Cold Weather

This past week in Jackson has been quite cold and blustery. After an amazingly warm and sunny September, the month of October started with snow,and with the exception of a couple of days, was mostly cloudy, wet and cold. The start of November has always been synonymous with the end of the fishing season for me around here. Although there are still many places to throw a fly around here in November, the weather often discourages me from going. I did get to fish this past week with my buddy Stan Czarniak again. We decided to rally and go walk the North Fork of No Tell Creek near the Southern end of Yellowstone looking for fall browns. It was cold (in the low 20's) and very windy. The fishing was surprisingly good on streamers. We each netted a handful of nice fish over about 4 hours of fishing. The cold, windy conditions prevented us from fishing any longer. There is literally no one around this time of year, so that in itself makes a day on the water worth it. Bright streamers did the trick in slow moving water. For anyone that is interested, a friend of mine is launching a new website called "GoFishN". It is essentially going to be like Facebook for the angling and guiding community. It is still in a test phase, but you can submit your email and be a part of the launch. Click on the link http://www.gofishn.com/ for more info. Here are a couple of shots from the other day...very cold! Happy Halloween!

South Fork Fishing Well

Although I've not been able to get out fishing since returning from Montana, I have received multiple reports from friends that the South Fork has been fishing well. Not surprising, since the water levels are very low (2,560 cfs near Irwin), and the weather has been cloudy. Reports of large fish on streamers and pods of risers are floating around out there. Be armed with big and ugly buggers for the 6 weight; don't forget your BWO's, midges and tippet down to 6x with the 5 weight. The fish are podded up in the lower water, so wade fishing or a short float are great options. The last few reports I've heard from the Snake have not been as strong. The temps on this side of the hill have been a little cooler, so the window of active feeding may be a little shorter through the day. For those of you that have not heard, Jeff Currier ended his 23 year tenure as the fly shop manager at the Jack Dennis Fly shop this week. For those who don't know Jeff, he's probably caught more species of fish on flies throughout the world than anyone; I believe his enthusiasm and knowledge of the sport are unmatched by anyone. Check out his link on my list to see what he'll be up to next. Good luck Jeff! Fly-tying guru Scott Sanchez will take Jeff's place at the fly shop helm. Enjoy this recent photo of one of my favorite sites: a fall sunset from Montana. More soon!

Southwest Montana

I returned this week to Jackson from Southwest Montana with good friend Stan Czarniak after a great fishing getaway. This part of Montana is home to some very hallowed trout water, including the Big Hole, Beaverhead, Jefferson and Ruby rivers (to name a few). We set up basecamp at a cabin in Melrose, and split our time between the Big Hole and the Beaverhead. It was a fun trip; streamer fishing was great and there was nobody around. Yellow and black buggers brought many nice brown and rainbow to the net under a variety of weather conditions. A summer with ample water in this watershed meant for many healthy, happy fish around. Ryan Barba, owner of the Sunrise Fly Shop in Melrose was very helpful with flies and shuttles...make sure to check out his shop if you are ever in the area. Along with great fishing and some unique people we met, we also enjoyed some of Montana's finest dining. Don't miss the New York cut at the Hitchin' Post in Melrose, or the eats at the Blue Moon Saloon in Divide. The weather this week in Jackson is pleasant; dry with temps in the 50's. I've received a few decent fishing reports from the Snake; it sounds like fish are feeding on top still, eating BWO's, midges and even tricos near the dam. Just two more weeks to fish Yellowstone...don't miss the Firehole, Madison or Lewis Lake, sure bets in the fall. Enjoy some "grip and grin" photos from Montana. More soon!

Anticipation

I look forward to planning any fishing trip almost as much as I enjoy taking the trip itself. I've spent most of the day today happily organizing gear and food for my next adventure to Montana. Stan Czarniak and I will have the next four days to ourselves on the Big Hole River in Southwestern Montana. Typically this time of year we are heading to the Big Horn or the Missouri, but given how much water the Big Hole has had this year, and how well it fished, we thought we would try it in the fall. My normal Big Hole excursion is in the springtime, before runoff, so this will be a treat! The excitement of heading to Montana in the fall is hard to explain. Fall in Montana is not just a season, but it is a state of mind. Wide open spaces, great foliage, world class fishing and unique people make a trip through Big Sky country this time of year a must. My yearly fall Montana excursion is therapy for the soul. The weather in the region has finally turned a little warmer; temps around Jackson are back into the 50's, which should really light up the Snake. Look for fish podded up in their winter holes, munching mahoganies and baetis in the afternoons. There should be some nice noses up! Don't forget the South Fork; with the levels at 3,130 cfs below the dam, and a mere 1,100 near Heise, the float and wade fishing should be fantastic right now. Here is a shot of my buddy Jon Wylie from the Beaverhead River, in Montana from last weekend. A very healthy rainbow...nice Jon!

