Fly Fishing: Fishing Report and...

I continue to hear mixed reports on Clark Canyon. Ranging from okay to not so hot and pretty much everything in between. My take has been and falls heavily on the not so hot side; slow fishing though is one thing, like could very well be just me but where the cruisers has me baffled. In several afternoon sessions I have yet to see more than a handful up on the banks as is normally the case this time of year...go figure, I'm sure at a loss.

On another track the Big Hole continues to fish well, most days especially for you streamer addicts. A neighbor reported the other day Maiden Rock to Melrose three of them boated at least 15 and probably more. Al has apparently heard a similar tune in the shop. Alas, except for the one day Al and me nearly got blown off the river I have been buried in work and unable to get even...oh well.

Same neighbor reported really good fishing recently Tash to Trash (Beav). Didn't say how many or what they were throwing but did say some of the fish were pretty hefty; showed me a brown on his phone as proof...

Still not hearing much on the Ruby or Madison and not a single mention of blue wings showing up anywhere except the Lower Madison...wind a course could be the culprit.

On yet another track this will probably be my last post this month. We're headin to Oregon tomorrow sometime and will likely be out of touch until at least next Wednesday and since we're going there to work don't look for much in the way of posting. We plan to attend the big fly tying expo in Idaho
Falls on Friday so if I get a chance will fill you in on that extravaganza. Also in Bend Or hope to visit the fly fishing golf course and perhaps even wet a line as free time allows. Promise to fill you in first chance...Anyway that's about it for now...over and out...

Montana Outdoors: "Big Game Hunting"...On the Fast Track to...

...oblivion...at least in the traditional sense. Traditional in that "to hunt well meant to stalk up close and personal, put the pill where it belonged; anything less than a one shot quick kill was deemed a failure and...And being labeled a good hunter meant the same thing as being labeled a woodsman which used be about as high an accolade as one could aspire to...No more; today's hunting heroes are measured mostly in how far off did you shoot that "shooter" buck, bull, you name it...

The above 1000 yard tack driver (first test fire put 10 shots inside 7 inches at 1000 yards, 9 shots well inside 6 inches) was put together by a Pennsylvania pal to kill paper targets; but such super accurate long-range rifle/scope combos would fit right in with the latest rage in so-called big game "hunting" crowd.

Ever since the last March Madness bucket dropped my Saturday evening (you know, cocktail time) channel surfing has hit rock bottom; like if you can't cuff stuff like the In-Fisherman what the hell next...Jack and Jill Romancing the Whitetail Deer Ad Nauseum or, perish the thought, Best of the West How the Hell Far Off Can You Whack Em starring Smilin Jack and sponsored in part by the The Best Little Dildo Shoppin Mart for Far Out Shoot Em Ups...or whatever the handle.

Long ago, in a rare moment of enlightenment, I concluded enough already. Like how many ways can you stick a whitetail , while settin a tree surrounded by Booners leased to the hilt by Mathews Awesome Cams or whatever the latest whiz bang widget is labeled these days? Sorry gang, just ain't doin it for me no more...Thus I all but gave up the so-called "sportsman channel" and their kind as well...

But as I say, no b-ball to watch, yet another lousy hockey game and well hell, ya gotta watch somethin to slow down the booze consumption so...We come to last nights...ah-h, show...Sorry,  don't know what else to call it so...Back to my rant...

The "show" starts off okay with Smilin' Jack bragging on a well-worn guide (about to help dude 100 punch a bighorn sheep tag). Guide and hunters ride off into the sunset; cut to youngster's first antelope hunt...kid whacks a nice antelope...way to go so far except now amid all the whoop-ups and high-fives we learn the range 497 yards...helluva shot, you bet, but to call it a hunt or label the kid a "good hunter"? Sorry, ain't buyin' that one....Back to the sheep after a couple days hard going in rugged mountains and passing up a couple "shooters" the guide finds the "one" and you guessed it...another crack shot this one 897 yards, I think...could have been 997 but hell, when you whack a "shooter ram" damn near or slightly over a half mile off who am I quibble a mere hundred yards or so...

To the dynamic duo's credit did appear to at least be horsing and tramping around in real sheep country, steep, rocky, a real bitch, is in no way stooping as low as whacking a "Booner ram" out the truck window while grazing grass at the road berm as one hero I know did recently but c'mon a half mile shot and call it hunting...no way. I rest my case...

