Stable flows
Well things have pretty much peaked out from the recent rain. Flows bumped from about 500 cfs to 1200 last week around Darby. And have leveled out over the last few days around a grand. What does this mean? Clarity is improving but the cold water is still moving pretty quick. Some fish in spawn […]
March 20, 2015
Should you be fishing this weekend? Yep. The weather looks increasingly spring-like: sun one minute, spitting rain the next, and fun throughout. The rivers all took a bump during the early rain this week, but the flows are dropping on the Bitterroot and the skwala nymphs are still moving toward the banks. What a difference […]
March 13, 2015
Well, the front-and-center bug is front and center on the Bitterroot, and you can officially load your cannons for skwala-seeking trout in the afternoons – if conditions are right. Look for that water to hit the early 40s before throwing the dry if you want your best chances, or just stick with a dry/dropper rig […]
March 9, 2015 Fly Report
The weekend was a good one for western Montana, and the Bitterroot, Rock Creek, and the upper Clark Fork all fished well. The big buzz this time of year is the Skwala hatch, an early stonefly whose smoky wings and olive body move trout in the skinny water if the water temps are right. While […]
March 6, 2015
Nothing shakes the winter crust off a fly fishing guide better than a warmup in spring. As temperatures rise, the buzz around the flybins does as well – and in recent years that buzz is all about the skwala. This year is no different, and during a stop yesterday at a local shop to grab […]
March 3, 2015
Well its pretty much time! March is here and so are the bugs. Well not really, but we did spot an adult in the air today as the front passed through. Several nymphs moving towards the shore also. Warmer weather is on the way and hoping it doesn’t get warm enough to restart and kind […]
Winter Tying
For the snowbound angler, winter means bugs flying out of the vise. Nothing motivates a little tying than a quick look at fly boxes that haven’t been opened since that last hatch. Glaring holes are a good place to start. But if you’re a guide, or plan on giving lots of flies to lots of […]
Skwala Flies
Hatch- the word alone gets most fly anglers excited. Add to the mix a long, cold winter and the mere thought of a big stonefly hatch with the prospect of tossing dry flies, and you get a whole lot of skwala commotion in western Montana. Let’s be real about this: water temperature is a big […]
Streamer Fishing (Part 2)
Last time, we touched base on the movement of the fly and how it is presented to the fish. One of the things I have to stress the most, is knowing that what you think the fly is doing, and what it is actually doing may be two different things.
Streamer Tips
On the last blog I talked a little about different ways to nymph correctly. This time I would like to visit on some of the techniques when streamer fishing. I think often people believe that streamer fishing is just throwing the bug in the water and stripping it back in any old way. Not the […]
