Blind Creek and Rose Creek

After getting the tire fixed, I fished Blind Creek and caught lots of grayling, mostly on caddis fly imitations. Decided to stay in the town campground. Ironically, the campground was quieter and felt more like the wilderness than the wilderness with the RVs.

In the morning, took an interpretive walk to the waterfalls. Faro was once a larger town of 1,500 people, but is now only 300. A large open pit mind for lead and zinc operated from 1968 to 1998. The town bills itself as Yukon's best kept secret. Aside from the vacant apartment buildings and mine site up the road, it is really nice with good views of the Pelly River Valley and the surrounding mountains.

Fished Rose Creek outside of Faro, above the mine site . Excellent grayling stream. Once you get past (and get over) the mine works, you are in a wonderful wilderness in the Tintina Trench. The Trench today is a migratory route for birds and other wildlife. Supposedly during the Ice Age, it remained ice-free and was the highway to Asia via the Beringia land mass (now the Bering Sea). Anyway, there was a baetis mayfly hatch and I caught dozens of grayling 12" to 16y" during several hours. The #14 Parachute Blue Wing Olive and tan Elk Hair Caddis pattterns did the trick.

Also fished Fisheye Lake that all the locals recommend. Didn't catch anything, but had French Toast with percolated coffee and fresh blueberries.

On Blind Creek, I visited a fish weir that was being set up to collect information on salmon. The Chinook enter the Yukon River in western Alaska from the Bering Sea and swim all the way to Faro via the Pelly River. Although the fish spawn in Canada, few of them make the return because they are harvested in the ocean and Alaska. The Ross River Dena council (DENA) initiated the weir in 1995. The highest count was 1,155 in
2003, but last year it was only 276.