Montana Outdoors: Lichens 101

Wolf lichen is one of many common lichens found throughout western montana forests growing on tree trunks and decaying logs and limbs. Adds a pleasing bright green splash to what is so often a mostly dull, drab brown landscape.

Lichens are used birds, insects and mammals for a variety of things including food, shelter and building material.

We (some of us) use lichens for food, drink, dyes, clothing and decorations. Indians sometimes warded off starvation dining on lichens; pets have been fed lichens for similar reasons.

Some lichens, such as wolf lichen, are poisionous. Wolf lichen got its name from Europeans who mixed it with glass to poison (kill) wolves.

  Wolf lichen didn't kill this elk but another lichen Byoria sp. did kill several elk recently in Wyoming. Curious since antelope routinely eat the same lichens with no ill-effects whatsoever.

Ringbilled gull soaring above Clark Canyon yesterday made for an interesting shot to play around with in Lightroom. And yes, no doubt ringbilled gulls would not know a wolf lichen from a wolf...

The unsettled weather of late has not done much for my fishing but it sure does make for some interesting photo ops...Enjoy.

Fly Fishing: Southwest Montana Fishing Report and....

...what's up next....But first an update...

The recent snow storm which dumped around 6 inches in Dillon,  a bit less in some spots and a lot more in the mountains is now history...I think? The forecast in the near future calls for gradual warming thru Wednesday then another day of rain/snow then another upturn and so forth. Depending on which forecaster you choose to believe the wind will either be howling most days or as some say, light and variable...watch out for the variable is all I got to say on that...

Clark Canyon is now completely ice free. In my experience, based on 4 brief afternoon sessions, the fish have yet to heed the call; in other words the fishing is slow,  actually really slow. Though the rumor mill has it some days have been OK and other days not so hot...no surprise there, eh? Though everyone seems to agree the bite is still far from red hot...go figure.

Chronomids, marbou jigs, San Juan Worms and buggers, brown, black, olive, purple, tan; the usual rigs amongst the local lake rats...

Beaverhead is flowing around 250 out the dam, okay for floating (closed above Pipe remember) and pretty easy wading as long as you pick your spots to cross. Not much happening on top except for those brief, elusive afternoon periods when the wind gods are on break and cloud gods sneak their way in...Bwo nymphs 20-18; midge larvae 18-invisible; scuds, SJWs all work but the best fishing right now is pitching buggers tight to the banks. 

Big Hole spiked last week to almost 7000 has come down nicely to below 1500. Running clear and cold (around 40 in the afternoons) as long as the predicted warm-up doesn't melt the recent snow too fast the fishing over the next week or so should really start to pick up. Even if the river does spike again I don't think there's enough low snow and ice left to approach last week's surprise...though please don't spread it around you heard it here first...Streamers, rubberlegs, SJWs, streamers and if you feel lucky try throwing your favorite skwalas in the afternoons...Haven't seen any yet but don't forget Al says he pitched one awhile back and...OK I don't buy it either but, hey, give the guy a break, you know a long winter of too much hot sun, sand, dancing babes and conch salad...as I say give the guy a break...

Ruby is spilling from the dam around 150; pretty easy to get around and rumor is the streamer fishing is pretty good; nymphs are always a good bet). Pick the right day and the olive and midge fishing might surprise ya...(closed above the dam until opening in late May).

Lastly a word of advice: Get you a wirehair and pack her along. As Annie proves over and over again there just ain't no bad fishing days...like the fish don't bite, why hell why not point (attack), half-drown self in a wave or two; or as she likes to do given a creek or river see how many times can swim across and back and still shake your boogie somewhere this side a North Dakota or...as I say wirehairs just flat out keep you grinnin...over and out...

Fly Friday: Mastering water temperature trends...

Trout being cold blooded critters as water temperature trends upward toward (or downward away from) the ideal (60 degrees give or take a couple depending on species) so goes metabolisms and....And thus go our fishing propects.

Given water temperatures hovering in the mid-30s to mid-40s usually equates to slow fishing regardless but should the water temperture suddenly drop, such as late afternoon when the sun settles behind yonder hill, the fishing is almost certain to shut down, like slow-mo to non-existent in a flash.

Water temperatures generally trend the same as air temperatures only slower; one notable exeception being the warm sunny afternoon in spring when the snow suddenly starts melting infusing said river with many gallons ice water...not so hot.

