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!

Slow-mo carp release: some fun with your iPhone

A friend recently showed me how to take really cool slo-mo release shots with my iPhone.  The videos start at normal speed, slows down, and then go back to normal at the end.  It creates a really cool effect that is perfect for releasing fish.

On your iPhone, open the camera, select the slo-mo option and have fun!

(updated 10 minutes later):

Ok, so when you export the slo-mo movie you took on your iPhone it will not play in slo-mo like it did on your phone.  I researched why and it has to do with the way the iPhone records these videos.  They are not actually filmed in slow motion, the phone's app just makes it look that way. Don't fret, there are a variety of ways to get around this.  Here are some links which helped me out:

Stack Exchange Forum

Mac World

I ended up just downloading the free iMovie app, adding a filter which didn't change the video much, and then saving it.  Now, it will export with the slow-mo effect!!  You have to add the filter or do something to it in the app, but that's it.

A Broadwater County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There

Montana Mirror Carp Scales

It has been another very busy summer for me.  Between finishing my degree, making enough money to live, and fishing my ass off, I've had my hands full.  I have slept in my house just a handful of times in the past few months and have been happily far away from the internet.

Montana's hot, dry summer has caused me to go all in on carping for the most part.  There is some ok trout fishing to be had, but why the hell would anyone pass up great technical fishing to large, hard-fighting fish for mediocre trout fishing?  The trout will be back soon.

The mirror carp above was caught on a Stalcup's Cluster Midge.  Yep, a dry fly.  And no, not a hopper.  It was my last fish of the day and it ran all the way across the river and took me deep into my backing.  It was one of many carp caught on the surface that day.  It was also my first mirror on a dry. I'd bet that even the old carp guard folks have never caught a mirror on a dry!! Cool.

Upper Missouri River Elk

When you have the river to yourself, the big animals come out to hang out with you.  This mother elk and her 2 babies came out to spook up some of my carp.

Missouri River Moose

I was happy that this guy (gal?) was on the other side of the river!!  To date, the only animal that has ever chased me and scared the shit out of me is a moose.

Mish mosh SW Montana fishing report - Late June

Carp flies now sold at Sportsman's Warehouse in Helena 

The huge variety of fishing options in Southwest Montana makes it much harder to write coherent fishing reports like I could do in Missoula.  I write reports every once in a while so that there is a non-biased, transaction-free source of information out there for anyone who cares.  I also use this blog as a personal fishing log which comes in handy sometimes for my own pursuits.  So here it is:

Big Hole River:
It was huge and the salmonflies have come and gone.  Usually, the fishing sucks for a couple weeks after the hatch.  It's called the "salmonfly hangover" and it can really suck.  I avoided the party this year due to my trip to Florida and the shitty conditions.  The river is dropping in nicely now and summer on the Big Hole should be the best it has been in years.  It would be awesome to be able to fish hoppers in the afternoon this year!

Upper Clark Fork:
As the river drops and clears, the caddis fishing will get insane.  The Upper is a caddis stream through and through.

Silver Bow Creek:
I haven't been out there yet this year but things usually get going right about now.  You'd be surprised by what may eat your larger attractor dry or simple streamer...

Missouri River (Craig reach):
I have to distinguish what area now because my Missouri River Range has grown so much over the last few years.  The dry fly bite is on big-time.  There are pods of snotty MO trout all over the river. You need to bring your A game.  Perfectly placed casts and drag free drifts are crucial.  Fly selection comes second in importance.  They will eat PMD spinners, caddis, and buzzballs like candy if you can present them properly.

Holter Lake Carping: 
I'm embarrassed to say that it was my first time on the boat up at Holter recently.  It is such a beautiful place!  I didn't have much info on carp fishing up there but I knew that they had to be there. They are, and they get big like in Clark Canyon.  The carp were tough and I got my ass handed to me. There is still a bunch that are spawning but I was able to find some over on the rockier eastern shore that were willing to eat.  I even landed one of the largest carp yet to date. I can't wait to get back up there again.  There are also some great trout in Holter!

Three Forks Ponds Carping:
The carping in the Three Forks Ponds is outstanding right now!  There are still some spawners but the ones that aren't are tailing in groups in the flats.  Throw a small black wooly bugger or small leech pattern for all-day action.

