Happy New Year!

As each year draws to a close, I typically like to reminisce and reflect on the events that helped shape my year. The older we get, the faster each year seems to pass. 2010 was no exception. With a young family, work obligations and the burning desire to get out there and play, the time seems to go by faster than ever. One of the highlights of my year was the chance to watch my daughter Charlotte develop from a vibrant two-year old into an amazing three-year old, while watching Hannah blossom out of infancy. The last couple of months of 2010 saw both girls starting to play together and the seeds of a strong sibling relationship developing.
The year in fly-fishing was a great one. After a lackluster winter, the skies opened up with spring snow and rain to bump up our water content which helped the fishing tremendously. From the pre-runoff angling on the Snake and Green, to the Salmonflies, Drakes and PMD's on the South Fork, the first half of the summer was stellar. It only got better from there, with record low flows on the Snake through the fall, which made it easy for us to find the goods. The year culminated with a great fall streamer bite. Thanks to everyone this year, clients and guides alike, that made it so special. The summer was also bittersweet; the river accidents that took the lives of Rob Merrill and Phil Blumquist on the South Fork remind us of how fragile life is, and of why we do the things we do. My thoughts were with them this holiday season. Here's to a great 2011...hope to see all of you on the river. I'll be celebrating a rather large birthday this coming year and will be planning a truly epic fishing adventure to ring it in ...more on that later. Make sure to visit the Trout Unlimited Feed on my site (all the way down on the right). Click on Jackson Hole Fly Fishing Dreams to view a great video that my good buddy Scott Smith produced. Enjoy a few photos...the best seat in the house of 2010 on the Wind River; the prettiest Cutthroat of 2010 in my net; the best conversationalist in my boat in 2010 (Tom Brokaw); the two cutest daughters around enjoying a Christmas snowstorm. See ya next year!

The Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice has arrived! The days are now finally starting to get longer again. Living at this latitude, there are many days that we leave for work and come home from work both in the dark. Obviously, the sun is the cornerstone to life on earth, but it is also pivotal in keeping spirits up. The warming effects of the sun on the body and mind are amazing. That big orange ball in the sky also rules the life-cycle of aquatic insects and trout.
Rays of light allow vegetation to grow in our rivers and along their banks, creating breeding factories for Mayflies, Caddisflies and Stoneflies...all of which feed our trout. Rachael and I have always celebrated the 21st of December as a bright day. It is also our daughter Hannah's first birthday today...Happy Birthday Hannah!
The snow continues to fall around here; we're on our way to a record winter of snowfall. We had a huge storm over the weekend. Seventeen inches of snow was reported at Teton Village in 24 hours. The skiing Sunday was amazing, with coverage looking more like late February. I shoveled our driveway and walk three times on Sunday, barely keeping up with it.
I've put together a collage of some of my favorite photos of some amazing sunlight from our travels. Sunset on Ko Tao Island, Thailand; sunset from Tamarindo, Costa Rica; sunset on the island of Santorini, Greece; sunset from the boat dock at Boca Paila, Yucatan Peninsula; sunrise from the beach at the Palometa Club, Yucatan Peninsula. Happy Holidays!

Nice Fish Josh!

It's been all about the skiing around here lately. The snow continues to fall heavily while another winter storm warning goes into affect today. If it keeps up at this rate, we may not be fishing anywhere next summer until August! With all of the moisture we have been getting, the temperatures have been staying relatively warm. The La Nina weather pattern usually brings ample moisture with warmer air...this is exactly what we have been seeing. I've received some great reports from the South Fork from Paul Bruun, Tom Montgomery and Jeff Currier lately. Check out Currier's Blog (below on my link list) for some details. Click on this link to take the Trout Unlimited Quiz: www.youdontknowtrout.com How well do you know trout? You'll be entered to win a Dream Fishing Trip to one of my favorites: The Bighorn River in Southeastern Montana. Enjoy this recent picture of my buddy Josh Graffam. He's just finishing up a whirlwind tour of New Zealand. He apparently knows trout very well...

