Fly Fishing: Fly Friday Steelhead...

Terry Throckmorton, Salmon River, ID, Steelhead 

Grab your rod, head over the hill to Salmon, ID, word on the street is the ice recently went out at Deadwater which of course means, steelhead are once again on the move and the fishing will heat up...for the next month or so steelheading will be about as good as it gets...which in past couple years has been pretty damn good...Most everyone I know seems to expect pretty much more the same this time around. So there you have it, ya miss it, don't say I didn't warn ya...over and out...

Wolf Video Opens A Large Can of Worms And...

...And gets me a few hate mails and one ugly comment from "Anonymous" who apparently lacks the IF to sign it...So be it, as someone once mentioned, "we all have our opinions and the right to speak 'em...But to all you "Chuck" haters let me point out:

• "I" DID NOT produce or have a thing to do with the video.
• "I" of course DID draw my own conclusions and posted the video so faithful followers of this blog could in fact draw theirs.
• No one, especially you "haters," have a clue where I stand on the wolf issue, in whole or in part.

So in the interest of enlightenment...

• Fact is I happen to like wolves--i.e. wolves managed biologically NOT politically.
• I DO NOT like it that the Greater Yellowstone wolf population has been allowed to grow to what most biologists consider way over the top numbers; for all the wrong reasons I might add.
• I DO NOT appreciate the politics which allow folks from around the globe to dictate policy which should be solely left to the biologists, the folks left to deal with wolves and those most affected by them; that judges, who have NO biology credentials whatsoever are allowed to have the final say.
• I DO NOT cotton to the idea, once the moose are all but gone, the elk have disappeared and/or fled to safer pastures hard working ranchers are left to "supply" cows to feed the hungry wolves; a deal which of course they DID NOT sign on in the first beginning.
• And I could go on and on enlightening but then like I said, we all have our opinions, these are just a few of mine...PS keep on sending the hate messages but please do let me know just who the hell you are..over and out...Chuck

To view the video AND DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS please click on http://cryingwolfmovie.com/or check it out on You Tube...

Fly Fishing: Steelhead Time Is Now But...

Salmon River A-run Steelhead

...as long as the yo-yo like weather continues it still might be awhile before things really heat up. Typically late February and March are prime times but right now the fishing prospects are more a crap shoot than the real deal. The best fishing last week was on the S.F. Clearwater where surveyed anglers reported about 5 hours to catch a steel head and about double that for kept fish. While the catch rate is lower elsewhere on the upper Salmon no Survey is being taken; apparently ice and continued cold still has the fishing on hold.

Terry, who has steelhead fishing pretty well pegged,  fished the S.F. last week and said, "while we caught a few fish it wasn't good."

The sub-zero stuff is supposed to begin moderating after this morning. Next week's highs are supposed to be in the high 30s to mid 40s in some of Montana's warmer spots so assuming Salmon, ID follows suit I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed the fishing gods will once again be happy, the ice will disappear, the steelheads will start moving and...

Stay tuned I'll let you know...over and out...

Fly Fishing: Al's New Digs n Other Timely Matters

Al Lefor's New HQ/photo courtesy Great Divide Outfitters

Al's new fly shop is located on Pump House Road; turn right just before crossing Divide Bridge. As you can see the building is a tricked out old log building, complete with antique wood stove (although given Al's recent propensity to flee the Big Hole at the first sign of winter it probably won't see much use except in early spring) a nice touch--one Al says early reviewers agree is "nice and homey". Hominess aside like the old shop the new digs are well-stocked with all the latest additions to Al's obvious addiction to well-concieved fly patterns, Scott Rods, Super Fly Floatant (secret recipe, don't ask) and fine books--well, make that used to be fine books given the recent conspicuous absense of Robbins' Flyfisher's Guide to Montana...sorry couldn't pass up the chance at shameless self-promotion. Anyway Al promises he'll be back from the sun and sand on or about 15 March and open for business so do yourself a favor and stop in...all kidding aside you will not be disappointed...onward and upward.

