BilletHead

Let got this show on the road . Fishing at Star lake, Peeking over the bank it was like WOW. Looking down into the water it was deep and clear. We both ties on simi seal type leeches. A few casts later nothing? Humm I was thinking then it happened. A scream from the Mrs. FISH ON. I drop my rod and go over to net it. It was our first ever tiger trout. One of the most beautiful fish we have ever seen. The very tickled angler with a grin from ear to ear, She said as she was stripping in the leech two fish were swimming by. When the fly got into the fishes vision one took off and slammed it. Like other hybrid fish we have caught the fight was a good one. This time the angler won but the fish was revived and released for the next person to enjoy. We kept up casting with no more hits in this part of the lake. We than worked around the lake taking in the scenery, I was beginning to think was this one fish a farce? Will I get my chance? Yep finally I did get my first tiger, Found some chanterelle mushrooms but they were too far gone, Soon another fish on the streamer for me. Nothing visually hitting the top but as slow as it was I knew we needed a change up. I tied on a small deer hair hopper with a birds nest dropper. This was what they wanted. more fish were caught but only one took the dropper. As soon as I changed and caught the Mrs. did too. Working all the way around the lake we found a spot to rest, eat a snack, fill water bottle and rehydrate. Off to the dam again for one more try before dropping back down into camp. A few casts later the prize of the day came out of the water like a great white on a seal. I kid you not these fish are very aggressive. When hooked they jump, jump high. Best fight and aerial show of any of the trout species we have caught. Twenty inches of muscle right here fellows, Our trip down from Star Lake went like a breeze. Reliving what we had just seen and done. Ten tigers was the catch tally. Have I ever told you what a great fishing partner/ spouse I have? Lucky man I am ! We gathered our wits and got ready to eat the real meal of the day. Time for grilled mallard breast, straight neck yellow squash and tomatoes from the BilletHead garden , Another campfire but we did not stay up late. In bed before the sun set as we were spent from the big day. There will be another move in the morning. Where are we going next? The Boulder mountains, BilletHead

Soon buddy, soon I will post again. Yes got the slam done in the first four days. So Ness the Mrs. Goes back to work tomorrow and I take over being boss while she is at her job. So when do you want to go? Locks may be changed and damage control to be dealt with upon returning if we survive and I don't have to drag your carcass out of the woods . BilletHead

Just trout, ha ! it is more likely where we are catching them . BilletHead

Part 5 High Uintas 1 Leaving the North Fork of the Ogden we had to drop down to another canyon for another ascent to the Uintas. Followed the upper Provo higher and higher into the Wasatch Forest ending up into the high Uinta wilderness. A split in the road gave us two options. One going to Trial lake and the other Crystal Lake. Above both of these lakes that have campgrounds are higher scattered lakes that must be hiked to. So which way to go? We decided to go right to Trial lake. First thing we seen pulling into the campground was helicopters working in the distance. First thought was maybe a fire but no smoke? We circled the camping area a couple times like a dog circling his bed before laying down. Found a perfect place that had no reservation tag. Tag did not mean anything if it was not dated for the night we would be there. We chose two nights here Planning on a hike first thing in the morning. Campground host came by and we did the paperwork and monetary exchange. Asked about the helicopters. His answer was they had been looking the last two days for a missing hiker. Said the guy went in for a day hike to a lake and his family said he did not come home. His vehicle still at the trailhead . Pretty sad deal we thought but in the back of our minds we thought with all this high tech looking they will find him. So a campfire was started and dinner was prepared. How about venison shoulder that had been braised in red wine? Sides of mac and cheese and homegrown tomatoes? Pretty tasty my friends, The Mrs. loves to play in the fire, Sorry but we are going to have to break this up in two posts. Won't let me do all the pictures in one so we will first do the hike in to our lake to be fished. Star lake will be our destination. Starting at the truck we had to walk halfway around the lake where we were camped, go up the little stream feeding that lake and follow it up to Star. We loaded small packs with a snack, water filtration bottle, files and fly gear and our rods and reels. Light was the deal as the BilletHead can go far slowly but not with a load, So we had not gone very far when out of the corner of my eye I see movement, Pine Martens! Two of them posing for a quick photo, View from along the lake we traveled along, Part of the trail we had to follow with lots of deadfall to maneuver over or around, The trail up the drainage between the lakes, A ways up this part of the trail Pat says hey I see something in the roots at the base of this pine looking at me. Huh? By the time I caught up nothing was there. I asked what was it. I don't know it was small and had little beady eyes . We laughed and looked back to see it and it's little beady eyes looking back. I said it's an ermine pretty loud and excided and it disappeared before I could get the camera. In it's brown phase but soon it would of turned white with a black tipped tail. How cool we thought. As we hit the rise we were greeted with this view, We will start fishing next installment, BilletHead

