Fishing Report for the week of 7/28/2013

HOOT OWL fishing restrictions are now in effect on the Bitterroot and Clark Fork rivers, and likely on the Blackfoot soon.  These restrictions mean no fishing from 

2pm til midnight.  This is meant to protect trout during the higher water temps during late afternoon, and is in-line with our current fishing program.  We have been meeting early, 5-6 a.m. and noticed a drop off in the fishing around 2 even before the restrictions were in place.  The early alarm clock isn't ideal, but the fishing has still been solid.

It was a busy week at MTO so this is one of the longer fishing reports....

Mon. was the first of three days with Pasadena Fly Fishing Club member Jim, and his friend from Texas, Dale.  Since this was Jim and Dale's first trip to Missoula I wanted to be able to show them the area and put them on some of the best fishing around.  I chose a stretch of the Bitterroot with a nasty diversion dam since I knew not many boats had been in there lately.  We started with a dry dropper rig and had a few strikes in the first couple runs before connecting with our first trout of the day.  It was a little guy and so was the next one, but then the trout started to get a little better and a nice log jam produced a big fish for Jim on the dropper.  After a good fight he had the big 18" hook-jawed cuttbow in the net.  While Jim was landing that fish I noticed another fish rise so we dropped Jim off to wade fish the run below and I set Dale up with a single hopper to go after the riser.  It took a few casts to get the fly into a tough spot but when it finally drifted through a nice cutthroat hammered the dry.  The next logjam produced an even bigger cuttbow around 17" on the hopper before we pulled over to wade fish a sidechannel.  It was nice to get out of the boat but we only moved a couple smaller fish on dries so it was time to head downstream.  We stuck with small hoppers for the rest of the morning and raised fish in the right spots.  The best fish of the day was a 19" bow that Dale nailed tight to another logjam.  The Root is low right now so you only get one shot at dry fly fish which is why we went back to the dry/dropper rig in the afternoon and the action picked up for us.  All the runs produced fish on the dropper in the afternoon, and the best one gave up 4 or 5.  It was a decent average size too with most of the fish in the 13-15" range and a few smaller and a few up to 16" in the afternoon.  Once I portaged the diversion dam the river lost a lot of it's depth and we switched back to a single hopper.  The guys landed a couple and hooked a few more on the way to the take out.  We didn't see another boat fishing on the water and it was a nice day to be out.

The Release

Jim wade fishing the Bitterroot

Tue. I met the guys really early for a run up to the canyon of the Blackfoot.  We were the first boat in the water and Jim didn't waste anytime hooking a great rainbow only a couple minutes into the float.  A 17" fish is always a great way to start the day and we were off to the races from there.  I kept the boat moving early on, but the guys hooked fish out of nearly every spot we stopped to fish until we got into the Munchmore hole.  In the run above that I had seen a few spruce moths bouncing around and I hoped there would be enough to get the fish looking up.  We anchored in the hole to change our flies and I saw enough rising fish to know it would be good.  Dale was first up and it only took a handful of casts before he connected with a nice cutthroat on the dry.  Jim was next and he came tight on a really big and brightly colored cutt in the 18-19" range.  The guys continued to take turns over the next 45 minutes or so and kept hooking nice fish on dries.  We stayed with double dry fly rigs after leaving that run and the fishing was nothing short of fantastic.  Every run produced a fish or two and most were quality sized trout on dry flies.  It was some of the best spruce moth fishing I've seen and the guys were in heaven.  The beauty of the canyon and nice dry fly eating trout is a hard combination to beat.  After lunch we floated out of the canyon and the spruce moth bite faded so we went back to the dry/dropper rig.  The fishing tapered off from the pace we set in the morning, but it was still solid and the good runs were producing fish, mostly smaller in the afternoon but a few bigger fish as well.  Near the end of the day Dale hooked up on a nice fish at a creek mouth and it turned out to be a 17" bull trout which gave him a slam for the day, a cutthroat, rainbow, brown, and bull trout all in one day.  Both Jim and Dale remarked toward the end of the float that this was the finest day floating a river they've ever had.  That's high praise for the Blackfoot and the spruce moth hatch.

Dry fly cutthroat

Wed. was my last day with Jim and Dale and we headed to the upper Bitterroot and cold water today.  We started with a dry/dropper rig again and there was plenty of action right out of the gate.  Fish were eating both the dry and the dropper, and Dale got of to a hot start with the first few fish including a bright 17-18" cuttbow.  Then Jim popped a jumping 15" brown out from behind a root ball and the action continued at a steady pace from there.  We did stop in a couple places in the morning and fished single dries to rising fish.  The first spot yielded 3 cutts for Dale and Jim turned a number of heads just downriver.  We toyed with some straight dry fly rigs in both the morning and afternoon but they weren't producing as consistently as the dry/dropper rig.  The guys had 3 or 4 doubles today and there was a good mix of trout.  We caught a few browns, the best a 17" beauty by Dale, a few rainbows, and lots of cutts and cuttbows.  There were some smaller trout, but it was a good average today with most of the fish in the 12-14" range and several in the 15-18" class.  By 1 o'clock the fishing tapered off in the heat.  We caught a few more on our way to the take out but our best action was definitely earlier in the day.  It was a good introduction to Missoula for Jim and Dale.  Despite the warm weather we had 2 great days of fishing and one day that was decent.  They're both terrific guys and I had a lot of fun.  And they're already talking about a return trip next year.

Trapper Peak in the full moon

Dale's Bitterroot Brown

Thur. I fished with returning anglers Paul and Ryan.  I couldn't resist the opportunity to get back up to the canyon of the Blackfoot and hit the spruce moth hatch again.  The day started off great with 3 fish in the first two runs.  It was all dropper fish early and we moved fast, just hitting the best runs and most of those gave us a trout.  When it seemed like the time was right, I switched the guys over to double spruce moths and on Paul's first cast he came tight to a nice cutthroat.  There weren't a lot of moths yet but fish were still rising to the fly in the right spots until we pulled in the Munchmore hole.  There were lots of fish eating in there and Ryan connected with two quick cutts in the 15-16" range.  They got a little harder to feed after that but we still got a few more strikes before moving on.  The rest of the morning was simply awesome dry fly fishing.  Early on there were lots of smaller trout attacking the fly with a few good ones mixed in, but as the morning continued the size of the fish just got better and better.  There were lots of fish from 14-18" through the canyon with some great visual eats.  Paul rested for a bit and Ryan absolutely beat on the trout through the bottom of the canyon. Then when Paul got back in on the action we had back to back  doubles in a good run and Paul hooked several big fish out of one fast canyon wall run.  Once we got out of the canyon we switched to hoppers and moved a couple fish before pulling into the shade for lunch.  The afternoon shift was decent, we caught some fish and a couple of nice ones but we definitely had to work harder compared to the easy morning fishing.  Eventually around 2 things shut off completely and since there were plenty of fish to boat today we headed for the ramp.  

Colers of Summer in Montana

Blackfoot double with Paul

Fri. it was groundhog day with Ryan and Paul.  After the fishing we witnessed yesterday we had to go straight back to the Blackfoot.  The early fishing was similar with dropper fish, although we did get a couple on the big dry fly including an awesome brown by Paul in the 17-18" range.  Just a little while later Ryan got a bull trout on the dropper so in the first hour we had all four main species to the boat.  We made the switch to spruce moths and started raising fish right on cue again.  There was a little more traffic on the river today which changed our game plan a bit, but not much.  Again, it was lots of smaller fish early with small to medium cutts and bows all over the dry flies and as we got lower in the canyon the fish got bigger.  The entrance run to the canyon gave up four cutts for Ryan and there were a couple of nice troughs that produced some big fish including a 20" cuttbow that Ryan tagged at the end of his drift.  Not long after that Ryan fished the spot where Paul tagged some good ones yesterday and he came tight on three nice fish including another fat cuttbow in the 18" range.  There were some big fish on the hunt today and the guys found some of them.  The early dry fly fishing was fairly similar to yesterday, but our afternoon fishing held up a little better with plenty of action on small hopper patterns.  There were lots of smaller fish after the fly, but enough bigger trout to keep things interesting.  Toward the end of the float we got beat up by boat traffic a little, but by then everyone was worn out and ready to head home.  Paul and Ryan are always a pleasure to fish with.  They love coming out to Montana and they are usually rewarded with some pretty good fishing.  I hope to see them again next year.

Big cuttbow on the dry fly

Bigger cuttbow on the dry!

Sun. was another father/son day on the river and today it was with first time fly anglers John and Slade.  John had some work to do in Seattle and on his way back through Montana he wanted to get his 10 year old son out for his first fly fishing experience.  I love taking kids fishing and I had a great time with Slade in the boat today.  They're the future of the sport and the more we get involved the better fly fishing will be.  We met early and headed up the Blackfoot.  I was a little concerned when I showed up at the boat ramp and there were 4 other boats already putting in.  I decided against fishing with everyone else and we kept driving further up river.  Once the boat was in the water I went over the basics with Slade, casting, mending, stripping line, and setting the hook and gave a little refresher to John too.  I started Slade with a single nymph and John with a dry/dropper rig.  In the first run Slade set the hook on a nice fish and was briefly connected.  The fish was headed north and Slade was pulling south and the trout won.  It all happened so fast, on Slade's third or fourth cast, that we needed a big dose of luck there because he was just getting used to everything and the fish got away.  The guys were kind of feeling things out and we had a few strikes before John connected with the first few fish of the day.  The first two were whitefish before a small rainbow  came boatside.  At that point I started to see some spruce moths bouncing around and I switched Slade over to a single dry and took him over to a rock wall.  Only a couple casts into the run a brown trout came up and ate the dry.  After a good fight Slade had his first fly rod fish landed.  I switched John up to a spruce moth and we fished single dries for the rest of the day.  There was lots of action from that point on.  A good number of smaller cutts and bows were looking for the fly and some better fish too.  Both John and Slade connected with a few cutts in the 13-14" range and near the end of the float Slade stuck a pretty 16" cutthroat on a dry fly.  It was a great day on the water.  We had the river to ourselves, trout were eating dry flies, and it was good enough that even Slade lost count of how many fish he actually caught.  I fished with a lot of kids over the years and I can't think of another 10 year old who stayed as focused over the course of the day and who caught on to fly fishing as quickly as Slade.  John did well too, he was the perfect father/angler.  He fished where he could, kept the emphasis on Slade, and managed to catch some nice fish in the process.  I think Christmas may involve some fly fishing gear under the tree for this family.

Slade with a great cutthroat...take a kid fishing, it's good for the soul!

We also had several other groups out this week fly fishing around Missoula.  Doug Jones, member of the Orange County fly fishing club, brought a group out including his brother, Chris, and Charles and John.  This was their first trip to the Missoula area and they got the grand tour of all three rivers, the Bitterroot, Blackfoot, and Clark Fork with guides Erik and Chris.  They had a good time and caught some nice fish.  Some of the boys did best on the Bitterroot while some caught more on the Blackfoot, and the Clark Fork produced some good ones as well.  I think this crew really enjoyed the town of Missoula and the diversity of the rivers, and I hope to see them out again.

Chris with a Bitterroot brownie

Doug's big cutthroat

Joel and Larry were also out from Florida with guide, Evan for three days in Missoula.  Both anglers were fairly new to fly fishing, but they had a great attitude and were just looking to enjoy Montana.  They fished the Clark Fork on day 1 and found some of those big, hard-fighting cuttbows and then spent two days on the Blackfoot taking in the great scenery and hooking up on some awesome trout.  These guys had a solid introduction to Missoula and a killer fishing trip.

Larry's big Clark Fork cuttbow

Holy Hog!!  Biggest fish of the week, Joel's 21" Blackfoot cuttbow

Anglers Ellie and Andrea were over from Seattle for the day with guide, John, up in the canyon of the Blackfoot.  These great ladies were sent to me by friend, Matt who requested John and the canyon to show them the best time possible.  The report from John was a solid day of fishing with spruce moths and hopper/dropper rigs including a couple big trout in the 18" range.  John had the gals in stitches all day with his famous one-liners but unfortunately he didn't take any pics so I'll see if I can track any down from Ellie or Andrea next week.

Another solid week of fly fishing around Missoula.  The game has changed to early meet times, but I guess I'll sleep in the winter.  The weatherman says we have some cooler weather on the horizon and that should help immensely.  Hoppers and ants are starting to make an appearance too and those terrestrials will keep fish looking up.  Looking forward to another week on the water.

Tight Lines,

Tony Reinhardt

Montana Trout Outfitters

406-544-3516

Fishing Report for the week of 6/23/2013

Mon. was the first day out for the season with Brian and Bridger the trout dog.  We decided to float the Bitterroot around Hamilton and it was a good choice considering we hooked up on 3 trout in the first ten minutes of the day.  Brian was throwing a dry/dropper rig and all the action was on the dropper in the morning and it was steady.  Every spot that I thought was holding fish produced a solid strike.  Late in the morning we got out of the boat to wade fish a spot where a small stream enters the river.  There were PMDs and yellow sallies coming off and fish were rising at the confluence so I rigged up a double dry outfit.  We spent over an hour in that spot and stuck some nice rising fish.  Most were bows and cutts in the 12-16" range that came to the PMD but after the first few trout Brian came tight on a serious fish and the fight was on.  After a long battle, the best fish of the day came to the net.  It was a big, thick cuttbow and we were too far away from the boat to grab the tape measure, but it was a solid 20" fish that might've gone 21".  It was back to the dry/dropper after that spot and the nymph continued to dig up nice fish.  Late in the day we gave it a shot with straight dry flies and connected with a few smaller trout, but there just weren't enough bugs to get the bigger fish looking up so we went back to the dropper and poked a few more before hitting the takeout.  The weather was glorious and Brian started his season off with a bunch of nice fish and Bridger was there the whole time looking on, and licking the occasional trout before release.

Brian and Bridger hooked up

Big dryfly cuttbow

Tue. I was out with Bitterroot valley locals, Jim and Dick for a float on the upper Bitterroot.  Big thunderstorms were in the forecast for the afternoon so we didn't want to stray too far from home.  It took a whole 45 seconds for Jim to hook the first fish of the day and we were off to the races from there.  Both guys started with dry/dropper rigs and while most of the action was definitely on the dropper, there were some really nice fish coming up on the dry as well.  Dick went with a single dry in the afternoon and raised a bunch of fish in the right water, and Jim stuck with the dry/dropper with about a 50/50 mix on top and underneath.  There were a bunch of cutthroat in 12-15" range with some bows and brownies,  and a number of bigger fish up to 17.5".  Late in the day the storms did move in but we were lucky to avoid a direct hit and fished through most of it.  Another great day on the Bitterroot.

Tight lines in the storm

Wed. was the first of three days with longtime anglers and friends, Penny and Dianne.  These ladies have a knack for catching big fish no matter the conditions and I always look forward to their trips.  Coming from sunny SoCal they weren't too excited about the cool, cloudy, and rainy weather but I knew those clouds could bring some great fishing.  We set off for the Blackfoot to see how many salmonflies were still kicking around in the canyon.  Dry/dropper rigs produced some nice fish for us in the North Fork and after hitting the main river Dianne tagged a great brown trout on the nymph.  There were some other nice fish in the morning before we pulled over out of the wind for lunch.  It was cool and wet with not many stoneflies on the move but we still made the switch to straight flies for the canyon.  I just have to fish dries through the canyon this time of year.  A giant trout can gobble your salmonfly at anytime and they live in water too shallow to fish a dropper.  It didn't take long for that decision to pay off when Penny stuck a wide 20" cuttbow on a big dry.  We caught fish at a modest pace through the canyon and I was thinking it was just a little to cold and wet for a good dry fly day when I noticed my first green drake on the water.  A half hour later the Blackfoot absolutely lit up with fish crushing dries all over the river.  The gals had a bunch of doubles and more big fat cutthroat than we could keep track of.  Big fish were on the prowl too with a number of slabs at 18" and over.  It was a long, cold day and the ladies were happy to see the warm truck,p  but it was well worth it with lots of bent rods and tight lines.

Salmonfly cuttbow

Thur. the Bitterroot seemed to be the best play so we headed up toward Hamilton under cloudy skies.  Dry/dropper rigs were the name of the game early, and the first run produced a nice cutthroat on the nymph.  It was good early, mainly on the dropper with mostly cutts and cuttbows until we pulled the boat up a side channel for some wade fishing.  Once we got out of the boat Penny was set up in a great  run and stuck a number of nice fish and Dianne went a little further up the channel and poked a couple of good cutts.  After lunch Penny set off for her new favorite spot again, and Dianne and I loaded up to wade fish further up the channel.  Dianne smoked 6 or 7 nice trout on foot with both the dry and dropper while Penny absolutely wailed on fish in her little hole including the biggest fish of the day.  It was a cuttbow at 20+" that no one else saw, but Penny's seen enough big trout that I trust her judgement.  After that Dianne poked a couple more on dry flies and I even stuck a fish before we got back in the boat and headed downstream.  The fishing continued on at a constant pace and then we started to notice some rising fish and switched to a double dry rig.  The dry flies didn't disappoint as we boated several more nice fish on the homestretch to the boat ramp.  There was no shortage of fish today with plenty in the 14'16" range and a few bigger and smaller.  The weather was just about perfect, mostly cloudy and warm, and the ladies had a great time.

Unbeatable colors

Fri. was the trout day that we all dream about.  From the rowers seat I get to experience  a few truly special days each season.  Have you ever wondered what it looks like to see over 100 trout eat a dry fly in a day?  Even though flows were a little low I decided to take the gals to upper Rock Creek since they had such a great time there last year.  We fished a single dry fly all day and the biggest gap between strikes might have been 5 minutes.  In the morning we set off with golden stones and the river fished at a good pace.  Most of the good water produced strikes although there were a lot of smaller fish early in the day.  As the day progressed we started to get a few more hatches and eventually we switched over to green drakes and that's when things started to get really exciting.   Fish started showing up all over the river and the average trout was much better than the typical average on Rock Creek.  The afternoon was filled with a lot of cutts and browns in the 13-16" range and Dianne even managed to land a brook trout for a grand slam with four species in one day.  Some of the runs in the afternoon were simply loaded with rising trout and I had to do little more than drop the anchor while the ladies picked off the heads.  For a while it was absolutely silly as I was releasing fish as fast as I could and another would appear boatside with a fly in it's mouth.  There were more doubles than I could count and more fish than I could imagine today.  I was so happy for Penny and Dianne.  They take fly fishing very seriously and it was good to see that their efforts were rewarded.  They floated into the take out with another double on the line for a perfect ending to a tremendous day.  We had an awesome three days together with a bunch of fish and some really nice trout.  I look forward to seeing them again in August.

