A little blurb about what's to come

We’ve been stuck in a lingering “Indian Summer” here in southwest Montana, which has just added to the irregularity of the 2011 season. Things started off later than usual thanks to heavy snow last winter only to be followed by one the wettest springs on record. Anglers and guides across the region were scrambling around parts unknown in search of fishable water throughout most of June and July only to be treated with some of the best late season water conditions we’ve ever seen. The season is starting to wind down and it looks like we will finish up the season on more familiar ground so long as the weatherman is reasonably correct with his latest forecast.

Fall is a time of transition, which can make for some real boom or bust days on the water around here. So much is changing that it is impossible to make accurate predictions as to where the best chances for success can be found. The Brown trout are becoming more aggressive as they start to move into spawning areas and “pair-up” for what lies ahead. Cold nights cool the water and bring a return of hatching insects, which become more important to feeding trout than their steady diet of hoppers and ants over the last month or so. And then there is the return of quietness on just about all the waters in the region and Montana looks more and more like we all envision it to be.

The forecast looking ahead is for some cooler, unsettled weather characterized by mild days and cool nights with a little moisture along the way. As the weather becomes more like fall and less like summer, we’ll soon see the trout chasing streamers early and late just about everyday with intermittent periods of rising to small Mayflies in between.

Locals and seasoned travelling angler already know that October in Montana is one of the last best kept secrets of western trout fishing. While some folks might be out chasing feathers and fur, I’ll be looking on the Madison and Yellowstone…looking for gold!

Anticipation

It's been great to have a few days off now and not even think about being on the water! That said, looking forward to getting back after it in a few days and the forecast is for some fall like conditions. The weather has been amazing the last few weeks, but I've felt like I've been on the sidelines just waiting for the right play to be called before going into the "2 minute drill." Clouds, rain, coldness...that's what I've been waiting for. I should go back to some of my posts in June of this year and I bet I can find one in which I was begging for sunshine and a wader-free day.

Fish can have their ant and hoppers...I'm ready to fish some zonkers and articulated junk with hopes of connecting with something that would best be described as Leviathan. Dry flies are great fun, but they're really meant for summer, spring creeks, and New Zealand. So, I'm getting the Depth Charge lines back out, making sure I have some sinking leaders and plenty of 12-18 lbs tippet just in case it all comes together.

Nothing is more exciting about this fishing stuff than the anticipation. Whether it's the night before a big trip, the drift down to a rising fish, the next cast, or the next fish, anticipation is what makes all those moments in between so interesting. So, the anticipation of what is coming in the next couple of weeks reminds me of why it never hurts to make a few practice casts.

09/28

Spent the day getting organized and sorted after a long season and several years of stuffing unopened mail in various drawers and boxes. Little cooler today and it looks like we are supposed to get some fall like conditions coming our way next week.

Wrapping up the fly count in the next couple of days and starting to compare spreadsheets and throwing darts at the various catalogs. I am yet to see any revolutionary new patterns for next year but who knows. I was wrapping up some more fly shots for the website today as well and it's amazing to me how many patterns we actually have in the shop. Silver lightning bugs...mmmm good.

Felt like I should put something up today so that yesterday's pic isn't front and center 2 days in a row.

Content

This blog thing is a pain in the ass sometimes. I have nothing of sustenance to add to anyone's lives today in terms of angling knowledge or experience. Don't really even have too much to complain about, except that it is too hot for this time of year.

I've been relishing the fact that I now have an office it what has been affectionately nicknamed the "V Room." The name comes from one of the many artifacts left over by the Tattoo guys that used to occupy the space. Had to buy a new laptop and get a network installed so the computers can talk to each other at work. Should make life much easier for everyone, plus I now have  a place in the world in which I can hide. Going through years of unopened statements, insurance notices, licensing crap, etc. and filing them away in file folders...crazy what a little space does.

Might get out for a fish on the Gallatin tomorrow afternoon. Need to reshoot an image I took a year ago as people "in the know" really dig it, but say the angler should be wearing a vest...poor neuman and the slippery slope he has to walk.

So, as I don't have too much value to add, here's a pic I posted a year or two ago that I took while taking the kids trick or treating in some little town in Ohio. Before you look and get mad at me for making you look...I apologize as it does show poor judgement on my part and has nothing to do with anything that anyone could ever hope to gain from reading the blog...except a laugh or two and who couldn't use that?

Looking Ahead

Getting caught up around the shop today which actually means supervising the guys as they count away on the fly inventory. Critical part of the biz as we take a complete physical inventory, compare it to last years count, add what we ordered to that and use the differences to predict orders for 2012. Plus have to figure out which pattern get to go to fly hell to make room for new patterns.