Traditions

Rachael and I took the girls today on our annual hunt for our Christmas tree. It's a great tradition that usually involves good four-wheel driving through the Bridger-Teton National Forest, hiking through the snow and some good hot chocolate. It was a great day for it...the temps were in the high 30's which made it very pleasant. We chose a spot South of town that I had never explored before; I think we'll check it out again this summer in search of some fish! On the drive out, Charlotte actually asked: "Daddy, are we going fishing?". I guess it looked fishy. Not bad considering she is just about to turn only 3! If you have not seen the Trout Unlimited live feed that I have on this site (all the way down on the right side), check it out and click on "A Monster on the Horizon". Wild Salmon fisheries may be facing a new threat: genetically modified fish that could do irreparable harm to the wild strains. Scary stuff. If you are not a TU member, consider joining today! It is a critical non-profit organization that has the sole mission of protecting our nations cold-water fisheries. Check them out.

Winter Has Arrived

Rachael and I took the girls to Seattle for Thanksgiving to visit family and had a great trip. It was a quick trip filled with lots of good family time...not quite enough time to wet a line, though. The region is well known for its salmon and steelhead fishing, as well as a place to target sea-run cutthroat trout. The weather was quite wet, with rain and snow; I'll bet the steelheading on the Olympic Peninsula is prime right now. We arrived home last night to find extreme winter conditions here. There is a good snowpack in the valley already, and an unusually deep snowpack in the mountains for this time of year. It's still snowing today with more forecast for the week. The La Nina weather pattern we are currently in should give us a wet winter. Skiing should be great and our water content next year promises to be healthy. The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort opened yesterday for the season. The entire mountain opened...top to bottom, which almost never happens this early. Not much to report on the fishing front; for now, this image tells the story around here...

No More Dams!

The weather around Western Wyoming has begun its transition into late fall mode. The cottonwoods and aspens have completely shed their leaves, the sky is grey and the wind is blowing. A winter storm watch is in effect for the weekend and the 2010 fly-fishing season is now a distant memory for me. Time to start thinking about some skiing! In the meantime, here is yet another update regarding the Green River dam proposal for the Warren Bridge area.

The last report I gave made it sound as if this project had no possibility of going through. There was yet another article to run on this story in the Jackson Hole Daily last week. Click this link for all of the details: http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=6676 The recommendation from the Wyoming Water Development Commission to not fund this study apparently stemmed from opposition from Governor Dave Freudenthal. It now looks like our new Governor-elect Matt Mead may in fact support this project. Let's hope not!

Just after this story ran, another disturbing story made the front page a day later. There is growing support over the hill in Idaho to rebuild the Teton Dam, on the Teton River. This project would flood and fill the beautiful Teton Canyon. The original dam broke on June 5, 1976 releasing 300,000 acre feet of water and killing 14 people. Idaho farmers are worried about back-to-back drought years and think that rebuilding this dam will solidify their water needs. This has yet to be determined. The Teton Canyon is a critical winter range for Mule Deer and Elk, not to mention a pristine fishery for wild trout. Click this link for more info: http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=6679 There certainly must be other solutions out there to address the water needs of farmers and ranchers. Here's to more days like this on the Green River...good times with Scott Smith and Tom Montgomery. Happy Thanksgiving!

Green River Update

Since my last post, local anglers have received good news regarding the proposed Green River dam above Warren Bridge, South of Jackson. Members of the Wyoming Water Development Commission turned down a funding request of $750,000 to study whether or not we need to build a $45,000,000 dam on the Green River. Although the issue is not completely dead in the water, it has now jumped a major hurdle in turning it down. In December, Wyoming state legislators on the select water committee will decide if anything warrants the proposal to move into the legislature for discussion. From everything I have seen and heard, it looks like it will likely not move forward. Water Development commissioner and local Jackson resident Bill Resor cited many reasons why we don't need to dam the Green, including the fact that the recreational arguements for building a dam there "don't hold up". Thanks Bill!! Here's a link to the most recent story that ran in our local paper this week: http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?ctg=4 Thanks for all of the feedback from my readers on this. Your emails helped! Here's a pair of Green River rainbows that Scott Smith and I successfully released below Warren Bridge that will be very happy with this news!

