Wind

The wind is a common occurrence here in SW Montana - especially in the spring, summer, fall and winter. Seems like most days on the water are somewhat related to the wind. I guess it used to not bother me but I'm pretty much at the hate it stage right now. Our pilot light in the hot water heater went out last night (happens about 3-4 times a year when the wind is just right), so I was particularly pissed about the never ending  gales this am! Crawl spaces suck!
Sure there are things you can do like try to fish in some trees or head to a different part of the valley where the wind is coming at you from your back, but man it gets old! I'm thinking that the lower should start to get pretty green here soon as the ice comes off Ennis Lake and the wind stirs up all that loose sediment. Hopefully it will be brief and dirty rather than a protracted spell of semi-junkiness that just never seems to go away until the weeds and tubers show up!

Interesting

Okie dokie day. I opted to break the with the standard rules today and try something a little more off the beaten path as the boat didn't seem wise with the weather and the probability of wind. Plus my client wanted to try some new water. Well, the plan was to go wade the Boulder around Big Timber for a few hours and then hopefully find some rising fish on the Yellowstone in the afternoon once the midges got going.
So we nymphed the Boulder for a few hours this morning and it was good enough. We really just got fish out of one hole, tried a bunch of different water and kept going back to the same run where we'd get a few fish. Ended up being pretty good by lunch. Worms and eggs. Tried a lot of different bugs but they wanted the junk more than anything else. One note on the day was that the Didymo is pretty bad on the Boulder, something that I recall being there last spring as well. Bad enough to where he had crap on his flies pretty much after every drift. I felt like I was on the Mararoa a few times today.
We headed to the Yellowstone after lunch and found tow interesting things. One was a pod of fish eating midges  which quit eating midges as soon as found them. The other was F&G was shocking the river and the dude doing the netting looked pretty busy.
Ok so here's one of those things I shouldn't talk about. We headed back towards Livingston with the plan of trying to find some rising fish around town. The wind was blowing 30 in town, it was 3 pm so I decided to try to go find a nymph run and call it a day. My though was to go down near the mouth of the Shields. Ended up fishing the Shields and it was money with one honest 22" brown to make for a happy ending to a weird day. Golden stone nymph,

Off to Work I Go

Singing like the seven dwarves this morning I am. It'll be nice to be guiding today, hopefully.

Sounded like some other folks didn't do so well this weekend on the lower either - which makes me feel less like a prisoner in Leavenworth looking for the a lost bar of soap. It is the front end of the rainbow spawn so some of those fish (which have been easy to come by) may be switching gears right now which means that they may be moving around a little more than usual. Or again, it could have just been me!

Going to try something different today, get out of the wind, find some shadows, look for rising fish later in the day.

Lower Crap

I debated on whether or not to report this or not, but I got worked on the Lower yesterday. It's been fishing well for awhile now and I'm not sure if it was the fish or me...probably me. It was windy, busy, and cooler than I would have expected so who knows. Went planned on fishing all afternoon and to try some spots that are a little more off the beaten path. I think that we were fishing water that was a little faster than where the fish are holding. Also, I was pretty resistent to the idea of changing flies so it was kind of crawdad or nothing. I guess I've had enough days like that in my life to know when it's time to walk away so we bailed after an hour or two.

I've got some guide trips out there this week so I hope it was just me and not the fish.

New Zealand 2012

It's kind of a work in progress but here's where we are at the hosted trips that we will be offerring to NZ in 2012. I'll throw some pics up in the next few days but here is the meat and potatoes of the program. It's also avialable on our website.

 New Zealand is far and away the coolest place that I’ve ever traveled too and I’m looking forward to our 2012 hosted trips already! A trip of this type requires a ton of advanced planning in order to secure the accommodations, transportation, and the guides. For many anglers, a fly fishing trip to New Zealand is a once in a lifetime trip. This will be my 7^th trip to the South Island and I’ve come up with a couple of itineraries to offer more flexibility in terms of length of stay and budget.

