Had a guide trip today with some beginners on the upper. We ended up doing pretty well with San Juans, I tried to get fish on all kinds of bugs, but the worm was what they wanted. The water is still cranking through those side channles, so it's tough to get a good drift on a consistent basis, but when they got the job done, fish ate and ate well.
These guys are really fun, good attititudes, fish hard, and want to learn. It was good to see them get rewarded when they did it right. The drifts needed to be though the softy pockets next to the bank, which is tough in high water for an experienced angler. They did good. We go to Sitz Ranch tomorrow in search of some bigger fish and easier conditions.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Green Water...shhhhh!
The Upper Madison turned green yesterday and fished really well today. The flows have come down a but, but it is still moving pretty damn quick. We fished Varney to Ennis and got a lot of fish. The better action came out of the baot while wade-fishing various buckets, inside corners, and long runs. Most of the fish were on San Jauns, but we did get some on stonefly nymphs as well. The weather was awesome, fish were healthy, and oh, we were the only ones on the river!
I've got guide trips the rest of the week and am looking forward to the prospects. The Lower is also starting to come around and I would expect to see Salmonflies this weekend or maybe even sooner. The Gallatin also truned green today, so who knows...things could get rockin' around here real quick!
I've got guide trips the rest of the week and am looking forward to the prospects. The Lower is also starting to come around and I would expect to see Salmonflies this weekend or maybe even sooner. The Gallatin also truned green today, so who knows...things could get rockin' around here real quick!
Monday, May 29, 2006
Henry's Fork Salmonflies
The past weekend took me down to Island Park with the wife, kid, and dogs in search of good times and a few fish. The weather was junk, cold, rainy, snowy, etc. Not ideal conditions for the wife, kid, and dogs. The bugs have been going there for a little over a week and were up to Robinson Campground, but the cold weather will slow them down for a few days. Saturday saw aomw nice fishing on dries for the wife, but we didn't hang out too long on the river as it was rainy and cold.
We stayed at Elk Creek Ranch in between Island Park and Last Chance. They have a half dozen or so old log cabins that overlook a small spring-fed pond. The place is great, we stay there very year once or twice. So, we enjoyed haniging out and staying out of the rain more so than the fishing. I would have liked to have a day to fish pretty hard as the fish were eating the dries very well, but some things are more important than fish.
We stayed at Elk Creek Ranch in between Island Park and Last Chance. They have a half dozen or so old log cabins that overlook a small spring-fed pond. The place is great, we stay there very year once or twice. So, we enjoyed haniging out and staying out of the rain more so than the fishing. I would have liked to have a day to fish pretty hard as the fish were eating the dries very well, but some things are more important than fish.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Stuck in the Shop
It's supposed to get nasty this weekend...typical for a holiday. Rick and I are trying to get some relief this afternoon so that we can get out on the Lower. Salmonflies should be getting close to starting over there so nymphing near the banks should be good right now. The river is very high, but that's ok. It's mid-70's and beuatiful out!
The wife, kid, and I are heading to the Henry's Fork tomorrow night. Salmonflies have been over there for a week and a half now and with the opening in the upper reaches, things could be pretty good. It usually sucks, but the lure of biggies on dries always seems to make me lose my sense of logic. We stay at a really cool place near Island Park calles Elk Creek Ranch, so that will be worth the trip if nothing else. A bunch of really old cabins with a nice veiw of a small lake. Hopefully the weather isn't too bad bacause Alex can lose his cool pretty quickly, but he's getting better. Maybe a few fish on dries will get hime jacked up too.
The wife, kid, and I are heading to the Henry's Fork tomorrow night. Salmonflies have been over there for a week and a half now and with the opening in the upper reaches, things could be pretty good. It usually sucks, but the lure of biggies on dries always seems to make me lose my sense of logic. We stay at a really cool place near Island Park calles Elk Creek Ranch, so that will be worth the trip if nothing else. A bunch of really old cabins with a nice veiw of a small lake. Hopefully the weather isn't too bad bacause Alex can lose his cool pretty quickly, but he's getting better. Maybe a few fish on dries will get hime jacked up too.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Beverhead
Last Saturday wast the 3rd Sat. in May, whihc means the opening of general season. This weekend usually comes and goes without too much fuss every year because of the fact that the majority of our rivers are open the entire year. Also, things are typically pretty crappy this time of year anyway because of the runoff situation. The Beaverhead is the exception to the rule.
