LTF and I finally made it to a place that I've targeted for several years, but have only had a couple abbreviated opportunities to explore.  We found that while it was well worth the wait, waiting was a mistake.  The fishing wasn't quite epic, but certainly very good.  If only we had brought more size 18 pheasant tails...
 
We had been dreading the potential of a hot hike in to our projected campsite, but instead we were greeted with overcast skies, intermittent drizzle, the distant rumble of thunder, and temperatures in the upper 70s.

 
We dropped down to a significant tributary, and continued on about five miles from there before settling on a campsite.  The sun broke through the clouds as it neared the horizon, and beautiful KRRs were not difficult to find.


 
As dusk gave way to darkness, the fishing became especially productive.  Most of the fish were in the 10"-13" range, although a few of the larger variety showed up to the party.


 
LTF even landed his largest trout on a fly rod to date; it was a beautiful KRR worthy of the appellation.  Congrats, my friend.

 
On Monday, we ventured several miles further upstream.  Shortly after leaving our campsite, we stumbled upon a rather idyllic scene.

 
The fishing started slow, but gradually improved.  By mid-morning, the action was nearly non-stop.  As I mentioned earlier, a size 18 pheasant tail drifted slightly faster than the current was the money fly/technique.  However, when the sun was out, a hopper/dropper rig was equally productive.



 
We fished upstream until we reached a long section of pocket water/rapids.  While the fishing was productive, most of the catch was pretty small at that point, so we decided to head back down to the larger, slower seams that we found near our campsite.  On the way back down I decided to throw a few casts in to a deep hole that had vexed me during the hike up.  It was a good decision.  I was rewarded with my largest fish of the trip.  With LTF nearby with his fancy camera, I couldn't resist requesting a hero shot.

 
A close up of the beautiful fish before I quickly released him back to the abyss from which he came.

 
The fishing slowed notably after we exhausted our supply of size 18 pheasant tails.  Trimmed size 16 PTs, kern emergers, and CJs were all effective, but we never quite found a plan B that equalled plan A.  After earning the title of "master of the whitefish" while fishing near Tahoe earlier this month, LTF continued to show that he doesn't discriminate based off species.

 
The next morning, we were forced to say goodbye to this beautiful stream.  A bald eagle watched us pack up our gear.

 
We stopped on the way out at the "curves" and plucked a few more from the deep seams.  The clouds never developed that afternoon, and we were treated to a 90 degree slog back up the hill to the car.  However, it was well worth it to experience this amazing area.  I can only imagine that this section of stream will be epic this fall as long as the flows don't get too low.
 
AG

Excellent!! That's a nice fish man. And the bald eagle too? You guys got spoiled.

Awesome post !!!  Thanks for sharing!!!

Those are some mighty fine specimens you caught! Love the colors of the native KRR. I hope to go on similar trips in the future. Just need a buddy to go with. Thanks for sharing!

Sweet,
Ryan

Excellent post and your pictures are terrific and really capture the moment. I'm sitting here recovering from knee surgery a couple days ago and drooling over your report. Looking forward to more stuff from you guys.
 
Gary

Thanx for the great post!!  I cant wait to get back up there myself.

Your hero shot is excellent. It does not get any better than that.  Really enjoyed the post, wonderful pics. I,m heading that way for 8 days in the fall. I want my very own hero shot!