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 […]
Proper Nymphing
So often you hear people talking about not wanting to Nymph. It’s too easy, or I hate staring at that bobber. And it’s true subsurface fishing isn’t near as fun as watching a fish rise. But, it can be very effective when done correctly. The fish feed approximately 80% of the time under the surface […]
4th of July report
Well all the rivers are dropping fast. Clarity is no longer an issue. Today on the Blackfoot lots of fish eating the big bug and lots of big bugs out. Our flow are still above average everywhere which makes sense because we had an above average snowpack. Hear is a little tip. When you seeing […]
Summer
Well it’s here….Summer, starts officially on the 21st. The longest day of the year. Birds are up around 4:30 and stays light past 9pm. Things have really shaped up fast around Missoula. Many of the rivers starting fishing about a week ago. With the cold front and rain moving through the past few days bumping […]