The last road trip

krusty said:
Is the Rock Creek Lodge still open? Spent a few days there during its Testie Festie era.

Calling it a "Lodge' was quite a stretch even at its best.
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It too is temporarily closed. New Owners and renovations. Was not a good choice for eating - that is for sure...
 
iveofione said:
Just get off the road and sleep with a minimum amount of setup, we'll make a real camp when we get there.
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If you can make it to Homestake Pass just east of Butte there are several places, including the Homestake trailhead parking lot. Slept there many times. Also spots in the Warm Springs area (upper Clark Fork), although they tend to be closer to the Interstate.
 
iveofione said:
I hope you make it Peyton, it is worth the effort to still be lucid and ambulatory at 86! But starting early is a requirement, you can't limp into your 70's and expect to recover enough to be vital in your 80's. By now I have seen some great examples of people who last a long time happily but too many incidences of people coming up short by not paying attention early on. And right now I know a lot of people in their late 60's to mid 70's who all seem to have one thing in common: They drink too much. It is almost a guarantee that if they reach their 80's they will be mumbling and stumbling by that time and fighting a perpetual hangover daze. Sadly I saw way too much of that again last month with seemingly intelligent people getting shit faced and making asses of themselves.

Next to alcohol the next thing that seems to retard longevity is probably overweight. The weight thing is just backwards-when you are young and strong you can manage some extra weight but most get heavy as they age when bones and muscle are weaker and less able to carry the extra load. Obesity is a huge quality of life inhibitor.

I had great examples in my life of what to do and what not to do. In my mom's family everyone lived into their late 80's and late 90's and were enjoyable to be around. My dad's family was the opposite with few even making it to the 70's. My dad was gone at 68 after a 1 year retirement while I have been retired for 24 years, easily the best years of my life. No one in my mom's family ever smoked, everyone in my dad's family did and the same with drinking. My dad's parents were well to do but I hated staying there as they were gloomy dour people that complained a lot despite having a lot. On the other hand my mom's parents were poor dirt farmers that had very little but were happy, ebullient and great fun to be with, my grandpa having got me addicted to fishing in 1946. Thankfully I took after my mom's side of the family...
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Don’t forget to skateboard well into your 60s either. Enjoy the music too…rock n roll keeps ya young.🤘🏼😁🤘🏼
 
I spent some time fishing Henry's Lake in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. We usually stayed at Stale’s Springs, which was the only CG on the lake at that time. Now there is a county boat launch/campground which is closer to the good fishing.

The Bill Scheiss book is critical to understanding the fishery. There are 22 springs on the bottom of the lake and as I recall, that’s where most of the good fishing is. The book has a map, but you’ll see the clusters of fishermen. The important trout are Cuttbow hybrids which can grow quite large. I was always there in June fishing with buggers and my understanding at the time was limited. I was hoping for a damsel hatch but never finding one. Fall is better for the big Brook trout and there were some dandies.
 
Cowlitz Bottomfeeder said:
I spent some time fishing Henry's Lake in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. We usually stayed at Stale’s Springs, which was the only CG on the lake at that time. Now there is a county boat launch/campground which is closer to the good fishing.

The Bill Scheiss book is critical to understanding the fishery. There are 22 springs on the bottom of the lake and as I recall, that’s where most of the good fishing is. The book has a map, but you’ll see the clusters of fishermen. The important trout are Cuttbow hybrids which can grow quite large. I was always there in June fishing with buggers and my understanding at the time was limited. I was hoping for a damsel hatch but never finding one. Fall is better for the big Brook trout and there were some dandies.
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The RV park you are talking about now is called Fromes , west side of Henry’s . $15 per night , no hookups . Yes the hybrids do get pretty good sized . Here’s one that I caught a couple years ago .IMG_2555.jpeg
 
 
iveofione said:
Another question: We will be driving from Spokane, a distance of about 460 miles and over 7 hours. I won't do that in one day and will need to overnite somewhere between Missoula and Deer Lodge along I-90. Any favorite spots to camp overnite and hopefully be fresh the next day? Having been retired for 24 years now I know better than to hurry....
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Instead of l-90 from Missoula take hwy 93 south through the Bitterroot to the Big Hole Valley. Good camping near Jackson. Then Dillon to Ennis. If you've never been that way, the beautiful scenery is worth it..
 
Best of luck on your road trip…I love road trips and hope to do them for 20 more years as I approach your age…you’re an inspiration
 
Wetswinger said:
Instead of l-90 from Missoula take hwy 93 south through the Bitterroot to the Big Hole Valley. Good camping near Jackson. Then Dillon to Ennis. If you've never been that way, the beautiful scenery is worth it..
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I have driven much of that route and agree that it is certainly more inspiring than I-90!
 
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but "WIND" is something to keep in mind when fishing Henry's lake. As I recall there is an evening curfew when everyone must be off the lake. It's a big body of water that can get ugly in a short period of time!
 