The little tailwater below Clark Canyon, which used to be home to some of the highest trout numbers in the state, is a seasonla Mecca from anglers around the regions. License plates from MT, WY, UT, and Id are everywhere along that 7 or 8 miles of newly opened water. The crowds pack into every little hole between the Buffalo Bridge and the Dam. The fishing is typically pretty good, though the drought years have reduced numbers and average size quite a bit. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of fish and plenty of nice ones too, so the crowds continue to come.
This year saw me out on the water with some friends at midnight. We had the water to ourselves and the flows were very high, making midnight streamer fishing a bit tough. So, we retired at 1:30 and I headed back out at 4 am, expecting my friends to follow in short order. As I stood in the hole in the rain, waiting for it to be light enough to fish, they laid in their tents listening to the rain. They showed up around 6:30, after which time I had fended off several would be hole nabbers. The fishing was good, but smaller average size than I'm used to, on scuds, sowbugs and worms. The nice thing about the Beav early season is that the fish aren't picky yet and you can get away with fishing generic patterns on heavy tippets.
We floated from Buffalo to Henneberry later that day and picked up a few fish along the way, but it was not "off the hook."
Day too saw more earnest efforts by the dreaded hole nabbers and we gave in without much of a fight and opted for another float. Fishing was better on day two down lower on the river, but you really had to find some good structure that porvided a break from the heavy currents. Same gig as before, but more fish and some nice ones too.
I don't mind the crowds down there, but then I don't mind telling someone to get the hell out of my way either. Nothing says give me some room better than a sloppy roll cast over your neighbors' rig! Ettiquette lessons should be mandatory nowadays and the Beav would be a great place to start a pilot project. Hell, the regs are already confusing enough and non-residents can't float certain stretches on certain days (yet they don't get a discount on their fishing licenese), why not implement a mannner stamp program as well, for both residents and non-residents? Then maybe everyone could just get along. The most valuable lesson I learned from my ealry days at the Beaverhead was that this is not the place to go chill out on a log and enjoya day of solitude. No, this is combat fishing...western style...whihc is ok...you just have to know that that is what it is!
The little tailwater below Clark Canyon, which used to be home to some of the highest trout numbers in the state, is a seasonla Mecca from anglers around the regions. License plates from MT, WY, UT, and Id are everywhere along that 7 or 8 miles of newly opened water. The crowds pack into every little hole between the Buffalo Bridge and the Dam. The fishing is typically pretty good, though the drought years have reduced numbers and average size quite a bit. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of fish and plenty of nice ones too, so the crowds continue to come.
This year saw me out on the water with some friends at midnight. We had the water to ourselves and the flows were very high, making midnight streamer fishing a bit tough. So, we retired at 1:30 and I headed back out at 4 am, expecting my friends to follow in short order. As I stood in the hole in the rain, waiting for it to be light enough to fish, they laid in their tents listening to the rain. They showed up around 6:30, after which time I had fended off several would be hole nabbers. The fishing was good, but smaller average size than I'm used to, on scuds, sowbugs and worms. The nice thing about the Beav early season is that the fish aren't picky yet and you can get away with fishing generic patterns on heavy tippets.
We floated from Buffalo to Henneberry later that day and picked up a few fish along the way, but it was not "off the hook."
Day too saw more earnest efforts by the dreaded hole nabbers and we gave in without much of a fight and opted for another float. Fishing was better on day two down lower on the river, but you really had to find some good structure that porvided a break from the heavy currents. Same gig as before, but more fish and some nice ones too.
I don't mind the crowds down there, but then I don't mind telling someone to get the hell out of my way either. Nothing says give me some room better than a sloppy roll cast over your neighbors' rig! Ettiquette lessons should be mandatory nowadays and the Beav would be a great place to start a pilot project. Hell, the regs are already confusing enough and non-residents can't float certain stretches on certain days (yet they don't get a discount on their fishing licenese), why not implement a mannner stamp program as well, for both residents and non-residents? Then maybe everyone could just get along. The most valuable lesson I learned from my ealry days at the Beaverhead was that this is not the place to go chill out on a log and enjoya day of solitude. No, this is combat fishing...western style...whihc is ok...you just have to know that that is what it is!
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Run Off
It's been hot and dry the last week and run off is in full gear. I say bring it on and get it over with. The lower Madison is the only fishable river in the area right now and that is a dubious distinction at best. We were on it yesterday as it came up over 1000CFS. Ever wonder how it fished when it comes up that much? I have and can tell you that it sucks. We got a few (3) fish and that was about it. On the upside though, we did see some bikini clad coeds is another drift boat and several floating down the rvier in tubes.
