Warm Start To November

The first week of November here in Western Wyoming has been unseasonably warm. It's been mostly sunny, with our high temps nearing 60 degrees. I've been busy watching Charlotte, and getting back to work at the ski shop in Teton Village, so have been unable to take advantage of any fishing in the nice weather. I've received a handful of good reports from the Snake over the past few days through this warm weather. It sounds like fish are surface feeding on midges in the middle of the day. This time of year, I think the best fishing is on either end of the river; fish the first few miles below Jackson Lake Dam, or on the South end closer to Alpine in the Snake River Canyon. Cutthroat should be "podded" up in their winter holes. The river is at about 1,000 cfs at Moose...a great wading level. It looks like the weather pattern should hold a little longer, so if you can sneak out, it sounds like fishing will be good. The South Fork is holding at 1,830 cfs near Irwin, and should be fishing just as well right now. As I transition into winter mode, I'll be updating the blog a little less frequently, and may recycle some of my favorite photos from the past season. I'd love to hear from some of you with any fishing reports via the blog or email. Don't forget to check out the latest issue of This Is Fly...it's great! http://www.thisisfly.com/ Here's a nice shot of us pulling out the skiff under some beautiful Montana alpenglow. Stay tuned!

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.

Spotty Fishing

The fishing on the Snake River this week was very spotty. There was not much consistency on any of the sections that I fished, and many of the other guides I've been speaking to lately have reported the same. I've certainly found some nice fish to eat each day, but not in any great numbers. Chernobyl ants and larger attractors are still producing, however, the larger fish seem to be falling for smaller mayfly patterns. Size 10 and 12 drakes, as well as royal wulfs and parachute adams are working well for me. The past couple of days in the valley have seen some serious smoke from nearby fires. Today was particularly bad on the eyes and lungs. It's made for some great sunsets, though. For the second time this summer, there is some work going on between Moose and Wilson involving backhoes and bulldozers. Just below the Teton Park boundary, on the West side of the river, there is a fairly large project going on along the levee that is putting mud into the river. I called game and fish today in hopes of getting a timeline on this, and to see if this is actually permitted. I've not heard back from them yet. I'd be aware if you are floating this section, or Wilson to South Park next week...you may see the river turn green. I may be headed to the South Fork for some guiding next week, so hopefully I can give a detailed report on fishing there. The river is holding at about 7,000 cfs right now. I spent the day Wednesday with local skiing (and fishing) legend George Putnam, and his dad, Tom. We fish together every year and have a blast. Here is George with the fish of the day, taken on a size 16 mahogany...a 20" cutty with great color. Nice fish George!

Tougher Days

The past couple of days on the Snake have been fairly tough. Monday was cold, with a north wind at our backs all day. The high temperature was 58 degrees, which kept the fishing slow. Although today was warmer, the fishing was still lackluster. Bright conditions and a strong north wind kept any potential hatch at bay. Both days saw a few PMD's in the mid-afternoon, but mostly smaller fish eating them. We are in serious need of a fall weather change; if we get a run of cloudy, wet days, I think we'll see some fantastic mayfly hatches including the drakes. The foliage right now on the river bottom is near its peak; it's beautiful out there. Yellow cottonwoods and aspens are draping the river banks throughout the valley. In the Snake River Canyon, the mountain maple is peaking at its brilliant red color...don't miss it, it won't last long! With fall in the air, I've also been seeing significantly more wildlife lately. A pair of foxes, and three moose between Deadman's and Moose were spotted today by my anglers. Rachael, Charlotte and I walked the Snake for a few hours on Sunday near West Table to check in on a few of my favorite holes. Fishing was good on small flies, as was the "leaf peeping" for mountain maple. More soon!

September At Its Best

The fishing this week on the Snake River was absolutely perfect. Monday and Tuesday started the week with some weather; clouds and a little rain got the drakes pouring off on the river. The dry fly fishing both days was very good. Fish were looking hard for grey and brown drakes in all kinds of water. Two of the biggest fish that made it into my net this week came on a brown drake in very fast seams. The rest of the week through today brought us beautiful skies, calm winds, warm temps, and great fall colors. The bright sun brought out some PMD's, but the fish were still eating the drake patterns. Both the Park sections and the Snake River Canyon fished well. The water level at Moose right now is 1,880 cfs...nearly perfect. The flows this summer have been the most consistent that I can remember. This has really helped the fishing, and should continue to do so into the fall. The South Fork levels are starting to drop; the river has been lowered to 7,130 cfs as of today at Irwin. The next few weeks should see some great fishing over there as well. Look for caddis, mahoganies and hoppers. I fished two days this week with Liz McCabe, a client that I met through Tom Montgomery. Liz is a legend around here; she's as tough as they get. Nothing slows her down...rain, snow, wind or long days on the river. This time of year, Liz fishes a couple of days a week with guides on the Snake. On a typical day with Liz, we meet at her house at about 9:30 for coffee cake, and get a leisurely start towards the river. If we're lucky, we will be on the water by 11:00. We then fish hard until the sun is nearly down. After that, it is time for the "Main Event"...pulling the cork on a bottle of wine to sip for the float out. Liz fishes very hard; most days, it's hard to get her off the river, even at dark. Did I mention that she is 98? (Yep...ninety-eight years old). Her cast, mend and hookset is better than many people I guide that are half her age. Spending the day with Liz helps keep everything in perspective. Here is a shot of me and Liz at the "Main Event" on Wednesday. Great fishing with you Liz!

