Far Gone Fishing
Stay Wild
Three Dudes, Six Wheels, and a Quiver of Fly Rods.
Story by Elle Ossello // @eossello
Photos by Mark Welsh // @markwelshphoto
Adventuring by Jonathan Jones @redbeard
Jimi Damone @jimibobi_d
Jess Mudgett @jessmudgett
Imagine your last vacation. Only nix the flight booking, tank filling, and three square meals per day. Add in a winter’s worth of hand-tied flies, extra tubes, and a whole lot of lactic acid, and you’ve got yourself a rough picture of the bikepacking/fishing adventure Jono Jones, Jimi Damone, and Jess Mudgett got themselves into during summer 2018.
By the time Jimi and Jess hit Jono’s house in Fort Collins, Colorado, their bikes had already seen some long, hard pavement miles. But, with sights set on the Sawtooths and the promise of tight mountain creeks and feisty brook trout, the three made a week-long snack of southwestern Wyoming, kissing the bottom corner of Yellowstone with pedals.
Six-packs filled their saddlebags and helped slow life’s pace once the tires finally crunched down dirt roads winding around Idaho’s most jagged and impressive range. That first night, they poured over maps, affixed lucky flies to Coal hats, unearthed Tenkara rods from gear towers, and reminisced about past hogs while watching constellations meander amongst craggy peaks. The next morning the guys housed raspberry crumble in the alpenglow before pedaling twisted dirt roads paralleling bony creeks. “There’s something about the way the fish hit hoppers in the Sawtooths,” Jimi said, “hatches, sights—it’s all about just heading north and staying upright, letting the adventure take hold and riding with it.”
The trio quickly fell into the trip’s rhythm: coffee, dawn casting, packing up camp, and mashing out some miles before a little honey hole called them off their bikes. “Days and laughter felt endless,” Jono remembers. “When the fishing was slow we had flat tires to fix, would slip into the river, or simply sit back and soak it all in while the conversation flowed.”
The miles were easier, the winding creek more familiar, and choosing spur roads felt effortless as time passed. “It was so good to slow down and focus on simple things,” said Jess. “Where we are going to eat next, what river holds trout, is that ground flat to sleep on, and where can we find cold beer.” Over the miles, they hooked plenty of trout, saw mining caves, soaked in tucked-away hot springs, and took riverside cat naps. “In the end, we got into some good fish.” Jess says, “but honestly I couldn’t stop staring up the entire trip. The mid-summer Sawtooth sky is incredible. Trips like this are important to test yourself and your friendships, not to mention getting time to stop and look around. I now have a greater appreciation for the Sawtooths and friendship with these mates.”
This story was made with our friends at Coal Headwear