Bass On The Fly

I had the chance yesterday to participate in the second annual Jackson Hole Bassmasters event on Ririe Reservoir, in Southeastern Idaho. It's an unlikely event situated in the heart of trout country, organized by local bassmaster Kevin Brazell. It was a blast! Seventeen teams of two fished from 8 am to 4 pm looking for the five heaviest fish they could find. An aerator in our cooler kept the fish safe and healthy until the 4 pm weigh-in. The fishing was great. We had excellent topwater action with medium sized poppers. I've always heard about the good smallmouth fishing on Ririe Reservoir, but in all the years I've lived here, I've never been. Scott Smith asked me to be his teammate and I gladly accepted. We actually placed 6Th, to my surprise. A pair of Victor, Idaho ladies took first place and the $1000.00 purse. There were some heavy fishing hitters there, including Will Dornan, Jeff Currier and Carter Andrews. I'm already looking forward to next year! As far as local trout fishing, the Firehole continues to fish well. I spent the day fishing there with good buddy Stan Czarniak on Tuesday. We did well on streamers and nymphs in the morning, and PMD's on top by mid-afternoon. The water is still fairly high, so be cautious when wading. I guided a pair of regular clients today on the lower South Fork...it was lackluster. Although the water level has come down, it is still murky. There is not a whole lot of visibility yet. The recent heavy rains (including today) are not helping. We struggled with streamers and netted a handful of smaller fish on stonefly nymphs. Hopefully within the next couple of weeks, we'll see some dryfly action begin. Here's a couple of shots of me and Will Dornan with some typical Ririe smallmouth. More soon!

Water Everywhere

After receiving above average snowfall this winter, most of the watersheds in the Intermountain West are reaping the benefits. Reservoirs are full, and the rivers are flowing big time. To top everything off, much of the region has been seeing heavy rains this past week which is the icing on the cake. Virtually all of the freestone rivers are high and muddy, and the tailwater rivers (dam release) are running very high. It's bad news for current fishing conditions, but it is like money in the bank for the summer and fall. The trout and insect life will benefit long term with these conditions. We will certainly see great fishing conditions this summer and fall, with eager, healthy trout on the hunt for food. The Snake River around Jackson is very high and muddy, and is most likely at its peak this weekend. The Green looks like it has peaked as well, with high flows. The Snake near Wilson was over 17,000 cfs yesterday, with almost 22,000 cfs entering Palisades Reservoir in Alpine. The Green is down a bit to 2300 cfs, from its peak last Wednesday of 3200 cfs. Recent drought areas from our neighbors in Montana are looking very good as well. The Big Hole River, which is part of the Missouri River headwaters, is looking great with plenty of water. Flows on the Missouri below Holter Dam last week were approaching 12,000 cfs, a level not seen in recent years. Great news...should be a great summer and fall up there! This Big Hole River brown is sure happy about it! Check out this shot of the Snake River from Wilson Bridge yesterday...over 17,000 cfs.

Thunderstorms

June has finally arrived, and with it has come some severe afternoon thunderstorms, more reminiscent of August. We are in a weather pattern right now that is giving us warm, clear mornings, and heavy downpours with lightning in the afternoons. All of this is helping our runoff continue. The Snake is at about 16,000 cfs at Moose, and quite muddy. The South Fork is slowly, but surely, turning on. I guided a trip there on Friday with some beginning anglers. We boated about a dozen fish on nymphs. The water is still green in color, with a few feet of visibility. The dry fly action should be turning on there in a couple of weeks. It's holding steady just below 13,000 cfs. Issue 17 of This Is Fly magazine just came out today...it's a great one, don't miss it! Go to http://www.thisisfly.com/. A great photo essay by Brian Hodges, a look at "gripping fish" by John Holland, and a look at some "fly doctors" are among some of the content of this issue. This photo of Chris Stump exemplifies one of the great joys I have in fly fishing...choosing just the right fly. More soon!

