On the way...

It's always fun to break up a drive and find some fish on the way to somewhere. Today was one of those days. After dropping Mel and Taylor off following on day of fishing, I was headed to Southern Utah to fish with Sarah and try to get her started on her cutthroat slam. I was staying at a hotel near Bryce Canyon that night and meeting her in the morning, so I could arrive as late as I wanted. By my calculations, I could get to a little stream partway to hotel with about an hour of daylight left. My pre-trip reconnaissance found that four years ago the stream had been poisoned and rehabilitated to restore Bonneville cutthroat. It sounded promising, and it sure lived up to its promise.

I left the interstate and drove down into a pretty little canyon. Within a few miles there was a beautiful little stream beside the road, and I hadn't seen another vehicle. Found a pull out, and with the first toss of the Turks tarantula a beautiful Bonneville cutthroat was brought to hand.

One of many Bonneville cutthroat I found on the way...

The next hour was heavenly, with willing fish in every spot where you would expect one to be, aggressively attacking the fly. Had a couple dozen to hand in the hour I had to fish. Nothing giant, all about 9 to 11 inches, but every one beautiful and healthy. It amazes me the beauty you can find when you take the time to stop on the way...