Chilly Float

Scott Smith and I floated yesterday near Pinedale looking for some trophy spring Browns. We left Jackson about 6:30am in fair conditions, and by the time we got south of Bondurant (which is only about 25 minutes from here), we found snowpacked roads and 16 degrees Fahrenheit. It was a very cold morning! The fishing was slow the first half of the day but finally came alive mid-afternoon. Here's a great shot of Scott with the fish of the day, a 21" Brown Trout. Louie, the Jack Russell, was on point a good part of the day looking for sippers, but none were found. It was a streamer day. The weather forecast is all over the place right now and the runoff is currently on hold. More soon!

Where Did Spring Go?

Rachael, Charlotte and I just returned late last night from New York City visiting family. When we left last week, the weather was gorgeous. It had become so warm by last Tuesday, that many of the tributaries, and even the Snake, began to turn to a dirtier color. While we were gone, it cooled down again. We actually got a little snow last night! It is now cool again, and looks like more of the same for the week ahead. Flying in last night, the river looked quite clear. I talked to Scott Smith this morning, and he said fishing has been pretty good. Small dries and nymphing has been productive on the Snake, and it sounds like nobody is around. I'm hoping that this is the last of the cool weather...we need to get this runoff started. There is still a tremendous snowpack just above the valley floor. Not much else to report. Jackson is in full "off-season" mode. Very little traffic and many businesses are temporarily closed. Don't miss all of the new 2009 fly patterns from Montana Fly Company (as well as some of their older proven patterns!). I was just on their site, and they look great! http://www.montanafly.com/ I'm hoping to wet a line as soon as tomorrow...stay tuned.

River Towns

One of the great joys of fly-fishing for me is the chance to spend time in the towns that lie near the banks of the wests' greatest trout streams. Whether you are in Pinedale, Wyoming or Craig, Montana, the feel of these places is unmistakable. The unique fly shops, bars, restaurants and local characters that make up these places are just as enjoyable to experience as the rivers themselves. Melrose, Montana is no different. Spending time in our cabin, or at the famous Hitchin' Post Bar and Restaurant was as important and fun as launching our boat each day. If you are ever in Melrose, don't miss the Sunrise Fly Shop, the Hitchin' Post or the Sportsmans Motel!

Skwalas!

I've just returned from a four day fishing trip in southwest Montana on the Big Hole River. My good friends Chris Stump of Jackson, and Campbell Hough of Boulder, Colorado, embarked for Melrose Montana last Wednesday and floated for four days. This trip had been planned for a couple of months, with much anticipation. Prior to leaving, I had been checking streamflow data and weather reports daily, wondering what to expect. Spring fishing is always a roll of the dice. This area of Montana had been enjoying the same weather that we had in Jackson for much of late March...cloudy, cold and wet. We arrived the first day to find a low (550 cfs), clear river, with good reports from the previous day. The main hatch that anglers chase this time of year is the skwala stonefly...and we hit it perfectly! The first three days yielded excellent results using dry skwala patterns. Twitching big dries in fishy water got tons of fish up. By Saturday night, the skies cleared and the temps warmed up. Arriving on the river Sunday morning, we found a much higher, dirtier stream. Unfortunately, the river is now completely blown out...it's running over 2000 cfs as of today. Cool weather this week should bring it back down. What a great way to start the season! More stories from the trip in the next post. Enjoy!

Two Passions

Living in the mountains, I see the calender year as being divided into two seasons: summer and winter. We have virtually no spring to speak of, and the fall season goes so quickly that it is just a quick extension of summer, with great colors and cooler temps. What really defines the seasons here are the activities that we do. Summer means fly-fishing, and winter means skiing. There are days in the middle of the summer, while casting large dry flies to big trout, that my eyes wander to the mountains, and my mind wanders to thoughts of skiing. Conversely, while riding chairlifts and skiing here all winter long, my mind drifts towards fly-fishing. By this time of year, I am usually thinking only of the coming fishing season. Over the past two weeks, we have had three large spring storms come through here that have dumped an incredible amount of snow in the mountains. It's been some of the best powder skiing of the year this past week! (And there is nobody here right now). Our snowpack has received a very large spring boost, which is great news for the rivers. It looks like we'll be fishing some of our rivers a little later than I would have guessed even a month ago. We're leaving for Montana next week to fish the Big Hole...hopefully it warms up! It's interesting skiing powder all day, and coming home to organize trout flies for a trip only a week away! I think I enjoy planning and daydreaming about upcoming fishing trips as much as I enjoy the actual trip.