About eight years ago, when my small stream fishing experience was in its infancy, I stumbled upon Willow Creek. I had recently graduated from Southern Utah University and Bishop Jan and I went camping and riding ATVs. While driving off the mountain I was listening to the Horse Whisperer" soundtrack and was inspired. I decided to stop at a pull-out to see if the small stream I had driven by many times before was even fishable.
I was surprised how wide the stream was once I walked down to it. I assumed it was a willow-choked trickle. The first spot I came to was a large beaver pond that has since been destroyed by runoff. My first cast was met with an eager 10" brown and many many more fish were brought to hand that day. I hadn't planned to fish as long as I did, so I was ill-prepared. I had a severe sunburn on my face & arms and extremely dehydrated. I didn't notice my physical condition until I ran out of fishable water. I had been in a trance for the past 4 hours catching more fish than I had ever done in my life.
With addiction, there is a switch that is flipped in a person that changes everything. Once this switch is flipped, there is no going back to the way things were. This was the moment my "fly-fishing switch" was flipped; my paradigm had shifted.
Willow Creek and its surroundings is one of my favorite places on earth. I've shared countless memories with friends and family within this 2-3 square mile area. Each fork and section of this stream has it's own character and they all hold fish. I have great anticipation to get back on this stream as soon as the snow pack allows.
The following is a smathering of pictures over the years on Willow Creek. Many are recycled from earlier posts...
I've spent many evenings fishing this stream until it's too dark to see the fly.
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