I knew you would be looking for something different but that isn't going to happen although I was hoping for a non targeted species for a bonus. The word bonus I suppose does not fit because everything else we will be catching is a bonus . BilletHead

Unconfuse yourself real quick friend, I would never condone the lifestyle of polygamy or trade of my gravy train of what I am blessed with here in BilletHeadVille . Besides I can hardly keep up with what I got. BilletHead

Part four the Bonneville Cutthroat, Well after some really good wild turkey carnitas topped with a good dose of cilantro , a shower and another good nights sleep were up and at it again. Broke down camp and headed to Wally World for essentials. Gassed up the rig and then to the local Utah Division of wildlife resources office looking for more helpful maps. Greeted as we entered by two nice ladies sitting behind the desk. What can we help you with they asked? I told them about our quest for the Cuttslam. Not sure if they were impressed or not but they acted that way. No maps were found we did not already have I asked if there might be a fisheries biologist on duty. They checked and out came a very young man. What do you need. I explained what was going on and he responded oh I am the warm water guy. I do lakes but I may be able to help you. I knew places marked on the map where we could get our last Cutt but asked for his input. Told him we wanted to catch a genetically pure one. He suggested the North Fork of the Ogden. Asked where we caught our others especially the Yellowstone. Thought it was great we got it where we did and said he had helped on the restoration of those fish. We asked him more about his job and had a neat visit. One thing he liked about his state was the variety and types of fisheries they have. Being a warm water guy he asked if we considered trying for them. I responded we do that all the time. What do you fish for? Well we mostly run the rivers chasing hybrids, he asked you mean wipers? Yep on the fly and whipped out the phone and showed him a nice one from three weeks before. His jaw about hit the floor . Wow we don't have any near that big here yet, what did you catch it on? I have no photo of that but explained the types of flies used. Told him I would fix him up when we get home. Man, was his response I cannot wait to tell so and so who thinks wipers are the only thing going about the picture and I will get a fly. He is going to be so jealous! Well off we went back up another valley to the Ogden, found it and up farther we went. Parked, hydrated and stumbled down into the river. He had mentioned some beaver ponds but I think we dropped in above them. We found another overgrown stream that would be another challenge. We were up for it and proceeded to work the water best we could. Put on the same flies we had caught our Bear River and Yellowstone fish on .Fish were found and started small, Some of my casts had to be like this. Couldn't get the Mrs. to try it, More tight places to navigate, Fish began to get better the farther we went, Then smaller and then better . Cuttslam complete we were hot and thirsty. I had forgot the water filtration bottle we worked our way in reverse back to the truck. Then found a shade pavilion and a water hydrant. Sitting in the shade removing our wet wading boots and then here comes an official truck. Uh oh busted I thought. Fellow asks what we were doing? I explained and wanted to know if he wants to leave? Heck no use all the shade and water you want! We visited more and he left. Out came a wash rag and that in conjunction with the ice cold water out of the hydrant made a refreshing break! We looked at each other, grabbed a map and planned our next move. Yes more fishing and exploring! The High Uintas would be next. Going to get interesting with something we have never caught before . BilletHead

Well with Ness trying to change the subject about his messed up sense of taste and Ham being confused that there are some fundamentalist offshoots of the latter day saints still practicing polygamy here in the united states I suppose we should move on. . BilletHead

Can't help it your taste buds are genetically modified. Suppose you are roundup ready too. BilletHead

Oh yes snagged it was, Ness has his mind on a bevy of wives or maybe how to incorporate peas into carnitas or fajitas. I am beginning to worry about my friend. .

Only from Ness this would come . Actually the Mrs. and I discussed this a few times out there. She would point out a potential possibility time to time asking what I thought. I kind of thought about it this way, I seen purchases of fishing gear for the ladies going three or four or even several times of what I dish out right now. I cannot tie pink and purple shades fast enough too keep up. I would get so skinny and shrivel up to nothing keeping up with making the harem happy in the fly fishing department. Then there comes this, We witnessed rather large fifth wheel campers in campgrounds. The door would come open and a string of women and children streaming out in singe file. Long lines, a centipede of humans! Then a man or two barely recognizable. More of a shell of masculinity . It would not be worth it. A no go and it all went out of my mind very quickly. One thing we did see were temples. Lots of large temples all over the state. The people were nice and very helpful when asked questions. Conservative to the max. Every store full of firearms and ammo. No shortage of .22 or other calibers. Reloading supplies stacked on shelves. Kegs of powder, bullets, components ready to assemble anything for hurling a projectile. I want this great state and it's peoples for an ally, BilletHead

I am not sure you read this right. WILD TURKEY CARNITAS. Don't think he cared much being a dead turkey and such . Not sure I am worried you read it wrong or if I gave an awnser to what you read. Which is worse? BilletHead

