2 videos for Monday Morning

This one will help with the fact that it is Monday.  Filmed by Louis Cahill from Gink and Gasoline, this vid shows the reel manufacturing process at Nautilus.  Turn up the speakers for a classic!

New release from Classic Journey Outfitters

I think this one is their best one yet!

Happy Monday!

Rock Creek, MT is Sacred

I could sit here and write a 5 volume novel on what makes Rock Creek (tributary to the Clark Fork) such a wonderful place.  Honestly, I don't have the literary skills to do it justice.  I'm talking about everything too, not just the fishing.  I'm in love with the geology, the plant communities, the wildlife, and the local community.  I could go on and on but it is easier to just state the only thing that I don't love.  Sometimes, especially on weekends in the summer, I have to avoid the creek because everyone else loves it too.  That's ok, I can share.

I wanted to do a full spring photo essay but the lighting sucked.  While it ruined my chances at some vibrant pics, it made the fishing great!

It's at this point that my troubles disappear 

Pre-spawn female rainbow eats a SH sow bug

Lower Rock Creek Early Spring

Rock Creek last Fall

Here's some tips to make the Creek more fun for everyone.

• Pinch your barbs!!  This is an extremely important reproduction area for trout/char, whitefish, suckers, etc.
• Follow the old Montana "stay out of sight" rule.  It works because there is plenty of room for everyone here.  This is not NY or WA.  If you see another fisherperson don't jump in and start fishing, keep going.  Lot's of out-of-staters are unaware of this part of MT fishing culture.  It's best not to get mad at them but to tell them about our culture.     

Orvis' Down the Hatch Festival in Missoula Staturday, April 5

This is a great outdoor party at Caras Park in Missoula.  Last year, I ran into the Headhunters gang, my friends from Trout Unlimited, and seemingly every cookie cutter fly fisher in Western Montana (Simms coat, trucker hat, sunglasses).  I'll see you there!!

The Clark Fork Coalition in Missoula would like your help on Saturday, April 5

How to fish the "numora" stonefly

Learning to recognize when trout are keying in on secondary hatches is vital for catching them in certain situations.  A classic example of a secondary hatch, which can either make you snap your rod over your knee or give you a case of the shit-eating-grin, will start to show over the next couple of weeks here in MT.

The "numora" stonefly

The reason I keep using quotations around numora is because, although Numora is a genus of stonefly which is found around these parts, it is the wrong name for the genus of the fly we are actually talking about.  I learned this in an aquatic invertebrate ecology class w/ lab at the University of Montana.  Fly fishers have called it "numora" for so long that the name has stuck.  Now it is just a common name, so I don't capitalize it and I use the quotes.  I dangle somewhere in-between scientist and trout bum so I try and keep it real in both worlds.

You'll notice this small stonefly on warmer afternoons, especially on those sunny spring days.  They will flutter to the water in decent numbers to oviposit their eggs under the surface film.  They will sometimes skate around the surface resulting in aggressive, splashy, attacks from the trout.

The thing about this hatch, is that it happens when BWO's, March browns, grey drakes, and skwalas are everywhere.  You'll have had weeks of great fishing with the skwala/dropper or mayflies. Then, the day will come along and you'll still see fish rising (some splashy too) but generally, the fish will start caring less about those flies you've been using with such great results.

Then, you'll notice something.  You'll see one little "numora" leave the bank-side vegetation, flutter to the water surface, skate along and get crushed by a 16" cutbow.  Then, you'll look closer.  You'll see that 20+" rainbow in the scum line gracefully sip one while letting that march brown float on by.

So, you'll go home and put together some delicate, little, natural looking fly.  It may even work.  Or, you'll go buy some Chinese bullshit from the fly shops which may also work.  However, there is one simple secret that will make you look forward to this hatch like no other...

A couple of years ago, I found myself in the exact situation as described above.  I went to the Kingfisher Flyshop in Missoula to get some inspiration for my own "numora" fly.  When I asked the guy about it, he gave me one of the best little secrets ever.  He said simply, "We just use the Goddard Caddis."  I was kind of taken back.  I hardly even use them for caddis.  They float great and work fine for caddis on streams where there is little fishing pressure.  But they are not delicate like the "numora" and I'd bet whoever Goddard is, he didn't have stoneflies in mind when he developed the fly.  I was a bit skeptical.