Wading Rock Creek

Sat. was a day off from fishing, but it was also the much anticipated wedding of Marcelo and Constance.  I've known Marcelo for years and I'm quite certain that he's found the perfect match with Constance.  I'm just a little worried about how he'll handle it when she starts out fishing him.

Montana wedding done right....in a barn, on a creek

Sun. I was out with fellow guide, Robert, for a two boat deal with Dick and Martha, and Mike and Nancy.  We had donated the trip to the Greater Ravalli Foundation and Dick was the winning bidder on a package that also included dinner at the Cote residence.We floated a great stretch of the Bitterroot and got off to a fast start when Mike found a fish on the first bank with a dry fly.  The fish were definitely looking up early, but it was mostly smaller trout so I rigged Nancy up with a dropper in a side channel and she was quickly tight to a thick 16" cutt.  It was a nice morning with a good number of fish to the boat and the dry fly fishing just continued to get better as the day progressed.  After lunch I had Dick and Martha in the boat and the action improved as a PMD hatch started coming off.  At one point I dropped Dick off to wade fish a long side channel while Martha and I jumped in the boat to fish and pick him up at the bottom of the channel.  Martha tagged a couple quality cutthroat on a PMD cripple and Dick had a ball wade fishing with a bunch of fish coming out of some gorgeous water.  Once we were all back together again I started noticing some Green Drakes coming off and when I saw fish exploding in the next good run I knew the fishing was about to get ridiculous.  The rest of the afternoon was simply amazing.  Just about every spot where you thought a fish should be, there was one and they were good trout in the 13-16" range.  Martha and Dick had a bunch of doubles in the afternoon and there were a couple spots where I just sat anchored and they tagged multiple rising fish.  It was another one of those special days on the water with a crew of wonderful folks.  Just to give you an idea of how good it was, at the end of the day Mike said it was his best Bitterroot day ever and he's been fishing the river for over 15 years!  To top it all off we had an amazing meal at the Cote's.  Jim and Becky are incredible hosts and it was the perfect end to an unbelievable day.

Bitterroot side channel

It was a stellar week of fishing with lots of bugs out there.  This is usually stonefly time, but the weather has had the mayflies coming off strong and PMDs and Green Drakes have produced some of the best angling of the year.  I can't wait to see what next week brings.

Tight Lines,

Tony Reinhardt

406-544-3516

Spring Time Fishing in the Rockies

The spring skwala season has been going strong since mid-March.  It's been one of the most consistent hatches on record with cooler than average temps that have kept the rivers in shape and the trout looking up.

Bitterroot Cutthroat that fell for a dryfly

Picking off rising trout in a side channel

Double release

The weather has been challenging at times, with a couple of cold fronts that brought snow and lately some big winds.  The last two days have been perfect spring weather and we experienced the best skwala fishing of the season.  Nothing but a single dry fly from start to finish and more trout than we could count.

Missoula, Montana Fly Fishing Report for 3/18/2012



Scott's Dry Fly Brownie

The 2012 fishing season has finally arrived! It seems that our mild winter has been agreeable with the trout and, our fishing went from not much of anything to game on overnight.

On Wed. I got out with former guide and long time friend, Scott Timothy. We put in on the middle Bitterroot and the river was in great shape, clear with a decent flow. Scott was on fish right away with a dry/dropper rig and landed a couple nice bows righ across from the boat ramp. It wasn't long before Scott got his first dry fly eat on a Skwala, and then I landed my first Bitterroot trout of the year on a dry fly. We found a few rising fish just after lunch and I fooled a couple mid-size cuttbows on a blue-wing olive. Our fishing was solid all day with most of the fish coming on a dropper, but enough action on the dry to keep things interesting. Scott and I didn't fish too hard, it was just nice to be back on the water again with some decent weather as well.

