History and Background to our Travels!
The
participants in the trips covered by this web site are largely affiliated as
volunteers in
some capacity with local Trout Unlimited chapters. If you would like more info on
Trout
Unlimited and the great conservation work it sponsors, we recommend you to to
the TU Home page at http://www.tu.org
These
trips began in 1997 when Andy and Al decided to go fish the St. Joe River in
Idaho. Heading over to the St. Joe, about which much had been heard but
little direct info was known, we started to just go fish. Following our
noses led us over to St. Regis, then up along the eastern side of Flathead Lake
up to Glacier National Park (and over the Going to the Sun Highway).
Returning toward civilization via circumnavigating the lower edge of the GNP we
returned back to Seattle. Quite a trip considering we started out just
heading toward Idaho for some fishing. Waters fished included:
1997 (Al & Andy)
* St. Joe R. (Idaho), Clark Fork R., Rock Cr., Big Hole R.
* Bitterroot R., Blackfoot R., Flathead R.
* McDonald R.(Glacier Pk.), St. Mary's R.
The folklore
around the trip spread, and we established an objective of trying to fish the
really great Western Rivers while we still could. In 1998, our team grew
to 5 members and we covered an enormous amount of area again hitting the high
points. Not using guides (nothing wrong with using guides as we typically
do employ them in our home areas) meant we had to hit the waters
"cold" and try to decipher the equation on the fly. For those
who need to catch the big ones quickly, this would not be a great approach but
it works for us as our trips are as much about exploration as catching
fish. Waters fished included:
1998 (Al, Andy, JR, Mike, Chet)
* Rock Cr. ,Clark Fork R., Boulder R.
* Yellowstone R., Madison R., Ruby R.
* Big Hole R., W. Fork Bitterroot, Bitterroot R.
* Lochsa
In 1999, the team shrank to three of us. This report is pretty much
completed and up on the Web page although we plan to add some more
pictures. This trip really focused on Yellowstone NP and associated
waters. Waters fished included:
1999 (Al, Andy, JR)
* Gallatin R., Madison R. (in park)
* Yellowstone Lake (Gull Point)
* Gibbon R. (medows), Soda Butte R.
* Yellowstone Lake (Sand Point), Lamar R.
* Firehole (Mule Shoe Bend), Delacy Creek
* Astor Creek, Snake R., Jackson Lake
* Teton R., Henry's Fork R.
* Warm R. (Idaho), Gardner R., Slough Cr.
* Warm R. (Mont.), Clark Fork R., Trout Lake
* SilverBow Cr., Anaconda Ponds, Job Corps Ponds
The 2000 trip
involved a 5 person team again and focused largely on YNP although we spent the
first several days HQ'd in Cody, Wyoming to work the waters around there.
Waters fished included:
2000 (Al, J.R., Greg K., Mike S. & Andy)
* Shoshone, Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone
* Soda Butte, Lamar
* Lava Creek, Madison
* Fire Hole @ Biscuit Basin & Mule Shoe
* Yellowstone Lake (Gull Point)
We are now planning the 2001 trip and if you have any great ideas, please let us know via the input form on the Home page of this web site! Our thinking as of this winter is to try to hit some hot streams/rivers in Idaho for 2001. Your ideas and inputs would be appreciated!