Cold water and low temperture downward trends do not affect trout health wise. Though prolonged cold snaps plummet water temperatures to near freezing, metabolisms all but shut and some might lose an ounce or two not eating. The flip side is another story. Prolonged high water temperatures (81 degrees is deadly) can be fatal, especially so if we anglers add to what is already a really stressful situation.

As water temperatures trend above 70 degrees the effect on trout metabolisms is similar to sudden downward trends and extreme low water temperatures. Trout stop eating, activity slows to a crawl and if trend continues for more than a day or so migration to cooler water is imminent.  Cooler more oxygenated water is ideal but just getting to cooler water is paramount to survival--spring holes, colder tribs even the bottom of deep mostly shady pools. Unless trout have become somehow acclimated to high water temperatures (like the Firehole) little, if any feeding or activity, for that matter, occurs in 70 degree water.

The best thing for us is to leave them alone, hope for a change in the weather. Montana's so-called hoot owl mandate is designed for just that reason...to get us the hell off the water until conditions improve.

Fly Fishing: Fly Friday...

Yesterday the wind howled; nothing new just another too windy day of no fishing (at least not the sort interests this ol' boy) so...What to do? In a landslide "pokin' about the nearby hills" wins. For us always a good choice no matter what the weather gods happen to be serving up at the moment. And poking about a mountain crick...Well hell, how good is that?

Pile a rotting shingles, a few well-weathered boards, back wall (no doubt to keep the mountain at bay) and this nifty stone fireplace are all that remain of what in all likelihood was a mine shack. Weren't for the howling wind who knows what secrets we might a overheard, eh? Note the Dorritos bag in the fire box, doubtless the remains of a more recent pack a hongry hombres...Elkacholics?

Spittin' rain down here but a might wintery lookin' up top...All in all a fine day for wishin' we was fishin' though doubtless the better idea was just pokin' about...Too bad ya missed it...

Fly Fishing: Redington Sonic Pro Waders...

...passed the intial river test with flying colors...sort of....On the plus side the waders appear as advertised sturdy, good fit--e.g. roomy but not too, feet fit, not too tight, not too loose, five layer construction in all the right places, built-in gravel guards an extension of the wader itself, not the sort of flimsy add-on some other high end waders I could mention sport but won't and assuming the no-stitch deal really does work so much the better. Last but not least they come at great price...again Sonic Pros retail for about the same as the un-named brands previously hinted wholesale...How good is that, eh?

The flip side, for me at least so far, starts and ends with the zipper model I did not really want in the first beginning but had no choice (a rant probably more the workings of an old man's addled mind than anything useful so no doubt not worth repeating). In other words I would like the waders a whole lot more without but as I say...

The day and the river being way too chilly for this ol' boy to sink hisself sufficient to submerge said zipper can't say one way the other as to leakage problem or lack thereof...Though based on the many reviews I've read seems not an issue so...Having said that I am old school enough not to trust such modern  innovations...more like an accident waiting to happen which of course would not be sans zipper...Oh well, as I say they passed the initial test, time as they say will tell the rest of the tale..over and out.

PS The nifty (my idea) little (#8 2X long) feather streamer aside the logo is a fly I have a thing about tying (who knows) and have for many years. Admittedly a touch less than perfect still it has over the years duped many victims but...alas, on this day, one the Big Hole trouts ignored completely...go figure...

Fly Fishing: Brief, violent storm...

...hit soon after Annie and I waded into position. Howling wind, rain and fingernail-sized hail pounded down such poor Annie put tail between legs, lowered nose to the river and sulked...I of course held onto my hat and leaned into the wind, desperate to remain upright and, perish the thought, not find self floating down river.  Then, almost quicker than the storm hit, one last really hard blast and it was over but...

...apparently so was the fishing. The midge hatch vanished, like no bugs, nada...And while I cycled through throwing buggers, drifting soft hackles and nymphs...except for a handful half-hearted tugs...

...landed just one rather skinny, though as advertised, pretty brown. As you can see the hot fly of the day, and I use the term loosely, was that old standby #18 BH PT...No surprise there, eh?

