Happy Easter!
Happy Easter! With a bit of help from the Easter bunny, Charlie managed to land this fairly enormous rainbow this afternoon. It was fooled by a chocolate egg pattern #12.
Drowning worms
While the complexity of fly fishing technique, of entomology and the behavior of wild trout has a certain obvious allure there is also a certain attraction to the simple art of drowning worms. With ice out on local ponds comes a red hot sucker bite which the boys and I readily take advantage of each [...]
Spring conditions on Missouri
Spent the last two days on the Missouri - seemed like classic early April conditions. Lots of midges and while didn't spot many rising fish we did find that worms and virtually any pink or orange scud pattern, particularly the fire bead scud was deadly when dead drifted in water 4-6ft. The fish seem to [...]
Yellowstone heating up
As our daytime temps have gone up, likely bringing up the water temp as well, the Yellowstone has caught fire in the past few days. Midges have been prolific and present throughout the day providing us with feeding fish from ramp to ramp. Baetis have been scattered, would bet they will get get cranking in [...]
Madison has wintered well
Was treated to a calm day on the Madison Friday which, given the changing weather patterns and significant winds that often accompany them, was a very pleasant change of pace. The midge hatch was strong throughout the day and while we did find an occasional riser, the bright sun seemed to keep most surface action [...]
Spring creek action
Spent yesterday at Nelson's Spring Creek in paradise valley. Was a vivid reminder of why so many of us have become fans of early season fishing. With off season rates in place, my angler's rod fee was just $40 and we had the entire creek to ourselves. And because its March, we found the creek [...]
Cabin fever diminishing
Perfect conditions today. Warm, overcast and CALM. Midges were pumping out of the river and the fish were on them. Perhaps it's just been a long winter but I swear each season that March produces some of the best dry fly fishing of the year. My old standby, the H&L Variant, fit the bill. Though [...]
March midge action
Have had some fantastic midge fishing in the past few days on the lower Madison and Yellowstone. The hatches have been strong in both sun and clouds....the trick has been getting out of the wind. Today on the Madison was a perfect example - when the wind was down in late morning we found rising [...]
Spring Fishing underway
Though there is still snow on ground and in the forecast, winter is slowly but surely losing its grip. The days are longer and average temps are warming. Rivers that were choked with ice just two weeks ago have opened up. Though our winter fishing is generally good, it seems there is more energy out [...]
Fly of the Day – Spruce Moth
30 below this morning in town - perfect weather for tying and thinking of warmer days that should arrive at some point within the next 6 months. Working on Spruce Moths today...a pattern that has become a summer staple on many of our local waters. This particular version is easy to tie and has proven [...]