Cold Weather

The temperatures around Jackson the past few days have been very crisp. With lows in the 20's (and tonight's forecast calling for a low of 14 degrees), it sure feels like winter is coming fast. Skies have been bright and sunny, but just cold. Most of the golden Aspen and Cottonwood foliage has now fallen to the ground and winter feels like it is now just around the corner. The fishing around here has been stellar. Both the South Fork and Snake (as well as some of the unnamed Fall favorites in Yellowstone), have been fishing great. This is by far my favorite time of year around here to be on the water. Water levels are low, there are few anglers around and fish are eager to feed and put on their "winter wool". Most of my information on local stream conditions this fall have been coming secondhand. With a 22 day excursion to New Zealand about to commence, I've been busy around the house with my "honey-do" list...very little time to fish. This will be the first October in more than ten years that I have not been in Montana chasing the streamer and Baetis bite. It sounds like the Missouri has been on fire...no surprises there! The trip to New Zealand has been in the works for a couple of years; Scott Smith and I each celebrated a landmark birthday this past summer, and needed an excuse to head there. With plane tickets in hand since last January, we've been slowly planning and researching our destination which we now will be able to scratch off our bucket list. (Urban dictionary definition: A list of things to do before you die. Comes from the term "kicked the bucket"). I've been fortunate enough to be able to live in such a great area and work on my bucket list for some time here. I've been working on this list for some time now chasing trout all over the West, as well as the elusive "Palometa" on the Caribbean flats. Checking off New Zealand will be a long-awaited dream. Planning this adventure (as always), has been an incredible amount of fun. Reading books, studying maps and organizing the gear has been mouth-watering. The real excitement has been talking to our buddies that have been there; listening to the stories and advice from people like Tom Montgomery, Jack Dennis, Josh Graffam, Jeff Currier, Josh Gallivan, John Gendall, John Holland, Brian Hodges and Peter Chung has been a blast. Thanks for the help guys! Enjoy this great photo that angler Dan Beistel just passed along to me. A 20" Snake River Cutty from earlier in the season. Boots Allen snapped this shot just after I netted the fish for Dan. I'll never forget that fish Dan!

Road Trip

Rachael and I left town early Friday morning with the girls bound for Chico Hot Springs, in South Central Montana. For those of you that have not heard of Chico, it's a gem located in the Paradise Valley, near the banks of the Yellowstone River. Natural hot springs pools with therapeutic temperatures as high as 103 degrees are surrounded by the historic lodge and saloon. Established in 1900, the resort is a great getaway for anyone looking for relaxation, therapy, good food and a great saloon. Check out Chico online to learn more about this resort. We spent Friday night at the historic main lodge at Chico, and then headed for Old Faithful, in Yellowstone National Park, for Saturday night's stay. This is one of our favorite times of year to be in Yellowstone. We did a great day hike near Old Faithful, and spent a few hours fishing both the Firehole and Yellowstone Rivers.

The Firehole in particular is fishing very well right now. Fish were eagerly taking Caddisflies on top, and small Buggers down deep. Get up there soon...it's only open for a few more weeks, and there is no one around right now.
Here's a few shots from the weekend, including one of my daughter Hannah practicing her cast, and Charlotte checking out my loop...more soon!

Blast Of Winter

A serious weather change last week brought significant snow to Western Wyoming, all the way down to the valley floor. The mountains picked up as much as a foot of snow in some areas, with a couple of inches sticking around Jackson and the river bottom for Thursday and Friday. I had a trip booked for this past Thursday with some folks visiting from Northern California. I talked them into going thinking that the weather would not be all that bad. It ended up being one of the wildest days of guiding I have ever had. We decided to fish Astoria to West Table in the Snake River Canyon. As we launched the boat, heavy rain turned to heavy, blinding snow with serious winds ripping up river. With a full thermos, Coleman space heater and down jackets on, we surged forward. It was likely the coldest day I have ever had clients out on the water. Despite the rugged conditions, we were able to periodically sight fish to risers feeding on a light hatch of Mahoganies and Baetis. I would love to share some photos from the day, but I just could not deal with the camera in those conditions. I guided a last minute trip yesterday over on the South Fork, floating from Conant to Byington. The Canyon flows are now below 6,000 cfs, making for quite a long float. Fishing was fantastic. Although we did not see a fish over 16", the sheer amount of fish we found feeding on the thick mayfly hatch was unbelievable. A soup of Baetis and Mahoganies covered the entire river for most of the day. Definitely one of those days I would have preferred to have the rod in my hand and not the oars! The Snake River is now finally stabilized at 602 cfs below Jackson Lake Dam...perfect winter flows. Get out there soon, it should be red hot right now!
Not much else to report here. Time to start the serious gear organization for our November 5th departure to New Zealand. My good buddy Scott Smith and I will be spending 22 days on the South Island in search of Brown Gold. We've never been before and are ready for some adventure. We've had this trip on the books since last January, and now are in the final planning stages. I got an email a few nights ago from my buddy John Holland. He came across this picture from the Henry's Fork a few years ago that he just found. It was a day we spent fishing together below the Warm River in early May. It's a shot of the thickest Caddisfly hatch that I have ever witnessed. We were in complete awe...I've never seen anything like it since. Make sure to click on the photo to enlarge it and really appreciate the amount of bugs.

Slowing Down

October has arrived and the volume of guiding clientele has reduced dramatically. Even though the fishing is still great (and about to get better), the demand for fishing guides typically drops around the first of October. I just guided the last 6 out of 7 days, but the next week will be much slower. Fish on the Snake are still taking large and small dry flies. Chernobyl Ants with Mahogany droppers are about the best rig going right now. If you really want to test your eyes against the glare, you can also drop a size 16 flying ant...they've been working well also. The Bureau of Reclamation will begin dropping the Snake River flows from below Jackson Lake Dam tonight. The releases have been holding steady for over two months at around 2,800 cfs. Over the next five days, the flows will be cut in 500 cfs increments to a final flow of about 600 cfs. Once these "winter flows" are achieved, fish will begin to stack up in the remaining holding water. I think we are about to see some of the best fishing of the season over the next few weeks, as these flows are stabilized, and some cooler, wetter weather brings on the Hecubas, Drakes and Mahoganies. I'll be on the water at least two days this week, so stay tuned for a report. It's now time to start the serious planning for my southern hemisphere odyssey...more on that soon! Here's Fred Thranhardt with a typical Wind River Rainbow, landed on a dry fly. Also, enjoy this serene photo of Fall on the Snake, and the incredibly beautiful Wind River near Crowheart, Wyoming.