A Dam On The Green River?

Sublette County Wyoming commissioners are steadily moving forward with a plan to dam the Green River about a mile above the Warren Bridge. Proponents of this project want to take more control of water rights on the river and potentially harness hydro-power near the headwaters of the Green River, just south of Jackson Hole. They are also claiming that there are other benefits such as "boating, camping and fisheries". Guess what...it's already there, and we don't need to put a dam up for those reasons. There is already world-class camping, fishing and driftboating found here. For those readers who are not familiar with the area, the Green above and below the Warren Bridge is an exceptional trout stream, home to trophy Brown, Rainbow and Cutthroat trout. It is also home to a healthy Brook Trout population and native Whitefish. The amount of public access above Warren Bridge through mostly BLM land is unrivaled. The area is also right in the middle of a very critical migration corridor for Antelope. It seems to me that putting a dam up in this pristine area would prove to be a devastating decision that could not be reversed. The Wyoming Water Development Commission and Legislature’s Selective Water Committee met in Casper today and will meet tomorrow to consider the request for funding. There will be a vote tomorrow, and a final vote in December to decide on the future of this proposal. Your comments can be emailed to this commission before the December vote. For those of you that have been with me on a guided trip on this unique fishery, or have been there on your own experiencing the great camping and fishing, please consider passing along your thoughts to this commission. Here are two different email addresses to use that will be forwarded to this commission: jwade@state.wy.us or mpurce@state.wy.us. Also, here is a link to the article on this that ran in today's Jackson Hole Daily: http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=6644 Enjoy a photo I took this summer of the beautiful Green River as it meanders above the Warren Bridge through sagebrush country. The second picture exemplifies why we visit the Green: a perfect Green River Brown trout. More soon...

The Weather Extremes

What a difference a week makes. My previous report from last week was titled "Amazing Weather", describing the incredible run of weather that the inter-mountain west had been experiencing for weeks. Since then, a fast moving, cold weather system moved in over the weekend and has dropped over 40" of snow in the high country, and a good 6 inches in the valley as of today. People are actually skiing Teton Pass already. Our first day on the Missouri River last week had us basking in abundant sunshine and warm weather; local guides we spoke to at the boat ramp were still talking of hopper activity. By the end of the trip, we were chucking streamers in foul weather, and sight-fishing in thick Baetis hatches. We had a great time traveling through the "Last Best Place", covering water on the Missouri and Beaverhead Rivers.
If you're ever up that way, don't miss Montana River Outfitters in Wolf Creek for great lodging options, The Trout Shop in Craig for bugs, and Izaak's in Craig for a great steak. The drive home was rugged through snow and wind. Anglers here are all now flocking to their favorite Brown trout spots looking for aggressive fall feeders. This weather should certainly do the trick. With the "La Nina" weather pattern settling in, forecasters are calling for a big winter. Good news for the rivers and the skiers. I can't remember ever seeing so much snow fall, so early in the season. Here's a few shots from our trip. Stan and I holding the typical Missouri River Rainbow. A great shot of the sunset below Craig, and a view of the broad 'Mo from the Wolf Creek bridge.