Steve's 19.5" Bow

Logjam Rainbow

 Thur. was my first guide day of the year and I headed to the Osprey cabin on the lower Bitterroot to pick up 1/4 of the LaMosca club, Steve Duvall and his buddy Tom. I fished several years with Steve but this was to be my first float with Tom. Unfortunately Tom had to bail out and head back to NY, literally at the last minute. We had the boat in the water and I was rigging rods when Tom finally reached someone who could change his flight. We were lucky to get my shuttle driver to rush down and take Tom back to the cabin so he could make the flight. I'm glad it all worked out, but it was a shame that Tom missed the first really good dry fly day of the season. Steve had a couple dry fly eats right at the put-in and the action stayed steady all day. With stuck with a Swkala/dropper rig for most of our fishing and the ratio was probably 40/60, but there were a few spots where we ran a single dry and found fish. The trout are still holding in the slow water and virtually every little soft spot and back eddy we pulled into produced a fish or two. We caught some small fish, but our average was around 14", and we landed five trout that were 18" or better with the biggest at 19.5". One of the highlights of the day was a little foam spot that was surrounded by downed trees and branches. I told Steve to cast in there just for fun, knowing there was virtually no chance of landing a fish in that tangled mess. Steve came tight on a fish and I was hollering to try to horse him out of there and then I saw the fish on the surface. It was a big bow and I figured we were screwed, but Steve managed to keep him out of the wood and after making sure we wouldn't flip the boat I jammed it into a tight slot in the log jam. It was an impossible situation but we managed to land the 18.5" bow and keep from dying at the same time. The weather was perfect today, mostly cloudy mid-50's and calm. Steve caught a pile of fish and I look forward to seeing him and the rest of the boys later this fall.

Rainbow on a Skwala Dry

Fri. was my first of two days with Ryan Jack. Ryan typically comes out in the summer with his Dad, but he's getting married in about a month so he contacted me to see if there was any spring fishing to be had. I told him about the Skwala hatch and he jumped on the opportunity. It rained most of Thur. night and I was dreading pulling up the streamflows on the computer Fri. morning. Sure enough, the Bitterroot was coming up hard at Darby. I really wanted to put Ryan on some good fishing, after all this would be his last trip as a single man and I didn't want it to be a dud. I honestly didn't know what to do, I thought about running over to the Missouri for good nymph fishing, floating the lower Root where the river wasn't rising as bad, but in the end I went with my gut and we headed back to the middle Bitterroot where the fishing and bug life has been the best. The river was definitely up, but I breathed a sight of relief when we hooked our first fish within sight of the boat ramp. The morning fishing was decent as we found fish in the best water on a dry/dropper rig. The weather improved after lunch and the fish turned on as well. Again, slow water, back eddies, and inside bends were all consistent producers. For the first time this year we found a couple spots where fish were actively eating Skwala dries and we switched over to a straight dry in those spots and tagged some nice fish. Ryan landed browns, bows, and cutts with five or six in the 18-19" range. We had a good number of dry fly eats, but the ol' dirt snake is still pretty hard to beat. The worm produced consistently in most all the spots we put it in the afternoon. The fishing slowed down around 5 and we managed to find a couple more fish in the last hour before we got off the river. We had a great day, and I was even more amazed when I got home and saw that the river was rising hard all day long. The Bitterroot is typically a cold mistress on a rising tide but we managed to beat the odds and put a bunch of nice fish in the boat.

Ryan's 20" Bow

Sat. dawned cold and wet and I wondered if the river was looking to get even with us today. The upper river had nearly doubled in volume over the last 24 hours and I figured we would be in for a challenging day. We went a little further upstream today to try to find the best water for the conditions. It was cold and raining at the put-in and I wasn't sure what would be tougher, finding fish or just staying warm. The river had lost quite a bit of clarity and was definitely running harder than yesterday. After fishing a couple spots with a dry/dropper set-up I knew we needed the nymph rig for today. We made the switch and a couple runs later Ryan was tight to a 18" cuttbow. Another cutt came a short while later and I was a little more optomistic about our chances. The conditions were much worse today, but at lunch we had more fish in the boat than yesterday. Ryan was seining the river and no fish was safe, he even managed to tag a whitefish and the ultra-selective sucker. Our biggest failure came at lunch when we couldn't manage to get a fire going. Not even the "special sauce" floatant could help us get a flame going in those cold and wet conditions. Fortunately the rain tapered off and the temp came up just enough to make things borderline comfortable. We drilled a bunch of nice fish in the run where we ate lunch and the fishing was consistently solid all afternoon. We focused on specific water types and there weren't many spots that didn't produce. The dry fly fishing never materialized but it was hard to argue with a bent rod most of the time. Again we saw a mix of fish with a 17" brown and several bows and cutts in the 17"-18" range, and late in the day Ryan boated the first 20" bow of the season. The river seems really healthy this year. The proof is two great days of fishing despite conditions that could have easily produced catches in the single digits. Ryan is always fun to fish with and I'm glad that the Skwala hatch treated him well. I look forward to seeing him later this summer with his Dad.

We've dried out a little and the forecast for the next few days is cool with temps in the 40's. The river has levelled off and is back on the drop. We should be back to dry fly fishing in a couple days and the higher flows have shuffled the fish and there should be some big trout holding in vulnerable lies over the next week. It's great being back on the water. There's nothing quite like watching big trout eat big dry flies after a long, cold winter!

