I spent the better part of last week working wheat harvest for my father-in-law. It's funny trying to explain why I enjoy doing it, as it isn't most people's idea of a "getaway." Yes, it's hard work, and yes, it's hot, but for the most part it's a great opportunity to take a break from the "routine", get dirty, and eat well. And, if I can convince my father-in-law to take an afternoon off, there's some great fishing to be had...





Elsa, of course, thinks that the whole world is her playground, and intends to make the most of it.







We wrapped up one field Saturday morning, and after a few hours of work in the early afternoon Steve and I loaded up and headed out for the evening hatch on a river just north of the ranch.





Just at dusk the bugs were thick - large caddis and swarms of mayflies everywhere. My usual trick is to find the deeper, covered troughs, hook a smaller trout and play it for a bit in the hope of enticing a bull trout to grab it, but alas it didn't work out. I'll take some native redbands tho...



Sunday we all headed out to spend the day around A's Aunt and Uncle's Cabin. We spent some time with the fam, and then drove further up river for a picnic. The girls were ready for their naps, so after a car swap they headed back down to the ranch while Steve and I bushwhacked up a smaller tributary, casting dries to tiny native trout for a few hours. There wasn't a trail, so you just walked up the river...





Some were bigger, a few smaller, but all in all they were a lot of fun and definitely fiesty.