These trips are hosted by Toby Swank, the owner and outfitter of Fins & Feathers in Bozeman. All guided fishing is provided by New Zealand professional guides that Toby has fished with on several occasions. There is an extensive amount of information available on fishing in New Zealand so I encourage you to do some research online or at your local bookstore as well as read this article on our website to help give yourself an idea of just what NZ trout fishing is all about.

The groups I host are small and intimate, providing a great opportunity to make life long friends while enjoying some of the most rewarding trout fishing on the planet. Please contact Toby directly for more details and to discuss the logistics in detail. These trips typically fill up by early June and space is limited to 5 anglers on each of the itineraries. Give me a call at the shop at 877-790-5303 to learn more and to let me know of your interest in joining one of the groups.

Twizel Trip – One Week Option

If you’re on a limited schedule, but have always wanted to experience New Zealand fly fishing – this is a great option. Tentative dates are Feb 13 – Feb 20, 2012. The plan is to fly into Christchurch and meet up with me sometime in the afternoon of Feb 12 and we’ll plan on heading up to Twizel later that day (it’s a 2 ½ hour drive and we will be taking a shuttle). The trip officially will end the following Saturday, Feb 18 in Christchurch. So the hosted trip is for 8 nights and 5 days of guided fishing, with one open day during the week.

Cost for the trip is dependent on the exchange rate near the end of 2011. At current rates of .73 NZD: 1USD, the cost is $2400 per person for this trip. Price includes 5 days guided fishing (shared), dinners, meals, and ground transport once you get to NZ.  Lodging includes 7 nights in Twizel and the final night is scheduled to be in Christchurch – prices are based on shared rooms. Additional costs will include personal expenses, incidentals, alcohol, and gratuities for the guides.

The area around Twizel is dotted with streams ranging from large braided freestones to tiny spring creeks. In addition to the rivers and streams, this particular area has a lot of stillwater options which is unique in that most of the fishing in these lakes is sight fishing with large dry flies. We wade fish these rivers and streams but the hiking is not too strenuous in this area as the rivers are generally in the bottoms of some huge valleys very similar to Montana.

This is the time of year when the trout generally start to look for Cicadas so sight fishing with big dries is the primary objective. Most of the fishing is done to spotted fish and this - along with local knowledge – is where the guides are invaluable. There is a mix of Rainbows and Browns in this part of the South Island with most being in the 3-5 pound range; everyone should expect to have a few chances at fish in the 7-10 pound range during the week, but these fish are difficult to hook and even harder to land. Someone on most of our trips has gotten a fish in this range with just about everyone catching fish up to 6.5 pounds. I’ll be happy to go over the fishing here in more detail over the phone and be sure to check this article out for more details as to the fishing in New Zealand.

We will be staying at a house in the town of Twizel that comfortably sleeps 8 so some folks will have shared rooms while some will have a room to themselves (bad snorers). We will dine out in local restaurants most nights and usually cook on our own a couple nights at the house. Breakfasts are continental and lunches are provided by the guides on guided days. The house is relatively new, very clean and perfect for a group of this size.

It’s a pretty simple itinerary that is meant to make for some easy planning on everyone’s part. Guests pretty much just need to arrange airfare to and from Christchurch on their own and I’ll take care of everything else. Give me a call at the shop or send me an e-mail to discuss the trip in more detail!

South Island Tour – 2 Week Option

This trip has been in the works for years now and it’s finally time to “pull the trigger” and chase the ultimate dream NZ fly fishing trip. We are going on a whirlwind two-week tour of the central and northern portions of the South Island. Along the way, we will fish out of the way and rarely fished streams that are a ways off the beaten path!

The plan is to meet up in Christchurch around Feb 20 and head to Twizel for a little acclimation and a few days on the water. After that…we’re just going to follow the weather’s lead and work our way up the west coast, back down through the Lewis Pass area, ending up back in Christchurch 2 weeks later.

