Targhee
National Forest, Idaho
Small
Stream Fly Fishing
There
is barely enough water flowing down Porcupine Creek to be called a
creek except during Spring run off. Mother Nature made good
habitat for Brook Trout to thrive and then provided protection by
hiding them in a willow choked valley, out of sight from most,
except for very adventurous predators . Except for those places
where the road crosses it, you would never believe it is even there,
though the map says so. To the casual angler, the valley holds
little, if any water and surely not enough to support trout life to
any abundance or worthiness to put forth effort to find a suitable
place to cast a fly rod. But there are trout in this stream.
Brookies, Cutthroat and Rainbows and the odd tiny Brown call streams
like Porcupine Creek home. Only at the odd intersection where road
meets water, do they see much pressure. Get a little adventurous and
experience casting to trout that may have never before seen an
artificial fly.
This
region is mainly known for the two Blue Ribbon Trout Rivers, the
Henry's Fork and the South Fork of the Snake. These two rivers need
no introduction and both are on a 'must visit' list of most traveling
anglers. My purpose in writing is to offer information about a place
or two where you can take a break from the crowds and challenge your
skills. You see, it is a mistake to approach these small streams
with the mind set the fishing will be easy and the fish stupid and
hungry. I also warn those readers who consider spending a day on the
area small streams to bring an additional fly rod/reel, more suitable
to small stream fishing. In other words, your 9 foot 5 weight will
be nearly useless on a stream that is three feet wide, 12 inches deep
and grown over by willows to the point of being nearly invisible
unless you are standing in it.
These
are great times to be a fly fisherman. Manufactures are producing
more and more specialized fly rods and reels. Most manufactures are
producing fly rods that are shorter than most of us are tall and
seemingly out of place in a fly rod catalog. For streams such as
Porcupine Creek, I prefer a fly rod that is under 7 feet and the
closer you get to 5 foot, the easier they are to work with in such
tight quarters. Most of the trout in these streams average 6-10
inches with a 12 inch trout being a real trophy. I feel any rod
heavier than 3wt is too much rod and a medium action 1 or 2 weight
being much better. Some of my favorite fly rods for the tight
quarters I encounter on streams like these, include a 6' 6â€