Fishing-Birding at Mud Lake.

The fishing was horrible at Mud Lake - but if a fishing trip is a failure it is your own darn fault.  The wind and no fish did not stop the beautiful sunrise over the frozen lake.

And after two hours in the freezing north wind, I decided to hit some of the Russian Olive groves looking for birds and animals.  Two moose flushed as well as about 20 Northern Flickers.  But the find of the morning was an onery Great Horned owl.

And a beautiful Downy Woodpecker, that would get a Russian olive and then pound it against a branch or a tree to open it up.

I did go to Roberts Pond on the way home and caught some perch and some little trout.  So I did not get skunked.

Then on the way home, I found an old potato field with over 200 trumpeter swans feeding and resting.

Not a bad way to spend another wild day in Idaho.

Answers to Questions from Comments

As I looked back over comments on my posts, I felt I should clearify a few things and answer some questions.
Some of you noticed that I did have pictures of my cute grandkids on some of my posts.  As a family we decided I would not post pictures of them for safety reasons.  On my article, "Where have all the fathers gone," I realize how important fathers and mothers are to children, especially girls.  I have four of them and our one-on-one time with me has been some of the most memorable times we have spent.  I attended every activity they were involved in while growing up.  I have also been invited into the delivery room of some of them - I declined - that is their husband's job!!!

A question about fly fishing lakes was brought up.  I have guided fly fishermen on lakes for 36 years and have fly fished them for 56 years.  We use a sinking fly line and fish within a foot of the bottom.  This is usually done in water less than 20 feet deep.
On the question, "Do I ever fish with bait?"  Yes, only when forced to.  Grandchildren need to fish and cannot fly fish.  The other time is when I ice fish.  I love to ice fish and use bait all winter long. 
I fish an average of twice each week.  My wife makes me!!!!!  We love to eat fish, but our favorite are the small kokanee salmon that I catch in the winter.  My wife will suggest we need some fish to eat many times during the winter.  That is what I call a magical woman!!!  We are blessed to live in an area where I can be fishing within five minutes of home.  Our home is located next to the Teton River and between the Henrys Fork and the South Fork of the Snake River.  So going fishing for an hour or two is not a large undertaking.  I do fish for "stocked" trout from time to time but prefer the wild ones.

On the question, "Is my header picture a grouse?"  Yes, it is a sage grouse.  Each spring I visit the leks (breeding grounds) of both Sage and Sharp-tailed grouse.  They dance, fight and breed.  Each year I take thousands of pictures of them.  The above picture is a sage grouse displaying for a female.

The above picture is of a Sharp-tailed grouse displaying on a lek to attract females.  Their showing off, dancing and strutting reminds me of men doing the same thing.  As with their human counterparts, the females chose their partners - and sometimes it will be different partners each day.

Have a great day.

Henrys Lake - Again

Yesterday way my fishing day of the week.  So off to Henrys Lake I went.  The moon was full and I was on the water, catching fish, before the sun came up.

Just before the sun peeked over the lake, thin clouds shrouded the full moon, making for an interesting Halloween picture.

Mid morning the geese returned to the lake after feeding in the grasslands on Henry Lake Flat south of the lake.  Flock after flock returned, singing their hearts out.  Most will migrate south before the hunting season opens for them.

Not long ago I was asked, "Why do you always fish Henrys?" 

"Why not!!!" was my reply

With cutthroats like this 22 incher and hybrids (cutthroat/rainbow cross) often pushing eight to ten pounds, it is a thrill for me.

Not long after I caught the cutt, this 19 inch female brook trout took my Light Olive Crystal fly.  What a battle.  Fishing was great as the weather was not too hot nor too cold, but the fishing was consistant all morning.

It was a holiday weekend, so many families were out just boating around.  At times they came close enough to spook the fish, but what the heck, the fish returned a short time later and readily took my fly.

Most serious fishermen on Henrys Lake fish alone or with only one other person in the boat.  Here Harry fights a cutthroat at Staley Springs just as I was leaving the Henrys.  He said it was a slow morning, but I saw him fighting a fish when I went out before dawn and saw him fighting this one - couldn't have been too bad for him!!!

As I was parking my boat, this young duck with four others came swimming by.  I watched as they would dive and come up with a mouth of veggies.  Mom kept quacking at them if they got too close to me.  I didn't mind.

It was just another enjoyable wild day in Idaho for me.

Beula Lake in Yellowstone

I spent most of the week working on the "Teaching American History" grant and getting ready for school. My meetings start next Monday and school starts on Wednesday. The Student Body Officers' assembly will be on Wednesday so we will spend part of Monday and Tuesday finalizing it.

With summer coming to an end a fellow teacher, Lucas, and his son, Pax, decided to join me for a hike and a fishing trip. We hiked into Beula Lake in Yellowstone Park for some native cutthroat fishing. Here Pax and Lucas carry their float tubes for two and a half miles in to the lake. I did not take a float tube, but my heavy camera was enough weight.
Here Pax, a ten-year old, catches a nice cutthroat. All fish were released.

He a cutthroat, named after the bright red stripes on the bottom jaw, comes in after being hooked by a Black Rug Yarn fly. They were willing fish as we caught between 80 and 100 in about three hours of fishing.

We weren't the only fishermen on the lake. A pair of Common Loons, a Blue heron and an osprey all tried harvesting fish.

Yours-truely releasing a nice cutthroat. I waded out on a sand bar to where it drops off in deep water. I caught six fish in my first six casts and it did not slow down much.
It was a great way to finish the summer even though I will have a lot more fishing days before winter sets in.

Funnel clouds near Ashton

My son-in-law, Steve, and I got up early Saturday morning to deliver flies to Island Park area as well as fish Henrys Lake. We had a great time fishing Henrys Lake and were successful with the Beadhead Mity Mouse and the Beadhead Electric Black Leech.

We couldn't fish long as we had to drop off flies at some businesses and then get to Victor by noon for a reunion. Just outside of Ashton we saw this funnel cloud just east of the town of Drummond. It appeared quickly and then disapated quickly. It is my first picture of a baby tornado.

Travels with an old man #1

Last Thursday I went out to Birch Creek by Lone Pine on the Salmon Highway. Between rain storms I was able to interview five people about fishing Birch Creek and looked for Indian petrographs. Fishermen and a fisherwoman reported good fishing for the small trout that had been stocked recently with some "native brookies" and a few holdovers from last season. A couple from Shelley, ID, had caught 10 that morning and 11 the day before. The fisherwoman caught one while I was visiting with them.

Birds were all over the banks of Birch Creek. I saw an osprey, Red-tailed hawk, kestrels, Yellow warblers, Yellow-rumped warblers, Yellow-headed and red-winged blackbirds, robins, an eagle, mallards, house wrens, ravens, crows, magpies and Western Tanagers. The most interesting was the Western Tanagers that flew out over the water picking off insects in the air. I wish the picture was a little better, but the bird is about to nab an insect in the air.

I also saw many beautiful flowers. I am not very good with them, but some appeared to members of the Indian paintbrush, members of the columbine family and of course the Rocky Mountain iris are blooming along the streams.

I spent three hours exploring for Indian petrographs, but did not find any new ones. I hiked up to some caves, finding old wire probably used for trapping bobcats as it used to be a popular place for that activity. I also found old mines, dug-out houses and many mining exploratory holes.

Antelope were scattered around the desert with large bucks, but mostly does with or without their young by their sides.

Just before leaving the area, I stopped in at the Lone Pine Store and visited with the mother of the owner. She was an older pleasant woman to visit with as she fix me a burger. I will go back - soon for a visit and look until I find some petrographs.