Cold In Montana

Rachael, Charlotte and I just returned from a long weekend in Bozeman, Montana. We were visiting our good friends Brian and Jen Hodges, who just relocated there. We had a few activities planned, including fishing. It was a fun weekend, however the fishing did not happen. The low temperatures were near zero degrees, and the highs were not even hitting 20 degrees. It was also snowing fairly heavily...oh well. It looks like the weather around here was a little nicer this weekend. Last Wednesday, I floated the lower South Fork with fellow Jack Dennis guides Scott Smith and Ben Brennan. Fishing was very good. It was a sunny day with little wind, and fairly warm temperatures. There were some browns caught in the morning on streamers and tons of cuttys up on baetis and mahoganies all afternoon. No huge fish were caught...it was a numbers day. By now, the Snake has had a few days at its winter flow, and hopefully the cuttys are now well adjusted to their new holes. I probably won't make it on the Snake this week, so if anyone has any reports, feel free to comment or send me an email. This could be a great time to fish it! The weather this week is supposed to be warmer here (and in Montana!). Good news, since we are heading to the Big Hole Friday. Here is a shot of Scott Smith from the South Fork on Wednesday with a typical cutty caught on a dry fly. The second is a great shot from the Salt River, sent to me from Tom Putnam. We fished it a few weeks back and had great fishing and foliage. More soon!

Thanks For A Great Season

Last Friday was my final guided trip for the season. I took a couple of local guys down the Snake from Pacific to Deadman's, and found a couple of hours of good dry fly fishing in the afternoon. Since then, our weather has turned back into winter. We woke up yesterday to a few inches of snow on the ground, and cold temperatures. I had planned on guiding all week, but the weather has kept the bookings pretty lean. Even though fishing can be great during the wintry weather, most clients prefer to book a trip when it is a little bit warmer. I'll keep busy the next few weeks with my daughter Charlotte, as well as some personal fishing trips and some long weekends away with the family. I'd like to thanks all of the clients that I fished with during 2009, as well as my fellow guides for such a great season! It would not be possible without you. The Snake River drop will be completed by Friday night; look for some great fishing next week, as the Cutty's will be stacked in their winter holes. The South Fork and Lewis, to name a few, should really be lighting up on the streamer action for browns, particularly since we've received some snow. Here's a shot a friend Dede Burris with a nice Snake River Cutthroat from a few weeks back.

Winter Weather

Winter weather arrived yesterday into Western Wyoming with a vengeance. Strong winds, cold temperatures and sheets of snow moved into the area Wednesday morning. I joined two other guides on a group trip yesterday from Astoria to West Table on the Snake. The fishing was good for the first hour; there were nice fish up on small mayfly patterns. The weather forecast had us thinking that the hecubas would be coming off by late morning. We've been hoping for a weather change for over a week now to spark some fall hatches, and get the bigger fish looking up again. The sunny, warm weather we have been seeing had toughened up the fishing. By noon yesterday, the wind and snowfall was so strong, there was little hope of any hatch coming off, let alone staying on the surface of the water. One of our clients was literally near hypothermic by lunch, so we opted to push out in the storm. It sounded like the weather was not quite as rugged in the Park; fishing was reported to be OK on BWO's and drakes. The weather we were hoping for came in a little to strong. Today is quite cold and windy, and it may stick around for awhile. Starting this coming Monday (October 5Th), the Bureau of Reclamation will begin cutting the flows out of Jackson Lake Dam on the Snake River. Between Monday the 5Th, and Friday the 9Th, they will lower the water from 1875 cfs to 500 cfs. There will be at least two water cuts per day done, in order to get the river down to winter flows. Typically, fishing during the water drop can be difficult. I usually opt to stay below South Park bridge where there are less sidechannels, and perhaps the fish don't react as strongly to the drop. By next weekend, we should find many fish stacked into their winter holes and adjusted to feeding. I guided on the lower South Fork on Monday, and the Salt River on Tuesday with Tom Putnam. We had decent fishing in the sunshine with a variety of dry flies. This weather should really spark the South Fork streamer fishing. Here's a couple of shots from the row off yesterday in blinding snowfall and wind.