So you think you want to go out west.

 Dennis - Sorry, missed your question about trips out west.  Haven't taken one the past three years, Covid-19, too many boats on the rivers, a fish population crash and old age being the primary reasons.  For over twenty years it was a no brainer, go to the Missouri at Craig Mt.  Dozens of Delaware fishermen still go there. At one time we counted over 30 Delaware River fishermen eating dinner at Issacs's. Have heard there are more boats than ever and with low water the dry fly fishing is very tough this year. 

For several years I enjoyed boat free fishing for big browns on the Owyhee in eastern Oregon but the river was filled with very old browns and there has been a steep decline in the population. Have talked yearly with the fish biologist there and the river may well be on the way back. May go next year. 

Took a trip with another Troutfitter to the San Juan in October (missed a week of bow hunting) and had very good fishing for big fish on midges and small olives. Needed to go very small before we got into fish but I think we were the only two people fishing dries (part of the river is boat free).

Without looking at a map I'm not sure which streams are in which states but there are lots of blue ribbon streams with good fish populations in all the northwestern states.  On most of the rivers bug season is short, the boats plentiful and the fishing degree of difficulty is not much different than the Delaware.

If you go, you need to do your homework, find out when prime time is on the rivers you are interested in or you'll end up bobber fishing, and secure both lodging and a car ahead of time.    

The leader changing depends on how much I screw it up. Start by adding 6x to the leaders 5x.  When the 5x is getting used up I add some of my own, it's when I need to add four, five and six that things go awry and I need to change leaders.

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