Lost Keys, Big Browns & Broken Rods
They say lucky are those who are curious for they will have adventures. I would say that is exactly how the Owyhee river was discovered. Most people who travel the roads with my sister and I share in a curiousness about the world, where does that dirt back road lead, what’s around that corner?
The Owhyee river first hit our radar when our friend Terry discovered it during one of her NRHA horse shows in Nampa Idaho in 2021. that’s how it all started to become a tradition, she invited me to be her co-pilot in the fall of 2021 horse show trip to tag along and fish with her, I will be forever grateful for that trip it was fun meshing of the horse world with fly fishing , I made a few new friends reconnected with an old friend and had a fish story that I will forever hold in my mind.
We drove from Lodi California to Nampa Idaho which took roughly 10 hours, and I must say about half of the scenery traveling thru Nevada can be non discreet landscape, so we listened to the Orvis Podcast, to say we are a little addicted to fly fishing may be an understatment, by late afternoon we met up with the horse trainers caravan and unloaded Terrys horse Luke into the corrals.
The next morning started early with Terry getting her barn rides out of the way allowing the rest of the day to be filled with fishing adventure, She was excited to show me the river she had discovered in the spring which she had boasted about all summer “ wild brown trout a plenty surrounded by the red canyon walls sprinkled with green high desert shrubs.” As we drove thru miles of twisted roads traveling thru what seemed like endless hop fields and farms, passing by a few small towns consisting of one or two buildings, most often a bar and a gas station eventually we arrive at what I would say was like a canyon wall opening up like a door, the fall colors, bright yellows and oranges splashed over the red canyon walls it was breathtaking just like Terry had described, as we travel along the river passing anear by hot spring we make a note to ourselves to pack swim suits for the next day fishing, we pass thru a tunnel in the canyon wall and head upstream picking our spot and start catching fish straight away, we fish until nearly dark and head back for the night. The next morning Terry has a full day at the horse show, and being the good friend she is says take the car and go fishing, see you back at the house, I jump at the chance to hit the river and say ok , I probably will only be a few hours, I load up my stuff head to the river.
On this particular day I had found myself standing alone in the crystal clear waters of the Magical Owyhee River, I call it magical because the river itself is surrounded by Red cliffs with tree brush highlighting its hills and the river itself is crystal clear with beautiful brown trout jetting in and out of the banks of the river, by all fly fishing standards that is magical.
I spent the morning casting my dry flies into some of the best waters I had seen all week and was not disappointed with the fact I was catching some of the best colored browns I had seen all season.
By afternoon I decided to take a break and enjoy lunch on the bank, I crack open a beer as the sun warms my face, I watched the brown trout slowly emerge and sip the bugs off the water surface taking in the surrounding sneery. The romantic smells of nature, water trickling over the rocks putting my soul at peace, all the clutter from life seemed to disappear. I was refresh and ready to get back on the water again and see what beautiful browns I might land this time.
I walked along the bank for awhile until I spotted the perfect run and decided to throw on a Price Adams, I casted a few times and nothing, the wind caught my line, and I thought to myself well that wasn’t a great cast, I laughed to myself, time for another but this time it was a beautiful cast I watch my dry fly land softly on the waters surface and as it spun and drifted, I thought to myself, there you go girl that was nice. As I watched my fly float across the ripples out of nowhere a strike and it was fast and hard and that meant I needed to react quickly, I lifted my rod and I set it perfectly and the fight was on, I knew this was going to be a big brown and all I could think was tighltines tight lines., the fish starts to run downriver, I start to follow in down river in hopes doesn’t break off, as it jets back and forth pulling my line to the limit, I am wading in water over the slippery moss covered rocks I am trying to keep a steady footing, but my adrenaline is pumping and I am focused on keeping him on my line. He darts under the embankment and I find myself slipping on the uneven slippery rocks and landing smack on my knee my rod tip swings forward into the brush, just then the fish jets back out and I Instictvaely pull straight up on my rod to keep the line tight and that is when I heard the crack and I see the tip of my rod break straight in half , I say out loud F…. the fish is still on so I decided to continue to play him in and I start back at the battle as the fish darts down the river and I am doing my best to keep the line tight I finally get him worn down and I am somehow able to get him to the banks, I am so excited and stand in disbelieve that I had actually landed him on a broken rod, I say out loud Holy shit he is huge, at least 30” biggest pumpkin color brown I had even seen, hand shaking heart beating I remove the fly from his mouth and reach into my wader pocket for my phone, in that instant he flip flops out of the net and was gone down river. There is sat in disbelief and no photo ugh no one is going to believe me… As I sat in the water, my disappointment turned to “ what an experience I had just experienced, the picture didn’t matter, its a memory and one I will carry the rest of my life. My mind is a camera and my voice is what I will tell the experience of my day on the Owhyee.