To say the river went dead perhaps could stand a bit of clarification...In the two hours plus while we fished Gale tramped around taking pictures, looking for birds and other critters: Sum total, a single Clark's nutcracker and two black-billed magpies, like this is end of March, migration is in full swing...two hours, three birds, Big Hole river, early spring...I rest my case.

Montana Outdoors: Biggest snow of the winter and a couple critter shots...

Spring officially springs day after tomorrow and wouldn't you know it along comes the biggest snow storm of the winter; 4 inches or so Saturday night and at least double that last night. Though the bare ground was nice while it lasted I doubt the snow came as much of a surprise--at least did surprise us. Last winter while not quite so brown suddenly morphed to winter white as I recollect about same time. May and much of June seemed almost strange those days didn't snow. While it feels and looks really winter-like what with yet another afternoon raging wind, the sun is still already starting to do its work; melting off what I did not shovel off, the sound of water dripping off the roof, gone from the truck and almost gone on the camper roof. Weather man says after today we should be back in the high 40s, mid-50s, even 60s in some spots...A course think on it and not much different than most late winter-early spring snow jobs, eh?

Ground squirrels been out for a week or so and while no strangers to spring snow, I'd bet they'd just as soon not...Does this guy look forlorn or what?

Gale shot this red fox vixen taking snooze in the sun; no doubt taking a much needed break from a raucous nursing brood. We sort a doubt she much gives a crap but snow or no she needs to eat so Mr. and Mrs squirrel, ya best watch out ya hear...

Montana Outdoors: HB1521...Here we go AGAIN!!!!

How do you spell POLITICIAN?

If your answer is P-U-B-L-I-C...E-N-E-M-Y...N-U-M-E-R-O...U-N-O take a bow. If your answer is ECO TERRORIST take a seat at the head of the class. If your answer is MAJOR A_ _ _ _ _ E...I hearby nominate you for Sainthood in the Loyal Order of Hunters, Fishermen and All Rational Thinking Regular Folks dedicated to the idea of to hell with you crooked, greedy, land grabbing, lying bastards; tis high time you drop the ideas of lining you and your rich billionaire cronies pockets and once and for all look out for the folks you once solemly swore, right hand up to GOD, to represent. Fat chance, eh?

Hey Rehberg and the rest of you clowns, listen up...25 Montana sportsman's groups oppose HB 1521 aka Wilderness and Roadless Areas Relief Act which of course would insure free reign for developers and motor heads to flat out ruin the last good country and pound the final nail in the coffin of what we all once thought of as "the Last Best Place"; 86 % of hunters polled and 83 % of fishermen oppose HB 1521 and...can you HEAR US, ARE YOU DEEF? Or just plain DO NOT GET IT? Or more to the point JUST DO NOT GIVE A RAT's ASS...

And Tester you are not off the hook either; just because you have not yet publicly jumped on the bandwagon let us not forget your so called Forest Jobs Act also takes aim on removing protections of WSAs...In other words...politicians these days don't much matter whether "Ds" or "Rs" all pretty much fit the above...So there you have it, you want our public lands as is, or you want it even more an industrial wasteland than much of it alread is...over and out....

Fly Fishing: Tying and fishing as you like it...not neccessarily what's best...

When I began tying some of the first patterns I mastered (relatively speaking) were traditional wet flies...you know the winged sort. How-to info being scarce, I pretty much relied on Ray Bergman's Trout for fly recipes. For the uninitiated, the fly plates/recipes in the book show dozens, if not hundreds, of patterns...If there were any left out, I can't imagine not being able to come up with a suitable substitute.

Traditional wets are, to my way of thinking, just about the niftiest trout flies around; only traditional salmon flies can match their gaudiness and tied right seem to me come about as close to art as any.

Naturally I fished most what I tied best. But after awhile it became clear the best fish getters were wingless...soft hackles. Though I don't think were called that at the time, at least not in our neck of woods. I'm pretty sure we just lumped them together as wet flies. Label aside, soft hackles were way easier  (for me, getting the duck wing slips just so was a bitch to put it mildly) and since, at least in my mind, worked better tying wingless was something of a no-brainer.

These days I tie flies of every sort--dries, emergers, cripples, soft hackles, nymphs, streamers, you name it. I like tying dries and soft hackles best. I like fishing both equally well. But, especially on small streams, our usual SOP is to fish dries up and swing soft hackles back down. Yes, I know, not the best way to max out the body count but...As a wise man once noted...a lot more to it than just catching fish...or something like that...