Tight Lines!

Missouri Road Trip Video

Missouri on a sunny Feb. day

Finally got all the footage put together from our great trip to the Missouri last month.  This is my first attempt at video editing and the audio isn't quite right.  You may have to crank the sound up on your computer.
Click here for video

Storm's a Comin'

Storm clouds on the Root

Our first batch of nice weather finally made it to western Montana.  It was sunny and over 50 today with more mild weather on the way.  It's enough to make a guy itch to go fishing if I didn't already know better.  The spring Skwala hatch is the most anticipated event of the fishing season for those in the know.  Along with it comes a heavy dose of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. 


The Good is that it's the first and possibly the best big bug fishing of the year.  There's not much better than watching big trout gobble dry flies after a long, cold winter and if you know the river, the hatch cycle, and the weather you can stay on solid fishing from mid-March all the way till the river blows in late April or May.  


The Bad is that this hatch has gained in popularity over the years and it's no secret anymore.  The best fishing and heaviest pressure is on certain sections of the Bitterroot forcing anglers and guides to adjust their strategies.  Instead of just fishing the best water at the best time of day you have to get creative with access and use a few other tricks to avoid the traffic.  


The Ugly is what is about to take place in the Bitterroot valley over the next 10 days or so.  With the recent good weather every cabin fever afflicted angler within a couple hundred miles is headed to the river.  Locals, guys from Washington, and MT plates from out East will all be spotted at access areas in the coming days.  It plays out like this almost every year.  Unfortunately, the fishing is just not that good yet.  It's ugly (and a little funny) because it turns into a crowded river with anglers hoping against hope for a fish to eat their dry and it's just not going to happen, at least not very often.  The downside is the increased pressure clues the fish into the fact that the game is on again.  The upside is that a bunch of frustrated anglers who showed up too early go home whining about the Skwala hatch saying that it doesn't exist and is just a bunch of b.s. put out by fly shops and guides to make money.  The crowds clear out and leave a less congested river for the rest of us.

Here's to the start of the of 2012 season.  There are a few fish to find right now, but things should really get rolling in another 10 days or so.....till then I'm steering clear of the storm.    

Grip-N-Grins: How to make your fly fishing pictures worthy of the wall

You waited all year for your fly fishing trip, picked up some new gear and had one of your best trips ever.  You caught some awesome fish and were amazed by their beauty.  Your fishing partner or guide snapped some pics of the better fish and now you can't wait to get home to show friends and family.  You checked the photos on that ridiculously tiny LCD screen on the back of the camera and they looked just fine.  But when you get home and pull them up on the computer the best fish of the trip ends up looking like this.

Yep, that 20+" bow that you were going to brag about is hardly worth showing.  Your buddies may really believe you about the fish's size, but you're never going to get the reaction you want with a photo like this and it's definitely not going up in your office.  This photo is an extreme example with several major flaws, but even small miscues or one bad element can ruin an otherwise great photo.  Catching a trophy trout is hard to do, but getting that bruiser to the net is only half the battle.  There's a lot going on when a big fish is landed and you're getting ready for the photo-op.

All too often I see folks just grab the fish anyway they can, one maybe two shots are taken and that's it.  When I land a photo worthy fish the first thing I do is get the hook out and then get them back in the water. The biggest priority is the welfare of the trout so make sure the fish remains in the water as much as possible.  That way if things go sideways trying to get the pic the the fish can be quickly and easily released.  Once the hook is out I start thinking about composition, can I get the sun at my back?, sunglasses off, hat tilted slightly up.  Then it's time to get your hands wet and get ready for the shot.  While this is going on the photographer should be framing the shot.  Don't wait till your buddy is holding the trout to raise the camera up.  Get the camera where you want it so when the angler holds the fish they come into the frame.  Don't be shy to give orders at this point.  You don't want the fish out of water long so make the shots count.  As the photographer you want to fill the frame with the angler and the trout, after all they are the stars of this production.  Don't be afraid to use the zoom, or better yet, get the camera closer to the subjects since the zoom tends to compress the image.  What you want to avoid is a pic like the last image above, a bunch of scenery and what looks to be a guy holding a small trout (it's a 22" bullie by the way even though it looks 16").  Get in as close as possible so you have the fish and the anglers head and shoulders.  The other thing to keep in mind as the photographer is to shoot as many pics as you can.  Point and shoot cameras have a delay between when you press the shutter and when the pic is actually taken so you're likely to get a different image than the one you saw when you pressed the button.  Usually the pic snaps when the fish is moving or the angler has a weird expression on their face so shoot as many as possible, you can always delete later.

