Today Jim Klug and I fished together.  Klug and I have been friends going all the way back to the early 90’s.  I was fairly new to managing the Jack Dennis Fly Shop in Jackson Hole.  Jim was one of my sales reps traveling around with his best friend, a yellow lab.  He came through town often because Ross Reels was one of his brands.

 

Klug and I hit it off.  Both us youngsters at the time had dreams of fly fishing the world.  I’d already been spending my meagre earnings purchasing plane tickets to drop me off in weird countries with only a backpack and a few rods.  Klug was piecing together his plans for Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures (YD).  There are enormous stories behind both of us that includes lots of hard work.  I’m proud to say now we’re both pretty good examples of, “Living our Dream”.

 

I’m unhappy to say that today is our last full day of fishing.  I haven’t kept track of our schedule.  That’s been in the hands of Jim and Bryant.  Normally Bryant’s trips have more fishing but because we’re making a Yellow Dog film it was necessary we take our time capturing the tourist sites last week.  The film is coming along spectacularly by the way and Jim and Chris are targeting release on the YD website “Field Reports” on June 1.

 

Our fishing today was no less than insanely good.  We finally made it through a night without rain and the river dropped at least a foot.  Best of all, the roaring Himalayan waterway cleared up a bunch and this morning it was as if the chocolate mahseer were starving.  They were stacked against the banks at the bottom of every deep hole waiting with voracious appetites.

 

Once again I’ll elaborate on these chocolate mahseer.  These fish have deeply impressed us all.  Honestly, I came here with golden mahseer on the mind.  I will always love these kings of freshwater.  But catching them on fly can be daunting.  What’s fantastic about here in Bhutan is that while you labor away for your targeted golden, you can enjoy continuous action from the chocolates who wait eagerly to pounce on every fly that plunks in their zone.

 

And the chocolates are not slouches.  Sure, they’re smaller than their gold colored cousins.  But these aggressive feeders have substantial girth and average about 17”.  Average!  Think about that.  Imagine if every trout you caught averaged 17” and was densely weighted.  All I can say is I’ve fallen in love with this also stunningly beautiful species and will crave them until I return to Bhutan.

 

While Jim and I enjoyed bent rods much of the morning, so did the rest of the gang.  There was one time where Bryant and Bobby were on one side of the river and Klug and I opposite.  Chris was in our boat filming the others when Bryant hooked into a beast chocolate.  This copper colored candidate decided to give Bryant a bit more for his money and made a point to shatter his fly rod in several pieces!

 

Around 1 PM we pulled over for our usual riverside lunch.  Hard to believe it was our last.  While I know they saved plenty for tonight’s dinner and tomorrows breakfast, this lunch was a big one.  At the end of float trips you start using stuff up.  Every one of us ate lunch like it was our last.

 

 

The afternoon float began and in a matter of a half mile we dropped through a few steep rapids.  The river got wider and the foliage greener.  The foothills stood taller.  So tall now the tops are in the haze of jungle humidity and also smoke pollution as we approach civilization again.  We end this trip tomorrow on the border with India.

 

 

We floated to camp around 5 PM.  The afternoons fishing was slow.  No one took the fact that this was our final night on the river lightly.  First was some hardcore camp water fishing.  While we didn’t have a tributary tonight the runs looked exceptional for goldens.  But not one touched a fish.

 

 

 

Once the sun set and it was time to reel it in I set up a camp chair next to my tent and enjoyed a tall can of Druk 1100.  My last night in this paradise for a while.  I took it all in.

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight was one of festivities.  Bryant’s staff did some talented beach art which I’ll share a photo of to close the book on Bhutan tomorrow.  Klug broke out his Havana Club and we tapped into the remaining Druks.  Bobby even drank the Bhutanese beer and he doesn’t drink!

 

The staff sang and danced next to the fire.  At one point they dragged us out of our chairs.  That didn’t last too long.  This trip has been a blast.  Stay tuned for one more session of fishing in the morning.

 

Upon return from this wonderful journey, this trip will be available at Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures!

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing