Flyfisher's Guide to Montana (New Full Color Edition)

New Edition; 8 1/2 x 11; Full color; 253 pages; all major Montana Trout rivers, lakes and reservoirs, as well as dozens off the beaten path waters, over 40 full color maps/GPS coordinates showing public land, public access sites, river miles, boat ramps, campgrounds and other major features. 

Hot off the Press: Lots of color photos, lots of new, updated and/or revised text. Forty-plus, full page, full color maps/GPS coordinates showing public land/access sites, river miles, boat ramps, campgrounds and other major features. Featuring detailed descriptions and advice for fly fishing and access to dozens of rivers, creeks, lakes and reservoirs. Montana fly chart, full color fly pattern photos, angling tactics, suggested gear, rigs, trip planning and more. Mostly about trout but other species such as carp are covered as well. Thinking of doing the Smith River? Be sure to check out what Mike Geary, Lewis and Clark Expeditions (largest outfitter on the river) has to say on what truly is one of the most unique float trips in the lower 48. For each region I've added trip planning suggestions for Easy Access, Weekend Getaways, Week-Long Vacations and Area Fly-Shops and Outfitters. 253 pages/$29.95; Wilderness Adventures Press.

Fly Fishing Tip #4 (Part 1)

The most important tool in a trout angler's kit

Poll question of the day: What is the most important tool in a trout angler's kit? If you answered “stream thermometer” quit reading and go fishing.

Based based on countless conversations with fellow anglers, how water temperatures affect trout be-havior and thus our fishing success is the least understood piece of the fly fishing puzzle. In an effort to solve the puzzle, I set a course to learn as much as possible and so what follows is the result of decades spent talking to biologists, reading everything I could get my hands on, combined with decades of steadfast stream thermometer use and studious observation. As with most investigations some of the stuff I uncovered seemed spot on and, of course, some of it didn’t quite fit my personal observations.

Anyway, here ya go:

• The ideal water temperature for brown trout is about 60°F; for rainbow and brook trout a cou-ple degrees less.

• Trout are most active at their individual ideal water temperature. In general trout (aquatic food chain) engines are firing on all cylinders in water ranging from 55-65°F.

• Oxygen plays a major roll. Oxygen levels rise and fall more or less in direct relationship to both water temperature and flow rate. Fast water always contains more oxygen.

• On the high end, once temperatures reach about 70-72°F metabolisms slow down and trout begin to migrate to cooler, more oxygenated water—deep pools, riffles, runs and in extreme situations, often abandon completely long stretches of the main stem, migrate long distances to spring holes and/or mouths of cold tributaries.

• On the low end, once water temperatures fall to the low 50s metabolisms slow down.  But, de-spite the higher oxygen levels in fast water, trout migrate to deep, slow pools to conserve energy.

• The good news is once the trout become conditioned to lower water temperatures they still must eat. As a rule of thumb fish low and slow. Even in dead of winter trout often gang up in eddies and backwaters to gorge on hatching midges.

• Two words I’ve learned to never utter in a fishing discussion are “always and never.”  So yes, some trout become conditioned to higher and lower water temperatures and thus fall outside the above parameters. The Firehole is a good example on the high end and the San Juan, below Navajo Dam, where the water enters at a chilly 39°F year around, is a prime example on the low end.

• Because of depleted oxygen levels at both ends, anglers need to bring trout to hand quickly, get the hook out and back in the water pronto—or kill it—your call. But trust me any trout mishandled even a little bit, in 70°F+ water is in serious jeopardy.  At the low end not so much but still the quicker the ordeal the better.

• The faster the water temperature is rising above or falling from the ideal the slower the fishing.

Fly Fishing Tip #3: Fish Close

Terry Throckmorton knows...Do you?

 As a young man I was fortunate to land in central Pennsylvania,  a fly fishing hot-bed and the calving ground for what might be the largest mob of world class fly anglers ever. Best thing, I got to know, befriend and fish often with a bunch of them. It seemed every day I learned something new, or maybe more to the point, everyday was a challenge just trying my damnedest to look at least semi-competent.

Now all these guys were great casters, several could toss an entire fly line with no rod at all. Of course this was just show-off stuff. When the chips were down, game-on, time to catch fish, every single one reeled-up and essentially opened the same playbook.