Clark Canyon Carping:
I haven't been down there since I've been back but I imagine it is the same as Holter.  They were in full spawn mode before I left and the fishing was hit or miss picking on the wallflowers. The carping should get better and better here by the day.  It's time to start thinking about callabaetis, damsels, and dragonfly nymphs perfectly cast and timed to be in the hot zone of a slowly cruising, golden submarine.

Georgetown Lake:
I will be checking in on Montana's finest brook and rainbow trout lake very soon.  The traveling sedge caddis should be underway as we speak and intensifying over the next few weeks.  Also, callabaetis, damsels, and dragonflies in nymph and adult form will play out as well.  The traveling sedge hatch on G-town is one of the finest of any hatch you will ever encounter.  Big bugs and big willing fish are what it is all about.  Have you ever had a 100+ fish dry fly day?


Thats all I got for now.

The God Dam

Holter Dam on the Missouri River

Here's a unique view of Holter Dam on the Missouri River here in Montana.  The MO is fishing good and it's only going to get better!

The mussels are coming! The mussels are coming!

Photo courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks

According to the Missoulian Newspaper, the Associated Press, and The Daily Interlake, "Preliminary testing has indicated that an aquatic invasive species may have moved into the Missouri River."

The Daily Interlake reports: "Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Greg Lemon said Monday evening that a water sample taken from the York Islands fishing access south of Townshend was found to be “suspect” during initial testing by state scientists. He said additional testing is needed to confirm whether the sample contained larvae from zebra or quagga mussels, two species of invasive mussel known to multiply aggressively and generate costly damage to aquatic ecosystems and infrastructure."

The Daily Interlake also wrote: "The finding comes about two weeks after mussel larvae, known as “veligers,” were confirmed for the first time in Montana waters at Tiber Reservoir. Another sample taken from upstream in Canyon Ferry was inconclusive, but a visual microscopy test indicated the veligers were present in that water body as well."

In the words of Vice President Biden, "This is a big fucking deal!"  And it's a big deal, not only for the waters where the larvae may have been found, but for all the connected waters (ie. the Jefferson, Madison, Gallatin, Big Hole, Beaverhead and the Lower Missouri.  Not only that, but it will make spreading the larvae around the state of Montana via recreationists, that much easier.

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!

100 carp-a-clooping

Here's a video I took of a bunch of clooping carp in a foam eddy on the Upper Missouri River near Toston.  It's not the best clooping video but it was sure fun to see in real life.  I stuck a big one right after I shot it on a Morrish Hopper.  I'm in love with carp!

Southwest Montana fishing report - late February 2016

Fiesta Mexicana or "The Taco Bus" in Dillon, MT

If you have never eaten at the Taco Bus in Dillon, MT, you are missing out on the best, most authentic, and unique meal in Montana!  Go there!!

For whatever reason, the fly shops in Southwest Montana don't do fishing reports in the winter. We have 4 awesome tailwaters within an hour and a half drive from Butte that fish all winter long. What's the deal!?

I've been really busy with work, teaching, and school but I've made it out the past few weekends to check in on the trout. Here's what I've found:

The Upper Clark Fork:
The river is carrying a ton of water right now.  We are having a pre-runoff runoff.  Southwest Montana had a decent winter run for a while there, maybe even better than last year which was not good for snow and summer flows. That seems to be over now though as early spring has set in big-time.  Let's hope for more snow and a wet spring or the Hoot Owl will wake up again this year. The fishing in the UCF was the slowest of all the rivers and for the most part, downright sucked. Throwing streamers and nymphing was the game, however,  the push of cold water was not on our side.

The Ruby River:
The Ruby is still running turquois.  Does it ever stop?  The fishing resembled the Clark Fork with a weak streamer bite.  The only real action was on winter-type tailwater nymphs right below the dam but even that was slow.  I saw two or three sporadic rises to midges but nothing really going on that front yet.

The Beaverhead:
The Beav is where all the action is.  It has been windier than a bucket full of assholes in SW Montana for the last couple of weeks and any midges have blown clear to Iowa.  The streamer bite was red-hot 2 weeks ago but a little less so last week.  The Poindexter is undergoing some restoration work (I'm getting restoration fatigue) but still fished pretty good with streamers and winter nymphs.  I saw some spawning behavior in some brown trout which was a bit weird.  Be careful of redds.  The midges will be on the main stem if you can avoid the wind.

