Fishing the Powder River

If you have ever seen the Powder River in northwest Wyoming and southern Montana, you would not imagine there would be fish in such turbid water. And for much of its course there are only a variety of small eyed minnows and other mud loving fish. But if you follow the stream upriver past where I 90 crosses it, past the town of Kaycee, past the confluence of the Red Fork and the wall of red rock, where incidentally the hide-out known as “The Hole in the Wall” can be found, through the ranchlands and into the rugged hills of the southern Bighorn Mountains, then hike a mile or so down the cliffs, you will find a stream perfect for trout. This is the Middle Fork of the Powder River. Due to the limited access, requiring a good pair of waders and a bit of bushwhacking, this is a bit of a tricky stream. Only about 20 feet wide, it has ample ripples, deep holes and fine habitat for trout.

I arrived in late afternoon and was able to catch a few 10 inch brook trout before dark clouds began to form from the west. I decided to hike out before rain made the path a muddy mess. When I did get to the top of the canyon rim, I saw that the dark cloud was merely one cloud and not an impending storm. Not wanting to hike back down the canyon, I hiked the road towards a mapped campground. My original intent had been to camp, but the road from the fishing access to the campground was much too rugged for my low-clearance Passat wagon. Despite the spectacular and dramatic location, the campground is located high on the rim and a good mile hike down to the stream and offers no protection from the weather. With the forecast storm on the way, I elected to head downstream to the town of Kaycee to camp the night.
In Kaycee, I got to talking to the locals about fishing, they agreed, it was a fine trout stream, but said most of the best and accessible waters run through private land. And the landowners, knowing what they have, charge fisher-people to access the waters. The going price seems to range from about $25, to over $200 per rod per day. Not being either obsessed or that desperate I choose to head north into the Bighorn National Forest for a day of free fishing after, of course, the 76 buck non-resident license fee.

Deadwood at Dawn

A town trying to be what it once was,
where houses built into hills
manage to stand despite the time and weather
and inevitable erosion.

Red brick from some valley quarry
adorn the fronts of every building,
an exchange from the gold they
harvested too many years ago.

Alone on an April Sunday morning,
Henry forgets the year.
Wearing his ragged vest and cowboy hat
he staggers from the alley where he slept.

Three long sweeping turns
up the road to Mount Moriah
where rest so many lost, forgotten
stories now forgotten histories.

One dream exchanged for another,
as many times again, again.
First dreams, last dreams,
a million in the middle.

Getting Away

April first may be a bit early for tent camping in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It all looked OK before I left Gillette, 50 degrees, partly cloudy, dry roads and only 20% chance of rain. I drove up Spearfish Creek fishing along the way, despite the beautiful and very fishy water, the fishing was slow so I decided to give the fish a break and head up to the campground. Once off the pavement the road turned to mud and then slush, then ice and snow. After weaving around fallen rocks and with a couple miles still to go, I being a prudent driver, elected to change the plan and find another campground.
The sky had clouded and a mist began when I pulled into the Whitetail campground. Being the first camper of the season, the owner helped me shovel a spot and move a table over. I headed over to Lead and fished some beaver ponds until about dark then returned to camp, had dinner, then went to bed. About midnight I woke to see a light snow falling, and when I got up at sunrise there was a half inch on the ground.
After making tea, I headed back to Spearfish Creek and fished a few ponds as it continued to snow. Without the fish biting, it was time to make the drive back, and save the fish for another day.