One week into August and the weather still feels as if it’s late June. Hot and muggy afternoons have been met with thunderstorms rolling in to cool the air. This has been a near daily event some weeks. The high snowpack combined with a mild spring is now paying...
Originator: Fulling Mill Hook: Barbless 60 degree jig hook. Fulling Mill 5045, Firehole Sticks 516, or similar. Size 12 – 22. #14 shown Weight: Slotted Tungsten bead (copper) to match hook. 3.5mm for Size 14 hook. Thread: 6/0 or 8/0 brown. 8/0, amber, orange, or...
It’s hard to believe, but June and July are history. You wouldn’t know it if you were poking around in Big Sky Country right now. Hillsides around the region remain green. There’s still a few specks of snow in the high country. And, area fisheries are flush with...
In many ways the hopes and dreams of fly fishers rest on the existence of bugs. Sure, you can venture out onto your favorite piece of water on any given day and catch some fish, many times lots of fish, when there is seemingly no bug activity. But, those aren’t the...
Like a Green Drake dun awkwardly breaking free from the constraints of it’s nymphal shuck and the cold, wet submarine environment that it has called home for the entirety of its adolescence, summer in Big Sky Country has finally emerged in all of its warmth and...
Aerialized mending is a common technique used by proficient anglers casting single handed rods. Reach casts, curve casts, tuck casts, puddle casts, and more all provide solutions to technical dry fly and nymphing presentation dilemmas. In the end, the reason we use...
Many of the most common questions that I am asked about Euro Nymphing here at Big Sky Anglers have to do with rods, reels, and lines. In this post, I hope to explain my own preferences, and hopefully simplify the process of gearing up for those interested in getting...
Welcome to the Big Sky Angler’s Weekly Fishing Report. On this week’s edition of Drift Boat Time Machine we’re taking a trip back to 1996. The remnants of a huge winter snowpack have left area fisheries flush with water. Salmonflies and Golden Stones are still active...
While most of the insect species that fly anglers find relevant exist in relative obscurity outside of our odd band of brothers and sisters, the damselfly is well known to nearly anyone who has spent time near water. Their adult forms are fairly large, with...
Despite wetter and cooler than average weather fishing and hatches have finally started to really crank here in Big Sky Country. We saw another week of Gore-Tex weather. Afternoon and evening storms have been the norm, and temps continue to run below average....
Brown Drakes (Ephemera simulans) are to fly fishers what the New Kids on the Block were to teenage girls in 1990. If they made mayfly posters, you would definitely have one of a Brown Drake on the wall in your bedroom. You would do anything in your power to go see...
Happy Fourth of July from Big Sky Country! The Summer season is in full swing here in West Yellowstone, though cool, wet weather still has it feeling like springtime. Daytime temps have been consistently below average, and you can count on one hand the number of days...
Originator: Joe Moore, BSA Co-owner Hook: MFC 7000, Barbless MFC 7000KBL, or equivalent. Size 14 Thread: Danville 6/0 Rusty Brown or your choice Tail/Trailing Shuck: Sparkle Emerger Yarn - Brown Abdomen: Superfine Dry Fly Dubbing, Olive Thorax: Olive Goose Biot,...
This is an exciting week in Big Sky Country. Drakes are rolling on the Railroad Ranch. Salmonflies are beginning on the Madison. And, our 3rd Annual Grand Opening Party is this Saturday. We haven’t had a single day without some sort of moisture since our last report,...
If you fish in Big Sky Country, or anywhere else trout live, you undoubtedly know about Drakes. If you don’t, you should. They are the kings of all mayflies. Their size (#10-12) commands respect, and demands attention from fish and fishermen alike. The most famous of...
I hadn’t caught a steelhead since 2001. Maybe 2002. While the memories of the fish are still vivid and clear, what year it was doesn’t really matter anymore. At the time, I was fishing a two-piece, single hand, Winston IM6 eight weight, swinging flies in Idaho with...
Third time is a charm, we guess. Big Sky Anglers THIRD ANNUAL Grand Opening Celebration - a celebration of summer, friends, family, and fly fishing. Please save the date and join us on Saturday, June 29th, 2018 from 11 am to 10 pm. We are super excited to see...
According to the calendar tomorrow is the first day of summer. The longest day of the year. According to the forecast tomorrow is looking more like early spring. After two days of scorching winds a cold front is passing over the area bringing with it significantly...
Originator: Fulling Mill Hook: Tactical barbless 60 deg jig hook, #12 Thread: 8/0 Olive Bead: 1/8” Brass or Tungsten (Black Nickel) Tail: Olive Chickabou Legs: Olive dyed partridge or hen soft hackle Body: Olive hares ear or hares ear blend Rib: Ultra Wire, Brassie,...
It’s mid-June, and we are rolling right along into our summer season here in Big Sky Country. We saw scuzzy weather this past week as a strong “spring” storm rolled through the region bringing cold temps, and even a bit of snow. That put the breaks on runoff, and...