The Missouri:
Haven't got to the MO yet this year but will in the next couple of days.  From my experience, the nymphing with winter-type nymphs should be great.  March is one of my favorite times to throw streamers on the MO for the biggest browns of the year and the rainbows which are fattening themselves up for the coming spawn.  I always say that some of the best dry fly action is in the next couple months with the midges and BWOs.  The fish haven't been relentlessly pounded on top for months on end by every dude in the world so, they're much more likely to eat a fly.  We'll see how that goes.  More snow, less wind please!

Montana Standard's "Caddis Conundrum" describes the Missouri River bug study

The Montana Standard has a great article titled, "Caddis Conundrum" which discusses the macroinvertebrate study performed by Morrison Maierle Inc.  The study was commissioned by the Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance.

It sought to make baseline observations of the macroinvertebrate communities in the Missouri River below Holter Dam.  In the past decade, the river has had significant ecological and structural changes which have manifested in a change in bug densities and communities.

I hope they'll get to continue this study in the long term because although these preliminary results are interesting, they mean nothing without observations over a longer time interval.

Rain, wind, movies, bighorns, and some trout

Bighorn sheep at Holter Dam

Had yet another epic weekend in Craiglandia, USA.  This weekend brought a movie festival, some new friends of the "true local" variety, first-trout-on-the-fly for 2 people, and enough rain and wind to chill you to the bone.  Next weekend will hopefully be a bit warmer as we stay in the neighborhood and stick some Big Hole pigs.

Montana Fly Fishing Film Festival

Some trout are more willing to get the whole, "getting caught" ordeal over with...

A great weekend on the MO

The Wolf Creek Bridge

Had another great weekend in Craiglandia!  There were some fun times with the locals at the Oasis in Wolf Creek, a great time sharing the world of fly fishing with a first-timer, and lot's of big fish caught.

Contrary to the picture above (which I took Friday night), it was a sunny, beautiful weekend.  The fishing around Craig was weirdly tough but some fish were caught.  The fishing from the canyon down was shit-hot with fish up and rising to march browns and caddis in the bright sun.  My friend, who was new to rowing a drift boat, got me into so many fish it was kind of unreal.

We also ran into this cool guy:

  


































Next week is the Caddis Festival and Drift Boat Drive in and I already can't wait to get back.  I'd rather take a bullet than live more than a couple hours drive from the trout capital of America!

2015 Drift Boat Drive-in and Caddis Festival

Looks like a solid weekend of fun in Trout Town, USA!!  See you there...

LaFontaine's Buzzball - A Step by Step Guide

LaFontaine's Buzzballs!

In the book Trout Flies: Proven Patterns by Gary LaFontaine, he sates that he developed this fly for the great winter midge hatches on the Missouri River here in MT.  I have found that this simple and effective little fly does a great job mimicking midge clusters wherever they are found.

In recent years, the Buzzball has had a huge resurgence in popularity with the credit mostly going to Mark Raisler of Headhunters Fly Shop in Craig, MT.  He has found that the Buzzball also works great in the summertime on the MO when there are a ton of dead bug parts on the surface.  I, as well as everyone else he's turned onto this fly (I actually think Sara R. gave me my first one), have had amazing success with it.

It doesn't end there.  Being the endless experimenter that I am, I've taken the Buzzball all over Montana and used in on a variety of waters.  I've tested it on everything from the freestone rivers and Georgetown Lake, to stocked borrow pits and high alpine lakes.  I've also experimented with the recipe.  The variable here is the orange hackle used in the original pattern.  If you use brown or black instead of the orange, you can cover a variety of lighting and hatch situations.  I've also found that substituting a cream colored hackle for the orange is extremely effective for the spruce moth which occur on the west-side, freestone streams.

The Buzzball is ridiculously simple to tie, easy to see on the water, and extremely effective in a variety of situations.  In my book, that is what makes a good fly!  Here's the recipe for the original and step-by-step instruction.

Hook:  Size 18-12 dry fly hook (16 is my favorite)
Thread:  8/0 burnt orange
Hackle:  1 grizzly hackle in the appropriate size (approx. 1 1/2 gap length); 1 light dun hackle (smaller, but size doesn't matter); 1 orange hackle (smaller, but size doesn't matter) 


Step 1:

Wrap the hook shank thoroughly and evenly.


Step 2:

Tie in the grizzly hackle in a size appropriate to the hook.

Step 3:

Tie in the orange hackle (size is not important because this is going to get cut).


Step 4:

Tie in the light dun hackle (again, size in not important because this going to be cut) and the advance thread to front of the hook.


