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Uinta Mountains — Fishing the Brown Buck Basin |
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By Sam Webb There was a large snow drift on the shaded side of the pines but I was warmed by the heat of the campfire. A full moon brightened the twilight as it rose over the distant ridge. Dinner was over, the chores were done and it was time to do some serious staring at the orange and yellow flames dancing above the aspen logs — a time to relax and reflect. It had been quite a day. After a hardy bacon and egg breakfast at the Moon Lake Lodge we had loaded our gear into the back of Ed Clark's pickup and headed for the trail head. You see, we were about to ride into the High Uinta Primitive Area (to the Kidney Lake area) for some serious relaxation and enjoyment. And, when I say enjoyment, I mean fishing. Gary Stringham was waiting at the trail head with the horses — riding and pack. About a half an hour later our gear was carefully stowed and we climbed aboard. At first we wound our way through a stand of lodgepole pine so thick that they blocked the sun, leaving the forest floor completely devoid of plant life. As we climbed, the forest began to open up and soon we were towered over by giant quaking aspen and magnificant ponderosa — obviously the NBA all-stars of the forest. As we rode I heard stories of lost treasure, hidden gold mines, Spanish cannons and Indian slaves. According to the stories, many a man with the gleam of gold in his eye and a heart set on riches had wandered these rugged mountains in search of untold wealth. Some say that the old Indians know where the mines are. Others say that the Indians have sworn to protect the treasure, even with their own lives — or so the stories go. Soon I found myself carefully examining each outcrop of rock we passed for color or the glint of gold. Sadly, the only sparkle that caught my eye came from the quartz sand grains tightly cemented into the ancient rock. Gradually my eyes began to wander back to the forest, the postcard-like ponds and the sparkling streams — the true treasure of this primitive wilderness. About an hour or so up the trail I noticed that my knees were beginning to ache. I hadn't ridden a horse in a couple of years and it began to show. I was more than glad when Stringham stopped the pack train and informed us that it was time to take a break. A small spring bubbled out of the mountain where he had chosen to stop. Someone had placed a pipe near its mouth and created a natural fountain of crystal clear spring water. After a good drink and a few minutes to walk around and stretch my knees I was ready to get on up the trail. The horses were extremely well trained and had obviously spent many hours on trails similar to the one we traversed. They were sure footed and confident in their surroundings. They even stepped easily over large logs that had fallen across the trail during the previous winter. Stringham told me that before a horse can join the string it has to be thoroughly trained and proven. The horses are purchased when they are three or four years old, are trained for the next six or seven years, and only then qualify for the pack trips. The average horse is about 10 years old when it joins the string. It will work for another eight to 10 years and then 'retire' when it is about 20. A few horses will work even longer if they are still willing and have the stamina. It quickly became evident that Stringham knew his stuff when it came to horses. We didn't have any horse trouble. Just as a side line: Stringham has just about the perfect job. He teaches high school in the winter (and raises race horses on the side) but, during the summer he is the wrangler for the Moon Lake Lodge and packs visitors into the primitive area. He runs two types of pack trips. The most common is the drop and retrieve trip. Stringham will pack a party in to a lake and drop them and their gear off. On a pre-set day (generally between three and seven days later) he goes back and gets them. It is a mighty easy way to get yourself and your gear into and out of the back country. The second type of trip, and the one I thought was the best, was catered. On these trips Stringham not only packs in all the gear but he supplies just about everything you need for the trip. Then he stays with you, does the cooking and camp tending. He does an the chores and will even give you some fishing lessons if you desire. One of the reasons I like this type of trip is because Stringham is a master with the dutch oven. After a dinner of New York steak, dutch oven potatos and corn on the cob, you will never want to do your own cooking again. I won't mention breakfast — I'll let him surprize you. Soon the small-talk around the fire became more and more infrequent and I began to realize just how tired I was. Tomorrow I would get real serious about the fishing but now it was time for bed. I have to admit, I didn't get up real early but the fish didn't seem to mind. The first thing I did was roll over some rocks near the water's edge to see what kinds of aquatic insects were in the lake. Not many insects at all. Kidney was a very sterile lake. I did find a few 'rock rollers' (cased caddis) so I decided to tie on a caddis emerger and fish it just below the surface. In no time I was getting strikes. The sad part was, I kept missing them. I really needed a strike indicator. The other members of the party were using spinners and were really catching a lot of fish. Mepp spinners worked well but a Panter Martin with a yellow/orange body and a black tail was by far the best producer. The wind really came up and made casting a fly almost impossible so I switched to my spinning rod. I slipped a bubble over the fine, pinched on a BB size sinker about five feet from the end of the line (to keep the bubble from slipping down to the fly) and then tied on a renegade pattern. I picked up a few fish but the spin fishermen were still doing better. That evening the fly fishing really picked up. By casting to feeding fish I could get a strike on almost every cast. The fish were cruising the shoreline and in the clear water I could see them coming. All I had to do was drop my fly a couple of feet in front of the cutthroat and watch it come up for dinner. The tough part was waiting. I aways wanted to set the hook before the fish actually had it in its mouth. It was a lot of fun. The next day we hiked around Kidney and followed a small stream toward Lilly Pad Lake (see map). The stream inlet was full of fish so we stopped and caught several. Again the spin fishermen did the best. As we walked up the stream, hundreds of fish raced ahead of us. I couldn't believe that so many fish could be in such a small water. The stream couldn't have been more than four or five feet across at its widest. The fish (almost all cutthroat) were preparing to spawn and to protect the spawning fish the DWR has closed all the streams in the Brown Duck Basin to fishing from January 1 until July 14. There wasn't any reason to fish the stream anyway. The lakes offered all the fish we wanted to catch. Lily Pad is a beautiful lake with a beaver lodge and lots and lots of lily pads. It was also full of cutthroat. Just for a look-see we hiked around Lily Pad and on up the stream to Tworoose Lake. Again the inlets and outlet provided the most action and again the fish were all cutthroat. The spin fishermen caught a fish on almost every cast. We kept just enough fish for breakfast and what a breakfast it turned out to be. Those golden-brown trout with bright pink meat were absolutely delicious. The finest restaurant couldn't have made trout taste any better. Other than the food and the fishing, I think the thing that impressed me the most about the trip was the ever changing beauty of the area. The rugged, wall-like cliffs, the deep-blue lakes with the white sand beaches, the thunder storrns rolling across the distant peaks, the picture postcard meadows surrounded by towering pines, the brilliant colors of the sunrise and sunset, the full moon reflecting off the lake and the flash of a cutthroat rising to a fly are scenes that I will not soon forget. July and August are ideal times to head into the high country to escape the heat down in the valleys. The days will be warm, the evenings cool and the fishing will be great. Go prepared for an afternoon thundershower and have the time of your life. The Uintas can provide the perfect trip for just about everyone. There are plenty of trails to hike and over 600 lakes to fish. You can book a catered trip and let Stringham guide you into the back country. You can get a good map and set out on your own or you can just stay at the trail head and have the time of your life. The Uinta Mountains provide something for everyone. Most local fly shops can help you book a pack trip into the Uintas. The forest service puts out an excellent map called the 'High Uintas Primitive Area.' You can get a copy from your nearest Forest Service office or by writing Wasatch-Cache National Forest, 8230 Federal Building, 125 South State St., SLC, UT 84138. Call 801-524-5030 for more information. |
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