October 5, 2023 - Part I

I love October in Southeast Idaho. If it turns out to have a series of warm autumn days, the fishing can be magical. I love driving into the mountains when the maples are red and aspen are golden yellow. The air is cold but the sunshine makes up for the declining temperatures.

On this particular day I decided to fish a stream that I used to fish all the time. It has native, wild cutthroat in it, but planted rainbow and brook trout have become more prevalent over the years. Public land access is excellent and the canyon is heavily used during the summer. So, I tend to fish it later in the season, when fewer campers are around. I also like hiking down into the canyon section, away from the road, but I think my days are numbered doing this, as I'm not sure my back will hold up to that kind of cross-country hiking much longer. 

I used the Nissin Air Stage Fujiryu 360 6:4 on this trip. This is one of my favorite rods. Its faster action promotes tight loops, which are often needed on this stream. It also has a fast hook set and power for fighting fish in fast currents. It collapses down to 52 cm (20.5"), which is plenty compact for cross-country hiking. I use a #3 line with it, but it's equally at home with a #3.5 or #4. 

The canyon section has some really nice pockets and pools, and these can hold some pretty nice fish. But when I'm in the canyon any fish will do, as the scenery is part of what I come for. 

Here's the vlog: