June 18, 2010

After a morning of work, and staring out the windows at an absolutely gorgeous, sunny day, the boss said “no mas!”. We had lunch, wrapped up a couple minor projects, then loaded up the truck and headed to the river for some wade fishing.

As usual, it was the right call. That’s why he’s the boss. The fish were as happy to see the beautiful weather as we were; and oh boy, were they biting! We started our trek with a very short drive, straight down the hill behind the lodge. It wasn’t long before the “woo-hoo!”s started, as rods bent, time and again, with hungry Madison River trout, punctuated with majestic leaps into the crisp air.

After a good run of fish behind the lodge, we started working our way up the river. A handful more trout accepted our offerings at another of our favorite holes, then we made the move to our third stop. We again fished in solitude, with no other waders in sight. And like the first two stops, the fish were hungry and eager, the only difference being, they were even hungrier. Dan, “The Man,” caught 10 trout in one section; six of them coming from one hole … My ears are still ringing from the whooping and hollering.

My highlight of the day, along with the beautiful trout I was landing, was the fact that I was catching them on my favorite wading rig; a 60-year-old Granger bamboo rod, rebuilt by Dan, and a 50-year-old Hardy reel … Catching wild trout on the Madison River with vintage gear … Priceless!

The bugs the trout just couldn’t refuse were the Delektable™ Olive Flashback Hurless #6, Delektable Grey Flashback Hurless #6, Delektable Brown Stoner #6, Delektable Red Worms Gone Wild #8 and Delektable Lil’ Spanker #14 in Red, Silver and Pheasant Tail: Delektable Flies Gallery

Oh, and the reports we are still hearing about the Madison being blown-out. Well, for lack of a better term, they are blown-out, of proportion. Just check out the water in the pictures. It’s not muddy. There is a stain, but with good clarity … And, as I may have mentioned already, the fish are biting — hard! Customers who stopped at the shop for a shuttle called later today to confirm their good fishing results and success with the same flies we used and streamers too..

So grab your gear and go fishing!

Marty

Posted in Upper Madison River | Comments Off on June 18, 2010

June 16, 2010 The Rookies Truly Embrace the Dirt!

We fished from about 10:30 to 6:00PM near Three Dollar Bridge. It rained on and off all day. We tried different combos all involving a stonefly with either a Delektable Lil’ Spanker trailer or a worm pattern. We caught smaller fish in the beginning of the day. Drew caught the largest fish of the trip; it was a brown.

The water was much cleaner. The stone flies seemed to be working the best. We established fishing routines each of us liked: Drew likes to fish around islands and where slow water meets fast water where he seems to catch the most fish; Joe likes to fish behind boulders and log jams, also along the sides of the river.The island fishing requires much more wading which results in more falling in. Yikes! that water is cold!

The family of geese were still there following us along with the goose above with one leg. We couldn’t figure out how it was so balanced. This was our last day. We had a great time and will really miss Montana. We have our gear and knowledge to bring home with us to fish there. Until next time……

The Boys!

June 11, 2010 The Rookies Score in the Dirt on their own!

On our second trip to Three Dollar Bridge, we caught and landed five fish a piece, Yeah! On this outing we chose to cover a much larger area instead of focusing on any one specific area. It appears this was a better strategy for us because it resulted in a lot more bites.

Early in our fishing adventure, I caught a nice size Rainbow. While Joe was enthusiastic for me, he was also frustrated because he needed a fish fix. Luckily, Joe emerged today and caught some really nice fish, and our largest trout so far.

Our casting has greatly improved and is likely one of the major contributors to the day’s success. We had fewer tangles and more accurate placement. This allowed us to spend more time fishing and getting the bugs closer to the fish instead of de-tangling.

The picture of me in the fast water, screaming, shows me as I retrieved a fly from the fast moving current. I was calling for help. Instead of giving me a hand, Joe took my picture. Do not try this at home! I made it to shore OK, but what an experience! The flies of choice were the same. The scenery was terrific. We caught and landed trout. We were also followed by a large family of geese, as curious about us as we were of them.

What a great day!

Drew

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June 14, 2010

We were off to a big adventure on the Big Hole River with Aunt Nancy, Uncle Dan, Drew, and Joe. En route we watched a golden eagle take a gofer off the road. It was a beautiful day, sunny, warm, light wind, with the natural tea colored water of the Big Hole. We visited our buddy Al at Great Divide Outfitters. We saw Rodger fishing on the banks that evening. We ran into friends on the river and had fun visiting. It’s really nice to enjoy a day off.

