Day two, we traded the Clark Fork for the Blackfoot — and the Blackfoot did not disappoint.
Out in the middle of nowhere — just us, Jake on the oars, and a whole lot of river.
We launched way out in the middle of nowhere, the kind of put-in where you don't see another soul all day. Just us, Jake on the oars, and a whole lot of river. I started the morning throwing streamers on my El Rey G6 7-weight — it's a great streamer stick — with a Sparkle Minnow tied on. Third cast in, right behind a big boulder, a giant brown came out of nowhere and crushed it. We chased that fish 20, 30 yards downstream before we got the boat over and put him in the net: a gorgeous brown, right around 22 inches, with colors you have to see to believe. First fish of the day, inside the first five minutes off the launch. You can't draw it up better than that.
Third cast, right behind a boulder — to the net.
From there it was on. We got into a bunch of good trout on big Chubbies with a stonefly dropper underneath — we had golden stoneflies in the air around us all day. I fished the El Rey G4 5-weight and the G6 6-weight through the dry-and-dropper water, and kept a streamer in the rotation most of the day. By the end I'd landed three more big browns — one an even 20 inches, one around 19, one about 18 — to go with that 22 from the morning. One of the big ones actually ate a golden stonefly on the dropper. Not huge bugs, but beautiful.
Another butter-colored brown, canyon water behind.
Max with a beautiful brown of his own.
Max and I stayed on the dry-and-dropper most of the afternoon, picking up fish steady, a couple of dry-fly eats mixed in. The Blackfoot through those canyons is about the prettiest water there is, and Max got a good day of sun on his face. The afternoon slowed down — Jake was switching flies constantly to keep us on them — but we still scratched out a few here and there.
Father and son, somewhere deep on the Blackfoot.
Max, picking up fish on the dry-and-dropper.
Pro tip, since the streamer bite made the day: when you throw a streamer to the bank, make sure it's swimming — get it working at about a 45-degree angle downstream. That's the natural way a baitfish peels off the shoreline, and it was the whole key today. Five or six fish came on the streamer — one cutthroat, the rest browns.
Get it swimming — this one ate on the swing.
One more to the net.
Big browns on streamers. I doubt I'll stop smiling about it for a while. Everybody should throw streamers once in a while.
Another off the bank, the Blackfoot rolling behind.
Easy does it — back he goes.
Next up — Day Three, when Drew joins us and we swing for the fences.
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