Late June

Time flies when you're having fun. Things have been really busy the last few weeks as the guideing season has really started to kick off. I've been on the water for the last couple of weeks. It's always amazing to me how quickly things change this time of year. I was hammering fish on the Lower Madison just a couple of weeks ago, now it seems so hot that I can't imagine even fishing it. The Yellowstone was only blown out for a few weeks. The Gallatin got high, but never really unfishable. It's been a weird year for sure.

I just finished up with a terrific couple from No Car. We fished for 4 days and had good fishing every day. We did some off the beaten track things and avoided the crowds. The little raft came in real handy on one of those spots. We fished some water right here in town that never gets any pressure. Amazing that there is still that kind of stuff so close to home. It seems that Bow River Bugger and a Lightning Bug will get it done right now without any worries, just about everywhere. Oh the joys of simplicity.

IN the mix, I also took my friend Paul out on the Madison. He' a NZ regular and good guy. Fishing was tough but we did manage a 20 incher on a Salmonfly.

Rick and I took a dad a two boys out last weekend. They'd never fished before and had a blast getting some whities and a few trout.

Biggest fish of the year so far for me maybe this 21" Cut bow from the Bird float. I fished with these folks for 4 days and had a great time with thems. They've fished all over the world and just really enjoy fishing.

One thing thing that has been weighing on my mind as of late is line managment. People lose fish more often than not because of line management issues. Remeber hold the line in your non-casting hand while casting. Once the fly hits the water, the line goes under your index finger. Strip from behind the index finger. Knowing when to reel and when to strip line will make a huge difference between landed and lost fish. Keep steady pressure, make the fish work, let it run, take up slack. There's a lot to it, but it is the most important factor in bringing that fish to hand.