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.

Skywatch #3

I love sunsets and sunrise.  This sunset picture was taken near Sand Creek in Fremont County, Idaho.  I try and spend as much time in the outdoors in the evening as I can.  Hope you enjoy it.

Where have all the fathers gone?

In the play "Footloose" Ren, one of the leads, and his mother have been abandoned by his father.  Once he wonders what he did wrong to have his father leave.  Within the last month I have witnessed and listened to six young people wonder the same thing.  Their parents have split and the children blame themselves for the split.  Some have been so upset that they have moved from their homes to live with others.  It seems the "sins of the parents" have been heaped on them.

Several years ago I wrote an article that has been printed in several newspapers.  It is below the picture of my friend, Lucas, and his children.  He not only takes them as a family, but gives them individual time.  I hope you enjoy the article.  A former student who is now married with three children came by the school to ask for a copy to give to her husband.

Where have all the Fathers gone.

“To be an orphan, your father doesn’t have to die,” says Paul Quinnett in his book, "Fishing Lessons."


This came to mind last summer as I guided a man and his 13-year-old daughter. The fishing was okay, both caught fish, but during a slow time, the conversation went to family. The man lamented that of his eight children; this one was the only one that really recognized him as their father.


“I failed with my children of my first marriage, but learned my lesson,” he said. “This one is not going to get away.”


The next day I fished with another father and 12-year-old daughter combination. This was his only child. These fathers do not want these two children to be orphans while they are still alive.


I thought back of my own father. A quiet, small, but loving and caring man – one who was my best friend.


One of ten children, I was still given the individual time needed. We hunted, fished, trapped, camped, worked hard and played baseball together.


Oh, I was no angel growing up, but Dad knew what buttons to push when they needed pushed. At times when I got in trouble he would load the boat and head for a lake or the river with me. Not much preaching was done – but I knew how disappointed he was in me. One-on-one time was the best.


It was left at that. I found it very hard to jump out of a pickup going 50 miles per hour or to walk away from him while the boat was in the middle of a lake.


A few years ago I owned a fly shop in Island Park. Two mothers come in, each with a teenage son. They bought some rods, reels and a few lures so the kids could hopefully catch some fish.


They were not a happy bunch. The boys were being forced into something they were unfamiliar with and not wanting to learn. Most thirteen-year-old boys have a mind of their own, with their mothers not part of the picture.


As they left I wished I could take them fishing as they were headed for failure.


Just before closing the four came back having lost the lures and tangled the lines – what a mess. I suggested I take the boys fishing on Henry’s Lake with the moms picking them up at sundown.


What a ball we had catching and releasing fish with me listening and being taught a valuable lesson – don’t ignore my children as their fathers had them.


In my study I have a bumper sticker put out by Zebco. It says, “Don’t let your kid be the one that got away.” True, Zebco wants to sell you fishing gear, but the message is clear.


As a classroom teacher I have seen some that have gotten away – or have been abandoned by parents. They might as well be orphans.


Quinnett ends the article with, “Wherever it is that all the lost fathers have gone, I pray they will find their way back. And soon. Their children are looking for them.”


Have fun year – with your kids.

Chester wetlands

Yesterday evening I drove to the Chester Wetlands Wildlife Management area to hike the mowed trails through it.  With a mostly cloudy sky and a heavy rain the night before, the colors were fresh and the bugs were out in force.  But I had a wonderful time walking and observing things.  The ponds had ducks, flowers had bees, trees had birds and the most interesting was finding an endangered orchid in the tall grass.  Here are a few of the photos I took.

The wetlands have 16 ponds that are managed for waterfowl and shorebird nesting.

Here a Great-horned owl peers at me on a low branch hiding in some stinging nettles.  It says, "You are close enough."

Here is the endangered orchid, the Ute Ladies Tresses.  In Idaho it is only found on the South Fork of the Snake River and at Chester.  It is only found in nine states and in British Columbia in Canada.  A very beautiful and interesting plant.