Goddard caddis pic from West-fly-fishing

Of course, I wouldn't have written all this if the fly didn't work to a level beyond my greatest expectations. The trout's reaction was unreal.  I have caught so many great trout fishing the Goddard for a "numora."  The great thing about it, is that it floats well enough to put a dropper off the end of it and you can also see the fly from a mile away.  I'll usually have a Goddard trailing off of my skwala in a double dry setup.  Later in the hatch, and more often than not, the Goddard gets the eat.  Because the fish are really keyed into this hatch even though there area other bugs around, you'll actually get a bunch of surprise takes.  This fly likes to get eaten in strange places where you wouldn't expect it.  I've gotten a lot of eats from great fish while I was taking a sip of beer or untying a knot.  I hope this tip will help you out as much as it has for me.  Thank you Kingfisher!        

One more thing, cut the hackle flat on the bottom so it rides low in the film.  Do whatever you want with the antennae, "numoras" have them too.

  

Saltwater flyfishing is WAY more fun and difficult than I had ever expected!

I recently took a trip to Western Florida to attend a week long party family reunion.  I got the chance to go on a guided flats boat trip with Sea and Stream Outfitters in Boca Grande. 

Fly Fishing Guide Austin Lowder took us deep into the mangrove flats around Boca Grande.  This was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.  We were in what seemed like a mangrove jungle.  There was such an amazing variety of birds, fish, and creatures that I was totally overwhelmed.  Not to mention, Austin was poling us through water from 8" to waist deep that was loaded with large, super skittish redfish and snook.

I bet a flats guide's worst nightmare is an avid trout fisherperson.  A trout fisherperson may think that because they can catch a bunch of trout all the time that they'll be able to go to the flats and rock it.  NOPE. That was the hardest fly fishing I have ever attempted.  It was also some of the most exciting.

Austin's Hells Bay Flats Boat at the marina in Boca Grande

Favorite coffee thermos from Headhunters

I would certainly recommend Austin Lowder for your Florida fly fishing adventure.  Unlike many other "charters" in Western Florida, Austin only guides fly fishing and he prefers to sight fish for tarpon, redfish, and snook.  Austin Lowder also guides out of the Livingston, MT area for trout in the summertime (Austin in MT).  I learned a lot about the fish, threats to the local environment, and got a great casting lesson.  I was so busy scaring away all the fish and being overwhelmed by the natural beauty that I didn't take many pics.

Here are some pics of the Gulf of Mexico's fabulous wildlife that I took when I wasn't on the guided trip:

Gopher Tortoise

I saw many friends from MT like this heron

Brown Pelican

Heron in the mangroves

Those big sticks were mangroves that were damaged in a hurricane

Stump Pass, FL

Montana Only 6th Best-Prepared for Zombie Apocalypse



This just in from ABC-FOX Montana!
ABC-FOX Montana with the latest

View the full results and methods of this study here!

Western Montana Dry Fly Report

Cut off your nymph rigs.  The bugs are here!

Mating midge swarm on the lower Bitterroot

Rock Creek:  You may want to wait to cut off your nymph rig until you actually see rising fish here.  I'd bet money that some BWO's and march browns float by and interrupt your nymphing.  Along with the regular winter nymphs, incorporating baetis and larger mayfly nymphs on a short leash system can be really fun.

The Bitterroot:  The fish in the lower river are keyed into the large sized midge hatch which is occurring daily at noon.  These midges are just a bit smaller than BWO's and the hatch is very similar.  The mating swarms even look the same (see photo).  These midges don't cluster so patterns which suggest a single hatching midge is the only way to go.  Yesterday was the first day I observed Skwala adults floating on the surface.  It was pretty funny to watch them wiggle through pods of large rising fish and go totally unnoticed!  I've noticed Numora in the air and on water and have been hearing those great sounding rises the fish make when they are on to them.  The weirdest thing, NO BWO's yet.  I've never seen Skwala before BWO's.  I hope they still come!

The Clark Fork:  The reports from the fly shops are saying that the lower river (below Missoula) is in great shape and that there are good hatches of BWO's and march browns daily.  When the Skwala's get going here, it's the real deal.  There are 500X more of them and 600X less guide boats, dudes, and fair-weather fisherpeople than on the Root.  The Clark Fork is my favorite stream and this is my favorite time of year.

The Blackfoot:  If your still looking for winter nymphing, go here.  You may see some fish looking up but there are safer bets for finding dry fly opportunities right now.

Area Lakes:  Beavertail Pond, Frenchtown Pond, and the secret bass pond are mostly thawed.  Detailed reports will come soon...        
      

How to Build a Wooden Drift Boat

This is not really a how-to but it does provide some insight into the process.  I built my infamous red boat 5 years ago.  It took over two months with some daily work and was one of my greatest life accomplishments so far.  Enjoy.

My boat was built upside-down on this frame

A scarf joint makes lumber long enough for boats

Best and most beautiful dog that ever lived on planet earth!!

