A hopper in the cloop hole

Hopper-eating carp of Montana

Catching carp on dries is about as fun as it gets.  And, it is possible in more places than you'd think!

Missouri River autumn magic

Missouri River Morning

We spent the weekend in wonderful Craiglandia, Montana and it was fabulous.  The trout were huge, hungry, and acrobatic.  They even took my mind off my new carp obsession for the first time in months.

The Craig Bridge

The trees were hanging on to the last of their color, the weather was great, and the fishing was off the charts.

MO Brown

A couple of nice browns were hooked in between the onslaught of huge rainbows. We fished double sowbug short leash in shallow water and could not stop catching fish.  Then, I noticed some orange swimming around in the back part of a seam.  I threw a streamer at it and this happened:

Two rare occurrences, a picture of me on the blog and a huge kokanee salmon in the Wolf Creek area. 

So, I guess some kokanee occasionally make it over the dam and into the river.  This was the biggest kokanee I've ever caught.  We saved it from a lonely death.  He's going into the smoker!

Kokanee kype.  Look at those teeth!!

Nose to nose.

Fall is flying by.  Don't let it slip through your hands.  You've got months of football and cabin fever ahead.  See you in the field!

Early winter scenes from the lower 'Root

The lower Bitterroot in December

The warm, foggy conditions over the last week have made for some great winter fishing conditions on the local rivers.  Even the Clark Fork has shed most of its shore ice.

No ice - no people

Bitterroot in early winter

Did I mention that there was a solid midge hatch and some fish up on them?  I stuck with the streamer because it is still really effective.  Man, I lost two huge trout yesterday which just about ripped my rod out of my hand.  Sometimes those monster streamer hits can spook you when your not paying attention.

I love walking down a snowy shoreline and the only footprints I see are from the geese, heron, and furry creatures.  

Staying busy

The hot seat

I've been tying flies like a Chinese factory worker for the upcoming demo at the Trout Unlimited meeting this month.  These are all flies that are great winter patterns that can also be used through the ice.  I will post them on here soon.

The fishing has been rough around here since the cold blew in again last week.  The rivers are frozen up pretty good.  At the same time, the ice on the local ponds got pretty sketchy during the last warm spell. For good ice, you have to travel.  Reports from Georgetown are good.

I got a trip to Butte coming up and the upper Clark Fork and Georgetown are in my sights.

John Barr's Meat Whistle

The Meat Whistle

Hook:  Size 4 - Huge Gamakatsu or similar jig style, round bend hook (size 2 is shown)
Cone: Tungsten only
Thread:  6/0 in appropriate color
Tail:  Rabbit strip
Ribbing:  Small copper wire
Body:  Fish Scale body tubing (wrapped flat)
Flash:  Gold or silver Flashabou
Legs:  Silli Legs (Crawdad Pumpkin Silli Legs are shown)
Throat:  Marabou tips
Head:  Thread wrapped in front of the cone.  Use the same thread color as the body or make a hot spot with some color.

This fly has some unique features.  Obviously, it is tied on a jig hook.  This opens up an array of ways to fish it.  It is perfect for dead drifting in the winter and can be used on a dude rig in the spring.  In the late summer, it is a great crayfish imitation that can be dredged through the deepest of runs.

The Meat Whistle is also great for stillwater fishing and can even be fished through the ice.  Not only is this fly versatile in how it can be presented, it also catches many different species of fish.  Tie this fly in every color you have to match all sorts of situations.

One of the best things about this fly is the name.  Google "meat whistle" while not at work.  Pretty funny name for this fly.  Also makes reading the title of this post aloud hysterical.  Didn't know John Barr had such a sense of humor.

While you were watching football...

...the Bitterroot was on fire.  Contrary to what you may read on some of our local fly shop's fishing reports, the local fly fishing is great.  The lower Bitterroot streamer bite is great right now, there is absolutely NO shore ice, and the water is clear and perfect for wade fishing or a float!

Rainbow missing his maxilla

Another rainbow in the net

Nice cutbow eats the EZ Bunny

See Ya!

So, thanks to the local fly shops for telling everyone the fishing is essentially "over" for the year.  I like to have my rivers to myself anyway.  It is still November.

I caught fish on streamers (EZ Bunny in white) all day and the only other people I saw were some friendly duck hunters.  I'm not trying to sell you anything so go ahead and keep watching football and leave the rivers to me.  I got this!

Fall on the Missouri River

Christine on the MO

I spent the last couple of days battling the wind over on the MO.  The fall colors over there are outstanding.  The fishing could be better.

Although the wind gave us some extra work during the day, the last hour before dark made up for it big-time because every fish in the river became pissed off and wanted to take it out on my streamer.

Headed up to the mine waste this weekend.  Stay tuned...

Eagle in yellow tree

Fishing California's Truckee River

The Truckee River, California

The Truckee River is a weird, beautiful, awesome stream with some really big trout in it.