On another track, Will Jordan forwarded Montana Sporting Journal's recent interesting and informative interview with Ed Bangs, USFWS Wolf Recovery Coordinator. To read the interview click the link below:

http://www.montanasportingjournal.com/pdfs/excerpts/GrayWolf-Interview.pdf

On yet another track we are packing the Bird Hunting Haus and plan to launch a bird hunting safari Monday or Tuesday depending of course on the current blizzard situation. We hope to start the operation in southwest Idaho, move it south into Nevada and then on to Arizona. Valley quail and chukar in Idaho and Nevada; desert quail in Arizona; although the AZ operation, given the grim reports filtering out Mearn's and scalie land, will most likely involve running down Gambel's. How long this will last depends, but we hope to poke around at least through January. If all else fails it sounds like New Mexico might be better well we could end up there? Anyway since internet connections will be sporadic at best so too will be our posts to this blog...But fear not updates are forthcoming but as I say sporadic.

Astonishing Migrations

By the time this hen steelhead completes its spawning run, up the Columbia, Snake and Salmon Rivers to      Stanley, ID it will have traveled 900 miles, negotiated a dozen dams, dodged commercial nets as well as the efforts of countless anglers litterally lurking around every bend. Ditto the Chinook salmon soon to follow. While both runs are but a shadow of what once was--numerous accounts tell of salmon packed in the upper Salmon River such "you could walk across their backs"--and comprised largely of hatchery reared fish still...

Native bull trout have been known to migrate up and down stream nearly 150 miles between home water and spawning sites. While Arctic Grayling have been known to cover 75 miles of river in a few days apparently with nothing more in mind than satisfying an itch to wander.

Pronghorn migrations aren't quite so spectacular and not nearly as long winded but...Consider those spend part of the year in and around Crater of the Moons National Monument in Idaho and the rest of the year about 180 miles east in southwest Montana; or the roughly 300 mile trek the continent's most unique big game animal makes twice a year between southern Alberta and Saskatchewan to the Missouri Breaks country well south in Montana.

Sandhill cranes arrive in Montana each spring having completed the long arduous round-trip from southern New Mexico and Arizona. Recently a radio-implanted long-billed curlew took off from just north of the Missouri Breaks and flew south 1200 miles in just 26 hours!! While each spring tens of thousands of snow geese set down on Freezeout Lake staging for the next leg of their long migration from Texas to beyond the Arctic circle.

Each spring mule deer and elk arrive in the Big Hole having spent the winter up and over the jagged peaks of the Beaverhead Range into Idaho. The mule deer you see this summer in the Wise River country will not likely be there when the shooting starts in mid-October, most having already boogied to winter range over the hill in Idaho.

As spring morphs into early summer songbirds filter into the northern Rockies and High Plains from as far away as Central and South America. Only to wing it south once again with the first hint of fall frost.

Migration is truly astonishing. If you haven't already get out there and bear witness. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

And OK, should you wonder where to start in Montana, why it just so happens that's exactly what my book Great Places Montana is all about. I know I know, shameless self-promotion...what can I say.

Salmon River Steelhead

With Salmon River steelheading just two hours away who knows why I don't fish steelhead more often but I don't. Without a doubt one reason is of the few times I've tried steelhead for me have been few and way far between...like I don't know diddly. So when Terry called the other day it didn't take much arm twisting to get me packin.

We arrived in Salmon,ID late afternoon so I decided to start my 3-day license next day. Too late to even consider launching the boat Terry headed upstream toward Challis to bank fish a few familiar runs.

Rigging up his gear rod (a typical bait/plug casting outfit)unbelievably (to me) he hooked up first cast. And I might add much to the dismay of a nearby angler who voiced a string of expletives the gist of which being he had been fishing up and down the run all afternoon with nary a bite. Anyway the steelhead turned out to be a wild hen, and as turns out the only "wild" fish we would catch of 20 something in the net over the next two days.

Later back at camp with daylight fast disappearing he again hooked up but this one slipped the hook before we could get it in the net...Not a bad start considering we talked to several anglers and the consensus was the recent fishing pretty much sucked.

Not for us. Over the next two days we floated two different sections of the Salmon and our catch rate was an astounding (to me) one hook up about every 30 minutes! And on fly gear no less. In two days we saw only four others casting fly rods, all the rest were using gear rods one way or the other. If any of the many anglers we ran into (Terry not only "KNOWS" steelhead he seems to know just about everyone on the river)were having similiar luck they sure weren't bragging...We of course didn't either, replying "doin ok" to any inquiries.

Anyway when day three dawned nasty we agreed it couldn't get much better and decided to bag it. Thanks to a great coach who shared more tricks than I might have learned on my own in several seasons now that I think I can I no doubt will more often...And with a little luck who knows I might just put a few in the net left to my own devices.