Fly-Fishing The Rocky Mountain Backcountry Rich Osthoff Review

Agree or disagree with the author's advice vis a vis a panoply of backcountry gear, there is little doubt that this book is an excellent primer or starting point for planning a backcountry trip into the Rockies. A quick skim of the 10 paged Index demonstrates the sheer number of specific waters mentioned in the roughly 145 page destination portion of this work. Just don't expect to find detailed information for any one, specific fishery.

Geographic Regions Covered -

The "major mountain ranges and wilderness areas" covered include: Wind River Range (by far the largest, single destination section and Osthoff's favorite destination, particularly for big, Golden Trout), Teton Wilderness, Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Bob Marshall Wilderness, Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, and the High Uintas Wilderness. Eleven smaller ranges/wilderness areas, such as the Flat Tops Wilderness and Bighorn Mountains, are covered with 2 or 3 pages each. Yellowstone Park is covered nicely insofar as the Thorofare Region (though he does discourse briefly on other areas such as the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone) and both Glacier and Rocky Mountain National Parks get some brief attention. Rivers and tributaries such as the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Kelly Creek, the St. Joe River, and the South Fork of the Flathead are also given some, minor attention.

The Potential Pitfalls -

When the reader delves into the stories used to describe the author's excursions into the above destinations, they will be confronted with the following: "In 1977...," "On a trip in the mid-80's...," "During a 1990..." Bear in mind that the copyright for this work is 1999; but, a great deal of the author's information stems from trips remembered over 20 years of summertime trekking in these regions. Further, many of these were, admittedly, one-time expeditions. Thus, be forewarned, do not depend exclusively on the accuracy of details such as fish numbers, fish size, open trailheads, "current" regulations, etc. In an attempt at mitigation, the author does provide a "Resources" section that provides you contact information for Forest Service/National Park headquarters, map makers, and state wildlife departments; with such information being current up to the copyright date.

Dilettantes beware, this is not a book for the occasional, weekend warrior or a dad trying to slip in a few hours of quiet fishing on the family vacation.  Readers are treated to stories which start by stipulating..."on such-and-so trip, I blew on by the small lakes within 5 or 6 miles of the trailhead, cut over the pass, and..." or "I put the hammer down and camped that night 20 miles from the trailhead (having started the day by trudging over the 8 miles of dirt road leading to the trailhead)" or "...starting at town X, I followed a meandering route and finished 100 miles later at town X..."  Osthoff describes himself as what can only be termed a "naturally gifted" distance runner.  Bear this in mind as you peruse his list of destinations and the time frames he cites.  Even if you're in decent shape, you will still need to dedicate the time necessary to reach many of the 8,000-12,000 foot elevation lakes described; most of the water which Osthoff describes as "prime" requiring a week rather than a weekend to effectively, not to mention comfortably, cover.

On The Positive Side - 

Fly-Fishing The Rocky Mountain Backcountry is probably the best primer one could pick up if they intend to spend some quality time fishing in the "back-of-beyond" in these regions.  This book will give you a comprehensive overview of some of the best country Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho have hidden away. It will help you narrow your focus as to potential destinations. But, it is incumbent upon the reader to take the responsibility to then flesh-out their knowledge by contacting the proper government agencies for more complete and up-to-date trailhead, fishery, and regulation information.  Further, I would consider it imperative that one obtain a GOOD map to use in conjunction with this book in narrowing their focus (there is only one, generic, map provided giving the general, Western U.S. scale location information for the major categories of destinations).

At 320 pages in total length (10 pages of frontis material and 310 pages of "text"), this guide covers a wide range of material and physical area.  The first 144 pages (roughly 1/2 of the text) is dedicated to general information as it pertains to backcountry travel. The author opines on topics such as: travel options, group trips, solo treks, extended (week-long or better) trips, backpacking gear, backpacking food, hazards (snakes, bears, altitude sickness, et al.), conditioning, trip planning and research, fly fishing gear, flies/tactics, speed scouting lakes, photographing fish, and even a chapter on spin-fishing gear.  While much of this information is fairly boilerplate instructional fodder for any backcountry traveler, it is important in providing some insight into Osthoff's litany of destinations.  Let's just say that the author has some definite opinions when it comes to gear, flies, and tackle; opinions that, in my opinion, should provide "food for thought" rather than viewed as "absolute necessities."  The thrust is making more room for fishing gear and providing more "on the water" time; i.e., Osthoff hits the backcountry to fish, not lounge in camp and assumes that's the premise of readers as well.

Final Thought - 

In the end, I think that's about all a reader can ask of someone who has committed to writing a guidebook; that they provide enough, specific information for the so-inclined and able to discover things for themselves, but not so much detail or enthusiasm over "ease of access" that the herds arrive and trample underfoot that which makes the destinations special. A tough job and one that Rich Osthoff has done reasonably well.