Weather continues to be off the hook nice for this time of year. Will be on the water a couple of days this week and most of next week, and hoping for some cloudy weather to get the streamer bite going strong.

I will be heading over to the Bighorn for two days in October (18-19) and am looking to book a few days over there on the front side of that trip if anyone is interested in some fall fishing over there with me. Available dates would be Oct 14-17, $400/day. I usually have folks stay at the Absaraka Fishing Bear Cabins near Ft. Smith and they do have some availability at this time (around $150/night per cabin).

And another

Had a rare day off the water and out of the shop today. Watched my son play soccer and was glad to not be rowing a boat when the wind picked up this afternoon. Also, got annihilated in my Fantasy Football...how do Rivers, Turner, Greene, McCluster, Clark, and Burlenson combine for like 25 points? My highest scorer was the kicker for the Texans.

Plan on being in the shop most of the week working on preseasons and looking at our sales for the year. This summer was the busiest we've ever had both in terms of sales and trips and will wonder what could've been if we had good conditions and weather in May and June.

The weather has been insane the last week and not quite sure what to make of it, think the fish are in the same boat. Just when they start getting excited about Pseudos and BWO's, it's back to hoppers and ants. I'm ready for some fall like weather, just not snow...not yet anyway.

Hot

Another Indian summer day here in SW Montana has come and gone. Think it's supposed to be like this for awhile though, probably should try fishing hoppers again but it's fall...damn it.

Fished Valley Garden to ELake today and found it slow for the most part with the occasional bucket holding some fish on the eat. Tis the time of year though that more and more fish tend to move in there so chances are I'll be back sooner rather than later

My disdain for the pontoon boat crowd was once again reinforced. Nothing personal against them but folks just don't seem to have brains when using them. Why do the uber pontoon crowds dudes have to park their truck right up to the boat ramp, unload everything on the ramp, get rigged, move their truck, and then go? Isn't the whole idea to be self sufficient and highly mobile? Few things in the water world are more irritating than boat ramp slugs. Get in, get out. No need to primp on the ramp. I want to be on their side but it's just been too painful for too long. One bad apple....

Going, going....

Arrived down there today with neuman and found the river to be a dirty mess. Plan B'd it up and had a good time, caught some fish, got some pics, and found the source of dirt...an excavator playing in the middle of the river.

Big pet peeve of mine there is the crowds. I've been fishing it for awhile now and am about at the point of talking about the good ol' days. Now they're putting a new boat ramp in so that it will be easier for more people to fish down there. But in the meantime, they're driving heavy equipment around the river bottom so you might not want to go below that one place...there are no fish below there anyway.

That stretch of river is/has been one of the best low population fisheries for years now, but I imagine that things will change as more and more anglers hit it. Biggest fish of the year the last 4 years has come out of there for me, wonder if that will ever be again...probably not as I find myself fishing it less and less and the crowds get more and more.

Not Bad

One of the beauties of being a fishing guide is the degree to which generalities are acceptable. Personally , I thrive on the use of descriptions like "not bad, "ok",  "sort of", "almost", "possibly", and "probably". Pin me down to make a statement that implies commitment and the closest you're likely to get is "I think so."

So, on the upper again today and the fishing was "not bad." If you didn't know me or are just stumbling upon this post...you might think that means "good." However, if you do follow this a bit and know how I feel about the upper...than you are safe to assume that "not bad" is closer to "ok" than "shit", but still a long way from "awesome." Trying to decide if you should go up there or not...it' not bad is as close as I can get in terms of a recommendation.

Want something useful? Shit on dries today. Shit morning. Little bugs after lunch, some small fish and a few decent ones. Very streaky.  By little bugs, I mean a SH pheasant tail and a little green machine (both 18's) on 5x 4 feet below the bobber. A #1 Dinsmore about 10" above the first fly (dropper tied off the eye). Later in the day, had a good grab going for awhile on pearl zonkers with a silver lightning bug (18). Nymphed the slots more so than the pockets and it worked well enough to make the day a "not bad" day in the end. Pretty good relative to some days, in my opinion, I think.

Ups to the Upper

Steven and I headed up to the upper for a bit of exploration this afternoon and found some fish that were bigger than a hot dog and had spots on them. Hard to believe, but it's true. Now it was a long way from being good but just as far away from being bad too. Got a couple fish to eat worms but mostly we found fish rising behind rocks and in seams to small attractor patterns like humpies and wulffs.

