I am continually surprised that each river and each guide I meet continue to match up to previous weeks’ experiences. I couldn’t imagine anything better than a float down the Black Canyon with guides that cook you steak at night and blueberry pancakes for breakfast. And yet, the South Fork of the Snake most certainly matched up to the Black Canyon.
The South Fork of the Snake was an absolutely beautiful, expansive river with lots of fish. In addition, I fished with my younger son, Mike, who caught a dozen or so fish on his first day fly-fishing. It’s hard to convince adult sons to try out a sport that their mom, 30 years their senior, is passionate about. Mike took the leap, loved the day, and although I wouldn’t say he was hooked, he certainly better understood the complexity of the sport, the thrill of the catch, and the zen-like aspect.
This float I took the back seat in our guide, Trevor Wine’s ClackaCraft, and enjoyed a new perspective. In previous floats I have had the front seat 90% of the time. Now, I could make mistakes without anyone noticing and then work on making corrections to what I had done wrong. I used a hopper/dropper rig so enjoyed the thrill of watching fish rise to the surface to bite my fly.
Most importantly I shared in person the magic of my journey with one of my sons who had already been an avid and devoted reader of mine.