Amazing Weather

We are now going on seven weeks of some of the most amazing Fall weather that I have ever seen since living in Wyoming. The temperatures have been reaching highs into the middle 60's with calm winds and abundant sunshine. The foliage is still hanging on in many parts of the valley too. This time of year, the weather can go either way. It can literally cool down and begin to snow in September some years; this year has been an absolute treat. If you're chasing Brown trout right now, I'm sure you are wishing for a weather change. Since fishing the South Fork last week, I've only been out fishing once. Stan Czarniak and I walked the Snake yesterday below Moose under these perfect weather conditions. The fishing was OK...not great. There was not much of a hatch, and the streamer bite was marginal. As an avid Fall angler, I must say it is time for a weather shift. The amazing weather unfortunately has its consequences on the fishing. Bright skies makes these fish nervous; cloudy, foul weather would also spark some serious BWO's, Midges and a streamer bite too. Stan and I are leaving tomorrow with four days ahead of us on the Missouri River in central Montana. For those of you who know me well, you know how much I love this river and the region it flows through. The weather up there lately has been similar...very warm and bright. The most recent report I've received was that fish were actually still looking at hoppers! The forecast looks good for the weekend up there...increasing clouds with a few showers. Bring on the hatch! We'll keep our fingers crossed. Either way, heading North to Big Sky country this time of year always promises to be a great trip. Fall in Montana is not a season, but a state of mind that I look forward to experiencing all year. Enjoy a couple of photos here from prior trips to Montana. Scott Smith snapped this first amazing shot of myself and Meeks Krueger fishing the Clark Fork. The second one is a sunset shot after taking out on the Big Hole. Lastly, here's a typical Missouri River 'Bow. More soon...

Guides Weekend

At the end of each guiding season, the Jack Dennis guiding crew usually puts together at least a day trip to kick back and do some fishing amongst ourselves. Since the weather this fall has been so nice, we decided to do an overnight on the South Fork. We spent the past two days floating between Conant and Byington, serving up streamers and dry flies to some hungry fish. The fishing was great, but what was even better was all of the periphery things that come with an overnight river trip. Fantastic weather and foliage made it an absolute delight to be on the water. Camping around Gormer Canyon was the icing on the cake. We picked one of the most beautiful campsites on the river, and sat around a campfire sipping beer and wine, and eating flank steaks wonderfully prepared by Scott Smith. Great time guys...thank you! The river has dropped significantly over there; we're looking at about 4,400 cfs near Irwin. The fish are really starting to concentrate over here too. Streamers, mahoganies and even a few hoppers did the trick. Look for the South Fork to drop even further soon. These next few weeks should see some more aggressive eats from the Browns; whether you are on the South Fork or up in Yellowstone, the fall bite should be kicking into high gear with some cooler temps on the way. Instead of posting photos of guides holding ridiculously large fish, enjoy a few lifestyle shots that exemplify why we do what we do.

Slowing Down

The second week of October is upon us. The days are noticeably shorter and cooler; the auto and pedestrian traffic around town has diminished. The local streams are quiet and the fishing is good. I've just about wrapped up the 2010 guiding season. Although there is still fantastic fishing to be had, the pool of potential fishing clientele is virtually empty. The guiding season went by very fast for me this year. May and June brought us some very wet and cold weather, which produced very high water. Before we knew it, it was early July and the fishing was beginning to turn on. The "summer" consisted of only July and August. Fortunately, September was spectacular: great weather and fine fishing. The Green, South Fork and Snake all produced consistently good fishing, and I was fortunate to guide some really great people this year. Thanks to all of my clients and guiding colleagues for such a great summer. If you are thinking about fishing the Snake this week, I'd go for it. The weather is still great, and the river is low (377 cfs our of Jackson Lake Dam), so the fish are stacked! Look for mayflies early near the Dam, and later in the day on the lower river. I wouldn't hesitate to throw a hopper either late in the day. The Jack Dennis fishing guides are headed to the South Fork later this week for an overnight trip to celebrate the end of our season, and to usher in some serious fall fishing. After that, it will be time to head north to the grand Missouri River to experience fall fishing Montana style. Stay tuned for more reports. Here's a few fresh photos to enjoy. Fall colors at the Oxbow Bend in Teton Park; a healthy brown that fell for a dry fly; the joy of a large fish exploding on a surface fly, and the exhilaration of a bent rod and a tight line. More soon!

