Good times and creepy crawlies

It's great to be back around SW Montana again on the rivers I love the best. The lower Madison has been great the last couple of days and hopefully will hold up for just a little longer until the Yellowstone really gets into shape.

Had a great group of guys out yesterday that were on the annual pilgrimage out west in an attempt to live the "Hangover." Fishing was very good but the guys were hilarious beyond imagination. I think they were drunk from the night before until around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. But, they fished great and caught a bunch of fish. Vacations.

Today was even better than yesterday and the floater crowd was later starting so we hardly saw too much craziness. Yesterday was tan sculpins, today was olive...who knows why but it is what it is.

Anyone know what the hell these bugs are? They were all over the place today. My guess is either baby water skeeters or back swimmers. Pumped some fish yesterday and they had a lot of black fly pupae in them but never noticed these things before.

Home Again

Just got back home from one helluva week up in and around the Missouri River Country. We fished everything from little mountain streams to the MO, and had great fishing just about everyday. Summer is finally here for real and things are starting to seem much more like normal.

I'm no longer surprised when my battery dies or the trailer does a little wobble. When Rick's car dies, it seems normal. I can row up river just as far as down. My callouses are finally well developed. I can go all day, crash, get up, and go again...just have no idea what day it is. Life is good.

I am truly old, but that's ok. I can still roll with the young guys and kick their asses most of the time.

We have so many great folks we get to fish with. Hard to say that we have any favorites because just about everyone is really good to us. The guys we just finished with have stuck with us through thick and thin for several years now and I've had the chance to see the boys grow up from Pokemon players to young men. So, as it goes with fishing and my life's work...there is always more to the fishing than the catching and those are the things that keep me caught.

The Missouri is really back to normal summer flows now and is clearing rapidly. It should be really weedy in a week. In the meantime, fish are eating crayfish and caddis pupa patterns pretty well. The dry fly fishing at night is getting very good, especially higher up in the river. Hopper fishing will be picking up very soon.

Also, if you get up to Ovando, check out PRO Outfitters' North Fork Crossing. Not sure what they charge in terms of daily rates, but it's a cool setting with some good folks running it. We ate dinner up there the night after we fished the Blackfoot and the meal was crazy good. I mean over the top yummy, Bison fillets with au gratin potatoes, great appetizers too. The meal was really really tasty.

Road Warriorin'

Fished the Blackfoot yesterday, little creek the day before, back on MO the next two days. Last two days have been long and adventurous with everything from fish to battery jumps being involved.

Blackfoot was good with golden stone dries around Ovando just about all day. Water up there has a little color to it, just the right amount.

I am worn out and would prefer to eat a real breakfast, sleep in a bed, and see my family today than type any more on this silly little box. I'm sure I'll have a change of heart later, but for now...

An Ugly Dog For Breakfast in Lincoln

The Dream

 Woke up this morning wearing yesterday's clothes with thoughts of the insanity of yesterday. Pure and simple madness in the pursuit of trout. We are supposed to run the other part of the group on a little creek tomorrow, but I decided that I am not qualified and it was just too unsafe. So, we are going on a 36 mile hike in the morning...what could go wrong?

No it's not that long, but there is a lot of poison ivy there. It's supposed to be hot and windy, should make for ideal conditions.

This guiding thing s can sometimes seem like on of those roller coasters that just never stops. Overall it's great, can't imagine doing anything else. When it hits the fan, it seems to just keep coming sometimes. There is chaos all around and the only place for quiet is once the anchor comes up and the rows start to dig. Then, the thermostat and over booking issues just don't seem so pressing. Just fish and fishing.

Don't know how many more years my body will be able to handle it though. I get sad thinking that's the inevitable. So, one more walk, one more row around, and hopefully one more big fish.

Hell's Half Acre - Beautiful Place

 In the middle of a 6 day jaunt through central Montana right now. Not really out in BFE, but a few day trips into nowhere land. It's a good thing that trout live in pretty places. We'll be on the MO today, so should be an easier day.

Yesterday was just amazing, lots of work, but really an experience that none of us will forget. Fishing was great and the scenery even better. Flows were lower on the magic stream than the last tie I did it and the rowing was challenging at best. We had to line the boats through a couple of runs, did a little inadvertent swimming, and bounced around like a pinball on some rocks.

Got back over to the MO last night and found Rick on the side of the road with his hood up. So, after trying to get that sorted, which we never did, ended up getting back to camp around 10:30, took some vitamin A and crashed. Woke up in my clothes with my buff still on.

And the day starts.

Avoiding Weeds and Fishing the Lower

The lower dropped back down a little today and is clearing rapidly. Fishing was ok today but thought it should have been better. Had a grandfather/grandson from here in town that I get to fish with a few days every year. Always enjoy it as it reminds me of the more important things in life like spending time with family. They enjoy fishing together and I enjoy getting to spend some time with them being happy on a river. I am really glad that I'm not 16 though!

The fishing. My guess is that at 3000 cfs it is still a little high to have the time to really get your flies down to them in the buckets. Put more weight on and then it's tough to fish the shallow spots...my dilemmas are stressful! Floating weeds are getting worse in the afternoon now...little more and more everyday.

The weeds and floating grass always give folks a lot of issues which usually results in not covering much water with any efficacy. There are a couple of ways to approach the floating grass and weeds. You can complain about it; but that really doesn't do much good. You can tell me about it, that usually doesn't do much good. You can bring your flies in and pick them off, that usually doesn't do much good. You can bring them in and have me pick them off...that really doesn't do any good and the chances of me hitting a gravel bar, weedbed, or rock goes way up. So...what to do?

Make casts which generate enough line speed so that your flies don't hit the water until you're ready to put them down and fish. Once they are in the water, mend very little and try not to get much drag and don't swing your flies or let them just hang off the boat when re-setting. When I'm fishing in lots of grass or weeds, I get in the habit of "cleaning my flies" every cast. I do this by letting my flies fall on the forward cast and then slap/rip them on the water as I make my backcast ( this usually works well for the floating grass on the Madison). Another technique is to strip the line into near the end of the fly line and make a vertical loop with a lot of line speed so that you slap the water on each rotation. The key is to be aggressive with the casting and it will usually allow you to fish more and spend less time trying to deal with 40 feet of line lying loose in the boat while picking some strands of crap of your fly.

Wind-Free

The wind finally quit blowing and everything was set up nicely for the final day with the last group of folks. Only problem was that flows came up a bit yesterday on the lower and the river was dirtier than it had been. We still had a decent day with a few good fish and a bunch of little guys. No idea what they're trying to accomplish by increasing flows right now but am sure there is some sort of mater plan...whatever.

Floating weeds are more noticeable around 1:00 but not much of an issue.

 I have one more day down here and then I'm going on a one of those adventures next week with another group. We'll be staying near Craig, but plan of fishing some small streams, the Blackfoot, Sun, and whatever other water we can find with trout in them. Should be  fun, but I hope the flows on the lower drop a little tonight so we can have a good day out there tomorrow.

Gallatin

Had the day off of the river today so focused on getting some stuff done around the shop and then ended up heading up towards Big Sky to do a little fishing on the Gallatin in the afternoon. The river was dirtier than expected with 1-2 feet of viz and green. Did well on rubberlegs, saw some Salmonflies so fished dries and did well with them too. Flows are high but the fish were hungry and hanging in pockets.

Life is good right now, could be making more money, but I don't thing it's the money that makes me do what I do. I had it sorted in my head, but it slipped away from me before I fully grasped the meaning of whatever it is. SOmething about feeling like I'm in my own world, yet part of the whole picture? I don't know what it is, but I sure like the way a river and the trout make me feel

SCHEDULE UPDATES

I know that many of the anglers that read this blog are also my guide clients past and present. This year has been unpredictable but we've been able to really make the best of it on just about every trip so far this year. The schedules have been very busy since early May this year and we're planning on running out through mid-October.

