Orvis Down the Hatch Fly Fishing Festival - Missoula 2017

Environmental Review of Snake River Dams Scheduled in Missoula

-Taken from a WestSlope Chapter email

Help WestSlope TU and Montana FWP catch fish for science!

THE MEETING PLACE HAS CHANGED TO THE MISSOULA PUBLIC LIBRARY @ 10am!

WestSlope Chapter of Trout Unlimited's Website
Join Trout Unlimited

Drama on the banks of the Bitterroot River

If you haven't been following the story of Harriet and Ozzy over the last few years, you've been missing out.  For the past few years, I've been linking to the Hellgate Osprey Cam on the banks of the Clark Fork in Missoula.  This year, due to an unfolding story, we'll check out on an osprey nest a couple of miles to the south in Lolo on the banks of the Bitterroot River.

The background of this story goes like this:  Ozzy and Harriet were the bonded couple that have utilized this nest on the Dunrovin Ranch for years. Ozzy was killed (of natural causes) in 2014, stuffed, and put in a museum in Helena. People wondered what would come of Harriet and if she would ever find a new mate.  Harriet had a couple of suitors and then settled on Hal (supposedly short for Hallelujah) and their first attempt at reproduction was a flop. As osprey do each fall, they took off to the south for the winter.

Harriet usually returns around this time of year.  Will Hal come back with her?  Will they succeed in making a baby osprey this year?

Plot twist: On Sunday a great horned owl was filmed in the nest.  What will happen when Harriet comes back and finds this great big owl in her nest?

You'll have to watch to find out!  I can't believe that it's already time for the osprey to coma back. Winter flew by this year!

Check out the Dunrovin ranch website to chat about the unfolding event.
Check out this Missoulian article for more detailed information.

2016 Fly Fishing Film Tour - Missoula review

Line outside the Wilma Theater

The 2016 Fly Fishing Film Tour is great!  I went back to Missoula to get the big city effect. The tour in Missoula is amazing. They have two showings now because so many people show up. I remember in the early years when there was plenty of seats and a ton of giveaways.  There are still some great prizes but they are a bit diluted nowadays with the packed house.

The films were great this year.  It was mostly salty but in a good way.  Lots of new species to get excited about someday.  The best this year was from Geofish (formerly Geobass).

The show makes its way to Butte on Feb. 11 and is hosted by The Stonefly Fly Shop.  I bought some of my students some tickets and will be supporting my local show as well.

Don Thomas (the guy DU fired) is presenting at the Westslope Chapter meeting tonight!

Today, Wednesday, December 9th, 2015, Don Thomas will be giving a presentation about fly fishing in Alaska at the monthly Westslope TU meeting in Missoula, MT.  This is the same Don Thomas who was fired from DU for writing an article critical of James Cox who is leading the fight against Montana's Stream Access Law in the Ruby Valley.

While the focus of Don's presentation will be on his many years of fishing SE Alaska, he is also planning to discuss the Ducks Unlimited fiasco.  Click here for more information on the meeting.

New vid from Missoula River Lodge - "15 Seconds Fishing Montana"

Ok, that's either one crazy-ass UFO or a salmon fly!  I'm thinking UFO...

"Two Rivers" the movie about the Milltown Dam story premiers Sunday!!

I am so excited and can not wait to see this movie!!  High Plains Films, the makers of "Against the Storm" about the bison in Yellowstone, the award-winning "Libby, Montana" documenting WR Grace Co. and the asbestos insanity and "All the Labor" about the band The Gourds as well as many other films will be premiering "Two Rivers" this Sunday at the Top Hat in Missoula!

Just watching the trailer made me emotional.  I live in Butte now, went to school with all the people from the Stimson mill who were laid off, and cut my teeth in restoration down in the Milltown floodplain.  I can not wait to see this!

Orvis Down the Hatch Festival in Missoula this Saturday

It's going to be a very busy day this Saturday in Missoula, Montana!  First, get up early and head out to Rock Creek for some food, fun, music, and volunteering (see the last post).  After, head down to Caras Park for the 2015 Orvis Down the Hatch Fishing Festival.  There is a bunch of fun stuff and lots of beer.  You may also run into some  cool folks.  Last year I ran into Cameron Mortenson from the Fiberglass Manifesto, Jess McGlothlin from the Chi Wulff family and the Firegirl Photography Blog, Sara and the crew from Headhunters and many more!

At 7pm, the party moves up to the Wilma Theater for the Orvis Film Fest.

All proceeds from the festival benefits TU's Wild Steelheaders United.  Check out my post from last year's event.

The osprey are back in Montana- Missoula osprey cam

Iris the osprey is back in Missoula and is currently rebuilding her nest.  There was some worry that all the construction on the new Missoula College building may cause Iris not no nest here.  Turns out that is not the case.  You can watch two construction projects at once, the college and the nest.  There is also a little sparrow that keeps stopping by to take little bits of nesting material while Iris is away.

Stanley, the male osprey of the couple should be back in town any day now.

This camera is hosted by the Montana Osprey Project  and the Cornell Ornithology Lab

You can make a donation to help fund the project here.