Step 5:

Palmer both the orange and light dun hackles to the front of the hook.

Step 6:

Cut the orange and light dun hackles to about hook gap length all around the hook so that it resembles a bottle brush.

Step 7:

Palmer the grizzly hackle forward and then whip finish.

Step 8:

Cut the grizzly hackle flush to the orange and light dun on the top and bottom of the fly only.  Your done!

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

The new fly shop on the block

Wolf Creek Angler in Wolf Creek, MT and random angler

There is a new fly shop on the Missouri River and they've got a good thing going.  Wolf Creek Angler opened earlier this year.  There was a fly shop in this location before and the new owner worked for the previous place.  These guys are not new to the MO.

The shop provides shuttles, flies, tackle, free coffee, NICE CHEAP CABINS, expertise, and location, location, location.  They are also a St. Croix rod dealer.  RBM loves St. Croix's - American Made - rods. My favorite rod currently, is my Kelly Gallup designed Bank Robber from St. Croix.

So, next time you arrive in Wolf Creek from the west, turn right at the Recreation Road, drive 1/4 mile and check out Wolf Creek Anglers.  You will not be disappointed.
  

The spawn is on!

The rainbow and cutthroat trout of Montana are on the spawn.  Last week, I witnessed the massive trout orgy that takes place near Holter Dam on the Missouri.  There, the trout make dinner table-sized, community redds.  I can sit there and watch them for hours.  The big colored male and the female getting it on while three smaller males wait in formation for the opportunity to sneak in there when the big guy is distracted chasing away other males.  I was surprised to see that the other people around were oblivious to the redds.  People were fishing them (I honestly don't think they knew they were there) and dropping anchors and parking boats over them.  It was hard to watch.

Yesterday, I took a walk along the banks of Rattlesnake Creek in a local park here in Missoula. Rattlesnake Creek is a major spawning tributary for the fish in the Clark Fork around Missoula.  It is a beautiful creek that comes out of the Rattlesnake Wilderness.  It mostly gets ignored by fisherpeople but it is a fine trout stream all year long. Right now, the Rattlesnake is lousy with spawning fish.  They are everywhere!  

Go check them out and show the kids but do not mess with them.  The creek is closed to fishing for two more weeks to allow the spawn to take place.  It is a great way to see the WILD,  amazing, huge, and beautiful trout that live in the Clark Fork and watch real world biology in action!  Real fish porn.        

large male rainbow on redd

mating pair of rainbows on redd

Betula occidentalis - western water birch blossoms

The people we meet on fishing trips

I don't go fishing to be social.  Unless I'm fishing with friends,  I go as far out of the way as possible to avoid running into other people on the water.  It's great because even in 2014, with a little knowledge, you can still ditch the crowds in Montana fairly easily.

However, going to the Missouri during runoff is a social event no matter what. You can have the Mo almost to yourself during other times of the year but during runoff, it's like Disneyland in January, Lake Havasu during spring break, or the bars in Missoula on a Saturday night.  It is a total circus but unlike the crowds you might run into at my given examples, for the most part, the folks you meet fishing the Missouri during runoff are some of the nicest, helpful, and accepting people you will meet.

Case in point 1:
I was hopping from access site to access site.  I was wade/shore fishing due to the wind and was having a great time catching mostly browns on nymphs and streamers.  When the hits would stop, I'd move on.  This went on until after one run, when I climbed back in the truck and turned the key; dead.  Shit.  I left the lights on.  I was at a tiny private access and no one was driving by.  I have AAA and was considering how long I would have to wait and bumming because I'd wouldn't be able to give a tip to the driver and still have enough gas money to get home.  I figured I might as well open the hood and get the jumper cables out, just in case someone stopped - at least I'd be ready.

No sooner than I had gotten the cables and walked to the road side of the car, the first truck that drove by did a U-turn and came back to where I was parked.  Two guys got out of the big truck in full camo, gave me a big stiff handshake and we hooked up the cables like a NASCAR pit crew.  We talked about the fishing while my battery charged.  They were spin fishers and had brought the whole family.  They said the fishing had been slow so they "left the wives and took the kids into Craig to show them all the fly shops."  They ran into me on their way back to camp.  Minutes later, my truck was running and I was back on my way.