I have some opening the first week of September (4-10) and (20-24). The fishing around Bozeman will be great then this year. Tricos in the mornings, hoppers mid-day, and great nymphing to keep it interesting. It's hard to beat the stuff around Bozeman, but I'm up for doing some time in western MT around Missoula, up on the Missouri or even on the Big Horn if you want to do something new.

So much to say...

I could go on and on right now, but I won't. Things are good right now - with the exception of the wind - and all I'd go on about is how good they are. Not much negativity in my life these days - except for the wind thing. It was steady 30-35 today with gusts to 48.

Fished the lower for the first time in awhile and it was good considering the conditions. It's probably the best choice in the region right now and should be for a week or so. Flows are high enough to keep the fish "fresh" in the buckets while providing enough holding water in the skinny stuff for the bigger fish. There is a little color to it but not much...just enough to keep them from being to spooky (it's 2 and 3X water right now).

It's usually a weedy mess by now, but the higher flows and color have kept them down for now. It won't last too long over there though. There are weeds starting to green up in some of the skinny runs, so I bet we have a week to ten days before it gets to be bad in terms of floating weeds and developed weedbeds. I saw some floating weeds later in the afternoon, but not an issue yet.

Floaters are out, so you should plan accordingly to stay ahead of that whole thing...unless you are looking for the bikini hatch (starts around 11:00). It seems to me like there has been less and less well tanned women hanging out at Blacks Ford the last few days, that should improve though as the sun continues to shine on us here in SW Montana.

VG

Fished downstream of Ennis today, things started ok but then it nuked and after awhile and it just got tough. Clients are good on the stick, but it's kind of hard to get much of a drift when trying to throw a bunch of junk into a 30 mph breeze. Also, there were quite a few honkies down there, so it was tough to tell if the holes were getting thumped on before we got to them. Also, I seem to have forgotten how to take a decent picture. And then I did leave my net on a bank and have to walk back upstream 1/2 mile. I like Minn Kota.

Things are getting cleaner around here. Think we'll be on the Yellowstone in 10 days, maybe sooner. The Gallatin is there. I am jacked up about getting on some very cool new water next week. So many choices.

A day in the life...

 Headed to Lyon's today as the forecast was for wind and we've continued to have some dry fly fishing up there. Boat ramp was a debacle. People backing up that literally could not back up 2 feet with out jack-knifing their trailer. The a couple of guys accidentally tried to take out the bridge piling with their skiff. Piling won.

The fishing was ok but it was really windy and the fish were doing that slow rise and then bite at the last second thing. I did best with a pink hopper, think they are tried of eating yellow and orange stuff but still want to eat big dries. It was really too windy for us to commit to nymphing, another one of my guides did nymph all day and did pretty well up there.

So, the boat on the bridge thing. Guys made a mistake and got wedged on the upside of Lyon's. I saw it happening and thought we were going to be dealing with a dead guy. Luckily the boat stuck to the bridge and he had time to get his life jacket on and crawl up the gunnel. A group of folks tied a rope from the boat to the bridge, he swam to the bank. I took my boat to the downside of the piling and walked up, removed his anchor, changed the tie in point. They pulled and I pushed and we got the boat of the bridge.

The bitch of mine was that there were 20 guides at the boat ramp and I was the only one that tried to help this guy. So, if you are a guide from West Yellowstone and saw this happen...you are a DB. This was a potentially very dangerous situation and I was very disappointed in the lack of concern that my fellow brethren showed. Guides sink boats every once in awhile, so most of us have a little bit of an idea of what to do.

Anyway, just another day in paradise.

Spring Creekers

Just wrapped a up a few days with some longtime clients of ours. 2 days on the upper and one on the MZ Ranch that we had booked as a backup in case the water was still crap. As it turns out, we should've probably stuck with the Madison, but the creeks fished well enough today so we had a good time.

