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Tiny Craig finds prosperity as outsiders chase trout
CRAIG, Mont.- The midafternoon heat is intense in this little town, and the fishing is a little slow. But Mike Bushly is still upbeat.There's air conditioning inside The Trout Shop, an emporium loaded with cool fishing stuff - flyrods, vests, waders, flies, ventilated clothing and a well-stocked deli offering drinks, sandwiches and chilled salads. Even the thick fleece-lined jackets have a perverse retail appeal.And Bushly has plenty more reasons not to sweat. The shop and the small community that surrounds it are awash in anglers ready to spend cold cash chasing big trout."This is our Christmas right now," Bushly said. .
Silver Creek rebounding from spring flood
Four months after an unusually large flood swept through Silver Creek, depositing silt in favorite fishing stretches and skewing insect hatches, most anglers say the prized trout stream near Picabo is fishing as well as ever. "There's nothing wrong here. The fishing's been good," said John McGough, of Hailey, as he changed out of his waders after a morning of fly fishing last weekend. "I'm seeing a whole lot of active, young fish, which is good news." During a warm, wet spell at the tail end of one of the snowiest winters in the last 25 years, flows on Silver Creek were measured at a swollen 460 cubic feet per second (cfs) on April 6 and 7, 2006. Average flows during spring runoff top out at about 200 cfs. When the waters opened to fishing in late May, many anglers complained that the physical structure of the creek had changed dramatically.
GIANT SEQUOIAS, NO CROWDS
The groves of massive giant sequoias and nearby array of towering granite pinnacles make Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park one of the world's greatest showpieces. Yet, because of the long, circuitous route to get there for almost everybody, it gets a fraction of the visitors who go to Yosemite. Once school starts, and in turn, the fall season in September and October, the numbers drop yet further. I've seen fall mornings there where I even had the Grant Grove all to myself for the half-mile loop walk, and later, the Kings River was like my personal fly-fishing stream. Here are the best of lodging, camping, driving tours, easy hikes, cave tours and fly fishing: Grant Grove: Of the several groves of giant sequoias, the Grant Grove may be the most sensational and easy to reach, with an easy half-mile loop hiking trail that meanders amid the giants.
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