows and cedar waxwings, calling from the shrubs and trees along the bank.
![SongSparrowSingingIMG_6392.jpg]( "SongSparrowSingingIMG_6392.jpg")
Onto the fishing. Neither of us had fished here before; we were totally in exploration mode. The flows here were higher than "The Garnet Sands River" but the river structure and clear water of "Machine Gun Creek" were similar. But, no crossing the river to escape the riparian vegetation from grabbing my fly on the back-cast.
![MachineGunCreekP7210732.jpg]( "MachineGunCreekP7210732.jpg")
The fish here were more into caddis, especially a tan CDC caddis pattern, than those in the other two rivers. On our first full day, I picked up one nice fish when I stealthily launched my fly while standing far from the bank and dropped the CDC caddis into a quiet strip at the top of pool. The unsuspecting trout rose to fly and sipped it. I set the hook and it was game on until I slipped my net under the fish.
![Cutt1BP7210742.jpg]( "Cutt1BP7210742.jpg")
![Cutt1CP7210746.jpg]( "Cutt1CP7210746.jpg")
"Machine Gun Creek" is also popular with other anglers. We had scouted a few promising spots during the day but we found them already occupied when we headed out after dinner. We settled for a spot in the shadow of a picturesque wooden bridge over the creek; the bridge allows hikers and stock animals to access trails on the far side.
![BridgeAtTrailheadP7210751.jpg]( "BridgeAtTrailheadP7210751.jpg")
I waded out far enough that my back-cast did not hook the riparian trees behind me (mostly). There were swarms of tan caddis flying over the run. Occasionally, a female caddis would alight briefly on the water to lay eggs. At one point, my fly came to rest within a few inches of a natural. As both drifted by a large submerged rock, a cutthroat came up and took the natural. But it took my fly in the next pass.
![Cutt2A_7200705.jpg]( "Cutt2A_7200705.jpg")
The pace of feeding increased as the light faded. As one point, the caddis disappeared but I could not see what the fish were rising for, perhaps mahogany spinners. In the low light, I had switched out my low-lying CDC caddis for a classic elk-hair caddis. Though the natural caddis were gone, the occasional fish was still interested in them and I hooked several more fish before it was time to call it an evening.
This short trip just game me a taste for "Machine Gun Creek". I'll need to come back and invest more time exploring what it and several surrounding waters have to offer.
The pass lies at 6000'. The high meadows were filled with wildflowers, especially the fetching elegant Mariposa lily
and phlox (with a yellow crab spider waiting in ambush).
As we descended down the Idaho side, the flora changed to include several types of Penstemons,
a Rein orchid,
and white bog orchid.
As we drove along "Machine Gun Creek", we were both distracted by juicy-looking water. We picked a site at a National Forest Service campground, I set up my tent, and we settled into our camp chairs to enjoy a cold beer along the banks of the creek. Here too, the shore was covered with wildflowers: elephant's-head louseworts, Jeffries shooting stars, lupines, and others.
Jeffries shooting star
elephants-head lousewort
And there were Columbia spotted frogs and western terrestrial garter snakes along the shore.
The air was filled with birdsong, especially song sparrows and cedar waxwings, calling from the shrubs and trees along the bank.
Onto the fishing. Neither of us had fished here before; we were totally in exploration mode. The flows here were higher than "The Garnet Sands River" but the river structure and clear water of "Machine Gun Creek" were similar. But, no crossing the river to escape the riparian vegetation from grabbing my fly on the back-cast.
The fish here were more into caddis, especially a tan CDC caddis pattern, than those in the other two rivers. On our first full day, I picked up one nice fish when I stealthily launched my fly while standing far from the bank and dropped the CDC caddis into a quiet strip at the top of pool. The unsuspecting trout rose to fly and sipped it. I set the hook and it was game on until I slipped my net under the fish.
"Machine Gun Creek" is also popular with other anglers. We had scouted a few promising spots during the day but we found them already occupied when we headed out after dinner. We settled for a spot in the shadow of a picturesque wooden bridge over the creek; the bridge allows hikers and stock animals to access trails on the far side.
I waded out far enough that my back-cast did not hook the riparian trees behind me (mostly). There were swarms of tan caddis flying over the run. Occasionally, a female caddis would alight briefly on the water to lay eggs. At one point, my fly came to rest within a few inches of a natural. As both drifted by a large submerged rock, a cutthroat came up and took the natural. But it took my fly in the next pass.
The pace of feeding increased as the light faded. As one point, the caddis disappeared but I could not see what the fish were rising for, perhaps mahogany spinners. In the low light, I had switched out my low-lying CDC caddis for a classic elk-hair caddis. Though the natural caddis were gone, the occasional fish was still interested in them and I hooked several more fish before it was time to call it an evening.
This short trip just game me a taste for "Machine Gun Creek". I'll need to come back and invest more time exploring what it and several surrounding waters have to offer.