This trip is not for the novice or first time New Zealand angler. It’s not for the folks that are looking for laid back evenings and the same bed every night either. This trip is really for the adventurous and hearty angler that is up for just about anything. We might be eating whitebait patties from a roadside grill one night and sipping on Pinot Noir alongside a rack of lamb the following night. The focus of this trip is solely on fishing a lot of different water that does not get fished too often.

I’ve got 2 guides booked for this leg of the 2012 trip and the plan is for 4 anglers to fish with guides everyday while the other 2 go exploring without a guide. I usually get to be one of the anglers without a guide, - so chances are that someone will be fishing with a guide or me most days. Again, I don’t guide in NZ – I just take care of the details and act as the “host” for the group. This is important as these NZ trips are my vacation too and everyone should be aware that I am there to fish just as much as everyone else!

We plan on covering a lot of ground and being on the move every couple of days. Most of the fishing will be accessible by 4WD, but I have budgeted for 2 helicopter trips for everyone along the way. The areas we are planning on taking helicopters into are way “off the grid” - even by New Zealand backcountry standards.

Accommodations will be a mix of places ranging from vacation homes to pub motels. We will really be on the move a lot so most of the meals will be at restaurants, pubs, and convenience stores along the way. Flexibility and a sense of adventure are very important if this trip sounds good to you.

If you’ve never fished New Zealand before, this itinerary is really not what you’re looking for. I say that after travelling the country extensively with a couple dozen anglers over the years and there is too much uncertainty and variability on this trip for you to get the most out of your time in NZ. I’d really recommend joining up with me for the Twizel-based trip if this is your first trip to NZ. Be sure to read up on fishing in NZ and check out this article to get a “feel” for the intricacies of fishing in NZ.

Like the Twizel Trip, everything is pretty much included in the price with the exception of alcohol, fishing licenses, gratuities for the guides, and personal incidentals. All you have to is get your airfare to and from Christchurch and I’ll take care of everything in between. The tentative dates for this trip are Feb 20 – Mar 5, give or take a day on either side.

Cost for the two weeks is $5950 and includes 9 days guided fishing (shared and 2 of which are helicopter trips) meals, lodging, and ground transportation in country. The cost is based on current exchange rates, with the final price being dependent on exchange rates near the end of 2011 – so the price could vary a little either way per the changes in this rate. Space is limited to 5 anglers on this trip as well and you will want to call me directly at the shop (877-790-5303) to discuss all the details.

In Search of Crabs

No, not the kind that require RID...I'm looking for the ones that Permit eat. I've done some flats fishing the last few years but honestly have never really been too into it. I'm not a snob about it, I just really like cold water and all things being equal...I've opted for New Zealand over a salt trip most years.
However, as there was no NZ in my life this year, my wife and I have opted for a salt trip instead. It's kind of our 40th birthday celebration. We ended up booking a trip to Turneffee Flats Lodge in Belize for the last week in April. We went round and round and that just happened to be the best bet for us. She dives, I fish plus it's relatively easy to get to. So, I've been on a crab hunt as I have 5 or 6 days of solo guided fishing coming way and I've decided that I'd really like to meet Mr. Pepe le Permit.
The story is long and convoluted - most of my relationships are - of how I came to know Pepe. A few years back, Christine and I spent a few days at a little resort in Mexico near the Belize Border. The place is called Costa de Cocos and I'd love to go back someday as it was very low key with good fishing and diving. If I did it again, I'd fly to San Pedro in Belize and then have them run me up to CDC via a boat. There is no way I'd do a 5 hour drive from Cancun or fly into Chetemal like we did last time.

Anyway, I fished for Permit one of the 3 days down there, got lots of shots (10-15...maybe more) and hooked one. Pulled a gabor though and got my fly line wrapped around the reel foot on the first run. What I sight that must have been...watching me run out into the bay - tight to a 15 pound Permit - until I was practically swimming - praying that the fish would stop or turn before the knot broke. It didn't and all I have is that all too familiar feeling of what could have been.