On another track, I use Zelon in a lot of patterns these days. And for what it is ( seemingly readily available synthetic and all) thought it rather pricey. This winter as I poured over the J. Stockyard catalog preparing my annual re-stock order I discovered a substitute (MFC) which is considerably cheaper...being a bona fide cheap skate in such matters I thought to order a hank...Bottom line I really like the stuff--cheaper, way more material,  looks and seems to work just as good...can't beat it.

PS If old news please note: A by God geezer...I do claim the right to being, you know, slow on the uptake....

Fly Fishing: Fly Friday... MT Fishing Access Field Guide...License Renewal....

One way to beat the crowds is to avoid fishing the famous places at the popular times, e.g. weekends, July and August, just before, during and immediately after the expected arrival of, say, the Big Hole River salmon flies and perhaps all season long should one us nefarious outdoor writers hotspot your pet rivers.

Another way is to download the Montana Field Guide. Featuring over 300 Fishing Access Sites--streams, rivers, and lakes--I mean, hell man, can't be all overrun...Right. FASs provide public access to some surprisingly high quality waters, many of which, remain under the radar of the thundering herd; offering not just great fishing. with at least the chance of relative solitude, as it used to be and should be but places to canoe, raft, bird watch and many even provide good hunting. Do it....http://fwp.mt.gov/fishing/guide/fasGuide.html

On another track March 1st means we need a new fishing license and while you would have to be living under a rock to not have heard by now the new deadline for applying for deer and elk permits is March 15th...I know has not one thing a do with fly chucking but I thought maybe if I just wrote it down, I would not forget...sorry but us geezers can't be too careful when it comes to...well, you know...over and out....

Fly Fishing: Photo...Porn...

Big Spring Creek (Lewistown, MT) has been a favorite ever since the first time we fished it way back when. The photo is more recent, shot during our marathon two year odyssey desperate to at least wet a line in as many of the dozens of creeks, rivers and lakes we planned to include in Flyfisher's Guide to Montana. I can't remember what or how many we caught or did not catch that day but the highlight was all the wonderful stream improvement work ongoing. Successful changes such as these only serve to make great cricks even greater fishing-wise but fish and catch rates aside healing old wounds is just downright good for everything and every one...sort a like chicken soup for the soul...

The blue-winged olive hatch is among the best hatches at Big Spring Creek. Generally speaking the hatch comes off in March and April and then again in October and November. A couple sizes bigger in the spring, like #18-20s; the fall hatch is more like #22-24s. While I can't prove it bwos like pmds are trout candy and whenever the tiny bugs are around you can almost bet the farm trout are keying on them; at least some of the trout most of the time. Though it takes a keen and practiced eye sometimes to figure out just which stage the trout are relishing at any given moment...nymph, emerger, cripple, dun...and of course not all the trout are in tune to the same items and naturally trout being trout are apt to switch gears without notice. The good news is no matter how it all turns out all fun...Right? Right... 

Label this shot Gale captured high in the Beartooths: Yee intrepid reporter doin' his thing...in this case, as opposed to gittin' 'er done. Although it pains the ol' boy to confess, truth is the trout in this here pond done kicked my butt...Of the dozens slurping and swirling every direction, mad for some little itty bitty no-seeums I landed...oh maybe three or four...What's wrong with that you say? Well, nothing really just the trout were but a wee bit bigger than the nearly invisible hatch....OK maybe not that small but you get my drift, I'm sure...

 Not long after shooting this one at Cliff Lake in the Gravellys a whole herd of rainbows moved in almost on the beach, cruising around in plain sight, merrily picking off hatching callibaetis; an easy cast in any direction. Feeding with reckless abandon I think would about cover it.  Okay, we did not eat skunk but the licking those hungry trout put on us...But then as Gale said, Who cares about a slimy ol' trout when you're finnin' around immersed in all that wonderful blue water and a white sand beach besides...Hard to argue, eh?

Fly Fishing: Short Bamboo Rod...

...features not only a unique construction but is really short (4 feet, 2 inches stem to stern) by today's standards. While years ago I went through a short rod craze and built (fiberglass) a couple rods in the 4-5 feet range these days my "collection" includes not a single rod less than 8 feet. And if you've been following this rant for any length of time you know how much we enjoy fishing even the tiniest, brush-choked trickles.

