Well, I can cross the Wyoming Cutt Slam off my “to do”
list. The official certificate of completion arrived in the mail
earlier this week documenting Jamie and my achievement. It
may be the only certificate I’ve ever gotten kind of excited
about.

For those that don’t know, the Wyoming Cutt Slam is a
challenge put forth by the WY Game and Fish in
which anglers are challenged to catch (and document) the four
Wyoming native cutthroat trout species. Each species resides
in its own specific region/drainage, making it a really fun fly
fishing adventure!

Jamie and I, along with Sage, began our Cutt Slam quest
back in 2012, journeying to the Tri- Basin divide area to camp
and fish. Our first stop was a small stream that had an
abundant population of Bonneville Cuttroat Trout. While I had
caught the Bonneville before, both in the Bear River in
Evanston, and also fishing this same water, I hadn’t
documented it, so it never happened. It didn’t take Jamie and I
long to both catch and photograph our first fish of the Slam.

Jamie showing off a beautiful gem of a trout; the
Bonneville

An architypal Wyoming high country trout stream.

On to find a Colorado…. This didn’t happen despite some
fairly serious fishing. You can read more about it here. Fast forward to early last summer
(2013). We had two free days together and a desire to get out
of town, camp and shake off the Colorado Cutthroat slump. Off
we drove again, me, my lady and a fourteen year old
Labrador. We fished some new water, exploring numerous dirt
forest roads and eventually finding our prize.

The elusive Colorado Cutthroat; once plentiful in the
Green River drainage

Fishing alongside some western history. Wonder if
the pioneers did any fishing along the way?

Sage and I are on a mission…

With time ticking, off we spend to a place where
Yellowstone Cutthroat are plentiful. Here we found some willing
participants, documented the catches and headed back to hot
Jackson.

A beautiful Yellowstone Cutt fell for a well presented
peacock soft-hackle fly.

The Snake River Finespotted cutthroat is what we catch
while fishing around home here in Jackson. Even though we
had tons of Fine Spotted pictures already, we decided to make
things official. We’d go out and hunt a few local fish. This
proved to be easy, with Jamie and I catching numerous fish
over the course of the past summer and fall.

Finally (with some prodding from the lady) I got around to
sending in our completed cuttslam forms this December. I
requested that Sage be listed on my certificate since she was
along for all the fish we caught, not to mention the thousands
of others during her life. Our certificates are a cool reminder of
the great times we had fishing our Wyoming waters for native
cutthroat trout. If you ever get the chance, take on the Cutt
Slam challenge too!

 

 

 

Sage (1998-2014)

I’m sad to report that Sage, my constant K9 companion
passed on last Friday. Many of you came to know Sage over the
years, and while she didn’t join me on every guided trip, she did
tag along a lot when folks invited her. She was happy helping
guests, from friends to celebrities, find trout to cast to. Over the
years, she spent more time on cold trout waters than most
humans. In addition to Wyoming waters, Sage fished with us in
ID, MT, UT and CO. She also cruised the country, coming face to
face with alligators in Florida, buffalo and moose in Wyoming
and sea lions in California. Despite turning 15 this past
September, Sage continued to fish with Jamie and I through the
fall and demanded daily walks until the end. In the end, she
lived 15 years 4 months, a hell of a feat for any dog. Things are
lonely round here at the Bennett/ Teton Fly Fishing household.

I spent Christmas eve casting nymphs to trout here in
Jackson Hole. The sun was shinning and temperatures were
near 30F, making for a few good hours of fishing. Given the
last minute nature of the outing, I didn’t venture too far from
the car. A little wading through both snow and water, and I
found a nice long riffle to cast into. My size 20 red midge
nymph was a proven winner, and when it was all said and
done, I caught some fish and made it home in time to have
dinner and brace for Christmas.

It’s always nice to see one of these beauties on a
cold day….

Can’t go wrong with a Winston 5wt. Most of the time
I fished two nymphs on a tight line. I did use an indicator
though for a bit, but found tight-lining to be the ticket.

A view up river….

After a few casts, ice would build up on the guides
requiring some chipping…

Us folks in Wyoming have been dealing with some cold
temperatures lately. Currently at Teton Fly Fishing world
headquarters this morning it’s -10. That’s nothing compared to
other places around the state. Canyon Village in Yellowstone
reported -36 the other day. Below zero makes outdoor
activities tough, if not impossible. That said, I do know some
folks who have been out Elk hunting; these are tough men, not
to be messed with.

I recently spent some time at our cabin in Dubois. Every
year about this time we get the water shut off, ensuring pipes
don’t freeze during the times we’re not there. We still get up
there quite a bit. Winter is a great time to ski on Togwotee
Pass or hike the badlands, and also can be pretty fishy, with
the Wind River taking top honors.

Lately I’ve been determined to get some art pieces
finished. Watercolors with ink and trout painted in oils
consumer my winter hours. Yesterday I came near completing
a linoleum-cut for print making (see pic below). I’m hoping to
print a proof today to see how it looks. We’ll see… Hope
everyone’s staying warm and having fun gearing up for the
holidays.

I went to Southern California last week. San Diego to be
more specific. Jamie and I, determined to catch our favorite
band, Pearl Jam, flew down to escape the Jackson off season,
eat tacos, see friends and attend a 3.5 hours marathon of a
concert. While I can’t claim to completely understand what
goes on in California, I can appreciate the beautiful weather
and great vistas. I debated taking a fly rod (I hear there’s fish
to be caught in the surf) but thought it best to focus on other
things… Highlights of the trip included seeing some great
friends, a beach fire, the PJ show and a trip to some cliffs and
tide pools.

Hello friend. A barnicle that had hitched a ride on a big
piece of kelp. The ocean, with all it’s creatures can keep a man
busy for quite some time.

Caution: Mountain fishing guide loose on the boardwalk.
Shortly after this was taken, I got myself a shaved ice and
kicked back, taking in Pacific Beach.

Jamie and I enjoyed morning strolls on the beach

Celebrating my lady’s birthday with a bonfire on the
beach..