I spent the weekend in the mountains of northeast Washington and northern Idaho where I frequent a small lake nestled between two mountains shrouded in a sea of green firs. I've been fishing this area for roughly ten years and am rarely disappointed with my results. Typically I can expect to pad my memories with the experience of landing anywhere from 15 to 40 fish a day, sharing the lake with no other, and spotting a variety of wildlife sipping from the shore. Early this spring I was treated to a lesson in grub hunting by the local black bear family. As they tore apart downed logs searching for those tasty morsels, I cautiously continued to land cutthroat, However when I was finally noticed and it was noticed my offering was potentially better, I decided it was better to make haste to the opposite shore and leave these natives to their business.
Unfortunately, not all folks feel the same way about this paradise. The weekend following the 4th of July, a party of about 10 to 15 beer hungry animals invaded surrounding campsites and drove off two families, one of which was mine. They littered the area with wads of discolored tissue and submerged three half racks of empty cans at the bottom of my favorite lake. To make matters worse they thoroughly abused the lake and it's rules by catching and killing about 10 fish apiece and releasing several that soon died due to the fact their gills were still stuck to hook laden with powerbait and corn. It's this selfish behavior that ruins meaningful outings for everyone. Contrary to their opinion, not everyone enjoys listening to extreme thrash metal, watching gangs of goons urinating all over the local flora while side-stepping puddles of vomit. I have met numerous fishers that strive to preserve such beautiful areas and it's to bad that it only takes a few dogs to ruin it !
for the rest. I did end up catching about 15 fish that day regardless of the riff raff. Remember to catch and release.

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