Later that day, I was fishing on the north side below the dam.  I noticed the two guys' camo jackets and saw them across the river on the rocks fishing with the kids.  They were all excited because the wife had caught a dink.  Then, one of the guys sets into a big rainbow and they all lost it.  The kids were all freaking and so excited.  I was so happy for them.  After some time, I fished my way out of sight as I moved up towards the dam.  About 20 minutes later, they all freaked out again, this time like they had won the Super Bowl.  I could hear it all over the roar of the dam.

Case in point 2: 
I use a bike to shuttle my truck and trailer whenever I can.  I love the pre-float bike rides through the country and all the money it saves.  I have what I call "bike shuttle" floats for all my favorite streams which maximize river mile and minimize bike mile.  The Missouri is perfect for bike shuttles because there are so many accesses.

I had dumped my boat in Craig and driven my trailer down to Spite Hill.  I packed all my stuff that's worth any money into my backpack and strapped my rods to it.  I wear my waders as well as a helmet.  I probably look like a futuristic flyfishing warrior on a bike.  Whatever I look like, I sure get some stares when I ride around Missoula like this.  Anyway, I was just about to hop on the bike when 3 college kids dropped off their shuttle car and gave me the WTF stare.  I laughed in my head, assuming they were at least gently ribbing me inside their truck.  Then, they rolled down the window and said, "Want a ride?"

I left the bike and climbed in.  These guys were mostly from Bozeman but were attending or planning to attend the University of Montana in Missoula.  One guy was a Grizzly Football player and the other was going to be. I don't remember if the 3rd guy was too.  Anyway, they were the nicest guys and although I didn't realize it at first, they actually did more than just give me a ride.  The wind is the great equalizer on the Mo.  When it blows, it's game over.  That day it got really windy.  I had an hour or two of awesome fishing beforehand that I wouldn't have had if those guys didn't give me a ride.

       

  

Road stop - Lincoln

The freestones are all blown here in western Montana.  This scenario brings on one of Montana's largest human migration as every flyfisher, guide, and dude head over to the flyfishing insurance plan know as the Missouri River. The trip over from Missoula is one of my favorite drives to make.  There are two ways to go and I love them both.  The shortest way is to take the ancient "road to the buffalo" or Hwy. 200 up through the Blackfoot Valley, through Potomac, Ovando, and Lincoln and then, over Rogers Pass.  On the other side you take a right down one of the most beautiful stretches of highway you'll ever drive called "Tom and Pat Matsko Bluebird Trail Highway" down to Wolf Creek. There are many place to stop but if your in a hurry to get on the water or get home after a long trip, the Shake 'N' Burger in Lincoln is the perfect pit-stop.

Shake 'N' Burger in Lincoln, MT

You have to supply your own beer but there is a movie rental shop in the back and lots of good boat parking.

Here's some views from the Tom and Pat Matsko Bluebird Trail Highway.

5 sure bet flies for the Missouri River for the next week or so

Heavily used Firebead Soft Hackle Ray Charles

The Ray Charles is the perfect top fly for the double nymph rig.   It was extremely effective yesterday in the wind and sun.  Your nymph rig will need to be deep and have split on it.  6-8 feet from bobber to splitshot.  I used 1 or 2 BBs for weight.  Fish the slow inside curves and pocket water at the tail-outs of the swirlies. The big swirly just downstream from Craig is fishing great, just be careful in those hydraulics; it would not be the best place to fall out of the boat or drop an anchor.

Rainbow Czech Nymph

The Rainbow Czech was the perfect bottom fly in tandem with the Ray Charles when the baetis stuff wasn't working so much

Beerhead nymph/emerger

Although there were no massive baetis hatches over the past couple of days, the trout were onto the nymphs during certain times of the day.  Sometimes they would eat the baetis nymph, almost exclusively, over the others.  In the current conditions on the Missouri R., you'll want to have this as your bottom fly in a double nymph rig.  Sometimes I'll have a size 18 as a lead and a size 20 as a dropper.  The Beerhead is super versatile though 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.

Firebead Soft Hackle Sow Bug

This egg pattern also worked as bottom fly.

Black Conehead Bugger

The Mo is one of my favorite places to fish with streamers.  I love slow swinging a bugger through the runs and feeling it get whacked a couple times as it glides through the zone and finally gets grabbed by a mean old brown.  You can get as technical with streamers as you want but a green, black, or white weighted bugger will fish as good, if not better, than anything else.


I have got a couple good stories and pictures of my Missouri trip to come soon.