Why No it is not Ness. It is your favorite green though, Cilantro . Yes, yes you did get some heads up! BilletHead

Outstanding! That's Ham for you. More giving than taking, BilletHead

Part Three the Yellowstone Cutt. A jaunt across the top of the state towards the Sawtooth National Forest. Most of it went pretty quick going the posted speed limit of eighty MPH. Got right down to hot sage flats. Then a secondary paved road leading to gravel. For awhile we were in Idaho and then driving right down the Idaho/Utah state line. In the distance we could see the Sawtooth's rising above the valley floor. Maybe twenty miles to the West was the state of Nevada. Off on another road to the beginning of the public forest we see a bridge, stop there and see a trickle of water flowing. Yep this is the stream we are looking for . I am not kidding a trickle ! Around another bend we find a parking area with this sign, So we park and out come the rods to be strung up. Same flies we caught the Bear River fish on. It was hot and no wind. In the eighties. Sage flats all around the creek. Thick brush creating a canopy over the creek. I thought this is going to be interesting getting a fly into the water and how can there be fish in this trickle? We walked, peeked into the mess and gave each other a funny look. There really was no casting here. A drop here and a drop there hoping for a fish. Anytime we got close enough to see in the water we spooked fish. I can understand why thinking these fish are food for any critter looking for a meal and they have no where to go in places. We took turns trying and I was the first to hook up, Yes that is blood on my fingers. We lost two fish on this trip. This one and the next pictured. in the heat and non existent humidity these two fish never had a chance. After getting pictures we did things to help insure it did not happen again. We felt bad about it. Then the Mrs. got hers, We now left our fish in the water and if they got off fine. The one taking the photo got ready and fish out photographed and right back in very quickly. There were many little pockets of water impossible to get a fly into, Fish began to get better even in thin water, Came from here, I would stand way back watching the Mrs. fly being dropped looking for a hit and telling her to set the strike. , Her reward, We actually caught several, missed a bunch. Very strange fishing to us but we succeeded. In the open places I could see tenkara used but in the brush a long rod would be a hindrance. Back at the truck we were pretty toasty. Rehydrated then got a photo of the catchers, Dropped out of the Sawtooth's headed back East doing eighty. Looking for a place to rest, get a much needed shower and regroup. We ended up at a County campground in the middle of Ogden. Not a bad place to rest, some shady looking people milling about but I bet they were thinking the same about us. Sustenance this evening consisted of wild turkey carnitas , We are getting to the point nothing is keeping us from instantly passing out when our heads hit the pillows. Sleeping hard. So where and what is next? Bonneville cut maybe? BilletHead

Might be a good idea. But with me holding the rope to keep her safe and close to the ground she will be all right . Of course if she starts shooting at me I will turn the rope loose. BilletHead

After the bookie catching on the Sheep Creek we headed out of the Ashley National Forest North into Wyoming, across I-80 West and back into Utah. Quickest and easiest route. We worked our way up 89 highway along the Logan river. Soon the Logan left the highway and we followed that road in the Cache National Forest way up the upper Logan within several miles of the Idaho state line. We found a pull out and set up camp once again, Again pretty antsy to fish we decided to eat first. Dinner was bolete mushrooms, deer breakfast sausage, smoked cheddar in scrambled eggs with a couple hot tortillas on the side. We call that a mess here in BilletHeadVille and it worked in the high country too , With much needed nourishment out of the way it was time for a river walk. After looking at the river I decided to tie on a trude and Mrs. BilletHead of course something pink . We wet waded across the river which here is more a stream, We found a trail of sorts and began to pick the water apart. Mostly riffles with boulders providing pocket water. Slim pickings at the start. Close to the road I figured that would be par for the course. Finally we found a larger pool with wood backing up the stream providing deeper water. After finding this it was on. There are places in the state where the Bear River and Bonneville are mixed. We picked this place because these are the pure Bear River strain. We caught several then lost count, Two down, two to go. Nights rest getting better sleep. Oh yes it was forty degrees at daylight when we got up the next morning. Got to love it. So after breaking camp we headed back down the river again along 89. We had seen signs coming up there was to be a bike race the next day. Well this was the next day and all the way down the mountain we started seeing officials, support vehicles carrying spare bikes and empty bike racks. Now we have never seen a bike race and did not know what to really expect. Then a highway patrol car flashing lights, loud speaker and signaling traffic to pull over. We did and then patrolmen on motorcycles. One stopped and told us what to expect. They would be coming soon, real soon. I got the phone camera ready and before we knew it they were upon us in one big mass going up hill ninety to nothing. Before I could snap a shot some had went by but I got a shot. So the Mrs. and I know two bike riders on OAF. We looked hard and both think we seen Curtisce and FishingWrench in the riders screaming by. Seeing this race was pretty neat. As fast as it had started it was over and then the patrolman and the string of ambulances went by and gave us the all clear to proceed on our way, We then worked our way to the far North West part of the state to the Sawtooth National Forest looking to get the Yellowstone Cutt. A very small area to try for them and what I figures would be the hardest. Did we do it? You will find out later , BilletHead