From what I can find out from those who have tested these rods are capable of easily casting flies (I would assume lightweight flies) out to 60 feet or so. Not really surprising when you consider there are guys out there who can cast an entire fly line sans fly rod so...Anyway for more info paste the link below into your browser:

solitudeoutdoors.com/braided creek rod

Montana Outdoors: Random Shots

We rarely leave the house without a camera. Mostly we tote the camera to gather photos to support articles, this blog and, of course, our books. From time to time we sell a few stand-alone shots and we do shoot some for stock but as I say the vast majority are taken with some specific editorial use in mind. Naturally along the way stuff like the dried up henbane weed in the snow grabs us and every once in while we get lucky and end up with a pleasant surprise, which is afterall precisely why we try and tote a camera all the time, everywhere...like the man says, you just never know.

Scandia Luthern Church, built in 1916, in north eastern Montana, sits on a low hill, surrounded by empty prairie about 40 miles from the nearest town; standing on the porch on a clear day you can see forever and not one sign of human habitation. The part I remember is Kate pointing sharptails in the backyard though somehow the outcome escapes me.

We were cruising about the upper Big Hole one day not long after the first sandhills arrived which would make it around the middle of March. As I recall this shot was taken on the North Fork Road, which was snow free but really muddy. The spring thaw was in full bloom. Melting snow and icy-looking standing water everywhere; lots of ducks and other water loving birds; a herd of elk and, of course, cows and horses every direction.

Fly Fishing: Fly Friday

Legend has it circa 1900, Idahoan Carter Harrison created the Trude fly; named it for his friend A. S. Trude. The original is said to have sported a red-brown body and wing, brown hackle and no tail. No peacock herl either which, of course, along with the down-wing (Trude style, if you will) are signatures of the many modern-day variations still evolving a century and change later.  

Sometime later it became de rigeur to include a tail; most often golden pheasant tippet fibers. But even that has more or less fallen by the wayside. These days I see more Trudes sporting woodchuck or moose body hair tails or even stiff hackle fibers.

The down-wing remains but even that has been much bastardized—calf-tail is probably the most common but I’ve seen and tied Trudes wearing bucktail, elk-hair and deer-hair wings and recently I saw some small one tied with the foot-hair of the snowshoe hare; very nice, by the way, and said to float better too, always a plus in my book.

Most popular in show goes to the Royal Trude, with the Lime Trude probably a close second. Not to be denied purple (imagine) made something a splash last season on the Big Hole, how long that rage will last is of course anyone’s guess. Also last season I had good luck during the Big Hole skwala hatch fishing a Peacock Trude; said to be a creation of Bitterroot guru, Chuck Stranahan; no surprise there being as the Bitterroot is generally considered to be ground zero for the mysterious skwala hatch which, by the way, is probably starting about now to awake from its long winter nap.

With exceptions for variations such as the peacock skwala fraud Trudes, like their upwing cousins the Wulff family, are tied as attractor patterns. As the years roll on I find myself fishing them more and more. A great option for pounding ‘em up in pocket water,  riffles, tight to the bank, even as lake flies. I’ve also had good luck at times fishing ‘em classic wet fly style…you know down and across. OK, not exactly wet because of the inherent bouancy more like damp and waking the surface…Bottom line Trudes flat out git ‘er done…one a those try it you might like it deals…I rest my case.

Montana Outdoors: Golden Eagle....

There are some graphic (gory) photos currently causing a stir on the net showing a golden eagle eating and killing (yes in that order) an adult pronghorn doe. The eagle attaches itself to the back of its victim and begins eating...at what point death finally occurs is more than I know. But I have read reports of similar attacks where the talons eventually pierce the victims liver...how true again who knows.

On another track, being as Montana wolf hunters came up far short of the hoped for quota (220; 166 is the official body count) perhaps we should take a lesson from Mongolians and employ golden eagles to hunt and kill wolves?  As wolf killers goldens are said to be effective as in swift, sure and deadly. Seems to me a win-win situation...take the heat off wildlife managers for allowing mean, cruel, bloodthirsty human assassins to do the dirty work and puts it squarely on Ma Nature...you know survival of the fittest...hell, think about it, even PETA would be hard pressed to bitch...Right.

Anyway you bend it, goldens sure make our fishing, carrion-eating national bird look-like a bit of a wuss, eh?