The rub with the whole thing is that I hooked it on a crab pattern that someone had given me in an assortment of flats bugs. We had cast to several permit that day with no hint of interest and the guide - an Argentinian named Willy - said to pick the one that gave me mojo and try it on the next fish.  So, the fish came over and ate it and I lost the mojo. I've never seen that pattern anywhere since and I have poured over every fly catalog  the last 3 or 4 years looking for it. Probably was a crawdad pattern that some dude tied for carp in Michigan.  The mental masturbation that one goes through for such minutia is mind numbing at best.

So, I've now dropped some coin with fly shop from California to Florida, picking up the odd crab pattern hoping to get something is close enough so that I can tie a few of what I remember. It was a crazy crab...dark in color with a bunch of melted lead on one side covered in epoxy with some rubber legs and hackle sticking out. Would take me a week to tie one and even then it would probably swim upside down. Anyway, there are some very cool saltwater patterns that I guy in Maine offers called SS Flies...they're not cheap but he might just have the perfect crab pattern for Permit...I think that is whichever one Pepe eats. I'll let you know in a month or so.

Back in MT

Got home toady after a terrific spring break holiday with my family at a Club Med in Ixtapa, Mexico. It was a great little resort for families and we never did get that uneasy feeling that you worry about in Mexico these days.  Won't bore everyone with the details, but it was a great trip with the family.


I did fish one day - which I wrote about a few days ago - so you can look back for a report...fishing sucked so you're not missing any fish porn! A couple of things about the trip though are worth mentioning. I only had one day to fish and I found a guy named Ed Kunze on the web after one of the Yellow Dog guys recommended I try to get hooked up with a Mexican guide named Adolfo out of Zihuatanejo.

Ed is an American that has been living there fro 14 years now and basically works an interpreter/guide for inshore (and bluewater) fly-fishing. He can also just work as a booking agent if you prefer to save some $ and spend all day with a Mexican captain. I opted for the more expensive option ($350) which basically covered gear and Ed pretty much tries to tell the captain how to work the boat for a fly angler and provides useful information and conversation throughout the day. It worked out great and I'd highly recommend looking Ed up if you get to that part of the world.

The fishing world - especially those of us that seem to think about fish more than seems rational - is full of characters and I've had the pleasure of meeting my share over the years. Fishing for some is a fleeting passion that will be replaced in time by family commitments, financial demands, or the call of some other recreational activity - but there are some that is just who they are. People that live to fish and fish to live are the "salt of the earth" in my book.

I don't envy the dude with the straight brim Volcom hat and tats of dancing brown trout ale, drinking a PBR while chucking a 9 weight to trout on whatever river you want. I know I'm getting old and I hate to bitch about all those young whipper snappers out there...but hey...it's what old guys do!

I've learned a lot in life - probably not any more than anyone else - but it always seems that things finally start to make sense the older I get. It's always a pleasure to meet someone that is into fishing for the fishing. To share the anticipation of the next cast. I couldn't tell you either way if Ed is an expert at what he does, but I can tell you that he enjoys what doing what he does and that makes him do it well. So, it really was a good day on the water casting a massive schools of Jacks that were all on a diet that day.

Update from Mexico

I've been in Ixtapa, Mexico the last few days hanging out with my family. Here with Christine, my two sons (Alex & Matty) and my parents for spring break vacation. The trip has been going well with a whole lot of fun in the sun time, playing in he surf and pools. Maybe chacking out a few girls in bikinis too.

I fished one morning at sunrise on the beach in front of the resort. There were lots of Pelicans dinving and moving bait around so I was hopeful. Ended up cathching a few very small Jacks of some sort. By small I mean less than 10 inches! But it was fun and they were some cool looking little fish but the action was such that I don't think I'll do it again!

