West '05 Trip - Day 27

Posted: 2006-06-09
By: Randy Cochran

Thankfully it did not snow during the night, as forecasts called for.

When I woke, I walked to the river to look things over. Beautiful country. The canyon wall opposite me in view was marked with streaks of minerals and pockmarked with thermal holes where hot water dribbled down into the cold water stream below. The water in the Hoback ran as clear as any river I've seen, yet the trout are supposedly less bashful than other locales in their pursuit of large dry flies.

The morning air was still a bit chilly, and I did not yet have my Wyoming license, so I motored back to Jackson and took care of business. After a few moments and much soul-searching on where to go, I opted for the Gros Ventre River.

Flowing through varied terrain, it starts high up in mountains before flowing through red-rock hills, then back into a forested canyon and on into the Snake.

A gravel road parallels it for most of its length, and when wet can be quite treacherous, as it was when I checked it out.

The river was very discolored up high from rain runoff. I fished it in many spots, talking with a multitude of hunters in camps along the way. Elk season was in high gear, and I was thankful to have had an orange beanie to wear through the D-ring loop on the back of my vest. Getting shot would certainly put a damper on things.

I spent a couple fruitless hours before going lower to clearer water. There I had a few risers, finally catching my first Snake River cutthroat, a nice little female of a foot or less.

Leaving there, I stopped by a small spring pond on the way out and saw some very interesting fish... little white and black zebra-striped things, they were about as big as a small goldfish at most. I tried to take pictures, but the glare was too much with the overcast skies and waning afternoon light.

Checked out an access on the Snake near town after driving the back road towards Teton Village. Took some pics of a moose drinking from the aptly-named Moose Creek.

Finished the day at the Snake River. Many people out and about, enjoying the late Summer / early Fall weather. One very beautiful woman with a fly rod kept catching my eye, but she didn't do much in the way of fishing so I lost interest fairly quickly.

Managed 1 small cutt on a dry, and then the fat lady sang.

Chatted up a guy named Jordan from Jackson via N. Georgia. He had been there a couple years, so I tried pumping him for info on what the area was like to live in. Just as I thought: great, except for finding steady work that pays what you'd need. No surprise there.

Taco Bell goodness (or badness, depending on your outlook) for dinner, and then I headed for the Greys River Canyon to camp.