This River is Wild: Yellowstone Teton Territory

A Beautiful Cutthroat From the Upper Teton River

One of America's most majestic views resides just outside Jackson, Wyoming in Grand Teton National Park. Towering over the serene fields, woods, lakes, and rivers are the peaks of Grand Teton, Mount Owen, Middle Teton, Mount Moran, and others. They vault directly upwards off the valley floor producing jaw dropping scenery from the surrounding countryside. This particular area has been fly fishing "meme'd" to death thanks to a variety of accounts making fun of Mark Melnyk's repeated use of the phrase, "Yellowstone Teton Territory," on his show: The New Fly Fisher. All jokes aside, the area is expansive, featuring famed waters and access to almost all trout species in the lower 48. With good reason, some of the most famous names in the fishing business call this, or have called this area, home. The wide variety of waterways to fish is astounding, it is relatively accessible, mostly on the lower end of the difficulty spectrum, and a whole lot of fun. On my end, I was simply passing through...

Having already visited the area in the past, I decided to work my way through the tourist trap that is Jackson and up over the mountain pass to new territory. Compared to the limited parking, congested traffic, and hundreds of pedestrians crossing the road, the town of Victor, Idaho was way more my speed. I easily slid the van into a Main St. parking spot and found a beautiful city park, with dense grass, and some shade to relax on. The kicker was that I had the place to myself. After Jackson and the crowded mountain pass, I took the time to stretch out and relax a little bit. As with all of my trips, I didn't have anything planned. I took the time to peruse the internet to build a game plan and find a place to sleep. It helped to pick up some ice cream from the Victor Emporium and to find a fly shop, World Anglers, only a few blocks away. Apparently the Upper Teton River offered some potential and I was able to book a shuttle for the following morning. Since it was a Friday evening, I was about to break one of my cardinal rules of the summer: don't float on the weekend.

I rolled out super early in the morning and made it to the launch as the sun rose over the Tetons. The morning chorus swelled as I geared up. The swallows zoomed in and out from under the bridge. They swooped and dived over the water, while the trout rose and ate the same spinners. With the sun rise, a solitary hot air balloon floated into view. It was a beautiful and serene morning. Then a group of about six kayakers pulled up and joined me at the launch. After all, it was a Saturday in the Yellowstone Teton Territory.

Throughout the day, the trout never stopped rising. For the uninitiated, I wasted a lot of time targeting trout rising in the middle of the river. All of which proved to be on the smaller side. It took me a little while to adjust. Anchoring near undercuts and overhanging bushes/branches was the real ticket. Larger trout were rising on these micro edges using the cover to their advantages. It was a fun game until a different type of hatch emerged. Around mid-day there was a constant stream of rubber, music, screaming children, and guides coming downriver. I anticipated this, but was still shocked at the sheer volume floating down the meandering creek. I think the only living thing more annoyed than I was, was the resident moose population. We could be having a nice photographic moment together before it'd be rudely interrupted by a whole lot of noise and commotion.

Despite this, the float was beautiful and the trout seemed to be accustomed to the rubber hatch. On one particular stretch, a flotilla of drinking tubers, with music blaring, floated directly over a pod of rising trout. I counted 12 seconds before the pod started rising again. It was about 20 seconds before one of the trout ate my fly. I think this particular moment perfectly encapsulated my view of the area. If this was the Upper Delaware, those trout would be down for quite some time and they'd be on edge for even longer. Despite the area's attractiveness to anglers from around the world, I think I'd rather fly fish for trout anywhere in Pennsylvania. I'm sure there are plenty of waterways, like the Henry's Fork, where this isn't the case, but there is something about a wild Pennsylvania brown trout, that has standards, that I find more appealing.

That isn't a dig, just a preference...