Snake River Water Cuts

Late last night, the Bureau of Reclamation began cutting the water flows from Jackson Lake Dam, which affects the Snake River levels through our valley. Typically, the first week of October is when we see the Snake River reduced to its "winter flows". The plan that many of us saw over the last few weeks via email had the Bureau gradually cutting the water over a four day period. Well, after moving the river from 1,100 cfs to 850 overnight, they proceeded to drop it to 500 cfs during the day today, and then actually raise it back up to 550 cfs. Not sure why they did this. The ultimate level that we will end up seeing will likely be below 500 cfs. Anglers would prefer to see a more gradual drop during these water cuts. Not only does a drastic cut in flows affect the fishing, it also can potentially strand fish in side-channels throughout the river, since they may not have enough time to react to the dropping water. I was not happy to see the graph tonight on the USGS site showing such a drastic drop. (Check my link list below for Wyoming Streamflow data, and go to the Snake River near Moran). Despite all of this, I did have a fantastic day of guiding today on the Snake from the Dam to Pacific Creek. The Trico hatch is still happening in full force in the mornings, and we hit it pretty good. Although they were tough, there were plenty of larger fish up on dries in very shallow water...good fun! Here's a couple of pictures I've been meaning to post for awhile: brothers Fred and Ted Thranhardt with a pair of great fish that fell for dry flies from the South Fork Canyon last week. The third photo is one I snapped on Deadman's to Moose recently: the classic Fall shot of the Tetons. Enjoy!

Peaking Foliage

The weather and scenery over the last few days on the river has been absolutely beautiful. The skies have had abundant sunshine, very calm winds and temperatures in the 80's. Coinciding with this fantastic weather has been an amazing feast for the eyes in the form of fall foliage. All over the region, the Cottonwoods, Aspens, Mountain Ash and Willows have been peaking in color. If you have not been on the river bottom lately, I'd head out soon! The icing on the cake is this: the fishing is fantastic right now! Mahoganies and hoppers are getting the job done still. I've been over on the South Fork the last couple of days; fishing for fun yesterday on the Lower section, and guiding today in the Canyon. The foliage is about one week behind what we are seeing in Jackson, and it is just as pretty. Here's a couple of shots from the past few days. A stunning fall Cutthroat that fell for a streamer on my day off; Scott Smith putting Jon Wylie on to some fish; Scott Smith sight fishing in a quiet side channel. More soon...

The Wind Tunnel

Whether you are fresh or saltwater fly-fishing, some of the best destinations around the world are also some of the windiest. Jackson Hole is no exception. Typically, our windiest month on the river is in August. This season, it seems like it has been blowing non-stop. This past week on the Snake and South Fork were very windy for me and my clients. I'm not sure which is more frustrating: rowing in heavy wind, or casting in it. Trying to hold a steady line with the boat while watching your anglers flail is one of the hardest things in guiding. Yesterday on Moose to Wilson saw some very impressive gusts that blew what few mayflies were hatching all the way to Nebraska. Despite all of this, it was a great week of fishing. Mahoganies ruled the Snake and South Fork in my boat; late-day hopper fishing is also still happening. Now that September is almost gone, local anglers are starting to think about the Fall Brown trout bite. The weather has been very warm and sunny still, so I wouldn't be rushing up to Lewis Lake just yet. I spent my day off Thursday fishing with Scott Smith and Darren Calhoun on the other side of the hill. We traded the oars all day in search of trophies and had a great time. Darren won top rod with this 23" Brown that came in over 5 pounds on a dry fly. Nice one Darren! Here's a few shots from the day...

Friends on the River

A good portion of my guiding clientele these days comes from local sources. I have a number of friends and acquaintances that hire me for themselves, or for their own friends and family that are visiting Jackson Hole. I always look forward to these bookings, they tend to be very fun. I had the chance to guide a handful of friends over the last week or so, and the fishing was great. Great fishing is always a treat, but it is particularly nice when I get to take locals. The Snake and South Fork are in great shape right now. Early fall weather has arrived; clear skies, warm temps and changing colors are making a feast for the eyes on the water right now. Big game is also starting to move near the river. The icing on the cake is that the fish are aggressively looking for flies. Although the nights are getting colder, I've still been finding eager fish on dries in the mornings, particularly on the Snake. The Snake at Moose is hovering at a low 1,400 cfs. Nice fish are still showing up in the main river channel. The South Fork has been turning on later in the day; hoppers and Caddisflies are working well over there. The next couple of weeks looks busy, and then it starts to slow down for me...time to fish! I've got a few great trips planned, more soon on that. I've added a new link on my list below to check out...visit Montana Angler Fly Fishing if you are planning any kind of angling adventure to Big Sky country. Here's a few photo highlights from last week. A nice group of Elk crossing the river in Teton Park; my buddy George Putnam displaying one of many nice fish he caught on his birthday with me; lastly, Al Renneisen with one of the more colorful Snake River Cutties I've seen awhile.