The Truckee is the outlet of Lake Tahoe which pours out at Tahoe City and then is fed by a series of reservoirs.  It flows into Nevada and then dead ends at Pyramid Lake.

Earlier this year when I was home in Montana, I read some posts on Chi Wulff about the Truckee and how the epic California drought is affecting the fishery.  I thought to myself how glad I was that MT has had a great water year and assumed that I'd probably never even see the Truckee.  You know what they say about assuming.  Of course, I got sent down here for two months for work and for the past month I've been living, literally, on the banks of the Upper Truckee.

I've been so busy getting my ass kicked by the Sierras for work but earlier this week, I spend two days exploring the Truckee.

Old pulley wheel in the Truckee R.

The drought is really bad here.  This year, even in mid-September, you want to monitor the water temps and fish in areas below where they're letting water out of the reservoirs.  You can get this information online.  Still, the river is extremely low.

With the extreme drought conditions it is always best to:

1. Fish in the morning
2. Use barbless hooks (everywhere and always!)
3. Don't use these fish for photo-ops (So you can catch a fish, good for you.  You don't need a picture.)
4. Always use a net and keep the fish in the water.  You shouldn't even need to touch it.

The Truckee doesn't have the highest fish numbers but when you do find them, they're freaking huge. You cover a lot of water for not so many fish but, when you do move one, it's enough to keep you excited about fishing.

As of last week, the really high population of crayfish were molting and a JJ Special worked just fine for this "hatch."

No trespassing on the Truckee

Being a spoiled Montanan, I'm not used to this bullshit.  God bless Montana's Stream Access Law!!

Message in a bottle

I found this message in a bottle floating in the Truckee.  I was excited to see what the message said, hoping it might even contain a hundy or two.  Nope, it was some creepy bastard's expression of his love for some chick in Las Vegas.  Disappointed!!

Sky crane helicopter fighting the massive King Fire

Smoke from the King Fire kept the water temps down and made for some great pics.

Smokey fall foliage on the Truckee River, California

Beerhead Emerger/nymph - Rust Never Sleeps edition

Beerhead nymph/emerger

Hook: Size 22-16 (18 is my fave) scud or nymph hook
Thread: 8/0 black or brown
Tail: Pheasant tail fibers
Body:  Pheasant tail
Ribbing:  Small gold or copper wire
Flash Back:  Pearl tinsel
Thorax: Hand mixed rabbit dubbing (brown, tan, black)
Legs:  Pheasant tail fibers
Bead:  Glass root beer colored Killer Caddis bead

The Beerhead is super versatile and its specialty is as an emerger on a short leash or in the film with a greased leader.  It is one of my favorite flies of all time.  I'm a BWO guy through and through.

I've got fall baetis on my mind.

Wow, the North Fork of the Flathead!

Of the three opportunities for adventure I listed in the previous post, fate dealt me "wilderness stream."  I had never floated the North Fork of the Flathead River which forms the western boundary for Glacier National Park and I'm so glad that I did.

Here are some good pictures to waste some time at work wishing you were in Montana, or at least not at work...

Stunning views of Glacier National Park

Green and blue hued crystal clear water

Sunny days on the North Fork

The Northern Lights Saloon in Polebridge, MT

Lots of bears

Flathead Lake sunset

The fishing up there is really fun for small cutthroat.  It is a great place to take a beginner who needs some confidence building and practice with actually catching fish all day.  There are a bunch of bull trout in there but it is illegal to fish for them.  Look down in those deep holes though because you'll see them.  Look for the leading white edge on their fins to tell them apart from the big native suckers. 

Go explore, I'll be in some mine waste this week.  Mmmmmmm. 

Slippin' and Slidin' the Morrish Mouse

Morrish Mouse

Hook:  Size 6-2 3XL nymph or streamer
Thread: Whatever you like to spin deer with in the appropriate colors
Tail: Rabbit strip with the fur cut short except for a little tuft at the end of the tial
Body: Deer hair which is spun and then cut to form a rounded mouse belly and feathery "wings" on both sides
Back: 2 craft foam sheets glued together with contact cement and then cut to shape

You know that you have always wanted to fish the mouse.  Do it!

Prince Nymph rain dance

Bead head Prince Nymph

The old bead head Prince Nymph is as reliable as taxation and death.

Bead:  Match whatever size how you see fit
Hook:  Size 18-6(steelhead)
Tail: Black or Brown goose biots
Body: Peacock herl (I loop dub two herls)
Ribbing: Copper or gold wire (traditionally gold tinsel)
Wing Case or Bubble: White or brown goose biots
Hackle: Brown, black, or whatever cool mix you come up with

And, because we could use some rain here, a song about flooding...

  

Pretty Monster

Pretty Monster by RBMark

A tribute to my little 3.0 Galvan