Clark Fork Cleanup next Saturday the 18th

Garbage filled Drift Boats

Clark Fork Cleanup 2015 is next Saturday, April 18th

Are you a summertime inner-tuber that relentlessly litters your beer cans, flip flops, and everything else imaginable into and onto the banks of the Clark Fork near Missoula?  Here's your chance to redeem yourself as a person.

Are you a college or high school student looking to meet people in the conservation field and network?  Here's your chance to hang out with some cool folks.

Are you just looking for a fun event and some free lunch which, in turn, will clean up your community and build pride for the amazing river that runs through your town?  Well meet up with the Clark Fork Coalition at Caras Park in Missoula at 9am next Saturday, April 18th. 

"The fun also includes gifts and coupons for volunteers, free give-ways, and the launch of a year-long raffle for a fully loaded raft and trailer. Call Liz Murphy at 542-0539 x213 for more info."

March Brown - Wire Body - Soft Hackle

Wire body soft hackles

If you haven't yet discovered the magic of fishing soft hackle patterns, this is the year to start!  These flies are easy to tie, durable, incredibly effective, and really really fun to fish.  Think big streamer-style hits crossed with the delicacy and technicality of dry fly fishing.  Furthermore, they work for almost every mayfly and caddis hatch when tied in the appropriate size and color.

Do you consider yourself a classic fly fisherperson?  It doesn't get any more classic than soft hackles. Do consider yourself a new-school, techy, fish anything as long as it catches fish type fisher?  Then, you'll love what new materials like wire bodies and cool dubbing materials have brought to the world of soft hackles.

There are many ways to fish a soft hackle.  The traditional way is to gently drift the fly down stream and then let the current bring it to the surface at the end of the drift, hopefully in the feeding window of that huge trout you see porpoising.  You can grease smaller SH's and fish them as emergers.  You can fish them dead drift under an indicator like a regular nymph.  You can also fish them as a dropper off the back of a dry fly.

This specific soft hackle is great for the march brown hatch which is upon us here in Western Montana. As nymphs, march browns are great swimmers.  This makes the soft hackle the perfect fly for this hatch.

Hook: Size 10-14 nymph hook
Thread: 6/0 dark brown
Body: Small diameter fl. orange and black Ultra Wire (tie these in any color combo you like)
Thorax: Ice Dub golden brown
Wing/legs: 1 partridge feather

Step 1:

Wrap your hook shank nice and evenly with thread.

Step 2:

Advance your thread back to the front of the hook and then, tie in two 6 in. (15 cm.) lengths of wire, one for each color along one side of the hook.  Make sure they are tied in nicely and evenly along the shank.

Step 3:

Wrap the wires forward at the same time, making sure that they lay flat and are wrapped tightly together. You can do a better job than me, I had a light and camera in my way.


Step 4:

 Cut off the wire tags and apply the Ice Dub to your thread.

Step 5:

Dub a nice thorax ball.

Step 6:

Prepare a partridge feather like you would do for any soft hackle.  Pull off the fuzzy fibers near the base, pull back the fibers which will become the wing/legs, and then tie in the tip.  Tie in the feather curved down (as shown) so that when wrapped, the feather fibers will curve backwards.  Then, cut off the tips.

Step 7:

Wrap your hackle! Sparse is good.

Step 8:

Tie off the hackle, build a small thread head, and whip finish.  Your done!


Next month I promise a dry fly.  I know I've been a little wet so far.  I just love the soft hackles and wanted to spread the word.  Turns out, I'm not the only one.  Anyone see the article "North Country Spiders - Classic Soft Hackles" by Dave Whitlock which was in the latest issue of TU's Trout Magazine (spring 2015)?  It's a must read!

Missoula rainbow trout eats the Wire Body Soft Hackle

Clark Fork River Spring Cleaning Schedule

Get your feet wet for clean water! Temps are warming, streams are rising, and soon you'll be spending all your spare moments blissfully enjoying the river. Let's prepare for a summer of water recreation by cleaning up our favorite waterway. The Clark Fork Coalition is gearing up for an action-packed spring and we need your help! Check out our upcoming volunteer opportunities: Reserve Street Clean Up: April 10th 8:30am-1:00pm (lunch provided) Join CFC, the Poverello Center, and the Missoula Water Quality District to clean up trash under the Reserve Street bridge. This stretch of river has some unique needs associated with temporary camps along the river. Must be 18 years or older to participate. We will need 12 volunteers for this event. Annual River Clean Up: April 18th Times vary (lunch provided) Help CFC host Missoula's most popular volunteer event! We need help with set-up, registration, serving lunch, and helping things run smoothly throughout the day. Great opportunity to get involved behind the scenes of a community-wide river celebration. Contact Katie for more info on specific jobs and time slots. We will need 15+ volunteers for this event. Snowpack Monitoring: March 28th and April 25th All day Help predict spring and summer stream flows by monitoring Montana's snowpack! This is a full-day adventure in wintry conditions. You'll gain experience in snowpack data collection and enjoy a beautiful hike in the Sapphire Mountains. No experience required; snowshoes provided. Limited to 10 volunteers per outing. ~~~~~ To volunteer at any or all of these events contact Katie at katie@clarkfork.org or (406) 542-0539, x212. If you haven't done so already, please fill out a volunteer application. Have questions? Get in touch! Thank you for helping the river! Want to do even more for our rivers? BECOME A MEMBER TODAY and help keep our watershed clean, healthy, and whole!

