Understanding the fish gods' plan

I was all excited to fish Hebgen gulpers, but the fish gods had another plan for me. Got there early, they gulped sporadically on tricos til about 9:30, then the wind and rain came and the fish retreated. I checked in at Blue Ribbon Flies and was told today, there would be no gulping, for it was windy.

Instead, I was told to make the pilgrimage to Three Dollar Bridge on the upper Madison, where fish are plentiful enough to feed the multitude. It was good - actually fished a baetis hatch in August. There is a time for every hatch under heaven (baetis isn't usually August though). Caught a couple in the 17- to 18-inch range on a Sparkle Dun. Also got the Clouser to work, but not on big fish.

While I'm all about fishing new and/or small water, it was kind of nice to fish big, easy water. No hiking necessary and good fishing (almost) guaranteed.
Saturday we floated the lower Madison. Can't beat floating under the sun, drinking beer, catching lots of fi... - oh wait. We maybe boated three 8-inch trout, all on streamers, all by Jake. There were rises and chases, but few.
Why, fish gods, have you forsaken me?
Alas, we must have faith, for skunks are the devil's work.

Go in peace, catch some fish.

The Bridges of Madison County: How Now Brown Clouser?

Remember that guy on the Ruby River who sued the state over its stream access law in 2004? We fished the river on his property on Friday. There aren't even any 'no trespassing' signs, nor are there any fences crossing the river. Maybe he's come around...
The streamer bite was good, but the surface bite was tough - only small fish here and there on Humpies and Chernobyls. It helped that that stretch was flowing at 83 cfs, courtesy of irrigation.
It felt good to fish the property of the old curmudgeon who wants to take that right away.

Don't let the man keep you out.

Bighorn Creek

Finally got some pics from "Bighorn Creek" and permission to post them. In three outings over about 10 days, three guys landed 11 brown trout over 20 inches. These photos have not been altered in anyway.

Secrets

I fished this weekend, but I can't say where.
Friday we fished a creek (we'll call it "Bighorn Creek") that has big brown trout, and is, with a few exceptions, unknown. If it were known, it'd get hammered cuz there are really big browns in it (in the past week, clay and brady caught five over 20 inches). No pics of the fish - they only play when they're sure their mug won't be posted on some jackass-fisherman's blog.

Saturday I fished a lake near town that gets very little pressure and has many and big cutthroats ("Bighorn Lake"). These fish are eager, plentiful and there are a couple huge ones that cruise. They have the brightest red slashes of any cutthroat I've ever seen - I kept thinking they were bleeding but it was just their vibrant slashes. Sorry for the lousy picture - they were slippery bitches.

This weekend I'm camping around a section of the state I've never fished. I plan on fishing the West Bighorn River, Big Bighorn Creek, and the East Fork of the North Fork of the South Fork of the Bighorn. And maybe Bighorn's Pond. Photos to follow. I won't always be this stingy about locations, but for now....
Formerly, I didn't really believe in secrets. I was happy to share what I knew, and didn't really think it'd make a difference. But that was before I knew of some truly unbelievable fisheries. You be shocked too, if you fished these special places. But you'll have to find them on your own.

I hear the owl cooing

When "daily maximum water temperatures reach or exceed 73°F at any time during the day for three consecutive days", Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks will impose Hoot Owl restrictions, meaning it'll be closed from around 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.until the water stays below 70 degrees for three consecutive days or September 15. We're very close on a few major waters, including the lower Gallatin (hit 73 once in the last week), the middle Jefferson (hit 71 already so the lower parts must be awfully close), the Lower Madison (71 twice this week), and the Big Hole (flowing below normal down low and has hit 72 for five straight days up high at Wisdom). The Yellowstone which is usually prone to high temps has stayed relatively low, maxing out at 64 at Big Timber last week.

We've honestly had about three weeks of fishable water on these waters (not counting the Lower Madison) and now they might be toast for awhile. Ugh.

16 Mile to the Boulder

White were knuckles. White was the water. White were our faces as we glissaded over the rocks of Big Timber's Boulder River. But we survived, had a lot of fun, and have some funny stories. The river maestro Brady sent us down the right chutes and we stayed above the surface.
I only wish I had photos to share. My nice big camera got soaked, along with my expensive macro lens - collateral damage. Hopefully they'll dry out and be as good as new. But I'm prepared for them not to be.
On Friday it was small trout, huge numbers, and dry flies. My number was 23, and Clay didn't count, but I'm sure it was more than that. More fun than I've had fishing in a long time. A lark. Yellow Goofus Bug. Small Stimmies. Narrow casting lanes and hang ups in trees. It's all part of this game, and it's tremendous.

Joe's Hopper and Foam Beetle

I might be jumping the gun a little (cuz apparently terrestrials virtually always work well at the West Boulder Meadows) but hopper patterns where catching fish yesterday. The plague has begun.

Trout Lake

Yellowstone's Trout Lake is quite a place.

The Wild Man of Wise River

I took advantage of the terrible weather to camp in the Wise River valley - I love it over there. I had the entire campground to myself on Memorial Day Weekend. The Wise itself has bank-full and turbid, but there is much fishing to be done over there.
Got up to a lake near Wisdom that I was told had grayling - it does.

Then fished a sweet new spot on the Big Hole, but all I got where whities. There was an excellent March brown hatch and fish were looking up - I believe they were trout, but not positive.

This morning, I fished a little crick next to my campground that looks excellent - probably better when it's a little lower tho. I managed a 13-inch brown trout however.
A wonderful 24 hours spent in the Big Hole - I might retire over there.

Hebgen Lake Ice-out Report: the Anglers Strike Back

Clay and I fished the north shore of Hebgen today - there is plenty of fishable water. There are spots where it's about 30 feet (and constantly growing) and other spots where there is much more than that. Not huge midge hatches yet, but soon. The fishing was tough - we each got a couple but we worked for them. It was pretty busy, especially with spin fishers who like to snuggle. But there was no wind, and it was beautiful. SPRING!

Not good for the ego

The fishing was fine - it wasn't that. It was what happened when I squatted to pick up our empties as were packing up after floating the lower Madison last Friday. SCREEEEPPPTCHHHH! I blew the ass out of my Simms Classic Guide waders. These are, by many accounts, the best wader ever made and they no longer make them. They were my favorite waders, and I'm pretty sure they're unfixable. Bulletproof, my ass (pun intended).

Anyhow, the fishing was fine - there were baetis, March browns, caddis and zillions of midges out. We were getting them on the size 14 P-tail, the baetis emerger, and, if you can believe this, the crayfish. 

Love that dirty water

There is always some fishing to be done in southwest Montana, even when the reports might indicate otherwise. Clay and I went back to the upper Madison cuz it was good enough last week - it was good again. We landed 35 between us, up to 19 inches. Relatively few baetis, but caddis and March browns made their spring debuts. The river was slightly green, but not nearly enough to add to the challenge. Soon, it will be time to focus on stillwaters, and so the story moves on...

Prospecting for skwalas

Clay and I hit the lower Gallatin River this afternoon near my old stomping grounds - my old neighbor Jake let us come out. It was good - between the two of us we got 18 fish in about 4.5 hours. The were eating the skwala nymph, the baetis nymph, and the pheasant tail. Oh, and the skwala dry. We saw one shuck and based on appetite for the nymph (and the fact that a fish rose for my indicator and for a baetis nymph dangled carelessly just under the surface), I decided to see if they were looking up. They were- I landed two fish and missed about 6 others on the skwala dry.

A call to rods

It does happen - stream access was taken away from Utah's anglers. And despite the popular belief, it wasn't by the Obama administration.

Attempts to overturn Montana's stream access law will not stop, and one day, anglers might be on the losing end. Enjoy it while you can.

Now is the time we should go stake our claims on the lower Ruby and Mitchell Slough, being mindful to be respectful of the law and the landowner.