I always end up fishing Thompson Creek on the MZ. It's smaller than Ben Hart and probably a little harder as the water seems to always be a little clearer and the fish are spooky as hell.

We hooked up a small bow first thing and had 2 20" plus browns chasing it all over the place. One finally got the little fish and we played it a few seconds before he let go of the fish. It was honestly...crazy shit going on far a few seconds! Both of those big fish were chasing that poor little dinker around. Another couple of seconds and I could've net the fish.

Ended up getting a few fish and losing a few the rest of the day on the creek. Nice PMD hatch that brought some fish up for most of the afternoon. I nearly lost my mind on one fish that we worked for a FEW hours. I think we got it to eat twice, but the indicator never moved so we never struck. I went through a very nice selection of flies on that fish but he kept coming over to a Micro Mayfly. We just never got him but he ate well all day...never did spook off.

Back to the Murdison tomorrow and probably the next few days. May try to get off the grid for a day somewhere in between.

Other than the cannibalism, really nothing significantly tidbit worthy...other than my poison ivy is no longer oozy, but it still itches.

Appreciation of the Surroundings

I had a feeling that the well would be dry today - that's just how it goes if you go back today for the glory of yesterday. Especially Salmonflies.

We were early, but so was everyone else. Had an inconsistent bite of small fish and a few nice fish on or looking. Maybe it was the full moon. Maybe, it was the fact that every fish sitting on the bank that wanted eat a dry fly the last 4 days has had his face ripped off. Either one is plausible.

However, it was not the worst day I've ever had on the upper Madison and the weather was beautiful. Nothing like looking out on the Madison valley and watching the shadows and light race across the stark landscape left by glaciers of eons past. Great folks, a few fish, and a spectacular day to not be sitting in a cubicle trying to sell spark plugs to an auto parts store in Fargo.

Other interesting tidbits...a pack of yearling steers came running at us while eating lunch, saw two fish police rigs but never got checked, there were well over 100 boats between Lyon's and Story today, Mama Macs will substitute Carrot Cake for a cookie, floaters are out on the lower, there is a drift boat jammed (not mine!) on the upstream side of the Sun West Bridge (stay left).

Salmonflies

Much to my surprise, the fish were actually eating dries on the upper today. Wasn't "lights" out, but good enough to make just about anybody happy. I mean come on...anytime you can catch fish on size 6 dry flies has got to be alright!

Surprised at how good the water looks up there. There were 20-50 boats at the 3 ramps we passed and we didn't go past anything up from Palisades. We put on early and it seemed to payoff as we only saw a couple of boats all day.

Usual BS where the fish will eat on the bank, won't come out a couple feet. Going back to the well tomorrow and suspect it might be dry!

We'll see what happens, no tragedies today other than the fact that I changed my shuttle half way through the day only to change my mind an hour later. Got to the original boat ramp just ahead of a big Madison Valley storm and my rig was there so 6 of us loaded into the burban and headed out to find Ben's rig which was on it's way down so it wasn't a big deal.

Day in Paradise

Spent the day on the MZ Ranch, pretty much just fished Thompson Creek all day. PMD's going strong enough to bring up some rising fish from 10-2. The fish were spooky spooky spooky, couldn't even get a little beadhead in on them but we did get a few to eat dries.

Saw a huge fish today, in the 26+ range and several of the 22-24 inchers as well. All the big fish were not eating...or were probably digesting rainbows from last night.

Forgot my memory card for the camera. Left my lights on in the morning so had a dead battery at noon - folks at ranch gave me a jump. Lost my keys in the afternoon...they were on my tire. Had 6 fly boxes with me but not a PMD to be found so had to go back to my car and dig through all my boxes in order to find 2 compartments with PMD's.

Ate 6 volcano tacos from Taco Bell for lunch and something from Burger King for breakfast. Posion Ivy itches.

