Headed up Mnt Washburn a few days ago, this Grizzly was just off the road browsing the hillside. It was early in the day, so we narrowly avoided the inevitable Bear Jam. The rivers throughout the NE side of Yellowstone are dropping, clearing and fishing pretty damn...
Cool mornings, warm afternoons
For those angling on the Madison the past few days, in the float stretch, it doesn't get any more beautiful. The wind has finally laid down (don't worry, it will blow again....probably tomorrow) as this seems like the windiest season to date. The wind always blows...
a day off & away from the river
While our wives were running in the Madison Marathon, Drew and myself gave some support from the side lines. Nothing like drinking beers at 10 am while the better half is running hard. We sat along the road at 8500 feet, in lawn chairs, with a bunch of a PBR Tall...
Don’t forget that rain jacket……
The past couple of days could'nt have been any different. Today - hot, sunny and a so-so bite on the dry fly. The morning was cold and once things warmed up the fish just kind of slid off the bite wih the high sun. Wind, large hail and torrential rain showers put...
Missouri River Report
Six days ago I snuck out of town and headed up to the Missouri for a 5 day stint with Jin, Mike and the rest of the crew who join us each year in Craig. While it was hard to leave the Madison River and it's dry fly madness, I knew that the Missouri would fish as it...
Having a good time….
Over the past two seasons, most of us around these parts who row a driftboat for a living, were starting to wonder if the Madison River was in a slump. More guides were fishing the lakes, heading over to the Yellowstone below Gardiner, guiding the Henry;s Fork and...
Getting Greener, Fish looking up
She's a little greener, a bit lower and the fish are on the bite. Dave and I rolled Lyons to Mac today just to stay infront of the pack at the ramp. A rubber leg and prince nymph worked well fished off the banks in the trough till lunch. After a picnic at...
Big Bugs
Salmonflies are hatching up and down the entire river system. You will find pockets of bugs from Reynold's Pass all the way past MacAtee Bridge. Certain willow banks have them thick as theives and I saw more salmonflies on the river today than any other day thus...
It’s on like donkey kong
The angling around SW Montana and Eastern Idaho is pretty damn good. Things have been so busy lately with guiding, that I have needed to neglect almost everything else. Tis' the season, I guess, but it stills feels like we are a month behind with Mother Nature. ...
Summertime Sunset
Henry’s Fork on the 4th….of July
During the season, it's almost next to impossible to field phone calls from your guide buddies working on other rivers. On the other hand, when photos like thses show up on your phone, a call back is mandatory. Especially when it involves dry fly angling. While on...
Windy
Our weather pattern is about to change - the wind today has been relentless and should produce thunderstorms sometime tomorrow. It started early and is blowing a stiff 30 mph with gusts to 45 as I write. These kind of days are good for running the hounds, fly...
Back and Forth
I arrived home from the Missouri yesterday afternoon to excited dogs and a plethera of mosquitoes. The warm temps have cranked up the biting flies and rivers have risen slightly as well. The Missouri is stable at 21,800 out of Holter Dam. Some folks think it will...
Mo Bigga
The Missouri is getting bigger by the day. 21,000 cfs this morning. The word on the street is 23K by Tuesday. The good news is that is river is still nymphing pretty darn well. Crayfish, worms, stoneflies, pmd nymphs, caddis pupa are all fooling trout, but I...
Fishing Village
Yes, the river is big here in Craig, Montana - 18,000 cfs below Holter this evening. Swollen is another word for it.....it's fishy too. Riggin' deep in these flows, with lots o lead, is key. Some banks have us throwing short with a couple of BBs and double SJWs. ...
lots of these shots…….
Sunsets, Montana style. The snow is melting, the rivers will get a little dirtier, soon enough they all will fish. For now, rivers like the Missouri offer great nymphing for huge trout. The Beaverhead is fishing as well. The Firehole ain't too shabby either - ...
15 hours, 34 minutes
A long day it is. The sun will set at 9:15 this evening and with this sunshiney day, there will be light in the sky well after 10 o'clock. Today has been a shade bit windy and the warmest thus far.......The first day of Summer has come in with a bang.........about...
Southwest Montana and Western YNP
The mountains are still very white above 8500 ft, but the rest of the world is greening up nicely. I ran up to Bozeman today for some errands and running around, ended up buying a Nikon D3100 and two lenses......an 18-55 and a 55-200. Yep, big purchase for...
Madison Flows
PPL Montana to increase flows to control Hebgen Lake elevation WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. (June 17, 2011) — In response to above normal June precipitation and later-than-normal heavy mountain snowpack, PPL Montana will be forced to increase flows into the downstream...
More water than…..
.....you can shake a fish at. This is an epic, all world year for snow and rain. A friend of ours is skiing on Beartooth Pass today and she says there is atleast 16 feet of snow up there. On and off rain today, but the sun is shining and the wind is cranking up...