March 20, 2009

Last Monday, my wife Raluca looked at the weather forecast and noticed Friday was predicted to be nearly 60 degrees. She asked if I would take her fishing...I'm a lucky man.

So on Friday myself, GTO guide Nate Anderson and Raluca spent six hours fishing the Yellowstone.

The water was a bit off-color, but it did not take long for Raluca to hook up on a mid-sized brown.

If you happen to fish with me this summer you may hear, "You've got to catch a trout here...even my pregnant wife caught one out of here."

The thing about fishing with Raluca is after she catches her first fish, she looses interest. I guess she feels she has proven her point.

The weather was perfect so she could relax and sun her bulging 5-month belly, while Nate and I tore up the fishing.

Nate caught these good bow on a rubber legged stone in a slow deep run. I don't think too many folks had fished this particular spot since you had to slide down some shallow water to get to it and then back-row out the same way.

I was again reminded that my Ro Skiff kicks ass. Gliding from spot to spot effortlessly.

While in the little run, which tumbled off a rip rap outcropping, Nate landed a few more fish. The run eddied left and slowed down. There was a submerged pile of beaver clippings and Nate -as patient of fisherman as I've met- worked the edge of the brush pile until he was hammered by this nice brown.

After a hard fight the fish came in to the net for a nice release.

We found fish easily most of the day. The majority were still in winter lies, although Raluca did stick another brown in a shallow tail out. Even I got into the act.

There were a few other boats on the river. I think it is one of the more popular spring floats since the legendary spring creeks dump into the river on this stretch - making it a great place to catch prespawn rainbows. Here is a feeder stream dumping into the Yellowstone. Nate was yanked by a fish, but didn't connect.

It was a grand float on the first day of spring.

On Saturday, I passed up the chance to fish with GTO guide Mark Bolton and his friend Tunny. They had a productive day as well. Mark caught a nice 22 inch brown. But alas, no camera. He said it was "all mouth but very skinny". All and all, it seems the browns are skinny now and the rainbows look great.

At the takeout, while Nate and Raluca ran the shuttle, I happen to run into the Savards, friends of mine from New Hampshire. They had stopped to walk their dogs by the river on their way through to Rock Creek. The fishing world is a small world. As it turns out, I should have had someone walk Stew my 15-year-old Lab. He left us a mess when we got home.

March 13, Waiting for the snow to melt

Although it is getting warmer, we are waiting for the snow to melt a little before getting back on the river. Good day to tie bugs.

March 7, Bitteroot River

As if I had not had enough punishment fishing in cold weather, I decided to fish the Bitteroot wityh my friend Scott, owner of Go Fetch in Missoula. Matt and Caroline came along with their two-month old daughter Molly. I hooked two nice fish in a side channel and lost them both.

Matt with baby up front.

Casting to a pocket.

Crossing the Channel. Caroline was a little worried Matt might slip with Molly.



In one run, Scott jumped right in front of me and caught this fish.


Great fun for an hour of fishing!

Meanwhile back at the ranch.... Nate and his friend Mark (pictured below), stick a bunch of fish on the Lower Madison.

March 6, Clark Fork River

I was in Missoula this weekend for a surprise 40th birthday party for my friend Drew Miller, guide and outfitter for the Grizzly Hackle. While I was there I hooked up with John Herzer of Blackfoot River Outfitters for a few hours of cold fishing on the Clark Fork behind his house.

His 4-year-old son Dawson accompanied us on our trek. All and all we fished for about an hour and a half with no luck. I caught one white fish and John had a rainbow jump and throw the line. Dawson was a trooper casting his fly rod, mending the line and throwing a stick for his lab. It was great to visit with good friends. It never topped 29 degrees. Too cold for fish.

Meanwhile back at the ranch......Guide Nate Anderson spent a few hours on the Gallatin River catching a few fish including this Brown .

Winter Fishing March 4

Yesterday, myself and one of my guides, Mark Bolton, decided we would venture down to the Yellowstone for a few hours. All told we fished for about two hours.

Midging was strong with a few rising fish in foam holes along a rip rap bank. We began fishing at 1 p.m. I started with a nymph rig with lead shot. As soon as I got to the river fish were rising in the foam. I'm stubborn. So I fished the setup which drifted in an eddy about four feet under the fish. I snagged on a rock and broke off. I decided to go with a 16 soft hackle pheasant tail and a 18 black midge with silver wire below it. I used no weight and strung the indicator at 1 foot above the top fly.

I immediately hooked up and landed a small rainbow about 12 inches. I hooked another one and lost it.

I could see Mark casting to a foam hole that had two fish rising in it. I hear him hoot

and could see he was hooked up with what looked like a nice fish. the fish decided to take him out into the current. He followed it down stream where the fish wrapped his line around a boulder and broke off.

He gave a few choice words.

He retied with a similar rig as I had and proceeded to catch the other fish. He kept it out of the current this time. It wasn't nearly the fish the first one was.

I worked down river and caught three more rainbows.

We decided to move to another spot before an incoming storm caught up to us. I caught four more trout in a nice slow run. At about 3:30 the White fish bite started and I landed nine in quick secessions, but only one more trout. You could feel the temp drop. When I left my house the temperature was 47 degrees, but by the time we finished fishing it had reached 30. Mark caught another trout and then the sky opened up and we were pelted with snow. This morning we had six inches of new snow.