Post by majorminor on Jul 16, 2007 10:56:16 GMT -5
Just back from an incredible 4 day hiatus in paradise. Hauled the camper a few hours north down 55 miles of dusty dirt road and Sandy, Tyler, Kona the lab, Diesel the shepherd and I set up camp on the banks of the South Fork Flathead River. From there we explored a bit and found a seldom used trail to a smaller tributary river called Spotted Bear River. A beautiful 45 minute hike though flowered grassy meadows and old growth fir and larch forests and we found a stretch of this pristine little river we had all to ourselves for a few days. The weather was beautiful, the fishing was hot and the river was cool.
Tyler caught his first “real” fish. We were standing on a rock ledge watching a bunch of cutthroat and whitefish in a pool below us. The water was so clear you could see 10 feet down easy. He dropped a lure down without casting and a big trout came up and nailed it right at our feet. I was instructing him on the finer points of playing a larger fish like that when he just hauled the whole thing up like a commercial tuna guy and laid him down on the rocks. The next few minutes were a scrambled blur of the fish squirting back and forth between us and me somehow getting a hook in my thumb. We managed to get him back in the water though and sent him on his way.
Diesel the shepherd finally swam but hated it. I know this cuz he swims with a sense of grunting desperation and when he makes the other side continues on up the far bank in a cloud of water droplets in to the woods to hide for awhile.
Saw a silver old cow moose grazing
The trail in had some massive ponderosa pine and tamarack trees:
The Spotted Bear River was picture perfect:
Native cutthroat:
Swimming good:
Can’t wait to go back
Tyler caught his first “real” fish. We were standing on a rock ledge watching a bunch of cutthroat and whitefish in a pool below us. The water was so clear you could see 10 feet down easy. He dropped a lure down without casting and a big trout came up and nailed it right at our feet. I was instructing him on the finer points of playing a larger fish like that when he just hauled the whole thing up like a commercial tuna guy and laid him down on the rocks. The next few minutes were a scrambled blur of the fish squirting back and forth between us and me somehow getting a hook in my thumb. We managed to get him back in the water though and sent him on his way.
Diesel the shepherd finally swam but hated it. I know this cuz he swims with a sense of grunting desperation and when he makes the other side continues on up the far bank in a cloud of water droplets in to the woods to hide for awhile.
Saw a silver old cow moose grazing
The trail in had some massive ponderosa pine and tamarack trees:
The Spotted Bear River was picture perfect:
Native cutthroat:
Swimming good:
Can’t wait to go back
