Warm Weather

Since getting back from Montana, I have not been fishing locally. The weather all week, including this weekend has been splendid. More of the same is forecast for the next 5 days. Bright sun and temps in the high 50's...pretty nice for late October. The word on the Snake and the South Fork has been that fishing for cutties has been great...this is the time of year to hunt the larger fish, and it sounds like some anglers are finding them. Midges, BWO's and even some attractor fishing has been productive. Walking in, as opposed to floating, is probably the way to go in order to work the winter holes. I suspect that fishing for fall browns has been slow given the unusually warm weather...I'm sure that will change soon. I have not heard much from Yellowstone, so if anyone has a recent report, leave a comment! I'm off to Sayulita, Mexico Thursday for 10 days with the girls...time for a real vacation before the winter really starts here. Not sure yet if we will fish or not...we're experienced on the flats, but this will be our first visit to the west coast of Mexico. Here is yet another average Missouri River Bow taken on a streamer and a picture on the way to the MO!

The Missouri River

I rolled in about midnight last night after 4 days of great fishing on the Missouri River with Stan Czarniak and Joel Handschin. It's an annual event that never gets old. Over the four days, we had a mixed bag of weather, with everything from sun and 65 degrees, to thick clouds and 40 degrees. We covered water from Holter Dam all the way down to Prewitt Creek, with very good results. Although we did not bump into the trophy fall brown, the rainbow fishing was at its best. This river holds some of the hottest bows I've ever fished to. We banged the water with woolly buggers and stopped on pods of rainbows sipping psuedos. The crowds were gone and the wind never blew...a blessing! Enjoy some photos from the trip.

Last Trip

Today was my last guided trip for the season...I took a father and son from Colorado down the Snake from Deadman's to Moose. Since the drastic weather change over the weekend, I was not too sure what to expect on the river today, and I set these guys up for a potentially tough day when I met them this morning. We were on the water shortly before 10am, and the air temperature was only 28 degrees with very thick clouds and fog. It was a very cold, slow start. We nymphed for the first two hours with no success. By about noon, I found a few fish feeding and the action picked up. We saw numerous fish on Royal Wulffs and small Parachute Hare's Ears. By about 2pm, I took a chance and had these guys fish chernobyl ants. The fish were all over them! The temps had warmed to about 40 degrees, and these eager cutties were still looking for the big bugs. We had fantastic dry fly fishing all the way to Moose on big flies...pretty amazing for October 14th. The river is so low right now (450 cfs at Jackson Lake Dam), the fish are completely stacked in their winter holes, looking for food. The fishing should continue to be decent through the month. The middle of the day is probably your best bet right now, with good midge and BWO activity, and maybe a little more attractor fishing, depending on the temps.Here are Zack and Mike Simpson with some great fish taken on big dries...nice fish!

Heavy Snow

The first significant snowstorm this fall hit us hard over the weekend. Roughly six inches of snow fell in the valley, with much more blanketing the higher elevations. It came in with cold temps and very strong winds. North into Yellowstone and Montana saw even more accumulation. The forecast for this week is for clearing, and temps in the high 40's to low 50's. The Snake should see some good fishing this week on streamers and small mayflies. Blue Winged Olives and Midges should really pop all over the region...the streamer fishing should be great on the South Fork and in Yellowstone as well. Along with this weather comes thoughts of fall in Montana. Weather you are fishing, hunting, or just passing through the Big Sky State, it is a time of year not to be missed there. Here are a couple of nice shots from a 2004 fall trip to the Clark Fork River. Fall colors and Scott Smith with a typical Clark Fork Rainbow taken on a bugger.

Chromers!

I awoke this morning hours before dawn to meet Scott Smith and Josh Graffim for a marathon one day trip to do an obscure float on a river in southwestern Wyoming. Our hopes were to bump into some pre-spawn browns in the 4-8 pound range. The weather was very bright and warm, which limited the numbers of browns we saw...however the cutthroat and rainbow fishing was fantastic on streamers! We saw numerous cutthroat in the 14"-17" range and a handfull of rainbows, with three breaking the 21" mark, and one weighing in at 4 pounds. Here are a couple of nice shots of me and Scott with these beautiful rainbows and a picture of where Scott's net spent a good portion of our day. Most of the fish today fell for bright clouser minnows. Hopefully today was a good omen for our trip to the Missouri River next week...we'll see.

Lewis Lake?

The guiding season has slowed significantly, which is typical for early October. I only had a couple of trips last week. The South Fork Canyon on Wednesday was decent, considering how bright it was. Tungsten midge larva (nymphs), and hoppers worked alright. We didn't see any exceptionally large fish to the boat. With the nastier weather since then, I've received much better South Fork reports from some friends. Stan Czarniak and I floated the whitewater section of the Snake from Elbow to Sheep Gulch on Friday in his dory. We were the only boat on that section, the scenery was great, but the fishing was pretty slow. We moved many fish to our streamers, but they just wouldn't eat them. I think the water cuts last week put these fish off. Friday was the last day of the big water cuts on the Snake. This week should be better, with streamers and small dries turning back on. Some guiding friends went to Lewis Lake on Saturday hunting Brown trout. Given how rainy and cold it was Saturday, I was expecting a great report. They saw many browns in the inlet channel, but could not get too many to eat. Lewis should be getting better day by day. Also, don't forget about Jenny Lake in the fall...streamer fishing can really turn on here, too. Here is a great fall cutty from Jenny Lake; a nice Brown from Lewis Lake last fall that fell for a mohair leech and a Teeny 200 grain sinking line; Stan Czarniak hunting cutties in the Snake River Canyon; and John Campbell with a decent South Fork Brown from last week. More soon!