Training Day

I spent the day today fishing the South Fork Canyon with Justin Burkhart and Weldon Jones. Justin and Weldon have been working in the Jack Dennis Fly Shop for a few years, and are joining our guide staff this season. Today was their unofficial training day on the South Fork. I had the duty of watching them row and fish all day, making sure that they are up to par. We covered everything from fishing techniques, rowing techniques, river etiquette and guiding philosophies. They did great. The weather was beautiful, and we were literally the only boat in the entire canyon today. The river is still a little off color, and running at about 12,800 cfs. We fished streamers and nymphs hard all day, with limited results. We each picked up a few fish, here and there with little consistency. The highlight of our day was the first fish to come to the boat this morning...an enormous brown, pushing the 24" mark, caught by Justin. I guess he passed the fishing portion of our training. The Snake and Green Rivers, as well as almost all of the area tributaries are completely blown out right now...high and muddy. The Salmonflies are on the Henry's Fork right now, between Warm River and Ashton. From most of the reports I have received, it sounds like there are a lot of anglers around, and fishing is fairly tough, due to gorged fish. The Firehole in Yellowstone is open to fishing now...it is also running high, but fishable. More soon!

The Trout Need Our Help

There is a new buzzword swarming this region these days which all anglers should be aware of. The term "ANS", which stands for Aquatic Nuisance Species, is rapidly gaining usage among anglers and guides around Jackson. Aquatic Nuisance Species are just that: non native aquatic organisms that are wreaking havoc in our local fisheries. Whirling disease is probably the most well known issue that has plagued many famous Western trout streams in recent years, but there are some lesser known, yet highly destructive organisms, that are now threatening our fisheries right now. In particular, Zebra Mussels, Quagga Mussels and New Zealand Mud Snails are three invasive species that are starting to show up in Western waters. Not only can these species foul facilities like boat ramps and clog marine engines, they can and will disrupt the aquatic food chain in our rivers and lakes. The piece of the chain that is most affected is the insect life, and if the insects are disturbed, the trout can't eat. Pretty simple. To prevent the spread of these "aquatic hitchhikers", we need everyone to be more conscientious about ANS etiquette. Always properly wash out your driftboat and trailer after each use, especially when moving from one watershed to another. Don't transport river water in your boat. These mussels and snails cannot live outside of water for very long, so give the boat a good rinse, check your trailer axles and wheels, and let everything dry. Give your waders and boots a good rinse too...a solution of water and bleach will kill any spores as well. This beautiful Green River rainbow will sure appreciate it!

Wading the Green

Rachael, Charlotte and I headed down to the Green River yesterday for an afternoon of wade fishing. Charlotte is very content in the backpack when I am casting so it's a great way to spend the afternoon with the family, particularly since we chose a spot with very mellow water. The weather has practically turned to summer over the past few days. The highs were in the high 70's on Saturday, with the 80's arriving by Sunday afternoon, into today. Needless to say, all of the area rivers have come up even more, including the green. The water got pretty murky on us yesterday, and the fishing was tough. As of today, the Green has nearly doubled in size since Saturday, to almost 1,000 cfs. It was a great day to be out, regardless. The Henry's Fork is probably the best option right now, until the South Fork water temps warm up a bit. Yellowstone opens to fishing on Saturday...the Firehole should be in great shape! See ya there!

Nice Art

I just wanted to pass along a new photo I just received from legendary South Fork guide Chris "Jigidy" Jensen...his new tattoo. I never had the guts to go forward with a tattoo myself, although I've always had the urge. A host of flies, or perhaps a Grateful Dead symbol have nearly made it onto my skin permanently over the years. Not sure I would have picked a nymph, though...sorry Chris! (Some of your TIF buddies made me post this). Other than that, not much going on. It's quite sunny and warm today, and is supposed to be in the 70's starting tomorrow. The runoff will most certainly kick in by early this week. More soon!

