Had a back spasm this AM despite being super mega careful about stretching even when getting up in the middle of the night.
It's quite hot here and now wildfire smoke is moving in like crazy. Fishing has not been productive but there are some pretty creeks. I fished part of the Blackfoot River today. Perfect size and water flow for me. Found a nice clear pool and tried for a couple of hours to get one of the four trout I could clearly see to take my flies. The best I got were several strikes but they instantly spit the fly out. Tried 4 different hoppers, some nymphs and a bunch of dry flies. Still, it was great fun trying to outsmart them.
I tried the Blackfoot river the next day further downstream near Lincoln, MT. What a difference - classic western trout river with deep pools, gravel bars, perfect trout habitat. I caught a a couple of cutthroat trout but made a mental note to start at this place on my next Montana trip and head southwest to the Big Hole, Clark Fork rivers, and the tributaries that feed them.
Turned out, my campsite was right at the end of another Montana restoration project. A mine had operated from the late 19th century up until the 1950s for lead and some other metals but they used a gulch as a gigantic tailing collection mechanism. The creek flowing through it was heavily contaminated of course but MT has spent the last 10 years dredging out the tailings in the gulch, installing a huge water filtration plant and reestablishing the creek's original serpentine flow. Riparian vegetation was planted and is now thriving. I'm glad I didn't get any of my water from that creek as my filter wouldn't have been effective at removing heavy metals and such. It's heartening to see these restoration projects happening.
I'm heading back to Burgess Junction WY tomorrow to take advantage of cooler temps and the extra lung capacity I'll get for Alaska due the higher elevation. Mostly, I want to nurse my back so that I'm good to go for Alaska with Brian.
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