Time: 3:30PM – 5:30PM

Location: Between Buford and Trappers Lake

North Fork of the White River 10/06/2024 Photo Album

Jane, Amy, Chara and I booked three nights at the Ute Lodge from October 5 through October 8. This has become an annual event, and we celebrate Amy’s birthday early during this couple of days. Unlike my earlier trip in September, this visit to the Flattops was devoted mainly to hiking. On Sunday morning we completed a 6.0 mile hike along Marvine Creek and then followed a spur to Muskrat Lake and back. The scenery was stunning, and the weather was perfect, but I felt a strong urge to cast some flies on Marvine Creek. My fly rod remained in the car that was parked at the trailhead, and this restrained my addiction. When we arrived at Muskrat Lake, Chara, Amy’s St. Bernard,  found a mud hole and rolled in it, until she was coated with black mud. Dogs do what dogs do.

Chara Coated in Mud

By the time we returned to our cabin, it was 3:00PM, and the temperature hovered around seventy degrees. I decided to pay a visit to the North Fork of the White River. Upon my arrival I grabbed my Sage One five weight, and I followed a worn path to the river. I fished a size 8 amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl trailing a 20 incher and a salvation nymph.

First and Best

Source of First and Best

Over the next two hours I fly fished the North Fork, and I landed three very nice rainbow trout along with a massive whitefish. The first rainbow was the best, and it grabbed the 20 incher. I was surprised to see a fat fifteen inch trout putting a severe sag in my net. Rainbow number two rose and slurped the chubby in a narrow band of slow moving water between the bank and the fast current. The third rainbow snatched the salvation in a nice run with moderate depth and current.

A Second Nice Rainbow

The whitefish nabbed the 20 incher in a deep trough next to a deadfall tree. At first I thought I hooked a massive rainbow, but it moved downstream and then resisted with short bursts, as I dragged it back against the current. The salvation snapped off in the heat of the battle, and I replaced it with a pale morning dun supernova.

Heavy Whitefish

After landing the whitefish, I continued up the river for a short distance, but I then glanced at my watch and decided to call it a day. This section of the North Fork featured a significant amount of wide, shallow riffles and braids lacking fish holding locations. I waded quite a distance, as I concentrated on spots that displayed the proper depth and current velocity for trout. Three fish in two hours represented a below average catch rate, however, the results surpassed my expectations for a bonus window of fishing in the Flattops. When I returned to the cabin, Chara was relaxing in a vastly improved state of cleanliness.

Fish Landed: 3