It Never Rains in August (Day 4)

So here's the scoop thus far. Our first day got rained out, effectively killing our 4 day backpacking trip, and on our second/third days, we didn't hike as much, but we didn't catch any fish to speak of either. So by Saturday morning, we were all pretty much footsore and fishless, having hiked some 21 miles and having very little to show for it. Time to try something different. Jump to the bottom and scroll up to see our day on the Bighorn!

Heading for home, looking south towards the Pryors. What a great day in a great state! And what a great God who has created all this...

Merganzers, doing their own fishing in the evening.

We did keep 2 fish to take home for breakfast (kids 14 and under are allowed to keep one rainbow each). All told, Dad caught about 15, I caught around 12, and each of the boys caught 5 or 6. Nice day of fishing, to say the least...

Then we give him a chance to catch his breath before we release him...

THAT, my friends, is one fine fish!

I mean, a REAL dandy!

Like I said, this one was a dandy!

...while Micah nets my fish!

And there he goes...

1948 Stinson, looking pretty in silhouette.

So about this time (several hours LATER than he planned), Dad finally headed home while we stayed to fish a bit longer. Before he left he said, "Hey, I'll fly over the river as I take off, and you can take a picture of me." No problem, and off he goes. Then a short while later just as I hear the engine wind up, what happens? I tie into the biggest fish of the day. Oh shoot. This begins a mad scramble to try and land the fish in time to still get a shot of Dad taking off. Here I basically threw up the camera and snapped a few shots. Couldn't see him in the viewfinder, but they still turned out pretty good...

And then away we go, back to your buddies!

Up close and personal...

Nice fish!

And then another. Ok, I think he's figured it out now...

Hey! Whaddya know! Malachi finally tied into one too! Way to go, son!

Ok, ok, enough pictures already. Put me back in the water kid...

Wow. What a pretty fish!

Three amigos

And then Micah strikes again! (The spin fishermen on the shore are starting to stare)

Nice fish!

And then Grandpa gets one...

And then he catches another, just like that!

...and then smile for the camera!

In the net...

And whaddya know - he hooked one! (and a nice one at that!)

I love this shot - me with my son Micah!

Another nice fat rainbow!

Netting your own fish can be a bit challenging! (Nice legs, dad! :-)

This one, however, was quite a bit bigger...

Dad with a nice one - not huge, but very fat

You think I'm kidding about the fish feeding below you? Here's proof, a nice 2-3 lb rainbow, less than 5 feet from me.

And here's Malachi, trying to actually touch one! One of the amazing things about the Bighorn is that not only can you see the fish, but they see so many fisherman that they're not all that alarmed by fisherman, and will line up to feed below you, sometimes getting within a couple of feet (I kid you not). Unfortunately, the fish you can see are usually extremely HARD to catch. Usually.

Here's my dad, stalking for fish...

Here's a little bit closer shot. Beautiful!

There we go! That's what I'm talking about! A nice fat rainbow! (That's my dad in the background). Now tell me, why did we hike all that way up in the mountains? Sheesh...

That my friends is my strike indicator, and somewhere under that surface is a fish on the line...

And me finally tying into a fish. Gotta love that rod bend and the line singing out of the reel...

Malachi drifting his fly...

So here's the deal. Malachi and Grandpa flew down in the Stinson and landed at the strip by the Afterbay. Then they walked down the river a ways and fished for a couple of hours before we got there. Micah and I drove down separately, since we intended to stay longer. Here we are, arriving at a nice little hole (someone else is already there, fishing in the background).

It Never Rains In August (Day 3)

So the next morning, we rose before the sun did and set off across Hellroaring Plateau in search of some fish. Which we didn't find. But it was a great day, nonetheless (and we didn't even get rained on!). As usual, you can jump to the bottom and scroll up to see the day unfold chronologically.

Last look across Hellroaring Plateau [hi-res version]

While we broke down the tents, Jack dug himself a little bed to cool his sore feet.

One last look to the south.

Marilyn and Rebekah, rolling into the trailhead.

Almost back to the parking lot...

Rebekah taking a breather. You can really see the plateau-like structure of the Beartooths in the background here...

Looking back towards Mt Rearguard (where Sliderock hides behind the saddle)

Classic Beartooth vista

And south across the East Fork of Rock Creek canyon.

Looking the other direction, to the east...