Lost Horse Creek Stream Restoration - CFC Event Today!

WestSlope TU meeting on Wed profiles the upper Clark Fork Restoration Project

Check out the WestSlope Chapter of Trout Unlimited's homepage for more information.  You may see a familiar fly right on their homepage now.  How cool is that!!

I'll be there showcasing an easy to tie, super effective, winter/summer  dry pattern from one of the greats of upper Clark Fork region.  

Fishing Rock Creek in winter with my mom

I owe my mother the world a million times over for a lot of things, especially after her heroic help during my insane move over to Butte in a gnarly blizzard and 24 below 0 deg. F temps.  We did take a day off from the insanity to fish Rock Creek though and I got some good pics.

Mom on Rock Cr. Rd.

Horses in pasture

Winter wonderland

Snowy Rock Creek

Getting our asses kicked post-holing through the meadows (snow on lens)

Totally getting our asses kicked post-holing (snow on lens)

Valley of the Moon Bridge wintertime 2015

The fishing kinda sucked but the beauty and laughs were plentiful.  Get off yer ass and get out there. Winter is awesome!

Moscow Monday to benefit WestSlope TU

Come down to the Montgomery Distillery in Missoula today after work and help "redistribute the wealth" while enjoying some fine cocktails an fishy company! 

Go Grizzlies!

The Montana Grizzlies take on the Eastern Washington Eagles today in the second round of the FSC playoffs.  No matter what happens, my bet is that it is a really good game.  It's also nice that it is in the afternoon.  This will allow me to get out on the river and swing some flies before the game.

The Clark Fork and Bitterroot are kinda fishable right now.  The work/school fishing trip to the Butte area is all set and I'm really excited to try out some of my ice fly creations on Georgetown.
 

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.

Missoula Area Fishing Report - Mid November

Yep, winter came in last week and shut down the fall fly fishing for good.  All of the rivers in our area look like Alaska right now.  While most people have packed up their fly fishing gear and have started to think about getting into some powder, I have gone into fishing overdrive.

Winter fishing is awesome.  One of the biggest factors for me starting this blog was a realization that there is very little information and enthusiasm for winter fishing.  That ends now!

For instance, did you know that you can fly fish through the ice?  They even make ice rods with fly reels on them.  You use the same winter flies you would use on the river.  It's a whole different game but it is a hell of a lot better than freaking out about winter and being miserable like everyone else.

During warm spells the Bitterroot, Upper Clark Fork, and the Missouri can fish like the freaking bees knees and you can go days without seeing another fisherperson. We live in a winter wonderland, those people who get cabin fever in the winter are either just lazy or for some reason not able to be active.

So here it is, a somewhat abbreviated (for now) Missoula Area winter fishing report.

The Clark Fork:
Frozen.  However, the upper river will fish all winter.  Use Missouri River winter patterns like orange bead scuds and sows, eggs, and streamers.  There are some monster rainbows up there (pushing 30") that fall over the dam and there's always the resident browns.

The Bitterroot:
Frozen.  When we have a warm spell, this river will be scary until the iceburgs clear out, but then, it is low flows, easy wading, beautiful sunsets and stacked up fish in the winter runs; and you have it all to yourself.

The Missouri R.:
The only issue you'll have here is nasty weather.  When you get a nice day over there, it is winter paradise.  It's so pretty and odd.  I just love it on the MO in the winter.  I don't take a boat because wading is the best in the winter.  It's a nymphing and streamer deal with midges on the shoulders of the season.

And ice fishing:

Beavertail Pond:
I love this stupid pond.  As of yesterday, it had 3 inches of hard, clear ice.  I played it cautious and fished in no deeper that waste deep in case I fell through.  Ideally you want 4".  The north side of the pond is where the aquifer enters so the ice was only 2" thick.  I'd stay away from that end for a while.  The brood stock rainbows are in there and they are ready to eat.  They are huge (25"+ and up to 10lbs.) and they cruise around in swarms.  You can go a half hour without a sign and then all of a sudden there's 3 submarines headed at your fly.  In between trout swarms, you'll catch perch.  I use steelhead size egg patterns, tiny egg patterns, and jig head streamers.

Harpers Lake:
This is a small natural lake up near Clearwater Crossing.  Because it is at a higher elevation, the ice is better than Beavertail. The brood stock are also put in here.  The water is very clear which makes looking down the hole really fun.  One of the best things about ice fishing is that it is a lot like snorkeling.  Your suspended above this whole scene and you can watch all sorts of stuff and get instant feedback on the fish.  I use the same flies up here.

There are many other ice fishing ponds/lakes around here but I won't report on them until I fish them.  Stay tuned.