The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1920-07-30
Fishing on The Lochsa

Newton, Elmer Bechtol and We
scribe, emerged from Kendrick at
the unaccustomed hour of five
O'Clock Thursday morning OF last
week, and headed in the general
direction of the fishing grounds or
waters at the junction OF the Lochsa
and Selway. Visions of stream
that had never been contaminated by
the hooks of man We're held in
prospect-but never realized.
The journey was made by way of
Leland, Cavendish, Peck, Nez
Perce, Hannah, Kooskla and from
there to Lowell, the objective.
Good roads were traversed in the
nam, but at intervals there were
stretches that would make the worst
grade into kendrlck look like a Sec
tion of the Columbia Highway in
comparison. The rear tires on Mr..
Bechtol's car are silent witnesses to
the truth of this statement.
Leaving Kooskia about 2 o'clock
the party kept vigllant watch for
bears, cougars, Indians and other
wild animals, but prosperous little
ranches nestled against the breaks
of the Clearwater, and automobiles
whizzing by were the only signs of
life.
About nine miles out of Kooskia
the progress Of the Journey was
brought to a sudden halt. A blast
had been placed in the side of>a cliff
and the roaG was buried under sew
eral hundred tons of Iouse rock and
boulders. The foreman of the road
crew said it would not be possible
to get through until the following
morning. Patience is a cardinal
virtue of all true followers of Sir
Isaac Walton, so that evening a.
round the camp fire it was unani-
mously decided that the delay
would not interfere in any way
with the success of the trip, for rea-
sons as follows: If the fishing were
good it wouldn't take more than
a day and a half to get the limit.
If there were no fish the less time
wasted the better. After summing
up the situation in this manner,
everyone's spirits rose-and spirits
are most necessary requisite to a
successful fishing trip.
Camp was pitched on the banks
of the Clearwater, and a whale of a
meal cooked over the camp fire un-
der the direction of the camp chef
Walter McCrea. After raking
some of the hardest rocks out of the
way the beds were unrolled and g
snoring quartet made the night
hideous.
BY nine o'clock the following
morning the road was open and the
journey resumed. About noon the
end of the road, at Lowell, wa'
reached. Instead of an untamed
wilderness, as expected, there wa
a postoffice and three little farm
located close to the river. Also {
number of auto mobiles parked in tn
camp grounds. Fishing prospect
began to dwindle and matters wer'
not made brighter by glance a
the river, which had somewhat tn
appearance of weak coffee. cause'
by cloudburst washing sedlmen
into the stream several days before
That evening the pooling of tn
contents of four creeIs disclose
enough fish for supper and break
fast, providing the meal were exc
out by the addition of generou
amount Uf flapjacks and othe
deIicacles.
After a council OF war and
peace pipe around the camp fir
that evening, it was decided to nix
eight miles up the L0cnSa 10 tf
mouth of Canyon Creek, where tn
trout were eating the leaves off tn
overhanglng willows and otherwis
detacing the landscape of the Sc
way National Forest. HOweve
after the four stragglers had final
congregated in camp at the end {
the day the entire contents of tt
four big fish baskets proved to
less than enough for square me-
for four, so they were careful
packed away to be exhibited to Il
home folks as the last OF the Gu
throats from the Lochsa.
The trip home began the follo'
ing morning, Sunday. at sew
o'clock. From kooskia anoth