Hello from Mammoth Hot Springs
After spending three days together in the front country we are all now getting ready to pack up and head into our final backcountry site, the Bechler River. It will be hard for this group to leave Mammoth though.
Where the Boiling River (aptly named for its near boiling hot water) meets the cold Gardner River is a perfect place to soak after a long day of fishing." />
With he recent rain in the area the Gardner river has gotten some much needed cool water and snapped back to life after a couple weeks of slow fishing, and just in time for our time on it. The members of the group that have been fishing hard on the Gardner have been pulling out 20+ inch brown trout on a relatively regular basis. Others have been taking full advantage of the natural hot springs that are within walking distance of the camp, and got their fishing in during a day trip into Greeb Lake, where we all caught several of the rare native Arctic Grayling. At night we fell asleep outside to dozens of shooting stars thanks to the perseid meteor shower, and in the mornings we woke up to the heard of Elk that call mammoth home for much of the summer. I am pretty sure I can speak for everyone when I say, I can’t believe it is already time for our final backcountry.
Getting ready to make the 3 mile day hike into Greeb Lake in search of some native Grayling." />
With this all said, the fishing on the Bechler river should prove to be just as good or better than what we have had over the past few days on the Gardner. Holding the biggest fish in the park, Bechler serves as a great last backcountry as it gives our anglers the opportunity to go after huge fish and test all their new skills on the usually challenging, but rewarding, stream. After two nights in the backcountry we will hike back out to Idaho and spend a day fishing the rivers near Driggs.
Finally after this we will begin the last section of our trip that involves a float of the world famous South Fork of the Snake River, a day of service work, white water rafting on the Snake River near Jackson, and a well deserved banquet dinner. It is safe to say the remainder of our trip is going to fly by. Check back on the 16th to see how we do on the Bechler River.
Best,
Will and Crew.