Flymph said:
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but "WIND" is something to keep in mind when fishing Henry's lake. As I recall there is an evening curfew when everyone must be off the lake. It's a big body of water that can get ugly in a short period of time!
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Yes ,the wind . comes up pretty fast . The lakes shallow ,and gets rolling pretty good . If I remember the curfew it's like half hour after sundown ,but I haven't read the regs lately . Normally I fish earlier in the day ,off around 2 pm . Depending on the wind .
 
iveofione said:
I hope you make it Peyton, it is worth the effort to still be lucid and ambulatory at 86! But starting early is a requirement, you can't limp into your 70's and expect to recover enough to be vital in your 80's. By now I have seen some great examples of people who last a long time happily but too many incidences of people coming up short by not paying attention early on. And right now I know a lot of people in their late 60's to mid 70's who all seem to have one thing in common: They drink too much. It is almost a guarantee that if they reach their 80's they will be mumbling and stumbling by that time and fighting a perpetual hangover daze. Sadly I saw way too much of that again last month with seemingly intelligent people getting shit faced and making asses of themselves.

Next to alcohol the next thing that seems to retard longevity is probably overweight. The weight thing is just backwards-when you are young and strong you can manage some extra weight but most get heavy as they age when bones and muscle are weaker and less able to carry the extra load. Obesity is a huge quality of life inhibitor.

I had great examples in my life of what to do and what not to do. In my mom's family everyone lived into their late 80's and late 90's and were enjoyable to be around. My dad's family was the opposite with few even making it to the 70's. My dad was gone at 68 after a 1 year retirement while I have been retired for 24 years, easily the best years of my life. No one in my mom's family ever smoked, everyone in my dad's family did and the same with drinking. My dad's parents were well to do but I hated staying there as they were gloomy dour people that complained a lot despite having a lot. On the other hand my mom's parents were poor dirt farmers that had very little but were happy, ebullient and great fun to be with, my grandpa having got me addicted to fishing in 1946. Thankfully I took after my mom's side of the family...
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@iveofione ---> such great advice! Needs to be said over and over IMHO! (why I quoted it here)

I would like to add - mental acuity. Being around others and that interaction is so important. We all have been through a lot the last few years. Re-establishing/continuing relationships with others is very good for ones health.
 
Flymph said:
As I recall there is an evening curfew when everyone must be off the lake.
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I have fished it the last 4 years and have not heard of any curfew on the lake. We fish until dark most days.
I have a hard time believing Idaho would implement such a thing. California, Oregon and Washington yes, but not in Idaho 😂.
There might be a night fishing closure…?
 
Our trip is open ended, probably somewhat dependent on the weather. We will be in a cabin some of the time and possibly boon docking at times. We are taking food but not enough for 8-10 days, are there any real grocery stores in the area where we can buy real food? If not, how far to a market?

Also, a guide trip is on the schedule where we will most likely learn a lot about the lake and what fly patterns to use. From what I have read it seems like many of the same things we use in the big lakes over here might work over there. Are they the same over there only bigger? Leeches seem to play a bigger role than they do locally so I might have to bulk up on those. Thoughts?
 
I recommend shopping by the BEAR SANCTUARY to get some pics thru the fence. Make sure you can't see the fence in there!! Advertise pics that looks like there's bears charging you to DETER visitors.
 
iveofione said:
Our trip is open ended, probably somewhat dependent on the weather. We will be in a cabin some of the time and possibly boon docking at times. We are taking food but not enough for 8-10 days, are there any real grocery stores in the area where we can buy real food? If not, how far to a market?

Also, a guide trip is on the schedule where we will most likely learn a lot about the lake and what fly patterns to use. From what I have read it seems like many of the same things we use in the big lakes over here might work over there. Are they the same over there only bigger? Leeches seem to play a bigger role than they do locally so I might have to bulk up on those. Thoughts?
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If we are talking Henry's , yes balanced leeches , If you don't have the book written by Bill Schiess on Henry's I suggest you pick up one . My favorited fly is the purple showgirl to fish Henry's . Black always seems like a good color in the leeches , crystal buggers etc . With that all being said ,anchoring up ,and fishing chironomids has been very productive for us the last couple years . Drift Lodge Fly shop is very close to Henry's , has all the Bill Schiess fly's ,and info on Henry's .

Grocery stores ,Sam Patch Co. grocerys in Island park is a pretty good place ,less than 10 miles from Henry's . A couple fair restaurants close by in Island Park also . In Montana , Ennis also has a new very nice grocery store if that is also your destination , which is probably around 60 miles from Henry's .
 
@iveofione This was the best color combination I had luck with last year-
IMG_4203.jpeg
So take my advice and don’t plan on this color combo working this year.
I have fished Henry’s for 4 years now and have 4 full boxes of the “hot fly”, that wasn’t the “hot fly” the next year.
The above will probably make 5 full boxes of the “hot fly”, that didn’t work the next year…😁
 
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