Saturday, August 29, 2009

Skywatch #2 - Island Park - Henrys Lake

This morning I got up at 4:45 to go to Henrys Lake fishing.  It was partly cloudy and I figured the colors would be fantastic with the sunrise.  I got to the Buffalo River just as the east started to color up.  The deep blue sky with the sun reflecting off the thin clouds was a sight to behold.
Bob, Harry and Ed was already on the water and Bob in the far boat is landing a nice trout.  But the beautiful sunrise beckened me to take a few more pictures.

Here the sun is about to peek over the eastern mountains as verga (rain that does not hit the ground) forms a ray of light shooting up into the cloud.
Sawtelle Mountain stands black on the south side of the lake against the colored sky.
Even without being the first boat on the lake, the fishing was great with brook trout, hybrids and cutthroats coming regularly to my flies.  The best fly was the Light Olive Crystal with the Mity Mouse a close second.  This male 18 inch brook trout has already dawned his spawning colors.  The belly was as orange as the early morning sky.
On the way home I had to stop at Swan Lake near Last Chance to look for the Trumpeter swans, but they had gone elsewhere.
Another beautiful wild day in Idaho.

10 comments:

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Oh My Bill... I would even get up at 4 a.m. for that sunrise. When we go to Arkansas and stay on the top of the mountain there, we love to get up and see the sunrise. Marvelous!!!!

Congrats on your catch. That's a beautiful trout---and I'll bet some great eating!!!!

I signed up to follow your blog since I enjoy it so much.
Betsy

Veronica Wald said...

OOH! I've never seen the word VERGA before - it's such a common phenomenon, I see it out over Lake Michigan all the time (and in Yellowstone & the Tetons)!

Thanks for the missives from my favorite places on earth.

Jann said...

Incredible sunrise shots! What a pretty trout, too. My dad is an avid fly tier/fisherman too. I'll say it again Bill, you are blessed by your surroundings. Very nice post.

Kelly said...

Wow......beautiful--the sunrise and the scenery! That last photo is gorgeous. You live in a beautiful part of the country!!

Loran said...

That sunrise was beautiful, no wonder you put it in your header. I feel lucky when I get to capture something so wonderful. It's obvious you appreciate the beauty of nature too.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Bill: Idaho is beautiful country and I'm glad you took the time to capture this beautiful sunrise. Those are some powerful colors in the sky and lake. Cool trout you catch there.

Deb said...

Love your photographs. My, that fish looks tantalizing!

Roses and Lilacs said...

I wish I had scenery like that to photograph. Amazing. The lake photos are stunning. Looks like you had some good eating there too.
Marnie

Janie said...

Sensational sunrise photos. I hate to get up early, but I do love seeing a great sunrise.
Glad you caught some fish.

Grayquill said...

I got may fly pole packed. Put on the coffee I am on my way. What beautiful pics. That is really beautiful country. Sitting here in Washington a little bit jealous.