My windshield was completely covered in bug splats coming home and, after further inspection, it was discovered that they were flying ants. There were some BWO's out, along with a surprising number of caddis and it seemed like some fish were just looking up for a change over there.

Seems like things have been erratic around here the last couple of weeks as cold nights and shorter days bring the bugs back out and the fish make the switch from hoppers back to aquatic bugs. We're just a cloudy day away from having some very good fishing just about everywhere. I think that fish are spookier this time of year on sunny days as the angle of the sun sets a little bit lower than just a few weeks ago. I've noticed (from fishing in NZ) that fish become exponentially more spooky later in the day once the sun starts to drop a bit. Makes sense as shadows are longer, profiles more pronounced, and movement is easier to pick up in the sidelight. Just a thought.

She's calling you Tom...the upper Madison that is..."give it to me one more time..."

Looking Ahead

Good to be home and spend a day in the shop fro a change. Most of it, however, was spent sitting in the office looking at bank accounts, e-mails, and some new product for next year. Starting the process of taking a look at everything for the year and making plans for next year already.

Back on the water around here for the next few days and looking forward to it. Hell, I might even enjoy the upper Madison again. Seeing and fishing new water is always great, but there's nothing like being on our home waters...something that's easy to take for granted. I grew up spending a lot of time on a pretty good-sized lake in Texas and I'm sure I could go back there 20 years later and find the same coves and underwater humps I obsessed over what seems a lifetime ago now. One thing I never forget is the good days, conditions, and places.

The upper generally starts to fish well again this time of year with the cooler nights getting the BWO's and random larger Mayflies active. Overcast days usually make for a good streamer bite up there this time of year and don;t forget about the oft-overlooked worm bite. Always a frustrating day to be had up there, but you it's better than whacking whities on the Yellowstone all day.

Back in da Bozone

22" Bull Trout

Back home this afternoon after a week around Missoula and it feels like Fall has finally arrived. I returned home via Craig as I had to return a borrowed raft and pick up the old 911 to return to storage, so it ended up being a long day on the road. Nothing too eventful other than I hit a pheasant rooster going over a pass outside of Lincoln...can't believe it didn't put my windshield over the limit (I do have pheasant feathers stuck in the satellite receiver though)

All in all it was a good trip over there, 4 days with one group and 3 with another. Weather started in the 90's a week ago and was in the low 50's yesterday. Probably explains why we had a couple slow days mid-trip. Fished some new water and lots of dry/dropper rigs for a change.

In a nutshell...3 days on on the lower Clark Fork one of which was pretty good on rising fish eating Hecuba's the other 2 days were spotty and inconsistent. 3 days on the Blackfoot, one on the lower was good on dries and worms, on in the canyon sucked and one in the canyon was very good (yesterday). One day on the Bitterroot was good on dry/droppers and hoppers. Of course, as always, there was lots of stuff in between that made it all very fun for everyone involved.

A few firsts for me as well. First Squawfish. First time I lost a trailer on the highway. First time on the lower CF, lower Blackfoot, and Bitterroot. First time I've been pulled over and asked if I was drinking or doing some "other stuff" in a long long time.  First time I've found a mechanic to work on a trailer after 5. First time I've caught Brown, Brook, Rainbow, Bull, Cutthroat, and Whitefish in one day.

I'm sure more will trickle in over the next few days as I go through some of the pics and get caught up. Hard to imagine how difficult things can be without internet for a well. I had to improvise with my fantasy football and virtually ignored the blog, facebook, and website for a week.

Uno Mas in Missoula

One more day here around Missoula and then back to the Bozone. Clark Fork yesterday was slow but good enough to be ok on dries. Bitterroot today was good on dry/dropper in the morning and hopper/dropper in the afternoon.Been fun around here, but ready to get home.

Getting Caught Up...kinda

Been over in Missoula the last 4 days guiding around here. I've had little Internet access, thus my delays in keeping updates.. Anyway, I'm here and that's that. Fished the Blackfoot and Clark Fork with a couple of great ladies. Fishing was ok a couple of days and crap a couple of others. Like the CF a lot through. Lots of bugs right now.
Adding value to this experience... Missoula is a big city. There are fires over here and the air is smoky. There are too many people riding bikes here. The police are mean here. Hellgate Conoco is the best gas station around. Ambien comes in different shapes here. Volcano Tacos taste the same. Fishing guide s here wear Chaco's and have beards. Magnetic trailer lights work. You can never have enough duct tape. Hecuba is not a country in central America. Pink worms work better than anything else. Mayflies are purple here.
Anyway, I've got a few more days over here and then head home. 