Fly Fishing: Poindexter, Opening Day...At Last.

For a lot of reasons I'd just as soon forget January got away from me and for the first time in long time failed to catch a trout to kick start the year--hell, I did not even go, not even once. Though I did think about going just about every day since flipping the calendar to a new year not until a couple days ago did I finally say the hell with it and...

...now I'm standing in the parking lot at Poindexter Slough, hopping about beside the truck, one foot in waders when the kid arrives, little yappy dog in tow, Zebco in hand, nods...

For reasons still escape me, I mumble something I've learned the hard way is generally a bad idea...How's the fishin'?

Forty-five. But you gotta get it down, bring it back real slow, right on the bottom. Ain't about to come up for it..no way.

Sounds like you had yourself some kind a fun, eh?

Apparently just the opening he'd been waiting, moves in close and cuts right to the chase. Mister, I only been fishin' here for about 20 years, I oughta know how ta ketch 'em by now.

Spying the partially rigged fly rod leaning against the truck mirror adds, Don't wanna bust your chops mister but ain't seen one raise all day.

Really.

I remember thinking, kid you really can't be much more than 20...must a got an early start...eh?

If I was you, mister, I'd put on a big, whatyacallit, ah-h, streamer, lots a weight and try and get 'er down, right on the bottom. Ain't about to come up even an inch, no way, and bring it in real slow...slower the better.

Sounds like a plan. Thanks for the hot tip.

That's when he spied Gale strapping on her Nikon.

Ma'am, you wanna awesome picture, follow me.

Tossing the Zebco in the back of his pickup he all but grabbed her by the arm and hustled her toward the frozen cattail pond in front the truck.

C'mon out here, ma'am, ain't that the most awesome beaver dam ya ever saw, make a really good picture, but ya gotta get out here past the bushes, he said, sliding his way on out toward the middle.

I took that as my opening to get the hell outta Dodge. I'll be up in the meadow, get on out there and...

If looks could kill...

Under the bridge I stop to finish rigging, naturally keeping one eye peeled...you know should the kid decide further tutoring is in order...And naturally I tied on a bugger instead of a the midge I'd planned on...After all, the kid did mention 45 trout; 20-years a practice; and besides, not a raise all day...Right.

PS Gale eventually did catch up. And I did think to ask about the awesome picture. And she did--I think--OK I'm almost certain...she muttered a nasty word...and maybe that's all I need say about that, eh?

Fly Fishing: Fly Friday: Cut Glass Fish Art...

Fellow Dillonite and friend Eric Larson is crafting some of the most beautiful cut glass trout art out there. No two trout are exactly alike although (at least those I've seen) are similar to the size of this brown trout--about 21 inches-- framed in a rustic, barn wood frame suitable for hanging--like the trout no two frames are exactly alike although all are crafted of rustic, barn wood. Eric will make just about any trout and, for what it's worth, he recently completed a steelhead that will literally knock your socks off...If you are interested in obtaining one of these treasures click on the link above for further information, pricing and so forth...

Montana Outdoors: Sheep Hunting, High Roller Style...

$300,000 for a big game tag?

 Yep, true story. And NO, not a typo. Fact is not even a record. While no secret if you want a record book sheep—a good shot at a new world record, Montana is the place. According to biologists there are several potential candidates running around out there right now but 300 grand for a tag? Sorry pal, but to my way of thinking there is something way wrong when fat cats are allowed to buy record book heads; while only way the rest of get the chance...well, the odds of drawing rank right up there with hitting the ol' lottery.

According to an Associated Press article: 

A New York man has paid $300,000 for a license to hunt bighorn sheep in Montana this fall.

The Great Falls Tribune reports that the special auction license was bought last month by James Hens of East Bern, N.Y., at the Wild Sheep Foundation convention in Reno, Nev.

With the license, Hens will be able to take a bighorn in any Montana sheep hunting district this fall.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commission authorizes several groups to auction big-game tags. 

The groups get 10 percent of the money and the rest goes to FWP for research and habitat improvement for the species. (OK, there is some good comes of this for the folks but still don't make it right...in my humble opinion anyways.)

The most ever paid for a bighorn sheep tag was $310,000 in 1994.

I’ve met some members of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep and to call them wealthy would be a gross understatement. Sorry…I know... You already figured that out for yourselves…Right! Anyway this is giving me a headache so…