Cutthroat and Zen

I don't know where to begin; this day will be one of the most memorable days of my life.

This morning I met my guide Leslie Dal Lago at the Three Rivers Fly Shop. Leslie selected some flies for the day's fishing, and then we stopped for my Idaho fishing license and lunch before heading to the South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho. Leslie and I started to talk like old buddies, discovering commonalities as well as diversities.

The weather was exquisitely perfect -- clear blue sky, no humidity, indescribable. Leslie set the drift boat into the river and spent a few minutes giving me pointers on fishing wet, not one of my better fishing skills. For those of you not versed in fly fishing terms, wet refers to fishing under the surface. Dry is fishing on the surface of the water. Much of the time I was fishing two lures tied to the tippet. I didn't have to do anything. Leslie tied on all the flies and replaced leaders ripped off by stones and branches.

The Snake River is clear and cold and gorgeous -- the water temperature was around 52 degrees. The water flows fast, and Leslie was expert at handling the drift boat. We started the morning fishing nymphs, and I caught two white fish. Leslie explained that white fish were a predictor of stream health -- where there are white fish, there are trout. The trout in these waters are native and wild. We varied the fishing -- at times I fished as the boat drifted, and other times I fished one spot, both from the boat and wading.

Eventually I hooked my first trout, a cutthroat, easily identified by the red slash on the trout's throat. All trout I hooked were cutthroat; the last two were both about 17 inches -- beautiful fish! I have pictures!

We ate lunch in the boat under the shade of a big tree -- feeding ourselves and hoping to finish our feeding before the trout started to feed on the surface. There was a stonefly hatch on, and the trout started to feed actively on the surface from about 1 until 4pm. I missed many strikes, and hooked two that escaped before we were able to net them. In all, I caught six; four were cutthroat.

Along with the fantastic fishing, I was also privileged to see my first bald eagle -- not one but three! What magnificent birds -- just awe inspiring. I also saw ospreys, a peregrine falcon, a mother merganser duck with her babies, magpies, ravens, and fresh water pelicans.

There is so much more about the day which is intangible and cannot be described -- at times Leslie and I were seemingly the only people on a wildly beautiful river, surrounded by an unblemished environment. It restored my soul and just replenished the sense of balance we tend to lose living in this frenzied, senseless world.

When we returned to Driggs, I went to the grocery store and bought food so that I could eat in my room instead of going out to a restaurant. I even bought a bottle of Chardonnay! I have a microwave oven and a small refrigerator in my room, so I stocked up for my stay here in Driggs.

As I got out of my car back at the lodge, right at my feet was a black and white magpie feather for me! It is now 9:15, and I am waiting for it to get dark. I plan to go out and see if it is dark-sky country -- if it is, I should be able to see the Milky Way, which is not visible to those of us who live in light-polluted areas. Tomorrow I meet Deb Little of Dry Ridge Outfitters to go on a trail ride. Wednesday, I rejoin Leslie for a second day of fly fishing, this time on the Snake River in Wyoming.

July 11th, 2005 -- just unbelievable!!