25th Annual Jackson Hole One Fly

I just finished two days of guiding in the 2010 Jackson Hole One Fly event. This was the 25th One Fly Event held to raise money for stream improvement projects on the Snake and South Fork Rivers. Coming into the event late last week, the weather was truly foul; cold temperatures, rain and sleet lasted through Friday night. The skies cleared for the weekend, with bright blue conditions and few clouds. While Saturday stayed a little cooler, Sunday warmed up to the low 70's. Forty teams of four anglers per team float two days, and can only use one fly per day. I fished Deadman's to Moose on the Snake both days. All four of my anglers kept their fly, and had a variety of scores. We fished a couple of small Mayfly attractors, a large Stonefly attractor, and a small Chernobyl ant. By far, the best fly in my boat over the weekend was the Small brown Chernobyl Ant thrown by none other than journalist Tom Brokaw. He fished well, and was a pleasure to guide. Great fishing, along with some fantastic conversation made the day yesterday fly by. The winning team in the event this year was the Worldcast Anglers crew. I've not heard what fly one the event yet with the most points, but local angler Mike Dawes helped carry these guys to victory. The largest fish in the net came off of the South Fork...a 23.5 inch Brown that fell for a Stonefly nymph at the hands of guide Ed Emory. In addition to Tom Brokaw, a couple of other legends fished the event this year. Actor Tom Skerritt, as well as local angler Liz McCabe (at 99 years old) also participated. (Nice job Liz!!) I'm off the river today, letting the fish rest a bit before giving it a shot tomorrow. The leaves are starting to change rapidly, and the thrill of Fall fishing is just about here. Enjoy a few pictures from my day yesterday with Mr. Brokaw.

Wild Weather Again

Over the past few days, I've seen a very mixed bag of fishing results on the Snake River. Monday and Tuesday brought us some beautiful early fall weather, with bright sun, calm winds and pleasant temperatures. Both days also saw lackluster fishing. I had good anglers from Deadman's to Moose each of those days, and we saw a lot of smaller fish on a variety of dry flies, with just a few larger fish acting very shy. I awoke Wednesday to some good cloud cover and fairly warm temps; I headed to Moose to put in and run the 14 mile stretch to Wilson with San Francisco resident Tom Steele. We hammered them. He fished a Parachute Hare's Ear from Moose all the way down to Wilson, and we found nice fish all over the place. Even though there was not much of a hatch, the fish were eagerly looking up. I think they were looking for the Drake hatch, and our fly did the trick. I decided to try it again today. Again, we awoke to good cloud cover, and slightly cooler temps. We put on at Moose and found a few fish, but before we knew it, the skies opened up with rain and sleet. The thermometer dropped to the low 40's and we began to freeze. The wind began gusting toward the 30 mile an hour mark. One storm after another rolled in on us, and my clients opted to row out to Wilson and head home. We cherry-picked a few holes on the way down, and found a couple of fish on small dries. I think if we had stuck with it, the fishing would have produced again. At one point, the clouds lifted a bit, and we could see that some significant snow had fallen above about 8,000 feet. It's pouring rain tonight, and it's still quite cold. We'll see what tomorrow brings. This weekend is the 25th annual Jackson Hole One Fly event. Forty teams will compete on the Snake and South Fork this weekend with one fly per angler, per day. Good luck! I'll have more on this after the weekend. Here's a couple of pictures of my buddy Larry Stephenson, who I guided last week. We had a great day looking for Cutties on dries. After visiting me here, he headed up to Oregon chasing Deschutes River Steelhead. Here's a picture he sent me from his trip...what a fish!! Check out Larry's link off of my list below to see his great artwork. More soon.