9/10

Where to start?

I recall that 10 years ago today I was guiding on the Missouri and had my first real life experience with black fly pupa. Something I had always mistaken before as Trico nymphs. I remember standing with a client along a seam with an endless parade of gentle noses picking up spinners for hours and hours that morning. We occasionally got one to eat our fly and the fish were good fish. I remember Rick taking one of the guys below an island at lunch and casting a leech to a cruising fish and catching it. I remember that I didn't get home until well after dark that night.

My father called me the next morning and asked me if I was watching TV, which I wasn't as I was exhausted from the long day before. He told me that he thought we might be under attack and that something awful was happening. I remember know that shot of adrenaline and hair standing up on my back when he told me these things. I turned on the TV just as the first tower began to fall and I've never been the same.

I can't imagine the heartache of all those people that lost loved ones and acquaintances that day. I was/am so far removed from the whole event yet felt as if it was happening to my friends and neighbors. I think about those people almost everyday. The only thing they did that day was go to work. I don't know that any of us will be the same or better as a result of 9/11 or that there were any real lessons to be learned by us. Everyone has their own connection to that horrific day and mine is certainly much less dramatic than many, many folks.

It did get me to ask a lot of questions about my life and the important things in the following months. Perhaps, I have become a little less open-minded and tolerant as a result. Maybe this is part of the explanation for the political polarity of today. One thing that did certainly happen for me as a result was a re-evaluation of the shortness and finite nature of life.

Tomorrow is a day of remembrance for everyone affected by 9/11, which is pretty much all of us. Not only Americans, but pretty much everyone that craves freedom and has any love for humanity.

 I feel like I should say some other niceties, but the fact is that I hate those MF's that did this to us. I'm glad that we got Bin Laden, hope we get the rest of them. I hope they stand trial in NYC someday. I'm about to go to a dark place now so I'll stop the rant.

Amazing how insignificant a trout's rise seems in comparison now; yet I remember the joy of 9/10 as much as the sorrow of 9/11. I hope to never witness anything like 9/11 again.

And on and on

On the downhill side of things now with about 20 days or so left for the year and pretty much all with regulars so things are looking rosy from here on out. One more day here and then head up to Missoula for the next 8 days of working and exploring over there with a couple of great groups

Hopefully the bite will improve here soon as things have been tougher this past week. By tougher I mean not necessarily easy, even for a good angler. Sometimes the bite just slows down, doesn't mean stops, just isn't what it was. I always find that transition times of year can make for more variability day to day and even during a day in terms of fish feeding behavior. Just because they were eating hoppers with reckless abandon two days ago doesn't mean that's the thing for today. I find that you need to think outside the box (worms) a bit this time of year...I just haven't figured out how far to date.

Was on the lower today with a good guy that possessed average skills and he was tickled with the day. I thought it should have been better, but then I stop and realize that he landed about 10, lost that many (a couple of good fish), and missed a few too. I don't know what's wrong with that day, just thought it should have been better. But hey, got some fish, didn't see anyone else, and had a stunner of a day...

Also, saw 3 otters just up from the spot they parked Red October. I've never seen otters in that part of the river. Otters are amazing animals in that they always seem to be right at home whenever you see them, but you hardly ever see them.

Back to Work

I've had a few days off in a row now and am feeling all refreshed and ready for the last push. Hopefully the bite will be better than it has been the last few days. It hasn't been bad, but would have thought it would have been better. Actually, the East Gallatin was pretty good this morning with little nymphs. Tricos out but the fish never really got on them...at least by noon that is.

Back at it tomorrow and looking forward to it.

Slow and Low

Headed down towards Columbus today for a little payback for the slow day on Sunday with the family, Fish won again today...what can I say? Sporadic and half-hearted hopper bite here and there with some whitey love on nymphs.

Shooting for an ez day tomorrow with some wading on the Gallatin, fishing dries. The Gallatin, especially up in the canyon is probably the best, least utilized river in the area on my part. Don't know why I never think about going there, maybe it's the highway, maybe it's the rafters. Either way, it really is a helluva great rive to have just a few blocks from the shop.

More to It than the Tug

What an amazing day to be out on a river here in SW Montana. The weather was amazing and the bite was so so, but still better than most places. We had the river to ourselves and bobbed along at a nice leisurely pace.

Got the chance to fish with one or my mentors in life and enjoyed the whole thing. We've been fishing together about 9 years now in New Zealand and this was the first time we've been able to make it work here. Amazing to think how much my life has changed in the last 9 years and how different the world has become in that same time.