I fished with a guide yesterday and it was the typical thing in that I thought we were going to try for Roosterfish and then try some other stuff if that wasn't working. End up that there aren't any Roosters around here right now - it's more of a summer thing in these parts. So we went out looking for Jack Crevallies in shore. We found them, and i mean lots of them. There were several times when we were on schools that were over 100 yards long and 40 yards deep. The fish looked big to me and the guide said they were all 20-30 pounds. I'll never know as we didn't hook any. The guide tried a bunch of hardware junk too, but they just weren't eating which I guess is rare for Jacks. That's my luck though. Still pretty amazing to see that many big fish at one time. Saw lots of sea turtles and some porpoise too. So, it was fun, the guide seemed pretty good, and I got to see something new. Some days I get to be the nail too.

Update from Mexico City

I'm hanging out in the Mexico City aiport as we await our flight to Ixtapa on Mexico's west coast. I'm always amazed at how little Spanish I actually speak. We had a little bit of stress as we tried to switch terminals, 4 year old in tow, but all is well. Should be fishing on a beach in a few hours, but will probably be sleeping instead.
There is supposed to be decent fishing right off the beach where we are staying for small jacks in the evenings and mornings. I brought a 7 wt for this and am going to give one of the new tropical outbound lines from Rio. These lines basically have a very heavy head with what amounts to a running line so they are typically great for quickly getting some distance out. In the few times I've flyfished in the surf, the biggest issue has always been getting that first 40 feet of line or so out past the incoming breaking waves. I think this line shoud work be the trick for this so we'll see.

The Wind & the Lower

Steven and I went out today for a few hours on the lower - which shows once again that I have little or no sense. The forecast was spot on and it was windier than hell so we had little hope for much in the way of midge dries. Nymphing was really good - so good that it was actually really really good - and that's no BS. They were eating the crap out of the crayfish. Nothing big but lots of hookups and a nice steady breeze to remind me of why I don't mess with the boat this time of year.
FWP was shocking from Warm Springs to Cherry Creek but I doubt they'll be out there this weekend so it's certainly worth a go and hopefully they keep on eating crayfish.
I have a 6 am flight tomorrow with my 12 year old and 4 years old, looking forward to it. Nothing like going to the airport at 5 am with a kid dressed up like Supeman but that will be me in the morning. Christine conveniently had to go to San Fran fro some meetings and is meeting up with us in Dallas on Sunday. Then the whole clan is heading to Ixtapa for spring break - I plan on doing some fishing for Roosterfish and Jacks while I'm there. So, it might be light for awhile!

Access Rods by Orvis

I had the chance to give the new Access line of rods a thorough working with on my recent trip to Arkansas. We've had some of these rods in the shop since November, but I had only cast them in the parking lot up until last weekend. So, I was looking forward to seeing how they perform in the field and where they actually stack up against the Helios and Hydros models.

First off, the rods are mid-priced - by today's standards - at $350 so the price is definitely in the ballpark for most anglers. Orvis has used their proprietary thermoplastic resin technology in designing the scrim of the graphite blanks. I guess the practical effect of this is that this technology allows them to substantially reduce the overall weight of the rod when compared to other rods that use more traditional materials such as fiberglass as the scrim. The scrim is basically the "backing" of the graphite and gives the graphite rigidity and structure. Fiberglass is the traditional material used in graphite rods. So, the rods are very lightweight - especially when compared to other manufacturer rods in this price range. Lightweight makes for a more natural casting stroke and less fatigue at the end of a day.

They look great with an a bronze finish and well appointed gold hardware with a brownish woven graphite reel seat. Rods come with a cordura rod tube and Orvis' 25 year unconditional warranty. At this time, Orvis charges $30 to service broken rods - which is quite a bit less than many other manufacturers.

How does the rods fish? They cast great in the parking lot and will pass just about anybodies "wiggle test" in the parking lot. They feel great in hand and most people have been shocked by the price as this is the lightest rod many people have felt before and there is an intuitive association with this which makes most expect a $500+ price tag.

