We were able spend a day and night at one of our favorite places, Bailey Creek Lodge. The meals were outstanding again and the fishing was excellent. The boys invited their friend Carson and Emma invited Brooke. Victor and Judy also joined us again for some great food and times.
The late winter rains really hit us hard up here. The river was about to crest in Hamilton City and for those of you that have seen Irvine Finch launch ramp under normal conditions, this is how it looked at near flood stage.
Our backyard seemed like it was going to have no issues but as you can see the rains kept coming and the water level kept rising. The metal shop was surveyed and engineered to be built at the 100 year flood elevation. The water did not get inside the shop but if it continued to rain for a couple more days, it might have.
Got to spend a day at Lewiston with Benson so we could try out a new casting platform I had built. For sight fishing it’s wonderful to spot fish from that height. But for casting to spooky fish from that height was not good. Tougher to get the 20 ft. leader to turn over correctly from that casting angle. If the cast was too flat, the leader/fly would flutter down and not be straight. If cast at a steeper angle the fly would hit the water more abruptly. It was difficult to find that sweet spot. Then add a little breeze and the 20 ft leader is toast.