I'm thankful for the path I've chosen and all the happy souls I've encountered along the way. Don't know how many people can look back on their life and say they got to do what they loved. If you're not...do something else. Life is short and we only get one chance at it. Don't waste it away doing some bs you hate or going home to someone that makes your life hell. There is a difference between living life and dying slowly. Choose life.

The real Labor Day

Did a little shop time this morning and then ran out to the Gallatin with John and Jimmy to mess around with my new underwater photo gear while they tried to catch some fish. Lots of bugs out but little fish activity this afternoon. John swore it was ez two days ago. The canyon looked good though and it was nice to be on a river without a rod or worrying about somebody with a rod trying to make it bend.

Getting things ready for a few off days now ahead of me with an old friend from way down under. Selwyn has been guiding me in NZ pretty much on every trip I've taken down there. I could gush about him for awhile, but I figure I'll have a better sense of it all in a few days so I will restrain myself.  Should get some fishing in nevertheless.

Labor Day Sunday

We've had a messed up scheduling scenario for the last and next few days which has made for some unexpected free time on my end for the next few days. Kind of sucks as I had an invite to go do some bird hunting at an uber cool place with PRO Outfitters and some Orvis folks. Had to turn it down a month ago as I was supposed to be working. But, alas I have a a few days off and am looking forward to it.

Floated down low on the stone today with the family, and about 30 other families too. Lots of folks turned out for the Reedpoint Sheep Drive this weekend. Anyway, had a nice day with a so so bite on hoppers, they liked it better twitched than drifted today. Sometimes they definitely like those hoppers moving. Other thing was that there were bugs out, like PMD's or those little yellow drakes that we see in the early fall. I hadn't seen any real bugs in so long I was kind of dumbfounded by their presence and felt like we probably could've gotten the fish better if we nymphed, but my wife likes dries so I don't push it too much.

Futile Endeavors

The lower was slower today. I'm blaming it on a settled high pressure system. Had a good bite the first hour or so, but things quickly slowed down once the sun got up. Good anglers but the fish were tough to find for most of the day. Ended up losing a few good fish and getting a handful of dinks.

Days like this make you stop and think hmmm? Why? I've had such good fishing for a long time now, so I was probably due.

Still had a good day with some great guys. Lots of laughs and they got to drink some beer in the sunshine. "Honey Badger don't care"...look it up on U-tube if you haven't seen it. I'm here to add value and dimensionality to the less serious side of life at times too.

First Frost and Caviar

Another great day here in SW Montana despite a stiffy from the west. The high winds made for a quicker than normal float, but the fish were eating well enough to keep everyone happy. Cawdad season is the best season. Frost on my boat this morning and ended the day with whitefish eggs aplenty.

What else? I've been feeling the burnout begin, but have a few days off coming up next week and then head over to Missoula for a week of guiding over there. There are many days this time of year when I have to remind myself that I could be sitting in traffic on my way to work in Dallas right now. Instead...I'm here in Montana, getting paid to take folks fishing on some of the best trout waters anywhere in the world. Sure, it can be a challenge and feel more like work than not work...but it's a pretty damn good job when I stop and think about it.

It's a whole lot better though when I put my nicotine patch on! I was stressing out this morning about 11 and realized I had no nicotine and the closets source was 30 miles and several hours away. Been there once before this year and it wasn't pretty! So, I did a quick dig through my rower seat box with the hope of finding a leftover patch to no avail. However, I did find a can snus from last year with one packet left in it. Yeah, I though about it for about 1/3 of a second and put it in...whew...life was good again. Not to worry though, it was just for emergencies and I'm not going back down tobacco road.

Was so windy today that the boat was going way way faster than the water at one point with a fish hooked up. So, I'm trying to navigate around some boulders in 4 inches of water without loosing the fish, boat, or anglers when the rainbow on the other end jumps. He came out of the water about 3 feet and landed smack dab in the middle of one of the boulders I was trying to avoid! He slid right off but we all were happy to not be that fish at that moment!

Peace Out

Had some weather move in yesterday and settle in last night making for a partly cloudy day, slight breeze, and high in the 60's! Got to wear the new zip up waders and try for some better fish on the lower Madison with a father/son team. Had a bite that was good for most of the day, a bit spotty here and there but good fish overall, we only got a few that were smaller than 14" and landed several in the 17-20 range dragging streamers and crayfish.

Nice cool weather kind of got things looking and feeling good on the lower today. No tubers, only a couple other boats, and very few weeds to speak of...relatively speaking that is.