Fly Fishing: Better Days Ahead...

Thanks to outfitter Mike Marsh at least the shore lunches were something to write home about...

...cause for two days the fishing, at least for our crew, pretty much sucked. Thursday we fished the Big Hole from East Bank to Dewey (George Grant). Just two trout in the net took high honors...nuff said bout that one, eh? Kind of curious to me since there were bugs galore--salmon flies, golden stones, yellow sallies, pmds, a few caddis to boot. True the river was roaring but the visibility was more than adequate, three feet at least add in mostly cloudy skies and...well hell shoulda been fishin, just weren't is all. There were a lot of boats out and I did not see a fish landed other than the one we landed almost to the takeout...

Next day we pounded the Beav from Henneberry to Grasshopper...little better but not much. Way too many boats, releasing water at the dam had things murkied up a bit but still...

Yesterday was better, way better in my boat, at least Mark did, hooking a decent number and putting all but a couple in the net. Others did OK as well although we guides as is our way kept the actual body count to ourselves...

John on the other hand...

...well you know like a picture says a thousand words...over and out...Chuck

On a way more somber note the Connecticutt guy who flipped his raft last week in the raging Big Hole is still missing and presumed to have drowned, no doubt trapped in one of the many log jams on the lower river...A damn sad tale but one seems to repeat itself all too often. The Big Hole and most other Western Rivers are nasty hombres during runoff...especially no place for rookies or those unfamiliar with the river. Again nuff said...

Fly Fishing: Salmon Fly Madness....

...Big Hole style.                                    (click photos to enlarge)

Nothing I know of so lights a fire under even the most casual of Big Hole River Rats as news of the long awaited arrival of the insectus gigantus stonefly better known as the Salmon Fly...

Sometime in June the big three-year old nymphs begin crawling ashore and up into the greenery where they shuck their nymphal skins and emerge....

...as adults. After drying their wings the big bugs fly off into the bushes and trees. Mating occurs a day or so later and when conditions are just right the fertile females buzz out over the water crash land on the river, lay their eggs and perish.

...meanwhile hopeful fly chuckers chuck all sorts of god-awful big creations hoping of course to land...

...a gawdawful big brown trout...otherwise known as giganticus browntrouticus...or if you prefer...A By God Goddamn PIG!!!

So there you have it, time is now, place is of course the Big Hole. Start your hunt down below Glen and work up river a few miles each day. Cast your favorite offering, preferably in tight to the bank, drag free or with just the slightest twitch. If at first you don't succeed try and try again...And when you do finally hit paydirt I can hear it all now, "Like shucks weren't nothin to it"...Right? Right...over and out...Chuck

Beaverhead National Forest: Whilst Poking About...

...the forest a couple days last week hoping perhaps we might find a spot to cast a fly or two and not risk being swept away didn't pan out we did the next best thing and went exploring...

...last spring Gale shot a sow with two tiny cubs in tow in almost the exact spot I shot this bear a couple days ago...grazing the lush green grass it (I think a sow) it eyed me suspiciously turned and walked to a nearby tree, climbed up and...

...walked out a limb, turned around and lay down...While I hopped about below trying to find a spot to continue shooting it closed eyes for a moment as if to snooze then apparently thought the better idea was instead to keep eyes peeled on this strange acting dude...same bear? Who knows....A nifty encounter just the same...

A short time later Gale spied this moose. At first we thought it a cow and probably with calf in-tow. Since I've had all the run-ins with Mama Moose this ol' boy can stand I grabbed the camera and vowing to watch my ass this time around crept over the hill real slow and cautious like...Low and behold I soon stumbled upon not Mama Moose mind you but a rather strange looking Bullwinkle...sort looks a first glance like somehow a 2X4 drove twixt the ears, eh?

Exploring up a roaring crick we hadn't tramped before revealed a ton of unidentified mushrooms of several different varieties and this one lone morel...too bad since this baby I know to be dee-lish-ous but of course one shroom...well you know.

Roaring cricks are one thing you don't have to look far this spring to find; just lend an ear most anywhere and chances are you'll hear the music loud and clear