Spring in Yellowstone

Rachael, Charlotte and I returned on Monday from our annual long weekend trip to Yellowstone National Park in search of spring wildlife. This is probably the best time of year to view wildlife in the park, as the snow cover is receding and the forage is rapidly growing. The lack of crowds also makes it a great time to be in the park. We found everything we were desiring to see, including elk, bison, bighorn sheep, wolves, black and grizzly bear. The fishing season in Yellowstone does not open until Memorial Day Weekend, which is still over a week away. We did stop at the Firehole, the Yellowstone and Madison Rivers to take a look from the bank, and found fish feeding on the surface at all three. It was kind of nice to know that these fish could feed without being bothered, at least for a little bit longer. The weather is finally drying out, and the temps are rising here in Jackson. Hopefully, the runoff will start to kick into a higher gear soon. The sooner it starts, the sooner we will be fishing! The Snake is at about 5400 cfs at Moose and not fishable. The South Fork has actually come down in volume to about 14,000 cfs (which is still big) and is running quite cold. The Green is holding at about 550 cfs and clear, but still very cold. I'd say the best bet on fishing right now is the Green. Expect to be nymphing during the warmest part of the day. Also, keep an eye open for the Salmonflies on the Henry's Fork...could be soon. Here's a shot of the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River and a group of bison wading the Madison.

One Last Float

I spent the day today floating the Green River from Warren Bridge to the Hatchery with good friend Chris Stump. He and his wife Melissa are expecting their first child, a baby boy, in just a couple of weeks. I persuaded Chris to sneak out for one last day of fishing before his life seriously changes! It was a cold, yet beautifully bright day on the river. The flows have been hovering around 475 cfs for the past week and the river has just a slight discoloration due to some of the heavy rains we received earlier in the week. With the South Fork in Idaho running at almost 17,000 cfs (and not fishing well), and the Snake getting higher by the day (4700 cfs at Moose), and getting dirtier, the Green is really the only game in town right now. Unfortunately, the fishing today on the Green was fairly slow. There was no dry fly action to speak of, and the nymphing was turning just a few small fish. We each netted a couple of larger browns on streamers, but only after hours of hard casting and lots of stripping. It was a great day, nonetheless. When driving through this part of Wyoming, you would never know that there is a world-class trout stream just off the road, hidden in a beautiful river bottom. In addition to the fishing, the birdwatching and views make these Green River floats very enjoyable. At one point, you could see the Wind River Mountains, the Gros Ventre Mountains and the Wyoming Range all in one view. The story of the day, though, was not fishing or wildlife related. When we got to the take-out, Chris could not find his car keys anywhere. Somehow, Chris inadvertently left them in the car with the shuttle keys. The car got shuttled to the takeout, but all the keys were then locked in. Without roadside assistance service, or the ability for us to break into the car, Chris finally called his extremely understanding wife, who drove down an extra set of keys to us, 80 miles south of Jackson! We certainly owe her one. I think his mind was elsewhere this morning...understandably so. It will be a great story to tell his son one day. Stay tuned!

Blizzard Hatch

I spent this past Saturday floating the Henry's Fork from Warm River to Ashton with good friend and TIF author extraordinaire John Holland. We had received some good reports from some guides over there a few days before, but were not prepared for what we found. We heard consistent reports of midges, BWO's and the possibility of a few caddis. When we put on the river at about 11 am, we did see all of the above with just a few caddis fluttering around. The fishing was dead until about 1:30 pm when a literal "wall" of caddisflies erupted, moving upriver. I don't know if I've ever seen a hatch as thick as this one turned out to be. John agreed. For about two hours, the river, the boat and our bodies were layered in caddisflies. We stopped on a great looking run where there were some nice fish feeding on top. As we took a closer look on foot, we saw dozens of nice browns and rainbows stacked in, feeding voraciously. Since we were on the PhD of all trout streams, we carefully tried to match the hatch exactly. Unfortunately, there was so much food on the water, the chances of any of these fish grabbing our fly was very small. John decided to put on a large royal stimulator just for fun (and ease of sight). My first thought was, "no way, we are on the Henry's Fork, and these fish are smarter than that". Almost immediately, John hooked and landed a big rainbow. And then another, and another after that. I quickly grabbed one of my stonefly boxes, looking furiously for a royal stimulator. Before I could find one, John threw one to me and I was almost instantly hooking fish as well. After awhile, we realized that these fish were taking the stimulator as a "caddis cluster". When the hatch finally ended (due to a heavy rainstorm), they shut down on the stimulator and started looking at single caddis patterns. It was a great learning experience; think outside the box. The pictures attached don't do a great justice of just how thick the hatch was. Click on each photo in order to enlarge and see the bugs. As of this morning, I am still finding caddisflies in my gear bag, camera back, laundry and truck. More soon!

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.