Browns on the Snake

I guided a single rookie angler today on the Snake from South Park to Pritchard just south of Jackson. The dry fly fishing was great all day, with lots of fish ranging from 8" up to about 15". Large attractors worked well on the banks and in the riffles. The main draw on the Snake River is the chance to catch one of the strongest strains of native fish left in the west, the Snake River Finespotted Cutthroat Trout. Once in awhile, however, we stumble across a German Brown in the river, whose population numbers less than 10% in the upper Snake. Here is Eric Olsen with one of the first fish he ever caught on a fly...a fine 20" male brown taken on an Amy's Ant. When we do see browns in the Snake, they are often much smaller than this one...this was a real treat. Enjoy the photo of Eric and myself each holding his fish. Nice fish!