Little Lost River bull trout. Photo by the author. I first fished Idaho’s Little Lost River in the early 2000s. I’d heard rumors of bull trout swimming in the high-desert stream that would hit dry flies intended for rainbows and require two hands for the “hero shot” after the battle. The latter might be true
“I remain hopeful that I will be able to pass on to my grandchildren all the pleasures of life in an unspoiled West. Perhaps hope should be replaced by a stronger word. It is a matter of obligation.” — Cecil Andrus By Chris Hunt I first met Cecil Andrus in the early 2000s at an
Bull trout are the only native char to the interior Northwest. Close relatives to brook trout, Arctic char and Dolly Varden, they require the coldest and cleanest waters to survive and thrive. It’s no suprise that their populations have been greatly impacted by development over the years. Dams have segregated their habitat, generations of logging
The area around Fernie, B.C., is a trout fisher’s paradise. I had the good fortune to visit last summer, and strategizing for a September visit this year. For big cutthroats on dry flies and the chance for double-digit bull trout, this place is likely the best on earth. Video of Clearly B.C. part 1 –
Editor’s note: The TU Costa Five Rivers Native Odyssey team spent the summer traveling across America in search of native trout. This installment: Idaho. Public Land: Sawtooth National Forest The Sawtooth National Forest encompasses 2,110,408 acres largely in Idaho, but also partially in Utah. It is comprised of multiple terrain types including sagebrush steppe, spruce-fir
It hadn’t done much but rain in the Rockies straddling the border of Montana and British Columbia last July, and the weather had put traditional fly hatches off a bit. Instead of pale-morning duns and stoneflies bursting from the snow-chilled waters of the Elk River near the town of Fernie, huge green drakes were popping
New water is always exciting, and, while I’ve fished Idaho’s Salmon River a lot for steelhead over the years, I’d never poked into the river’s extreme upper reaches at the base of Galena Summit, where the Sawtooths spread out to the northwest. My thought—and, frankly, my hope—was to get into some native west slope cutthroats