How does it fish? Honestly I kind of expected to be telling everyone that these rods are basically the same blank they use in the Helios/Hydros. It's not. I found the rod I used (905-4 Tip Flex) to handle everything from small dries to streamers very well. Not the same degree of ease to fish as the premium rods but "good enough," - especially at this price. I found the rod to load well going forward, but harder to feel on the backcast. I got used to it after awhile but they don't load as quickly or easily as the Helios/Hydros - in my opinion.

Outside of that, I found the rod great to fish with - easy mending, plenty of "stoutness" to handle big fish yet it didn't take the fun out of smaller ones. I fished a lot with 6x tippet and didn't have any issues with the tip being too stiff on the hook-set. I definitely thought it was better suited for nymphing and streamers than small dries - a great all around rod for most of what we do here in SW Montana - but it wouldn't be my first choice if I was primarily fishing match the hatch dries on a spring creek.

The Access rods represents a substantial improvement over the Power Matrix line of rods that they are replacing and a great "next step" for most anglers looking to upgrade from a "starter rod." For the angler that already has a bunch of rods - this line probably isn't going to do much for you unless you are looking to get a "fill in the blank" line weight for more specialized use without spending the money that premium rods go for these days. For example - I plan on picking up an Access in the 907 Tip Flex and 843 Mid Flex models later this spring. I'll stick with the Helios and Hydros for my everyday use demands of a 5 and 6 weight.

So, if you're in the market for a new rod, take a look at the Access but be prepared to be  impressed by the performance difference between these rods and ones that are twice the price. In many ways this makes it better for everyone as there is both real and perceived differences in value between all the various price points that Orvis now offers rods. Don't expect to get the same performance as you'd find in rods that go for $500+ but put them up against just about anything I've ever cast in this price range and I think you'll be impressed.

Playing Catch Up

Back at the grindstone once again this week. The weather here in SW Montana is looking great for the rest of the week, so I might even get out and fish a few hours on the lower Madison provided the winds stay down. Sounds like they guys in the shop have been doing well on midge dries the last week so I might even take along the Tom Morgan bamboo for its once in a lifetime cherry poppin'.

Midge dries on the lower can - as most things can be - sometimes be ridiculously complicated. Blanket bug hatches and not a fish on the rise, throw in some shadows or clouds and boom it's on. The nice thing about it is that the fish usually aren't too picky when they do decided to come up so anything from a small Wulff to a micro midge adult will usually work when presented with reasonable accuracy.

I thought that I headed to Mexico on this Friday but it's not until Saturday and I already scheduled the guys in the shop to cover Friday...so a fishin' I will go.

Wrapping it up

It rained pretty hard the night before last so the water was slightly off color yesterday - more of a greenish color - so no big deal. However, there was still no generation so the water was low and slow. We were hopeful that the little bit of color would get some of the bigger fish moving around, maybe chase some streamers or get on the worm bite. Didn't work out that way as they still wanted midges for the most part, but the water was dirty.
I've always done pretty well in dirty water - here 2 feet of visibility is considered dirty - as fish just seem to be more comfortable and dirty water brings a flush of food with it. So I threw streamers most of the day and got a dozen or so fish in the 12-15 inch range which ws better than the 20 or so 8-10 inchers I would've gotten with the middling over slow water.
We fished down around an area known as Rim Shoals near Cotter. This is one of a few catch and release areas on the river, has good access and some great water. Lots of buckets in between the bedrock shelves and riffle after riffle for bout 1/2 a mile. Great water, and worth a day or two of messing around with if you're ever here.
The guides get pretty focused on numbers or size and being as the size requires the right conditions...seems like they are usually worried about the numbers. We told them yesterday we'd just assume fish something different and let be what it is. Worked out well as the other guys got some good numbers and we all got to fish something that we normally don't fish.
All in all it was a good trip for me except I didn't get much photography accomplished or any big fish. Great BBQ, scenery, and hanging out though. Plus I didn't email our web dudes once the whole trip and things back home seem to be running well.
I head home tomorrow and then head to Mexico next weekend for spring break with the family in Ixtaxpa. That trip is mostly family time with my parents and kids...wife too...But I do have a day booked for Roosterfish on the fly and there is supposedly good fish in on the beach where we are staying for small Jacks and the odd rooster.
I did fish with the new Orvis Access rods and reel this trip as well which I'll review next week.

