"North Fork, Idaho steelhead hen" by amontanaview | RedBubble

"North Fork, Idaho steelhead hen" by amontanaview | RedBubble:
Late fall is a great time to fish for Steelhead in Idaho.
A beautiful female steelhead from North Fork River in Idaho. My first steelhead photo.
Cannon EOS 7D, 1/200s, f/7.1, ISO: 200

Fly Fishing the Blackfoot River in an August Rain Storm

Nick Stipich is a talented Missoula area guide and Jack loves working with him. We all had an open day so we fished the lower Blackfoot River on Friday. Fishing with guides is the best way to really know their strengths and match them up well with clients.

Our day started out nice, but we got a big rain and wind storm about noon and had some rain, wind and clouds through out the rest of the day. We caught fish on dry flies and streamers. Our faithful companions Freda and Flicka came along. We used Nick's RO Drift boat, had plenty of room and skimmed over most of the rocks.

The slideshow below shows the trip and some of the features of the lower Blackfoot. It is beautiful!

See all the photos in a new window, click on Merle's SmugMug Blackfoot River in August

A Photo Journal of Eastern and Central Idaho

These photos were taken July 7, 2009 as we traveled through the Snake River Plain and include Gilmore, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Arco and Twin Falls, Idaho.

Excerpt from wikipedia.org: The Snake River Plain is a geologic feature located primarily within the state of Idaho in the United States of America. It stretches about 400 miles (640 km) westward from northwest of the state of Wyoming to the Idaho-Oregon border. The plain is a wide flat bow-shaped depression, and covers about a quarter of Idaho. Three major buttes dot the plain east of Arco, the largest being Big Southern Butte.

Many of Idaho's major cities are in the Snake River Plain as is much of its agricultural land. Also located within Snake River Plain is the Idaho National Laboratory.


Click Merle's SmugMug Idaho Roadtrip Album to see all the photos in a new window.

Sierra Footsteps of the Me-Wuk Tribe - Northern California

On July 9-12 my friend, Nancy, and I participated in a workshop with the Me-Wuk tribe in northern California. On my Picasa photo site are photos of workshop members making baskets, digging sticks, acorn processing, soaproot brush making and more.

On the last morning of the workshop, Gladys McKinney, Jennifer Bates, Kimberly Stevenot, Arvada Fisher, and Kathy Wallace talked with us about customs, materials, tools, designs, processes and much more. There are a lot of photos, but these baskets, etc are the real deal. So, enjoy!

Click here to see Merle's SmugMug photo site for the Me-Wuk Footsteps in the Sierra's

North Fork of the Stanislaus River in northern CA

My friend Nancy and I traveled from the Bitterroot Valley to the Stanislaus National Forest for a workshop in northern California Native American Arts, Crafts, and Plant Use. I haven't posted for a few weeks because of the trip and the work load when I returned. This post, and many more will show photos of the trip through Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and California, and the workshop itself. To see photos as I post them online, click this link for Merle's Picasa Photo Site.


These photos were taken just after dawn - about 6:20 am - at the Wa Ka Luu Hep Yoo (Wild River) Campground, California.

• 3900 foot elevation.


• 49 campsites near the North Fork of the Stanislaus River.


• Good fishing for wild brown and rainbow trout. Late season deer hunting. Nearby fishing, picnic/day use area, river shore trails, and whitewater boating launch.


• Campground is located on the site of an ancient Me-Wuk Indian village, within the Sourgrass Recreation Complex.


• Significant Native American artifacts such as grinding stones and middens have been preserved.


• Location: From Altaville, go northeast on CA 4 to Dorrington, then northeast on Boards Crossing Road across the river.
• Address: Calaveras Ranger DistrictStanislaus National ForestP.O. Box 500Hathaway Pines, CA 95233
• Phone: (209) 795-1381
• Season: June - October
• Fee: yes
• Reservations: NO

See my SmugMug slideshow below for more photos of the North Fork of the Stanislaus River at Dawn.