Putting the skin on

Lots of fiberglass and epoxy

Front compartment

Building the rear compartment/platform

Rear compartment

Finished shell

Outer paint, chines, and gunwhales

The inside with the old blue seat

My ex-rower

I cannot describe what it has been like to have built this boat and then have so many great times with it.  Her name is Christine.  She is named after my Grandmother.  The boat was designed by Ken Hankinson and I bought the plans from Glen-L Marine.  This boat is the 14' drifter model.  They have a few drift boat plans and a seemingly endless supply of boat plans in general.

http://www.glen-l.com/

If anyone has any boat building question, email me or write it in the comments  

Bitterroot Skwala Variant

2014 Model Skwala Dry

• Size 10-12 1-2XL Dry Fly Hook.  The curvy, stonefly hooks look great too.
• 6/0 olive thread
• Black craft foam
• Small black wire ribbing
• Goose Biots for tail
• Hand blended dubbing mix
• Old school Fishaus Tackle "Fly Sheet" for wings.  Any sheet wing material would work fine.
• Deer hair overwing
• Silicone legs
• Peacock herl for thorax under-body
• One Grizzly, one brown hackle

This is a variant on a fly that George Kesel ties.  Mine is a bit more involved but I love the silhouette.  The instructions for George's fly was published in the Westslope Chapter of Trout Unlimited's newsletter.  Here's the link: Bitterroot Skwala Tying Instructions Part 1 Bitterroot Skwala Tying Instructions Part 2

Here is the link to the Westslope TU website: http://www.westslopetu.org/

CDC Guide Fly - The Hanging Midge

CDC Hanging Midge

• Size 22-18 1XL Dry Fly Hook
• 8/0 Black Thread
• Black Antron Dubbing 
• Olive CDC Oiler Puffs

This fly works great for the larger midges found on the lower reaches of the Bitterroot and Clark Fork.  It is a million times more effective than some more complicated flies.  You can tie up a dozen of these before you even finish a beer.  They also work for emerging baetis.  Since those two hatches overlap and happen in both the spring and the fall, this fly is a real asset to have in your box!  My first fish on the dry of 2014 fell to this guy yesterday in a scum line near Lolo.  That is a solid month later than when this normally happens.  We usually are fishing midge dries by Valentines Day.      

Western Montana Ice-out Update!

I took the short trip to Beavertail Pond yesterday to check on ice-out conditions.  Good news for anyone wanting a good sign of spring; the pond is about 10% thawed on the north end.  Two nice old bait fisherman had a bunch of cookie-cutter rainbows on a stringer. Surely more than the limit but who really cares, the pond keeps guys like that off the river and away from real, wild trout.  I did not see the big brood stock cruising the shores yet.  I did not take the temp of the water but it was too cold to wade in for long even with my normal winter wading gear.  I'm thinking like 32.5F.  The rest of the ice will go in a matter of days, especially if there is a wind event. So, what does this mean?  The pond is at low elevation and small.  It also gets a good amount of sun.  A person could safely conclude that the rest of the lakes in the area (with the exception of Frenchtown) are still frozen.

G & G Video on How to Remove an Embedded Fish Hook from Your Skin

Video Courtesy of Gink and Gasoline

Western Montana Fishing Reports

Rainbow in downtown Missoula

The Clark Fork (at Warm Springs):
Some of the best fishing up there is during this time of the year.  It's all about the right flies up there.  They want pink tailwater stuff right now.  Midge stuff, pink scuds, eggs, and the sot hackle sow bug rules here!  I had a 40 fish day up there last week with many of those nice browns running over 18" in length.  There were midges and i noticed one rise but nothig in the way of solid dry fly fishing yet.

The Clark Fork (around Missoula):
Water levels are down to where accessing the good winter runs is not a suicidal act.  The water is still cold and there is not a lot going on yet.  I dredged up a few right in downtown yesterday.  Normally, at this time of the year, the CF has been nymphing great for months and is starting to pop BWO's.  Not this year.  I did notice some rises to the midges yesterday.  They were too few and far between for me to cut the nymph rig off.  Flies that work include: Smaller rubber leg stones in brown/green, worms, big prince and pheasant tails nymphs, eggs.  Fish the slow winter runs still.

The Bitterroot (lower)
For the most part, you wont see me fishing the upper Bitterroot.  It can look like the Salmon River in NY up there these days and I don't go fishing to hang out in a crowd.  I do fish the lower river consistently though.  It is a different beast and most fishing reports don't give it enough attention.  I hope to shine some light on it.  The water is still big but it is clear and green.  The nymphing is fantastic right now.  I caught lots of huge pre-spawn rainbows and some great browns on the soft hackle sow bug trailed below a rubber leg stone.  This river is normally on fire this time of year.  The trout haven't even got going on the midges yet this year.  Normally, they'd have been eating them on top since Feb. then weeks of BWO's followed by all the big bugs and the crowds.  It is still a total nymph game right now, but not for long.  Stonefly nymphs that look like skwala, worms, eggs, midges, baetis nymphs, and the soft hackle sow bug rules here!

