Time: 4:00PM – 5:30PM

Location: Between Buford and Trappers Lake

North Fork of the White River 10/08/2026 Photo Album

Jane, Amy and I completed a never before done hike on Thursday on the Wall Lake Trail. We did not hike to Wall Lake, but we did reach a no name lake at the junction of the Wall Lake Trail and Oyster Lake Trail. By the time we returned to our Cedar Cabin at Ute Lodge it was 3:00PM, and I quickly devoured some snacks and headed out for a short stint on the North Fork of the White River.

I rigged my Sage One five weight and followed a short path to the edge of the river. The North Fork was flowing at decent levels as a result of a series of rain storms in September and October.

Nice Start

I began with a tan chubby Chernobyl trailing a 20 incher, and I persisted with these flies for thirty minutes, before I added an olive perdigon. Toward the end of my time on the river I exchanged the olive perdigon for a salvation nymph.

Product of Riffles

During my 1.5 hours on the North Fork I landed five rainbow trout. The best was a solid fourteen inch fish, and it was joined by a pair of nice twelve inchers. The other two that visited my net were on the small side.

Half In, Half Out

The section of the river that I fished contained a large amount of wide and shallow riffles and areas, where the river split into two braids. For the most part I skipped around these sections. I was very selective and focused my efforts on places with depth and slower, but not too slow, currents.

Narrow Band Along the Rocks Delivered

By 5:30PM I decided I needed to begin my return hike to the car, but the exit proved to be quite an adventure. The river bank was lined with thick, woody bushes; and at first I attempted to blast my way through, but my rod and line were continually grabbed by the stiff branches. I was totally thwarted, when the salvation nymph that was hooked to my rod guide snapped off, and I saw no opening to proceed. I retreated to the edge of the river and moved upstream, but I fell into the same trap a second time. In this instance I followed some beaver paths and trenches, but they ultimately ended in a thick grove of the menacing bushes, and I once again retreated to the river’s edge. Finally I arrived at a large bend in the river, and I mounted a steep bank. Here I encountered a relatively open area with some evergreens, and I was able to weave through the trees to a pullout and eventually the road. When I returned to the cabin, I discovered that my Loon floatant was missing, as it apparently was torn off my frontpack during the melee with the branches.

Five fish in 1.5 hours was a decent outing. Three rainbows over twelve inches was respectable. Hopefully I will be able to sneak in a few more hours on this Flattops trip.

Fish Landed: 5