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From Fire to Impromptu Adventure

How The Fish Creek Fire Changed My Wyoming Trip

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Buffalo grazing with the smoky Teton mountains

The day I completed my Wyoming Cutt Slam have been the major highlight of my final Summer adventure for 2024, but catching that gem Yellowstone Cutthroat was only four casts into a three day adventure with plenty of fishing to remain. After camping overnight near Dubois we would spend the day in the general area and lodge in a cabin motel one final night before making our way to the Teton/Grays River for the remainder of our trip. The morning started with a visit to the Cutthroat fly shop in Dubois and some tips for creeks in the general area. Little did we know we would be traveling in the direction of a major forest fire. 

Fire scene from the road side

As we hunted for creeks it started casually with some road side curiosities. "What about that creek there?" I said to my uncle. He would show some interest but decided to drive a little further up the highway to make sure something better wouldn't be passed up. This was a standard pattern for twenty miles or more until each roadside pull off was stationed with a mandatory "no parking due to fire ahead" sign. Eventually the ash clouds grew larger in size and we found ourselves within reaching distance of  Teton National Park. Our worries of a fire in proximity of an American treasure kept us driving forward. We temporarily stopped on the side of the road to watch a coyote sneak it's way within proximity of a tent camped in a massive flat  stationed with fifty or so tents; not a single human in sight... "Looks like the fire basecamp" my uncle tells me and we wait to see if this wild animal tried to sneak into the tent to steal some snacks stored for the poor fire fighter working his butt off up the mountain. The coyote ended up laying on it's stomach in stealth for a few minutes and we drove on without ever knowing what happened. 

Before we knew it, the fire was miles behind us and we had passed two separate base camps for the fire. Teton National Park was just a few minutes ahead and we decided while we were there, we might as well fish the Snake River. We spent a few hours fishing in a massive section with occasional rafts and kayakers floating down. The water was crystal clear and we could see plenty of fish hugging the bottom. Armed with a 5wt I threw everything I could at them and sadly I got skunked, but my uncle managed a couple of cool fish including a unique sucker that took up on his nymph. I was marveled by the sheer size of this river and how much water was flowing at all times. It puts our Utah rivers to shame in volume. Each hour that went by, I would point at the direction of the smoke to my uncle and he seemed unphased likely due to the beauty that was immediately around us. 

Fish Creek Fire from the Snake River

By the mid-afternoon, we knew we had a reservation to check in back in Dubois so we hit the road and worked our way back towards the fire. I watched in awe and fear as the fire grew in the distance while a herd of bison grazed before us. We estimated two hundred buffalo scattered around the fields. After enjoying the bison for a few minutes, we worked our way back to Dubois and that's when things turned. It started with a few digital construction signs stating to turn around immediately but we kept seeing cars disregard; so playing follow the leader, we drove another ten miles before a ranger was parked in the middle of the highway. We pulled up to him and he stated "sorry guys but I need you to turn around and head back to Teton". We explained to him we needed to be Dubois and check into our hotel and he responded with empathy "the best way to get to Dubois is to go around through Farson. This was going to be a 6 hour detour. 

Buffalo grazing with the fire burning

Franticly, I called the company that we booked our motel through with one bar of cell service. I explained to them the situation developing and we were already two hours after check in time by this point. The customer service agent put me on hold to call the hotel in Dubois who promptly informed them I was correct and the roads nearby were shutdown for the fire crews. Fortunately I was able to get a full refund given the unique circumstance and suddenly we were without a place to stay for the night. My uncle feeling optimistic just says "well why don't we just stay an extra night at the Grays?". I couldn't think of a better alternative pending the Jackson area and those hotels were going to be 3-4x the price for an impromptu overnighter. 

Fish Creek Fire

As if a second adventure were about to unfold, we managed to find a place to camp just off the Grays, fish a second section of the Snake River just North of Alpine Wyoming, and fish the lower tail of the Grays River before the light was gone. The only fish caught were from my uncle on the Grays river. They were very small Snake River cutthroat coming shy of 10" and eating size 20 Griffiths gnats. The only strike I had all day was a bump in a really fishy pool in the lower Grays River before calling it a night. I was admittedly a little bummed out that I had such a great day prior catching Yellowstone Cutthroat on the Wind River only to spend a day grinding away with catching nothing. No matter, we had a fun night by the camp fire, shared laughs about how the day went, and I went to sleep humbled that I still accomplished my main mission; to complete the Wyoming Cutt Slam. We were truly just barely scraping the surface of our Grays River experience and that my friends is a story for a different day.

Grays River from our camp

The Fish Creek Fire was started by lightning which began on August 16th 2024. We were in the area September 2nd. The fire burned heavy timber and litter in the remote area of the Fish Creek drainage. The fire at the end of September was burning at 25,069 acres and eventually merged with the Pack Trail Fire which was burning at 9,000 acres at the time. The fire was visible from Grand Teton, the Continental Divide Trail, Moran, Dubois, Jackson, and Pinedale. 

Fire map from the Fish Creek Fire

  

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