On the Precipice

Well, tomorrow marks the start of what I affectionately call "The Big Push." After my busy May through mid- June, I've been guiding here and there at a comfortable pace. Starting tomorrow, however, it's work work work through Columbus Day. It's good for me, keeps me out of trouble.

I am experiening the joys of Posion Ivy right now. I fell the other day and my wrist was exposed to foliage for about 1/3 of a second. I hate Poison Ivy. People think I'm crazy for wearing waders right now, it's not teh cold that scares me but it's the leaves of 3. I'd wrap myself in a PVC suit and wear my wife's SCUBA crap if I thought it would keep me safe from the itchies. What good does that plant do...seriously? They spray knapweed, why not poison ivy too? It's not that bad this time but it still itches like hell and is all oozy.

Anyway, Salmonflies are out on the upper and I had good reports today from 2 reliable sources that the fish were eating dries really well from Lyon's all the way down to Varney. I'll be up there the day after tomorrow so go find one of those small stream I've been fishing and leave the upper alone. I guess it's pretty clear too.

I'll be heading to the MZ Ranch tomorrow for some sight fishing to ye ol' Brown Trout. Hope they're eating well.
Again, leave the upper alone...there are no fish there...they are all dead. They live other places...go find them...thanks.

Road Trip

This is what it takes get a couple of fly shop owners and a few trout bums out on the water for one day.

Home Again

 Back home after a whirlwind two day road trip to parts unknown with a couple of buddies. What a great time we had fishing some small streams in BFE Montana! It was great for me to just get away (I know that seems like all I ever do!) from guiding and the shop for a couple of day. My life is pretty good but it's rare for me to get to be out on a stream in July other than behind the oars.

I'll fill in some blanks later but it really was a great time. We had a crazy day yesterday, ended up sleeping in a Teepee last night. Headed back to Bozeman in a roundabout way this morning and stopped to fish a small stream for an hour or so until the storms started rolling in.

July Fly Swatter

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	The Digital Fly Swatter
	Fins & Feathers of Bozeman News - July 2011

	The sun has finally decided to stick around for a while and has finally started to rid the mountains of all that snow from last winter. Our guides are busy as ever and looking forward to what is surely going to be one of the best August and September we've seen in many years. The shop is fully stocked and we now have expanded parking along with more retail space in the near future. Everything looks great so come share some Montana hospitality and the finest wild trout fishing in the west with Fins & Feathers this summer! E-mail or call us at 877-790-5303 to book your 2011 trip soon!
		Summer 2011 Outlook - Updated...Again
		It's an ever changing work in progress these days! Water conditions are changing daily which has made for some tough planning day to day. Our guides have been running all around the state looking for new adventures and clean water the last couple of weeks. Local rivers are starting to drop in flows and come around to prime fishing conditions once again. Many of the small streams are already clearing, the spring creeks have been fishing well, and we can finally see some signs of summer along the Madison. 2011 Water Update - July
		Orvis Gale Force Packs
		The Gale Force series of packs from Orvis are finally here and we've been really impressed with them so far. The guys in product development put a lot of time into bringing this line of waterproof (not-submersible) fishing packs to market. The packs are made of a waterproof material that protects your gear like in rain, snow, and during the inevitable spill along the Gallatin. There are 4 packs to choose from at this time including a mid-sized backpack, a sling pack, a chest pack , and a waist pack. Check Out the Gale Force Packs
		Korkers Boots
		Wading boots and the types of soles to use are always one of the "hot topics" around the shop and the fly fishing world in general. New for Fins & Feathers this year is the addition of Korkers boots to our product mix. Korkers are unique in that they feature an interchangeable sole system. Thesoles are easy to switch out and stay in place using a patented locking process which has been perfected in the last couple of years. So, now you have one boot with the option of either using felt, sticky rubber, or studded rubber soles depending on the area you'll be fishing.Korkers Boots are Here
		Flies, Flies, Flies
		We truly are a "fly shop" in every sense of the old shop description. From day one, our fly selection has always been the one thing that really sets us apart from most of our competitors. We have well over 1500 bins of flies now, all of which are premium ties by the both local fly tiers and commercial operations. With everything from Midges to Pike Snakes, we have you covered no matter where your next travels take you.  See Our Flies and Buy Online
		Rowing For a Cure - The Pink Boat
		We've got "Judy" lined up for a couple days in August once again this year. Please consider donating to the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Montana when we have the "Pink Boat" out on the water this year. Breast cancer has affected so many of us in one way or another and this is a great way for us to try and make a difference in a way that really matters. Follow the blog and watch for the August e-news for details on how you can help.What is the Pink Boat and Rowing for a Cure?
		Connect with Fins & Feathers
		Things are about to start happening here in Southwest Montana (about 3 weeks later than usual) and we are the source for all of the latest news and conditions. We update our fishing reports regularly, put tidbits of information up on Facebook, and blog several times a week. If you're not watching, chance are that you're missing out on some timely advice, the occasional laugh, and  not seeing your photo on our website! Keep in touch and tight lines to all as we head into the season. Visit Fins & Feathers Online