As the angler it's your job to make the fish look good and keep from looking stupid remember to smile.  It's important to take a second and think about things.  First of all, relax, the fish seem to be much more cooperative with someone who is relaxed than a tense angler trying to put the death grip on them.  Keep the net below the fish so it's no big deal if it slips out of your hands.  Rule #1 is keep your fingers off the front of the fish.  People want to see the pretty trout not your big sausage fingers like the second photo above.  Cradle the fish with your fingers under the fins and your thumbs up near its back for balance.  Make sure to show the entire side of the fish to the camera.  Rule #2 is hold the fish up and out.  The first photo above shows an angler holding the trout down and off to the side.  That's a big disservice to an otherwise big, colorful rainbow.  Try to get the fish up at least shoulder high and extend your arms toward the camera without locking them straight out.  Your photos will look unnatural and gimmicky if you hold your arms all the way out, a slight bend in the elbows works great.  Straight on photos are just fine, but a little angle on the fish with the head toward the camera looks even better.

Fish photos are like anything else in life, put a little thought into it and things are likely to turn out for the better.  Don't hesitate to practice on fish that may not be "trophies".  While those photos won't end up on your wall, you will be able to see the things that work well and those that don't so when that once in a lifetime fish does make it to the net you'll end up with a picture worthy of the moment.

Road Trip: Fly fishing the Missouri in February

Hooked up at Eagle Rock

Well, it finally happened. Cabin fever got the best of me and I had to get out of the house for some fishing. Usually it's a steelhead trip to Idaho this time of year, but the conditions have been miserable over there so I joined up with friends Jason and John for a road trip to the Missouri. I pulled my boat and Jason towed his killer trailer over to Craig. If you've ever been over to the Mo' then you know there's not a lot in the way of services and there's even less in the winter. Unless you're content to sleep on the floor of Joe's Bar or Headhunters Flyshop then you had better bring your own accommodations. 

Jason with a Big Streamer Bow

We arrived in Craig around 3 p.m. on Fri. afternoon and after catching up with the guys at the fly shop and setting up the trailer in the campground we headed up to put the boat in below Holter dam. It was fairly nice weather, partly cloudy, no wind and 40. The nymph fishing was nothing short of spectacular. After an hour or so of non-stop action on nymphs we decided to slide downstream and look for some rising fish. Dry flies in Feb????? When the conditions are right there can be some great, but technical dry fly fishing for big pods of sippers on midges. As soon as the sun slipped behind the ridge we had an inside bend that was covered in rising trout for over 100 yards. It was a great scene, but it was by no means easy pickings. The fish were very selective but Jason and John were both able to connect with nice rainbows on dry flies.

On the Hunt for Meat Eaters

Day two was cooler and breezier. Since Sat. is typically the busiest day on the Mo' we decided to float below Craig to avoid other anglers. It was also an opportunity to check out the winter streamer fishing. It's hard for me to believe that these fish will move for a streamer in 34 degree water, but they will. Slow water was key and a slow swing/strip was the retrieve that they wanted. We didnt' see the numbers of fish that we hooked up by the dam on nymphs but I thought we did really well considering the conditions. We landed over 20 fish on the big bugs, most were rainbows from 15-20" but once we got below the mouth of the Dearborn we boated 4 or 5 browns up to 19".  Of course, Sat. night is big in Craig, MT so after dinner we headed over to Joe's Bar for some pool, some lies, and a few drinks with the boys from Headhunters.

Bugger Brown Trout

 

Sun. started warm and calm, but the wind kicked up in the late morning and cold hands were part of the day. We headed back up to float the dam to Craig knowing that we would have good nymphing and hoping to find some dry fly fishing. We parked the boat in one spot up by the dam and the fishing was insane. The kind of stuff you really don't want to describe because most people won't believe you. It's the first time I've ever seen a quadruple! John and I doubled up on nice rainbows. We netted both of them, got the hooks out and before Jason could release them, John and I were doubled up again. It was quite a sight to see 4 big Mo' rainbows in the net at the same time. We probably could've stayed in that spot and caught fish all day long but we decided to move downstream. The wind never really let up and the temp never got to 40 so our dry fly prospects didn't happen, but the nymphing remained good until the cold wind had us rowing for the take out around 5.

Nice Double with Mr. Double Up Himself

It's so nice to have a river like the Missouri only 2 hours away. Any time of year that a trout fix is in order we can just roll over Rodgers Pass and a bent rod is only a cast and a good mend away. I shot a lot of video over there as well and hope to have something up later this week.

 

Most of the 2012 season is already booked. If you haven't made your fishing plans yet this year you should consider doing so as soon as possible. Skwalas are only a few short weeks away and I can't wait to start throwing big dries on the Bitterroot this March.