I lived on the banks of the Gallatin River for three years and saw, on more than one occasion, naive and disrespectful anglers march across landowner's grass, sit on their furniture while pretending to be oblivious to their indiscretion. I've seen hordes of embarrassing anglers hike from one end of a private property to another, over and over and over on the Bitterroot. I was going to holler an apology to the pissed-off landowner on behalf of responsible fishermen, until I saw his silver pistol glisten in the sunlight - that was my cue to move on (see photo to the right).

In my experience, the myth of the gracious Montana ranch owner is true - they've been nothing but gregarious and warm, as long as you obey the rules and don't endanger their land or livestock. It makes me wonder if the angler who gets chewed out doesn't deserve it (most times).

Opponents of the stream access law claim it's jealousy and social warfare. Or, as in Utah, that it depreciated property values. But really, I think it's just that they don't want people on their property, which is understandable, but in Montana, folks have the right. Landowners ought not take it out on the angler - rather take it up with their legislative representatives.

Even President Obama has enjoyed the right. When he fished the East Gallatin River last summer (a river known to host its share of landowner v. fisherman conflicts), he didn't pay to fish a private stretch - he took advantage of his legal right.

Some burden to keep anglers honest is on the landowner, however. If there are not 50-square-inch orange signs posted, consent for access is implied (read it here), which can be verbally rescinded. But when you find yourself fishing a questionable place that is not posted, at least pick up some trash so if the landowner comes out and accuses you of trespass, you'll have a peace offering (to go with your defense).

So get after it - but be vigilant, respectful, law-abiding, and most of all, exercise common sense. We've got it pretty good in Montana, for now anyhow.

Hebgen Lake Ice-out Report

Friday we hiked in to the Madison Arm of Hebgen Lake from Highway 191. It wasn't an easy hike over snow and through mud, but if there's open water on Hebgen, it's usually worth it. To our surprise, it appeared as though the entire Madison Arm was open (can't be positive, though). There were lots of Hebgen midges, but it was blowing a gale and no fish were rising. The lake even appeared to have slightly turned over as it wasn't very clear. So it was one of the few times when fishing Hebgen seemed futile. There were lots (I counted about 50) baetis along the river, and we found one pod of consistently rising fish (alas this section of the river is closed until May).
The estuary is interesting water and hosts some big rainbows.
But, the point is that there are definitely sections of Hebgen that are ice-free and on less windy days, I have no doubt that the fishing is lights out (rumor has it that the South Fork Arm and Whiskey Bay also have open water - the north shore has a ways to go). It takes a little work to get there, but anyone who has fished Hebgen knows of the reward.
On Saturday I towed the camper out to the lower Madison and floated Black's Ford to Greycliff with Clay, Brady, Caroline, Josh Duchateau and his fiance' Sandy. The fishing was good for the first half of the float (for everyone but me, but I digress...). The closer we got to the takeout, the bonier and less fishy the water became. We capped the day with beers around a campfire, enduring that infamous lower Madison wind. We hit the hay thinking the wind would soon stop; alas it gusted and gusted all night. It was kind of insane. I got up at about 6, broke down and came home.
The rest of them floated again today and apparently the fishing was quite good, but windier yet. I wish I could've joined them, but I popped home to get my aggressive dog before last night's campfire, so I was on my own.
Also, last Wednesday I found some new public water on Bozeman's locally "secret" stream. It's a place that doesn't have much for public land so it's always good to find more. The fishing was good - they wanted the baetis nymph.

Macro what? Wha-cro lens?

I promised my dog I'd spend some time with him today, but I also thought I'd try to sneak in some fishing, so I headed over to the Yellowstone across from Mayor's Landing. Alas it was quite windy (I'm sure it was more than the 26 mph winds that weather.com said), so I decided to hike along the river instead of fish.



Along the way, I stopped to check for bugs and got some photos with my Canon point-and-shoot. I used the "super macro" and am impressed with the results. You can virtually put the end of the lens on the subject and it still focuses, and it was way easier than my slr macro lens to hold steady. It makes me wonder if I shouldn't put the lens on the open market and get some cash for it.
Incidentally, the baetis are looking semi-cooked - they didn't look quite ready to pop.
From top to bottom: Midge larva, baetis nymphs, cased caddis.