Fins & Feathers of Bozeman
81801 Gallatin Road
Bozeman, MT. 59718
Toll Free: 1-877-790-5303
Local: 406-586-2188
info@finsandfeathersonline.com

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Little Road Trip

Flows on the Madison are dropping and it looks like more and more folks are making their way over there. I've been staring at windshields and hunting down clean water. Heading up north tomorrow morning to float some little creek with no name and then fishing somewhere else (honestly have no idea) on Monday. Back around Boz Angelas on Tuesday and guiding pretty much from here on out.

My rig is a mess, my windshield is cracked all the way across and I have a gigantic circular crack right in the middle of it too. Good times on the roads of Montana.

Clean

Woke up this morning after a blissful nights sleep on the floor at Cross Currents in Craig. The AC works better downstairs so there is where I slept. The joys of Ambien...sleep anywhere. Definitely felt more like 40 than 30 this morning. Anyway...the wind was nuclear and straight out of the north or west or south, don't know where but it was bad. So we headed on out the door for parts unknown without my trailer lights plugged in (so now I have to go back to bfe and rewire my trailer).

Now, this is definitely not a secret spot but it was to me and anyone that I know. The river we fished was more like the upper Mataura or spots on the Waikia than anything around here. Not so many fish, not so much big fish, but the river was the same. I kept hoping to see willow grubs and a big head feeding lazily in a backwater.

Every once in awhile I get to have those days that are once in a decade of once in lifetime moments. First time on a new trout water. Cold, clear water and no one for miles around. The fishing...well that's a different story and I really don't know how that was. I know we missed more than we got and left a lot of sexy water unfished. Oh to have one of the MB's today, hopefully it will still be there at the end of the month.

Good new was that the client enjoyed the day and the "thrill" of the unknown as much as I did. Plus I think he was happy to not be sitting a driftboat on a muddy bubble with 50 mph winds at his back all day.

Sometimes it pays to go with your gut and just hit the road. We have so much water here in Montana that an open mind can almost always find a trout or two just so long as you have cold water.

North Country

 Headed north today for a couple of days around the Missouri. Beautiful day and the need for some clean water made for a plan B which was actually more of a plan A.

Fished the Dearborn from 287 down and enjoyed some spectacular scenery with the the odd interruption of a fish or two. Had some fish eating dries, but we did best on nymphs. An absolutely amazing float that is worth it just in itself for the scenery. You know it's got to be good if I'd be up for it just for the scenery.

Couple thoughts. Try making a backcast when you go to set the hook. If the indicator is gone...pull...like a backcast. If fish eats the dry...pull. Ahhh...it is the simple things that boggle the mind. 18+6=22.