Idaho Streams in Late June and Early July

[cpierce]

The next stream that I moved to was lower down, but I think its heaviest water was past. Again it was a small stream that was bank to bank full, but the water was a little cloudier. I think that the cloudy water might be a normal condition for this stream. Its banks were eroded in many places and after each thunderstorm the water got like muddy.

Even with the cloudier water the fish were still spooky. In these small streams I have to use my ninja skills. Just visualize an old lady in camo hiding behind the willows with a fishing rod. LOL

I spent several days in this area, never fishing the same stretch twice. It was all good, with some stretches and days better.

The same weather pattern was still locked in: sun early on, shifting to thunderstorms later. I can’t tell you how many times I was hightailing it off of streams this summer, with lightening pounding all around me. Those buggers can come up fast. I’ve been rained on, hailed on, and nearly drowned as there was so much water in the air!


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This stream was only about 30 miles or so from the last one, but apparently these fish were over the green drake thing. They weren’t taking any, but they did like small light mayflies, ants, and caddis imitations.



Still it was a beautiful little meadow stream that had the most colorful and varied cutts I have seen in awhile.





I just wish the camera could have picked up more of the subtle pinks and oranges on the fish’s sides and gill plates.




This poor fish had a cold sore so he wasn’t in his best looks, but he was a beautiful deep orange color all over. It made him look almost brown in this picture.




These next ones also had bright orange bellys and gill plates.




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Others were a light steel -grey with pink accents.





I know that this is a lot of pictures, but I am fascinated by the different spotting patterns and colors on our native cutthroats. So here are some different spotting patterns







Sorry, many of my pictures have splashes and aren’t aimed very well. I am using a little point and shoot with no view finder. I can never see the back screen in the sunlight so I really do just guess at where to point it and shoot. Then half the time the fish jumps right out of my hand before I can take it.
All in all it was a beautiful little creek, and it had only half as many mosquitoes as the last one.



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