As expected

We headed out this morning around 8, with no gratin going on - it was destined to be another low water White River adventure with my uncles. We headed for bull shoals dam in search of the big fish the river is legendary for. Legends are the things urban myths are made of. Like the one about vampires and garlic...so is the one about monster trout in the white river! We had about 2 hours of boat fishing as they did generate enough to get the boat out, but spent most of the day fishing slack water with a a small midge under a small indicator catching small trout. At least there was quite a bit of sight fishing going on...it was juts to small trout which are better than small whitefish I guess.
All in all it was a fun day and I'm looking forward to seeing some new water tomorrow and maybe some higher flows too. It's fishing, so it's always a good thing. Conditions are always hard to predict so you make the best of what you have and always hope for more but try not to get disappointed if reality falls short of your imagination.
As always on these trips to Arkansas, I always end up being reminded of how much I really just love to fish. Sure I'm always hopeful that a piggy is going to eat my junk, but at the end of the day it's that sense of freedom that I only get to experience while standing in a river that has lead me down this road. A journey I am grateful for being able to take and always look forward to what's around the next bend.

White River Update

We arrived at the White River this afternoon and got a little bit of fishing in. Seems like they have been generating every morning for a few hours so we're hoping for some high flows in the morning and a streamer bite. This afternoon was typical white river low water fishing little midges under a palsa on 6x for some little stocker rainbows.
The weather was fantastic, almost 80, so that in itself was worth the trip. Supposed to be like that the next couple of days.

KC

Hanging out tonight in KC getting ready to head down to northern AR in the morning. We,re thinking of hitting the Norfork tomorrow instead of the White. It all depends on the generation schedule which currently appears to be pretty much a non factor. So we,re expecting some warm weather, hopefully bright skies, and maybe some sight fishing to some bigger fish eating midges. regardless, it should be I'm the 70's, well get some amazing bbq', and chase seom fish around, can't wait,

What I'm up to.

I'm heading to Arkansas tomorrow to chase after disappointment once again. The draw this time of year is the "shad kill."  Basically something happens in the reservoirs and a bunch of shad die off in the spring and float to the surface. The currents eventually bring masses of shad to the outlets of these reservoirs where they get sucked down through the dam, through the turbines, and into the tailwaters below. When this happens, the fish get off the midges and scuds and onto big white flies - things like white zonkers, buggers, and even white poppers.

The thing that we always hope for is that this coincides with a time when the power company decides to generate at the dam. If they generate for long enough, the river flows stay up enough to get the fish moving around in conjunction with bringing enough of the shad through to get them looking for the ground up chunks of dead fish! They never seem to generate when I'm there so the fishing is usually characterized as catching oodles of small rainbows (10-14") using some pretty technical nymphing techniques.

We fish a lot of small tungsten nymphs under a stick on indicator about 2-4 feet up from the fly. It's mostly sight fishing - so it still works out to be pretty fun. BUT, I'm hoping for high water and dead things floating down the river!

I'll be primarily fishing around Bull Shoals dam on the White River around Mountain Home, Arkansas. We always have a great time anyway and it will be good to see my uncles and a bunch of friends I only see every other year or so.

So, I'm working in the shop today tidying up loose ends - which there are a ton of - and trying to get all my crap in order. Packing lots of photo gear and going to fish with the new Access rods for a few days - I'll shoot out a review of these when I get back too. They sure seem pretty nice for the price at this point. Also, I sent out an e-mail newsletter last night, here's a link to that . And don't forget that you need a 2011 license to fish now! And portions of the upper Madison are now closed until the 3rd Saturday in May.