Let's go Fly Fishing!

Or any kind of fishing.

There are a lot of good writers on Substack. There are so many people trying to give our opinions and information about the most incredible 6 week news cycle we have ever had. That cycle started with the debate, went throug an assassination attempt with no viable security, and wrapped up after Kamala Harris is the candidate due to the most un-democratic process in history. Good work for those “trying to save our democracy.” And good work rewriting history that Kamala was never in charge of the border, and they all repeat, “She was only supposed to look for the root cause of illegal immigration!” Why does that sound so familiar? Oh, I know, it sounds like “OJ is out looking for the real killer.”

So, I have been stuck. Anything I start to say sounds as if it has already been said. So, I am going to talk about one of the things I can write about with authority and experience and that is fishing in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana. With some brushes with Utah and Wyoming. I have fished over 340 trout streams in that vicinity, and grow the list every year. I prefer to fly fish but in huge water like the Snake below Idaho Falls or in some desert streams where you would have to have a freshwater clam pattern I spin fish. Also in lakes or for bass, or other warmwater species. I call those desert streams, “meat and potato streams,” because the hatches are not major and they fill up on minnows, crickets, freshwater clams, crawdads, etc. Many of them share the water with Squawfish and Carp.

One page of the original list

The undiscovered country

I love finding new water, especially the untapped kind. And it is amazing it still exists. Sometimes right in downtown even in big cities like Seatlle where I grew up. I am sure an industrious couple of 12 year olds can find something locally that is virtually unknown. There are less kids fishing. WhenI ran into a couple of them on the greenbelt in Boise, I was asking for information. They glanced at me and ran off. Watching too much true crime I guess. The biggest discovery you can make in Seattle is that Lake Washington is tremendous fishing. It has Steelhead, Salmon, Kokanee, Yellow Perch, Cutthroat, rainbows, crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, And no one fishes it.

Sometimes it may just take a walk through heavy brush, or just distance to put you in a place where you can honestly not find any signs of humans. And when your Polaroids see logs moving around and they aren’t logs, it makes your heart do things. You need to be aware of trespass laws as states each have their own. Knowing the laws creates a lot of opportunities for these experiences, or it creates roadblocks. Roadblocks creates imagination and you can always find a way.

Sometimes it may be by floating the river, or the ultimate “hardship;” asking for permission. Permission can be magical. And exclusive. One woman said we were the first people she can remember letting in to access a river. It’s the same with bird hunting. In several states the access laws state that once you are standing in the stream, you can up and down as far as you want but can’t go beyond the high water mark of the river. This gets you fishing in front of 10 million dollar homes that are probably are not happy you are fishing in their front yard. This is because they have not encountered someone with the psychosis which got you there in the first place. States like Wyoming and Colorado can be tough. They don’t have good access laws. In Wyoming you can float the river through private property but just putting an anchor down is trespassing. Fortunately there is a pretty good amount of BLM and Forest service land that the streams run through.

Paying to go on private water with or without guides “doesn’t count.” For me to designate something a cherished spot, it cannot be done with money. The entire public has to have access. Or be able to ask for it. And, if you are like me, when you spend the money to be on a stretch of river that no one else can get on, you will feel a little dirty. Like hunting planted birds. I haven’t actually paid to get access. And I think most guides are a waste of money. Their goal is to have you catch something. On the big rivers, many guides drift about 10-20ft from shore and instruct the clients to cast into the shore. This will net the clients some small fish which takes the pressure of getting skunked for the guide. But stopping or slowing to work for some big fish is not ususally a thing. Most people who hire guides want to just go fishing and not worry about bringing a bunch of stuff or having to scout out the area.

Does it look fishy?

When I was 16 my friend and I found a very small stream near Seattle that became pond to pond for a stretch deep in the woods. It was on private property but fishing was allowed on the main river. We saw this run into the main river and walked way up there until we found the area with the ponds, maybe 200 yards long. They were stacked with sea-run cutthroat. Nice ones. There were no signs of human traffic near there. And even though that was a long time ago, for me it is finding those rare opportunities that seems more fun than hanging out on the Yellowstone or Deschutes all day, when you could be looking for a new stream, a return water ditch, or even a canal that is holding monster trout. Of course I do spend all day on main rivers, but look forward to checking out every trickle that pours in. Remember that tributaries that look slow and tiny can have irrigation demands. As you move upstream, you may be amazed how much water, and fish, there are.