The river had been coming down for a few days and the conditions were nearly perfect. As of June 17th the river spiked abruptly up again. We floated from East Bank to George Grant. At first the fish were taking stone fly nymphs. The take slowed down during the heat of the sun. Late in the afternoon we tried some cripple dries including Dan’s new Delektable Squeezers in Royal and they turned on. Funny, around the same time the stone fly nymphs were working again too. The trout must have finished their siesta. We caught Rainbows, Browns, and Brook Trout.

We had a great time and really enjoyed the nice weather for a change.

Posted in Big Hole River | Comments Off on June 14, 2010

June 4-8, 2010 Cleaning Up in the Dirt …

We have enjoyed some entertaining experiences with family visiting and learning about fishing the dirt. In between it all, we shared in the celebration of a dear friend, Eric Shores’ 50th Birthday! Happy Birthday Eric!

Nancy’s nephew, Drew and his buddy Joe came to the wild west to learn how to fly fish and to see the sites of Montana.

Part of their adventure included a drive across country. This is the first time they experienced the wide-open spaces that are so dear to all of us living in the west. In between the moisture, they had some really beautiful weather. The mountains still have snow on the peaks and it is green and flowery on the plains. While fishing they were near a mother moose and her calf. We explained they were fortunate not to have been charged.

The water is now fast and dirty. It’s not for the faint at heart. Waders should use extreme caution.

But, you can really catch trout in the dirt. You need to experiment with dirt techniques.

The "master of the dirt" just loves and embraces it, and that be Dan the Man! The boys waded between Raynolds Pass and Pine Butte, using the raft for transportation. Of course Dan pulled a "Dan" on them at a wade spot before 3 Dollar Bridge,and caught 10 trout just showing the boys how. He caught three browns within 10 minutes at another spot. The boys had plenty of tugs. The challenge was how to land the trout, especially in the fast water.

Drew was very excited to land a Rainbow Trout near Three Dollar Bridge. The picture, and smile, tell the whole story.

The flies of choice included:Delektable Egg Head Black/Orange Stoner #6, Delektable Brown/Orange Stoner #6, Delektable Hurless Gray FB #6, Delektable Lil’ Spanker Red and Pheasant Tail #14 and assorted Delektable Worms #10: Delektable Flies Gallery. The boys were using a two-nymph rig on a 9-foot leader with the indicator all the way up top. About 18" of tippet for the second fly was tied to the eye of the first fly. The larger nymph was the top bug and the smaller was the trailer. They cast mostly upstream hard, walked the dog, or let it drift down waiting for the tug. Additional shot was added above the first fly for deeper spots.

It was a fun adventure and included some white-water riding, too!

…….The Boys!

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May 28, 2010

“Oh, the weather outside is frightful …” But the fishing is AWESOME!

The weather was wet, very wet, on Friday, and very cold, with snowfall following on Saturday morning as I write this report. This meant bundling up for a guides-day-off trip down the Madison River with my buddies, Allen and Bern.

But, oh boy, was the fishing great!

The word for the day … STREAMERS! As is usually the case, the streamers weeded out the little guys, with only big fish biting our offerings … LOTS of big fish … Fishing was consistent throughout the float, punctuated with bent-rod doubles. Anytime there was a short lull, color selections were adjusted, and the bite was back on!

Oh, and the blown-out conditions we keep hearing about; not true! The water has a stain, but it’s not muddy, the clarity is good and, oh yeah, the fish are biting … HARD!

And the fun and great fishing didn’t end when we got off the river. As we pulled back into Beartooth with boat in tow, Dan was loading his truck for a late afternoon of wade fishing. Just like us, he absolutely hammered one big fish after another. The only difference was his fly selection, with stonefly nymphs providing his multitude of strikes; specifically, the #6 and #8 Delektable™ Black/Orange Stoner, and the #8 Delektable™ Olive Mega Prince Flashback.

My apologies for the sparing amount of photos. The seasoned veterans weren’t that concerned about taking pics, and my hands were so cold, I stopped taking them out of the protection of my gloves. In fact, after fishing a short while in the morning, I volunteered to row the remainder of the float, so I wouldn’t have to take the gloves off, and to keep the “internal heater” cranked up. Heck, even the local boys were feeling the effects of the cold, but I was much colder than them. … What can I say? I’m a Southern boy … I did get some photos of an unexpected highlight of our trip. We made a right-hand turn in the river and were greeted by a small herd of elk crossing the river, complete with calves. What a treat! This river, and valley, never ceases to amaze me with the natural beauty that fills it.

So grab your gear; and don’t forget to bring spare warm clothes and rain gear … and go fishing!

Marty

Posted in Upper Madison River | Comments Off on May 28, 2010