Weekend in Yellowstone

I am just getting in late Sunday night after spending a couple of great days in Yellowstone with Rachael and Charlotte. We decided last minute to head up to the park to fish and look at wildlife and foliage. It was a great weekend! We left early Saturday morning at headed straight north, over Dunraven Pass and down to the Tower area. The weather was gorgeous...very warm and sunny. We put Charlotte in the kiddie backpack and hiked about a mile and a half of distance, and down about 1000 feet to the Yellowstone River, just north of Tower. The fishing was phenomenal. There were Yellowstone cutties looking up for hoppers all over the place. It was nice to see, since trying to find any native Yellowstone Cutthroats has been proving very difficult above the Canyon, due to the lake trout situation. We spent the night at Mammoth Hot Springs, and set out for the Lamar River early this morning. We found a nice pullout, and walked about 5 minutes to the river, and found very good hopper fishing as well. The Lamar fished about as well as I've ever seen it fish...the larger fish were pretty tough, but there were many of them around to fish to. Early fall in Yellowstone is great...the colors are incredible, and the cutties are eating very aggressively. I've received a few emails this week from anglers wondering about the fishing on Lewis Lake and in the channels. I've heard nothing yet...my suspicion is that it is a little early still to find any Browns moving. The weather has just been too nice. Over the next few weeks, however, that should change and fishing should really pop there. One more note...starting tomorrow, and through the entire week, the Bureau of Reclamation will start drawing down the Snake River below the Jackson Lake Dam to winter flows. By Friday, the releases from the dam will be around 450 cfs. This will certainly have an impact on fishing this week. The side channels will disappear, and the main river will drop significantly, causing the fish to find new homes in their winter holes. By next week, we should be back to some great fishing.

Fall is Here

The Snake is still holding up very well right now, with very good fishing up and down the river. The river is running 2680 cfs at Moose right now, with great fishing in the main river and still just enough water in many of the side channels to find nice fish. After a few cloudy and rainy days, we woke today to very clear skies. The day was very slow to warm, however, with strong winds and cool temps. Blustery, cool conditions with yellow leaves under blue skies were the backdrop to a classic fall day in the mountains today. Ausable wulffs, royal wulffs, parachute hare's ears and gray drakes all worked well today. We even found a few fish looking at large circus peanuts (orange chernobyls) in fast water. Here is Jordan Webb of Boulder, Colorado with a nice Snake River Cutty that fell for a royal wulff. The Snake should remain very good in the coming weeks. As the Bureau of Reclamation slowly lowers the releases from Jackson Lake Dam, bringing the river to winter flows, the river should only get better. As October nears, thoughts will drift to the great brown trout fishing to come on the regions streams, including the South Fork, the Lewis, the Madison, the Big Hole and the Missouri. More soon!

Perfect Week

It was truly the perfect week of fly-fishing on the Snake River. Great weather, stunning foliage and fantastic fishing. The dry fly fishing could not have been better. Fish were eating everything from size 18 royal wulffs, to size 6 chernobyl ants and hoppers all over the river. The water levels have really dropped (2730 cfs at Moose), which have concentrated many of the fish and made finding big fish much easier. The weather has started to turn today with clouds and drizzle, with cooler temps forecast for this week. I think the fishing will remain good, however, with hungry trout looking up, trying to put on their winter wool. Nastier weather ahead should spark better streamer fishing on the South Fork, and turn the Firehole back on in Yellowstone. Here is Fred Thranhardt with one of many 16" fish we found on Thursday that took dry flies. Nice fish Fred!

Magical Days

The fishing on the Snake the past couple of days has been nothing short of magical. Stunning weather with clear, warm skies and light winds have dominated, while the Aspen and Cottonwood trees on the river bottom are rapidly turning a bright gold. The icing on the cake is that the fishing has been spectacular. There have been nice cutthroat aggressively eating dry flies all over the river. The riffles have really turned on, along with many of the fast banks and slow tailouts. The Snake does not get much better than this. Mayfly attractors, along with hoppers have been producing very well on the Teton Park sections. I guided Liz McCabe again yesterday and she had two guests along with us guided by Wyoming legend (and great friend) Tom Montgomery. Here is Tom and angler Ted Haynes with a gorgeous 20 and 1/4 inch cutthroat taken on a small dry fly. Nice fish Ted!