The Big Hole River in Montana is a famous trout fishery. There are 74 rivers and streams that are tributaries to that one river! It would take a few summers just to fish those. The bigger rivers all have dozens and dozens of tributaries. In all the years fishing the Yellowstone, my biggest fish was out of a tributary, 20 miles upstream.

When I had my house in Mackay, Idaho, those bodies of water were common. My son and I found ourselves so far in that there was no sign of anyone fishing. A good sized stream with Bull Trout produced on nearly every cast. One Rainbow. This is by a harsh ride in a vehicle, not a long hike. That is the beauty of the west. It is way more vast than some imagine. But, there is a guy on YouTube who’s channel shows him catching huge trout, like 25 inchers, in a stream that is 4 feet across and brushy. In Pennsylvania! By the way, there are more miles of trout streams in Pennsylvania than any other state outside of Alaska. And that includes Montana!

Fishy?

So, I will continue to write about freshwater fishing in this vicinity and others.

Cast and Blast

I like to find places where I can leave the river and walk around for birds. I have some good ideas for that. Pheasants aren’t until later in the year. But Chukars, Hungarian Partridge and Sharptailed Grouse are great early season options.

Sharptails:

Before

After

And please eat a fish or two and of course all of your birds. The crowd of bunny hugging anti-fishing people are always wanting to ruin something they know nothing about. They wouldn’t know a Chukar if it crapped on their head. Also, they have no clue about the idea of native vs. non-native birds. Here in Idaho we have the big 5: Pheasants, Chukars, Hungarians, California quail and Sharptail Grouse. All but the Sharptails were brought in from other lands. Not from somewhere else in the US. You also have a smattering of Prairie Chickens, Sage Grouse and Mountain quail that are native to the west. I like to ask the anti-fishing crowd if chukars or quail or pheasant are invasive species. Of course, by their definition they are invasive. Then ask them why they don’t want us out there removing invasive species. Don’t expect them to make sense. The truth is we would have very little bird hunting without introduced birds. They were brought here specifically to hunt.

The new arguments for not fishing have turned a bit to attack catch and release fishing. Their theory? “Hurting fish so you can have a hobby is barbaric. People used to keep fish to eat. Now it is just to torture fish.” So, get in the habit of enjoying a few of them. Taking a half dozen fish a year will not hurt.

Another happy customer

I’m no guide!

I am not a fishing guide by any means but have guided many clients and friends. I just took my 3 year old grandson this morning. So much fun watching his enthusiasm at such a young age. Guides are usually up to speed on the river they guide on, but not so much else.

I would love to show you how to catch trout in an endless variety of locations and conditions. I hope to have a premium version where you can ask specific questions and with more in depth information. Either way, I can save you decades of trial and error learning. I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think anyone has burned more tanks of gas or been on more dirt and gravel roads than me in pursuit of the promised land. For those that have gone with me they can attest to that obsession. It is more than driving in circles. You have to focus on details, every little stream of water, ponds, backwaters, stretches of river, access and bugs. And of course try them out.

Dredging

When you find a new piece of water you may have no idea if it is any good. It is hard to guess on fish populations by floating a dry fly around for a few minutes. I floated a dry fly (and nymph) on the Madison river twice, both for about 30 minutes. Never had a strike. With big rivers it is all about timing and hatches. Small streams means they eat more often. “Dredging” is a word me or one of my friends came up with. You buddy is down there testing it out and yells “nothing!, start dredging.” Pull out the spinning gear and the kitchen sink. Including worms. I would try a Panther Martin or a Thomas lure, then if no luck, run a crawler through the best holes. Usually you will catch at least something. If you get skunked you won’t come back and that could be a mistake. Especially if you drove 2 hours to find it.

I am not a backpacker. All of these places can be reached by driving and then walking up or down, or cross country or down a hill to the water.

Politics

-regarding RFK Jr.’s speech endorsing Trump

Even Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, echoed similar sentiment, saying on X that "We may disagree with RFK Jr. about many things, but he’s right about how the Democratic Party uses lawfare and dirty tricks to suppress democratic competition and voter choice. The Dems preach about ‘saving democracy,’ but in reality they’re working overtime to stamp it out."

The Markets

Kenn Fisher made a good point today on Charles Payne this morning. I agree and have said that the “Fed” playing with rates has created a cult following and the media has piled on. He remarked that the market has done very well as we raised rates, hit a peak and have come down a bit. Like me, he thinks we should ignore “macro economics” when choosing long term holdings.

See you soon, with more fishing!

Craig Verdi