Great pictures Ronnie ! BilletHead

Been there done that Quill in the past ! Actually also on this trip we fished on Dinosaur National Monument on our last day before heading home but you all will have to wait for that installment of the trip. There are many miles, many waters and many fish to share before we get to that post, BilletHead

I will start by saying if you don't like the mountains and streams of the west or fly fishing for trout this isn't for you. Just back out of this page and do not come back to this thread and post. There will be no bait casting or spinning reels. No bait, just fly's with feathers, synthetics and maybe some rubber legs and a little foam where needed. Some places there will be hiking involved. Our interest started in this trip wanting to catch the Utah cutt slam. We have done this in Wyoming a couple of times. The four species we will be going for here in Utah are the Colorado, Bear River, Bonneville and the Yellowstone varieties. Here is a link for those who may be inquisitive, http://www.utahcutthroatslam.org/#program-info We had two weeks to mess around the state. After trying for the slam everything else was exploring and more fishing. We left BilletHeadVille on Friday the 28th of July at 2PM. Headed West through Kansas and Colorado. Stopped on Berthoud Pass North West of Denver for a while after midnight for a three hour power nap. Let me tell you the older we get the tougher it is to do this. I crawled into the back of the non raised camper and the Mrs. did the front seat of the truck. A cold rain fell and we left stiff and sore hardly sleeping. Drove to our Utah starting point Vernal. We have fished a couple of places around Vernal but not for the cutthroat. According to the Cutt slam information and a tip from a friend we could catch the Colorado cutt in Sheep creek lake. After getting our license's and maps of the area we headed up that way. Set up the camper, we were beat but really wanted to fish right away. Part 1 the Colorado cut, Fly fishing from the lake shore. Don't really care for it. Do it where we need to but prefer flowing water picking out where the fish are lying or pocket water. So we did what we had to do here. Strung up the rods. I used sink tip line and the Mrs. Put on a loop to loop sink tip section. Both of us put on leech imitations. We did see a few rings way out in the middle of the lake where fish were taking what looked like some midges on top, well beyond our shore reach. Walked around to the dam and tried to cast into the deeper water. Pretty strong wind in our faces it quickly became apparent this was not going to work with our casts falling dead before turning over properly. We than walked around to a steep bank with the wind more to our side than our face. We both began to work the water best we could. No real back cast available the casts were short and roll casts actually did a bit better. Water was deep and clear. Could not see fish but it felt fishy . Finally the BilletHead hit pay dirt and it was fish on! A pretty respectable Colorado Cutt, We thought this maybe pretty easy, not so I missed one more hit and the Mrs. not a bite. We drug our tired rears again towards the dam for another go there. Fought the wind more and then headed to the camper for food and bed time. First real meal of the trip was a good old BLT with home grown Missouri tomatoes. A local brew with it, A sort of nights sleep. Even as tired as we were the first couple of nights are not like your own home bed. Up we were the next morning to a bowl of cereal and coffee. Then off for another try. Wind already blowing we trekked again to the steep bank to see if the Mrs. could get her Colorado. Try she did, Finally a hit, fish landed, We fished a bit more with only a couple more strikes. Decided to head back. We had noticed a few mushrooms so we did some hunting on the way back to the truck. Boletes everywhere. Nice damp ground great for growing conditions. We broke camp for more exploring. Found another place, barely a trickle of a creek, Fished awhile here, never seen a fish or have a take. Bummer city ! Went looking for Sheep Creek proper. Well found a fork of it but again really small. Drove more to Sheep Creek canal. Answer found, canal pulling off water. So we fished the canal. Brookies were caught here, No more Colorado cuts here but we will revisit them in another place. Much prettier fish, actually unbelievable pretty fish but you will have to wait a few posts later for that . Then it was more shrooming with some picking too, Lots more coming. Going after the Bear river next. Got to rest my typing fingers badly, BilletHead

If she ever got to do it I would have to fill a bunch of little helium balloons tied to a lawn chair . I promise I will use a strong tether rope to keep her in control ! BilletHead

Pretty cool John! I can just hear you all screaming like banshees zinging through the trees. Mrs. BilletHead wants to do a hot air balloon. BilletHead

Good luck with your appointment griz, The BilletHeads

John, That looks a lot like the big rainbow variety we planted! We just finished the big basket of tomatoes we brought with us. Guess we will see what the garden looks like when we return Sunday. BilletHead

Well you know where to get more . Breast and fat . You know what I mean! BilletHead