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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