Act 1; Scene 1:

Look before you leap and when you leap start with little baby steps. In other words take a look around: Are bugs hatching, trout swirling the surface? If not what are the obvious targets? Plan your attack. And most urgent, start CLOSEl and THEN gradually work UP and across toward that fishy run against on the far bank. Ask any guide and he will tell you the best way to evaluate angler experience is where that first cast of the day is aimed. Experienced fish close. The rest charge right in, flail away, line every trout within range, time to take a deep breath, start anew.

”O-o-okay lets move on up maybe plan our attack a bit better, eh?”

How close? If riffles, runs, etc. start literally right at your feet—no kidding. If possible keep the sun at your back but avoid casting shadows—yourself, rod, line—over the target area. Stalk as close as possible to the target. Cover the close water first then carefully stalk into position to cover the next and so on.

There are many things to like about short casts. The many conflicting currents between you and that fish rising way out yonder make controlling the drift difficult to impossible the more of those currents your line falls upon. Short casts often allow you to raise the rod and lift the line over squirrely currents and even obstacles which tend to kill drag free drifts—in most cases the difference between knockin’ em dead and so-so. Within reason, accuracy decreases in direct proportion to length of line.

Anyway as a wise man once noted, you won’t know if ya don’t give it a go. 

Fly Fishing Tip #2

Angler casting a 9' 5wt, on the wide waters at Buffalo Ford, YNP.

Rod/Line

Talking now fly fishing trout in moving water :

It all starts with the cast. And to make a cast you need a rod and a line. Of course a reel is nice and you also need a leader/tippet and a fly—stick with me and we’ll  get those in later.

Maybe because I started with a telescoping steel rod/automatic reel (whiz-z-z-z...whap!) , a worn out level line with a short (who knows how heavy?) piece of mono square-knotted to the end of the fly line. I find it hard to blame any shortcomings—sloppy, off the mark, whatever—on the rod.  For at least 90% of trout fishing situations any old rod, especially any old rod with matching Double Taper or Weight Forward floating line and a properly constructed leader and tippet will get it done provided...YOU DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE AND LEARN TO CAST.

If you like me prefer DIY as opposed to group therapy (e.g. fly fishing 101 school/seminar) a good way to start is to Google:  U-tube, Fly fishing, casting...
The lawn is a good place. Start with a basic cast. Practice until the mechanics are as familiar as, say, tying your shoes.  Strive to keep false casts to a minimum. To lengthen the cast strip line off the reel and feed it on the backcast. Once you’ve mastered the basics, put out a target. Aim for accuracy from just a few feet out to say 50 feet. That done up the ante: practice casting up under over-hanging tree limbs; around and through bushes.

When you can consistently pull off the above without thinking go fishing. 

While there’s a lot to like about fiberglass and bamboo, for most of us graphite is it. Some of today’s rods cost more than a lot of my trucks. Trust me, a more expensive, higher modulus (whatever the hell that means) rod is the least of your worries. With apologies to Lee Wulff,  the rod is last thing you should change. And these days even the cheapest graphite is way better than even the best of my early fiberglass rod—better made, better casting tool and way lighter.

Remember now, we’re talking trout fishing in moving water only. So repeat after me:  For at least 90% of my fishing I need a 9’-5 or 6 wt. graphite rod, no matter how big the river or how tiny the crick and I don’t need to remortgage the house to get a decent rod. 

For what it’s worth I have cast several Redington, TFO and Echo rods which retail for well under $200 that in my opinion fit the bill nicely. I do not have a nickel in any of these companies and I know of several other makes, similar priced, said to perform well, but I haven’t personally cast them so...

Fly Fishing Tip #1

The Upper Gallatin River in YNP is a great place to hone your fly fishing skills. 

Not many of us can hold a 40-hour per week job,  fly fish all day, everyday, for an entire summer. But, lucky me, that first summer after high school, working the graveyard shift in a local mill allowed me the freedom to do just that—like how much (or, more to the point, how little) sleep does an 18-year old male really need? Right.

That come mid-July, Billy, and I were pretty much fished out and for the rest of the summer behaved in less insane fashion is not the point. The point is we took full advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity to jump start what might otherwise have been a long, steep learning curve.  All that fishing allowed us to learn and hone our skills in a relatively short time. 

While nowhere close to master-class, by summers end our catch rate—though still nothing to write home about—was off the charts compared to our earlier attempts. But the big deal was discovering how much we enjoyed fishing new water, the challenge of fooling difficult, pulling off the impossible shot and that a good day had little to do with numbers or size but rather how well graded our fishing. 
So with that in mind, here ya go: Tip Numero Uno: FISH MORE.