West '05 Trip - Day 28

Posted: 2007-06-15
By: Randy Cochran

C O L D... can you say it with me? COLD! Brother, was it cold.

Frost and ice enveloped the landscape, from the tiniest blade of grass to the tallest willows along the Greys River. A car is not the place you want to hang your hat for the night in such conditions, but budget, frugality and a liberal dose of laziness conspired to put me in said situation.

A few moments after surveying the cold terrain, I felt the warmth of the sun enough to brave the elements. Swinging streamers in some very likely water bore no fruit. "Journey on I must", I say in my best Yoda voice, hoping to entertain no one in particular. Journey I did.

On to the Snake in the canyon towards Hoback Junction.

Baitfishers were camped out on the best spot available after a long hike, so I tried my best to coexist, being the snooty fly fisher that I am (NOT). Just downstream of the wormdunkers was some of the lovelier water still unclaimed, and it soon came to pass that a very large cutt broke me off in short order right at the hookset. Lo, God did not come down from the heavens to save me, and I had no hits after that, so I left to find other water.

Finally I found myself back in a groove. Lots of smaller fish in slackwater margins and eddies, then a good cutbank run or two yielded larger fish, the biggest of which might've gone 15" or so, if you're into that sort of thing.

I called it a day there and drove up to the Hoback for the evening. Fished for a couple minutes in a few 'trouty' spots, but came up empty after missing 2 risers. I don't know if I was throwing the wrong stuff or what, but where were all these stupid, eager fish the Hoback is supposedly famous for? I must've been throwing the wrong stuff.

Driving out I looked up at the shaded canyon sides to see a handful of bighorn sheep grazing, and it was good. Yes, indeed.

Pinedale would be my sleep destination for the night, yet a hotel was not in the cards for another few days, so up to Fremont lake and a fairly tense night of tent camping in the total darkness of the Wind River foothills.