Success Fishing North Piney Creek

Friday August 14, 2015       Day 17       Sacajawea N.F.C.G.   2nd day

Great day fishing.  Finally!  The host camper here put me on to a nice mountain creek full of trout about 6 miles from here called North Piney Creek.

But first we had to start our day the normal way.  You know . . . coffee, Carolan’s, campfire. 

Nice way to start the morning, eh?

We have a stainless steel coffee pot we bought at Cabelas.  It’s the old fashioned percolator type.  It takes forever to make coffee, but that’s all part of the relaxing part of retirement.  No hurry.  Don’t have to get to work by a certain time.  Made a simple breakfast of cereal so we could use up the last of the milk.  We try to use the stuff up that’s the oldest so we don’t waste it.  Usually always have a banana in the morning.

A guy in a Chevy Suburban with California plates stopped by and asked us about what part of Michigan we were from.  He’s been to the U.P. but not the Lower.  He’s been retired for 19 years and travels all over the west in the national forests, camping and fly fishing for trout.  He’s also been to another world famous fly fishing destination, New Zealand.  He told me North Piney Creek was a good place to fish.  He’s been all over Wyoming, California, and Colorado in search of trout.  He is also camped here at Sacajawea.  Gave us a hot tip we will pursue.    When we go to the Grand Teton area, he suggested we stay at Gros Ventre campground near Kelly, WY.  It is within the park boundary and is one of the largest campgrounds in the park.  It is worthwhile, at least to start out.  We are lacking in Teton information and have not had internet in a week now, so we can’t research on line.  One of my goals in the Teton’s is to fish the Snake River.  It is a very well known fly fishing destination.  But I'm not sure if it can be waded. 

Fished the North Piney Creek from 12:30-15:30.  Had an excellent time and caught 3 fish.  Here's one.  It's hard to get a good picture while trying to keep the fish in the net, keep it still, keep it wet and alive, and operate a camera at the same time.

It's about 8" long.  Not too big, but nice to catch.

Had two others on but they broke off before I could land them.  Missed quite a few.  Very clear water.  Was cloudy all day with rain in the mountains all around me and the sound of thunder most of the afternoon.  Typical mountain weather.  It sprinkled off and on all afternoon, but at one point it down poured.  I had my packable raincoat in my vest and got it on just in time.  I saw no other person all afternoon.

I didn't think to take a picture of the creek.  But here's a few shots of the area.

 

The road to the creek

 

The river flowed through this meadow.  Free range cows did too.

 

This is the bridge over the creek where I parked to access it.
I went to the left and followed it downstream. That's free range
cattle in the road.

Returned to the campground at 16:00. 

 

This one.

Made hamburgers on these super good rolls we bought at Smith’s in Green River.  Made a fresh salad, too, to go with it.  We eat very well in the Oliver.  It is the same refrigerator that we had in the Casita and I supplement it with my Yeti cooler, but we have counter space to prepare food and drawers to organize kitchen implements like a knife rack, storage bowls, and a big pantry.

Marsha washed the mud off the front of the trailer while I was fishing.  The Oliver is covered with mud and dust from all the gravel roads we’ve traveled lately.  So is the truck.
We have no internet here.  It’s been almost a week since we had contact with the outside world except for Sirius-XM in the truck when we ride around.  That’s why you are getting this post so late.  I fake it though.  I can tell it the published date I want it to.  I am using the date I’m writing about even though it’s three or four days late.