Rock Creek
If you don't mind throwing nymphs, specifically egg patterns, you can have a life changing day up at the creek right now.  Just be sure to know what a redd looks like and stay the fuck away from it!!  The big Clark Fork rainbows and cutts are staging in the lower reaches and their brown friends are right behind them getting ready to eat eggs.  The chance to catch the fish of a lifetime, all day long is there, but you have to work for it.  Nymphing heavy and deep and losing all your flies is the only way to go about it.  You have to put in some footwork too.  Get away from the other fisherman, commit yourself to a full day and you will catch fish like you never have before.  Stonefly nymphs in any size or shape, smaller mayfly stuff, worms, egg patterns, the soft hackle sow bug should be illegal on this stream!  Pinch your barbs!

The Blackfoot
The same story as the Clark Fork around Missoula.  Still big and cold from the crazy winter.  The same nymphs in the same type of water will work.

Area Lakes
I'm excited to have this as part of my report because nobody reports on the lakes and that is just stupid.  Western Montana has thousands of awesome lakes and ponds and a ton of elbow room and great fishing.  I love to fish still water.  I think it can be incredibly hard and fun.  So here it is:  the area lakes are all still frozen!  Of course, but Beavertail Pond is normally open by now.  I checked last week and it was still frozen.  There was about a foot of thaw at the edge.  I'm going back to check on it today.  Ice-out in Montana should be declared a state holiday!  I'll keep you informed.  Once Beavertail goes, the rest follow in perfect succession in relation to their elevation.  You will certainly see pictures of big, nasty, steelhead sized, brood stockers on the blog soon.  Stay tuned!
         

Is the most effective egg pattern not even an egg pattern?

The pink "soft hackle" sow bug

• Size 18-14 scud or 0XL nymph hook
• Pink UV shrimp dubbing mixed with a little white rabbit dubbing
• Soft chicken hackle tips
• painted orange fire-bead
• pink or orange thread (I use 8/0 because thread buildup behind the bead grosses me out) 

It is no secret that Montana trout eat this tailwater fly in the winter.  Some agree that the fish are probably taking it for roe because generally, anything small and pink works especially well during this time of year. You will see this fly used in almost every tailwater however, I think that this fly has yet to see its day in the sun as a staple freestone fly!  

Over the past couple of winter/springs, I have tested this fly out on Western Montana's freestone streams and not only does it work, it out-fishes flies like the worm, rubber-legs stones, and even pink glo-bugs in the same size!  This really gives weight to the argument that trout are taking these for eggs because although sow bugs do live in freestones, they are in too low of numbers to attain this type of a response from the fish.  Also, they would be in a dormant stage in the winter.

The most damning evidence that this fly is being taken for an egg is that the soft hackle sow bug doesn't look like, or resemble anything close to, what a natural sow bug looks like.  Sow bugs look like potato bugs (otherwise known as rolly-pollies) and have flat bodies.  They are never pink in nature (that I know of).  Another strange thing is that the fly is called a soft hackle and is tied like one, but you don't fish it that way.  Tying a soft hackle sow bug doesn't make sense anyway as they don't really swim around that much and they definitely don't emerge to the surface to hatch.  Lastly, there is something odd about adding an orange bead to this already strange pattern.

My theory: 
The soft hackle sow bug was intentionally designed as a roe fly.  Its name is simply an attempt to clear the consciences of the people who use them.  For instance, it is looked at as "hacking" for a guide to put a client on fish with glo-bugs but it is highly commendable to fish a "soft hackle."

An actual sow bug fly

The dirty glo-bug in pink

So, if you don't have a problem fishing eggs, tie up as many of these as you possibly can.  I bet they work on every trout stream in America.  I've even used them ice fishing.

If you are the kind of person to give someone shit for fishing eggs, yet you fish these on your local tailwater -well, looks like you have egg on your face!

The Early Life of a Trout

This is a video from a conservation org in the UK and Ireland showing the early life stages of brown trout. http://www.wildtrout.org

'Nuff Said

1st blog...test

Hello World, this is a test...

Bitterroot River Moonrise

So does the world really need another fly fishing blog?  No.  Does it need a fly fishing blog that posts regularly, comes from a different angle, and doesn't shit out in the winter time?  I guess we'll see...