Lochsa Some Beaver Head

 It was Cutty's Bachelor Party and he wanted to float the legendary Lochsa River in Northern Idaho. On the way to the Lochsa we broke up the drive with a night on the Beaver and a float the next day. It rained most of the night but we manage to get a fire going and a few shots...

Dawn breaks like a bull through the hall...

 The joke was on me that day though (and Paul's gloves) and plenty of laughs to get the trip started. I went for a swim twice (once Brooks pushed me in and the other time Frisch saved himself and shoved me in) and then Frisch accidentally snapped my fly rod...

Right before the rod broke though I caught this huge 21" Rainbow!

Highs and lows... haha

Downing having a go with the Go Pro

In attendance this trip was Jon Koenig, his Brother's Peter and Paul, Ryan Frisch, Chris Downing, Matt Brooks, Greg Madsen and Myself.

A look at at the river.

Frisch digging through my fly box!

Cutty!

Brooks has a nap.

Looking for trouble in down town Missoula.

The cabin we rented for 3 nights. Brooks and I had the honey moon suite...

A few laughs.

The Lochsa put in!

 Cutty with the expert net job...

 The view from our deck. We were right on the Clark's Fork River... Talk about a view.

Lochsa Falls! I was personally beyond cold but the thrill will never be forgotten. Cutty is an expert and we rallied that river!

What a great group. Everyone had a blast.. Lot's of classic stories came from this trip... I can't wait to reminisce at the wedding with all these boys. Congrats Cutty and thanks for planning such a rad trip!

Thanks,

Chris Giles

Bush Whacking For Cutty's

 Went to a new stretch this trip. We went with Dalt's gut and made a big trek into an area that has no roads.

 What ensued was epic. Just one of those days that would leave any fishermen shaking their head... The above fish came on the second cast and I watched the whole thing from high on a bluff. You could see the whole thing unfold. 

 This one was on my second cast!

 Are you kidding me?

 Slab!

 A shot from a hill. There was no trail so we had to hike up and around just to navigate the lush and very high water.

 This guy is the biggest fish I have ever caught! 21"+. Bright red checks and so heavy on the rod.

 Another shot.

 One of my favorites...

 The dogs took advantage of every stop with a brief rest, but man we were moving fast and we covered a ton of water.

 A look up stream.

 A look down stream.

 Yellow hills...

 Water break.

 Sight fished this guy on the way out.

Check out the video of this trip here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS4icz2H0ts

Over Nighter To Wyoming

 Gearing up as we arrived at the River.

 Self

 First time ever fly fishing and Fletch caught on quick! He caught 3-4 fish and sometimes he would catch them on his own with Dalt and I down river. Very impressive... Hopefully he sticks with it.

 Dalt was on point even though the water was high and the skies were grey. We were hoping to run into some cannibal cutty's but we didn't pull any monsters out.

 

 Another shot of Fletch testing some new techniques.

 Found a skull that was defiantly a predator. The K-9's were pretty big. Maybe a Coyote?

 

 Pretty dreary but always a treat!

 Dalt on the Homestead stretch.

 A Goose got nailed by something in the middle of the night...

 Average sized Cutty.

 Fletch and a sunset.

 You know your hard core when.....That night we heated up meat balls and BBQ sauce in coffee cups and made sandwiches. Yum!

 Lunch hole rig retrieve...

 Optimistic we may have hooked Fletch... Haha. Again no huge fish but a great outing!

Uinta Tail Water

 The only brown/fish I caught all day. The water; low, clear and shallow. I only spotted a few fish. I tried really hard though...!

 The best run I found.... It was fast and deep enough to get a few bites and spots.

 I walked for 1 1/2 hours down river and fished up. Ran into a couple different groups near the access. I think next time it will have to be an earlier morning and a longer walk. Google Earth shows some great water but you have to put in a serious hike. Which is good with me. There are stories of huge fish in here and I will try and find a few this year.

 Looking down stream near the access. Lot's of beaver dams and slow shallow water. About an hour in I was in spooky country with red rocks with pine and sage brush. Seemed like mountain lions were around high on the cliffs and signs of moose, deer and elk were at every step. My head was on a swivel for sure.

 Snow remains.

Have a good one!

Chris Giles