Beautiful Weather

The weather that we have been seeing since Thursday has been spectacular. Frosty mornings, clear skies, light winds and highs in the low 70's. There is more of the same forecast for this week. Although it is not nasty fishing weather, it is still nice. The Cottonwood trees and Aspens are just starting to show some gold coloring on the river bottom. We are now just entering my favorite time of year here. The Snake is fishing well right through the sunshine. Small mayflies in the mornings, and hoppers in the afternoons. If you look carefully, you may see some mahoganies, drakes and hecubas around. The fish are certainly looking for them now, even if there is not a thick hatch out there. The water levels are also now at a good level. The Snake is at 2770 cfs at Moose, which makes the main river more fishable, while keeping some of the side channels full of water too. The Green is barely making 200 cfs at Warren Bridge, so if you head down there, think about walking above the bridge and not floating. The South Fork continues to fish well below Conant. I took a day off yesterday with Stan Czarniak and Tyler Hardy and floated the canyon section. Fishing was good until about noon on large attractors and hoppers. The afternoon was pretty slow. Once our next round of nasty weather hits, look for some great streamer fishing to begin on the lower South Fork as the browns start to think about fall. Here is a nice shot of Stan Czarniak with typical South Fork brown trout from Saturday.

Home Stretch

This past weekend marked the 24Th annual Jackson Hole One Fly. Along with another seventy or so guides, I participated by guiding in it from Deadman's to Moose on Saturday and Sunday. I don't have any specific results to report here, but I can tell you that my boat did fairly well. The weather really cooperated this year. We had cool temps with good cloud cover which provided for some great fishing. All four of my clients this weekend took my advice to fish small mayfly patterns, and it paid off. The fish were looking hard for hecubas and mahoganies. This weeks Jackson Hole News should have specific team results and scores for anyone interested. The home stretch of the guiding season is now in sight since we are through the One Fly. Cold nights, cooler days and better hatches now await us for the next month, which will produce some great fishing. Here is Jackson legend and good client Liz McCabe (97 years young) with a great Snake River Cutty.

One Fly Practice

My trips the last couple of days have been with One Fly contestants testing the waters of the Snake. The event takes place this weekend on the Snake and the South Fork of the Snake. Although it is technically a "contest", it really is a fundraising event that raises over $100,000 each year for stream improvement projects in the area. It's been going on here for almost 25 years, and was started by Jack Dennis and Paul Bruun. Thirty-five teams of four, two days of float fishing, one fly each day. Everyone wants to know right now what fly to use. Not sure yet! It will all depend on the weather this weekend. Hopefully the great cloudcover we have had this week will stick around, and we can fish some mayflies. Most anglers would prefer to fish a large foam fly, such as a chernobyl ant. The small mayflies often do better, though, due to the cooler weather we often see this time of year. Please click on the link to the Jackson Hole One Fly to learn more. Fishing was great today from Moose to Wilson. There were fish all over the place looking up for drakes, mahoganies and hecubas. Here is orthopaedic surgeon (the human carpenter) and one fly extraordinaire from the Thomas and Thomas team, Riley Jones with a beautiful Snake River Cutty.

It's All About the Weather

We woke up Monday morning to heavy cloud cover with rain in the valley and a fresh coat of snow in the mountains above 9500 feet. The weather Tuesday and Wednesday was dryer, but much cooler and mostly cloudy. This was the first significant weather change that we have had in quite awhile, and the fishing sure reflected that. The dry fly fishing the past few days has been exceptional. Although there was not a huge drake hatch (which was expected), the mahoganies and blue winged olives came off in droves and the fish were sure looking up. Today in particular, the river came uncorked for about three hours with many larger fish finally looking up in spots I had not seen them in yet. Although many clients prefer to spend the day basking in the warm Wyoming sun under deep blue skies, my clients so far this week were thankful for the nastier conditions! As it is on many western trout streams, clouds and rain this time of year can really spark some great dry fly fishing. Hopefully, the forecast is the same for this weekend during the Jackson Hole One Fly. It would make for a very competitive event. Here is a great shot of Marsha Anderson with a typical Snake River Cutthroat taken on a mahogany.

Not Always About Catching Fish

Anyone who has spent any time fly fishing, whether for trout in the mountains, or for permit on the tropical flats, will tell you that it is not all about catching fish. Planning your fishing trip, travelling to your destination and all of the things that happen along the way are the real adventures and memories of any fishing trip. Around here, wildlife viewing along the river is always a great bonus to our days. Here is a recent shot from the Snake River of a cow moose and her yearling. I've really enjoyed the comments left on the blog so far and all of the emails I have received this summer from prospective clients and people just looking for fishing info. The most recent comment from Chris suggesting that I am becoming "punchy" was great (although I'm not sure what he meant by punchy). The guiding season has actually been flying by very quickly, and in fact feels just the opposite...quite short. Throughout the season, from beginning to end, guides will have anglers that will wonder why they are not successful, yet they have done nothing to prepare for their trip. (i.e. take a casting lesson, etc.). I only commented on it to remind people that guiding is just that. We can row you down the river, feed you lunch, tell stories, listen to stories, tie knots, untangle lines, read water and tell you right where to cast. The rest is up to you. More soon!