July 18, 2009

We just completed the annual July tour with Dan Delekta and the Tim Miller group. One of my personal favorites and most challenging guide weeks of the year is with Tim Miller and his friends and family in July. This year’s trip started on the Madison, the next two days were on the Missouri below Holter Dam, the next day was on the Jefferson River, then on to the Big Hole River for a day, the Beaverhead River for a day with the last day on the Madison River. I refer to this as the “Whirlwind Tour”; I love to be able to go to a variety of different rivers and be successful on each system and catch fish. This requires a lot of different fly patterns, leaders, and techniques. This is a unique challenge of rowing, driving, stamina, and focus; testing all of the senses. This year Tim brought his brother Brian who was injured in a motorcycle accident with his knee, thigh, and ankle all messed up. Brian couldn’t wade but was fishing start to finish out of the boat. We caught fish on all the different rivers; punctuated by a 60 to 70 fish dry fly day on the Big Hole and an incredible last day on the Madison with nymphs and dries.

This season has seen the third year of a good snow pack in a row; a near record rainfall in June on all the rivers of S.W. Montana. The perfect storm creating the maximum number of fish on all of our rivers and red hot catching opportunities all summer long until winter sets in. With all the rivers having great water levels; the fishing pressure should be evenly distributed throughout S.W. Montana. The Hopper, Spruce Moth, PMD’s and Caddis flies will all be overlapping with in the last week of July; the Perfect Dry Fly Storm.

Dan

Posted in Beaverhead River | Comments Off on July 18, 2009

July 13, 2010

Fly Fishing the Madison River for the First Time

We have had some real fun the last few days with some fly fishers who were fly fishing the Madison River for the first time. The first was Hermon Bain, the superb Bahamian guide and owner of Hermon’s Andros Island Bonefishing. Anyone who wants a great experience bonefishing will not go wrong by lining up Hermon.

Hermon had a great time dry fly fishing with the Big Bugs and caught a nice brown on a little fly–a #14 Rusty Spinner. He missed a great salmonfly take, but sure got a great charge out of it. He won’t soon forget it.

Next were my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Gloria and Mike Ogden, from Houston, Texas. On Gloria’s first day out, she caught an 18" Brown Trout on a Red Wire Worm–the first fish she ever caught on a fly rod. Her husband’s fish, caught on a #16 Delektable Pheasant Tail Spanker: Delektable Flies Gallery wasn’t quite that large. It was his second day fly fishing.

Brad

Posted in Upper Madison River | Comments Off on July 13, 2010

July 13, 2010

Fly Fishing the Madison River for the First Time

We have had some real fun the last few days with some fly fishers who were fly fishing the Madison River for the first time. The first was Hermon Bain, the superb Bahamian guide and owner of Hermon’s Andros Island Bonefishing. Anyone who wants a great experience bonefishing will not go wrong by lining up Hermon.

Hermon had a great time dry fly fishing with the Big Bugs and caught a nice brown on a little fly–a #14 Rusty Spinner. He missed a great salmonfly take, but sure got a great charge out of it. He won’t soon forget it.

Next were my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Gloria and Mike Ogden, from Houston, Texas. On Gloria’s first day out, she caught an 18" Brown Trout on a Red Wire Worm–the first fish she ever caught on a fly rod. Her husband’s fish, caught on a #16 Delektable Pheasant Tail Spanker: Delektable Flies Gallery wasn’t quite that large. It was his second day fly fishing.

Brad

Posted in Upper Madison River | Comments Off on July 13, 2010

July 11, 2010

Great Times with Dad!

What fun it was to get out dodge for a few hours on Sunday and go fishing with my father on beautiful Madison! We didn’t get into the water until about 3:00pm and I was rowing for the first time (in a pontoon boat) and managed to survive with the only incident being that I lost an oar and had to chase it with my boat using one oar for about a mile until it finally snagged and I could retrieve it. What fun! I was really amazed with how far I could go down the river with one oar, still knowing that at some point I wouldn’t be so lucky anymore if I didn’t retrieve the other oar soon.

For old time’s sake I fished all dries with my dad and we did ok for a couple of rusty fisherman who hadn’t fished the river in around five years. Just goes to show what a busy schedule will do even if you live in fishing paradise. The fly’s that worked for us were a #16 Delektable Twisted Baby in Olive/Gold, # 16 sized yellow stone fly pattern (with yellow legs), # 16 olive caddis and a # 16 peacock hurl bodied stimulator. The fish would only take the smallest patterns we had and were very eager as long as they were small bugs.

I know it will be a day to remember for my dad and I both.

Jenn

Posted in Upper Madison River | Comments Off on July 11, 2010

July 11, 2010

Great Times with Dad!

What fun it was to get out dodge for a few hours on Sunday and go fishing with my father on beautiful Madison! We didn’t get into the water until about 3:00pm and I was rowing for the first time (in a pontoon boat) and managed to survive with the only incident being that I lost an oar and had to chase it with my boat using one oar for about a mile until it finally snagged and I could retrieve it. What fun! I was really amazed with how far I could go down the river with one oar, still knowing that at some point I wouldn’t be so lucky anymore if I didn’t retrieve the other oar soon.

For old time’s sake I fished all dries with my dad and we did ok for a couple of rusty fisherman who hadn’t fished the river in around five years. Just goes to show what a busy schedule will do even if you live in fishing paradise. The fly’s that worked for us were a #16 Delektable Twisted Baby in Olive/Gold, # 16 sized yellow stone fly pattern (with yellow legs), # 16 olive caddis and a # 16 peacock hurl bodied stimulator. The fish would only take the smallest patterns we had and were very eager as long as they were small bugs.

I know it will be a day to remember for my dad and I both.

Jenn

Posted in Upper Madison River | Comments Off on July 11, 2010