Ninth Place

This past weekend was the 24Th annual Jackson Hole One Fly, a fundraising event that takes place every year, the weekend after Labor Day. Forty teams of four compete over two days, floating on the Snake River, and the South Fork of the Snake, with the best guides in the region. Each day, the individual angler can use only one fly, and if you lose it, you are done for the day. The event raises over $100,000 each year for stream improvement projects in this area. Everyone wins with the One Fly. Over the past ten years, I have guided for this event for Jack Dennis. This year, I was asked to compete in it on team This Is Fly. I joined John Holland, Jon Wylie and Peter Chung on the water this weekend on our way to a ninth place finish...not too bad for our first year! I fished the Snake on Saturday from West Table to Sheep Gulch with guide Sean Clark, and we had a blast. My small brown chernobyl ant performed well, thanks to Sean's strong rowing skills. Sunday, I was guided by Worldcast Angler guide Kasey Collins; he had me fish his own creation: Kasey's Creature, a large dry fly that I drifted all day over big fish water. I had an even better day on Sunday scoring twice as many points on the Upper South Fork. It was a great weekend...thanks to everyone! The last few days leading up to the event on the Snake were tough. The fishing was getting very spotty, with many fish refusing flies in the bright conditions. Finally, some cloud cover arrived on Sunday. I think that this helped my day on the South Fork. Today was rainy to start, and fairly cloudy all day. The fishing on Moose to Wilson today was much better than it has been. Mahoganies and drakes netted us the nicer fish, while large attractors moved many smaller fish. More rain is forecast tonight and tomorrow, which should help the fishing. Look for fishing conditions to kick into high gear locally as we get nastier weather this month. Don't forget to visit my link list below, and click on The Jackson Hole One Fly and This Is Fly link. Stay tuned!

Perfect Fall Weather

The weather today here around Jackson was a little too perfect. Crystal clear skies, warm temperatures and zero wind. Great for photography, but lousy for fishing. I've had a pretty good run of solid fishing on the Snake this past week, but that came to an end today. I was part of a three boat trip today with six anglers, and we all struggled. The weather the previous few days saw more clouds and wind, which I believe kept the fish looking up. The conditions on the river today felt very "stale". There were not many fish around, and the few smaller fish we saw were very nervous to move on our flies. There was a lot of "window shopping"...fish coming up to look, and going right back down, lockjawed. Hopefully, this will not last long...particularly since the One Fly is fast approaching. Lets hope for some more varied weather soon, and some bugs along with it. Here's a great shot of my daughter Charlotte on the oars with me yesterday on the Snake; also, ex-Jack Dennis employee, and all-around good guy Ryan Griffin, of Charleston, SC, with a nice redfish on the fly. Nice fish Ike!

End Of Summer

It's Labor Day Weekend already, which is hard to believe. This summer has absolutely flown by. Since June was so wet and cool this year, we really only had about two months of real summer. For me, Labor Day marks the beginning of my favorite time of year around here. The next two months can offer up some of the best weather and best fishing that we see all year. The mornings are starting to get much cooler, and the cottonwood leaves are beginning their transition from green to yellow. Everyone is talking about how great our fall fishing will be this year due to the surplus of water we've had, and the late start to fishing. I've been guiding back up in Teton Park the past few days, and the fishing has been more consistent for me than it was in the Snake River Canyon earlier in the week. The past three days have seen action all day on big chernobyl ants, hoppers and a variety of mayfly patterns, including drakes and mahoganies. It's amazing how each day can be so different. I guided Pacific to Deadman's yesterday with some regular clients who can fish very well. We had excellent action on dry flies, but could not find a single fish all day over 15". Other guides I talked to had a similar day on that stretch. Today, I guided a couple I had never fished with before from Deadman's to Moose, and we stumbled across some much nicer fish. Along with skill, fly selection and fishing conditions, I truly believe luck sometimes plays a role. Here is Becky Rauth with a near 20" beauty...taken on a big chernobyl ant in the main river. Here's to a great holiday weekend and the upcoming Jackson Hole One Fly!

Two Different Rivers

Guiding for Jack Dennis allows our guide staff an incredible amount of flexibility on where we can float, due to the number of permits Jack holds in Grand Teton National Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest and the Pinedale BLM. Where we decide to go each day is based on many factors. Certainly, the quality of fishing is paramount; if it is not fishing well somewhere, we simply won't go. We also consider the character of water to be guided; fast water may not suit a beginner angler. The Teton Park floats are often considered the most scenic, which many clients value. Lastly, we will not overload all of our boats on one stretch; each morning, the guides meet to figure out who is going where. Most of my guiding in recent weeks has been on the Teton Park sections of the Snake river, above Wilson Bridge. All of the reports I've been getting from other guides on some of the lower stretches have been very good. I guided the last two days from Astoria to West Table, in the Snake River Canyon. Both days were very tough; I felt like I was on a different river compared to the Teton Park water. We fished hard both days, throwing everything we had at them; big dries, small dries, nymphs...you name it. The fish were few and far between. The few fish that were around were very nervous and hesitant to eat our flies. On top of this, we've just had two of the windiest days of the summer, which did not help. When I took out today at West Table, I ran into another guide from a different outfitter who has been fishing down there a lot; he said it's been stellar fishing until yesterday. Oh well...something changed. I'm off to the Park again tomorrow...it will be interesting to see if it has slowed as well. As the summer progresses, the Snake typically goes through phases and each section of river can get a little moody. Tomorrow is a new day! Here is local angler Barb Burris with a nice cutty from a few days ago. Barb is a ski host at the mountain in the winter, and a trout bum in the summer. Nice fish Barb!