The Beaverhead Madness starts on Saturday, so good times are just around the corner. The opener is pure insanity with anglers of all types of temperments, skill levels, and dedication crammed into about 400 yds of river, flogging away at a bunch of post-spawn bows. Sure, they're done spawning...mostly anyway, and the browns aren't spwaning anyway. Let's just call it what it is and be ok with ourselves. It's a spanking of some good trout before they figure it out and decide that they will only eat a size 24 midge the rest of the summer.
The Beaverhead Madness starts on Saturday, so good times are just around the corner. The opener is pure insanity with anglers of all types of temperments, skill levels, and dedication crammed into about 400 yds of river, flogging away at a bunch of post-spawn bows. Sure, they're done spawning...mostly anyway, and the browns aren't spwaning anyway. Let's just call it what it is and be ok with ourselves. It's a spanking of some good trout before they figure it out and decide that they will only eat a size 24 midge the rest of the summer.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Being a Bad Blogger
It's been a couple weeks and I haven't blogged too much...mostly because I've been fishing and schooling. I wrapped up the semester on Saturday, I'm taking courses for an MBA through UM, and am gald that's over for now. Fishng the last 10 days has been pretty good on the Lower Madsion and Big Hole. The upper madsion was good, but blew out this weekend so I don't look for too much happenings th next few weeks.
This is the time of year that always make me wish that I knew more about fishing lakes. The draw, of course, is that the fish tend to average nice sizes. The neg is that the action is usually sporadic with longer periods of nothing than something. I just have a hard time getting jacked up about countless miuntes or hours of nothingness. At least in a stream there is always the possibility that something will eat behind the next rock!
So, we are updating our website and will be live with the new look in a couple of weeks and this blog will be easily found from there at that time. So, the intention is to keep postings updated with fishing reports and my drabbling of baseless opinions about the world of fly-fishing that excludes the USSR. Freedom is just another word for a day in the field without the USSR!
This is the time of year that always make me wish that I knew more about fishing lakes. The draw, of course, is that the fish tend to average nice sizes. The neg is that the action is usually sporadic with longer periods of nothing than something. I just have a hard time getting jacked up about countless miuntes or hours of nothingness. At least in a stream there is always the possibility that something will eat behind the next rock!
So, we are updating our website and will be live with the new look in a couple of weeks and this blog will be easily found from there at that time. So, the intention is to keep postings updated with fishing reports and my drabbling of baseless opinions about the world of fly-fishing that excludes the USSR. Freedom is just another word for a day in the field without the USSR!
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Caddis
The Mother's Day Caddis Hatch arrived a couple weeks early this year but just on the head of the start of runoff. I got a couple days on the Yellowstone in, but the fish weren't really on them at that time. The bugs started on the Lower Madison a day or two later and the fish got on them good the night beofre last. This hatch is so fun becuase the fish really do feed with reckless abandon. After each outing, I ask myself where the hell do those fish come from? There are literally thousands of heads coming up at times.
The best rig this year has been a Peacock Elk Hair with a Mother's Day pupa dropper about 2 feet behind the dry. The pupa doesn's seek too much, so I use some XINK or Henry's Sinket to help get it down a bit quicker. I use this stuff a bunch in the summer, especially when fishing drowned hoppers in late summer.
The weather has been cool the last few days so we could get a window of opportunity back on the Yellowstone for a day or two. This has been the case the last few years and has porvided some of the bets days of the year.
The in-laws arrive today, Rick is on the Smith, I have exams next week...my fishng will probably be pretty limited over the next week. Damn! But, I am going to New Zealand for a month next year so I should do the right thing now and shirm responsibility then. Oh, the dilemas I face!
The best rig this year has been a Peacock Elk Hair with a Mother's Day pupa dropper about 2 feet behind the dry. The pupa doesn's seek too much, so I use some XINK or Henry's Sinket to help get it down a bit quicker. I use this stuff a bunch in the summer, especially when fishing drowned hoppers in late summer.
The weather has been cool the last few days so we could get a window of opportunity back on the Yellowstone for a day or two. This has been the case the last few years and has porvided some of the bets days of the year.
The in-laws arrive today, Rick is on the Smith, I have exams next week...my fishng will probably be pretty limited over the next week. Damn! But, I am going to New Zealand for a month next year so I should do the right thing now and shirm responsibility then. Oh, the dilemas I face!