Finding that swagger on the Boulder

The (Big Timber) Boulder River is wide awake, and not just down low. I decided to head over there after seeing that temperatures had reached about 54 degrees at Big Timber already - it was my best shot at some blue-winged olives. But instead of staying low and maybe catching some mayflies and run-up rainbows, I decided to fish new water at the Boulder Forks FAS, which was good because I was able to fish the West Boulder for the first time.
Both rivers are absolutely stunning, with gin-clear water in beautiful settings. A fresh coat of powder made the scene all the more gorgeous. It was the warmest 32 degress I've felt in a long time, and the wind was minimal. Peace and trout.
Both the mainstem and the West Boulder were fishing - small fish in small pockets on the West, bigger fish in nicer runs on the main (appar- ently, the West de-iced only a couple weeks ago). I managed to bring a 19-inch rainbow to hand - a nice stepping stone on my way to filling Brady's shoes on Fridays.
Hopefully I'll have a chance to get better at holding fish for grip-n-grins (and more creative in shooting them). It doesn't make it any easier when you have to set the timer, balance the camera on a rock and hope it's in focus. At least it validates my claim.
For the third week in a row there were good numbers of winter stoneflies - I've seen more in the past three weeks than I thought existed in the world.
I wouldn't mind getting back over there before long - but we have other fish to fry (so to speak). Stillwater River, anyone?

Winter stones, skwala nymphs and the Big Hole

Got back to the Big Hole, my favorite river du jour. The fish were hungry - unfortunately the whitefish were hungrier than the trout. For the first time, I actually got sick of catching them (I'm usually happy just to catch a fish). It was all about the size 10 yellowish variegated-chenille girdle bug (which I fish as a skwala nymph, and I assume they take as one), and the occasional Copper John. I only fished a small chunk of water downstream of the Maiden Rock Fish & Game access, but there are several holes there, all with fish. Clay, Brady and Josh Duchateau fished upstream and I'm sure hammered fish.
There were a few midges, but more winter stoneflies. I saw three fish rise so I threw on a size 14 Royal Wulff at the end of the day, but got no respect.
There were tall ice shelves, but they had mostly receded. I heard that the river is actually ice-free (for the most part) down- stream of Jerry Creek, which is kind of crazy this early in the season. I've seen several harbingers of a low-water year (fishing closures) and I will add this to the list.
And I have to mention the huge fish Josh D. and Brady got at the Upper Clark Fork on Thursday. I'd love to post pics, but they're not my intellectual property so you'll just have to imagine the long beautiful browns and obese, ornery rainbows. Several 20-plus-inchers.
I took last Friday off as I had the opportunity to work, and that night we celebrated my 30th birthday with homemade sushi and Salmonfly Honey Rye. They tell me it was a good time - I have reason to believe it was.
On a side note, Brady's work schedule will prevent him from fishing on Fridays for the foreseeable future. That puts the onus of producing impressive fish squarely on Clay and me. We can do it. We can do it...

The Bighorn Monkey

Wahoo! I finally got the Bighorn monkey off my back - we actually fished the Bighorn River on Saturday. And I hate to say it, but I had a good time. It was what I expected in terms of fishing and crowd, but I found the river itself to be quite interesting with the unending waves of greenery on the bottom, and legions of huge trout that spook as you float over them. It was fun just to watch all the fish, and it helps to keep me motivated.
We didn't slay, but we did fine. Brady landed a tall 21-incher which was the prize of the day. No reinventing the wheel - the famed orange scud continued to produce. It was fun and I don't have to worry about getting over there anymore!
On Friday, we fished Armstrong's Spring Creek in Paradise Valley. It too was good, but the fish we caught were mostly small. But that's only because we couldn't hook any of the big ones that we spooked (and there were a lot of big ones).
We caught our first fish on mayfly dries of the year, and that was pleasant. There was one stretch where the baetis were thick and the fish knew it. Other sporadic rises occurred elsewhere.
I prefer the Armstrong's section over the Depuys, but I think I'm in the minority.