Good Fishn' in Montana

Post Thanksgiving Gluttony

2011-12-23T18:25:00.001-07:00

My fishing buddy Donn and I were sitting on the couch adjusting our belts to allow room for a unbelievable Thanksgiving feast to settle. Inevitably the conversation switched to upcoming fishing opportunities. Late fall and the winter months are when I get to do most of my fishing. From March to late October I'm so busy guiding and running the shop, I rarely fish more than a couple times a month. Anytime the weather is halfway decent in the winter I hit the river. We quickly checked the forecast and saw that the Monday after Thanksgiving was promising; forecasted temperatures in the mid 50's and partly cloudy. All that was left to do was sit back, digest and hope the weatherman got it right.

I walked outside that Monday and it felt as though the weatherman rolled the right dice. There are firsts for everything! The overnight lows had only dipped to 35º and the mercury was rapidly rising to the predicted mid 50's. Perfect for some late fall fishing. Hell, I was sure we'd even have some dry fly opportunities. To say the least, from mid-November to late February the dry fly action is spotty. We're mostly relegated to watching a bobber or maybe an eat or two a day on a streamer. At the boat ramp I didn't notice any bugs yet so we rigged a nymph rig and a streamer rod. What was VERY noticeable, was the lack of other anglers. If you are brave enough to face winter fishing conditions the biggest reward is having the river to yourself. No sooner had we gone 400 yards from the boat ramp when my rod was doubled over. The 18" hybrid had succumb to a stonefly nymph. Even though the water temps were hovering in the upper 30's, the buck gave a great fight. He even tried to go airborne but only was only able to clear half his body from the surface. As we moved down the river we brought a few more up on nymphs. On one of my favorite runs, in that particular stretch, we were treated to 5 fish on dries. Even though that is incredible in itself for the time of year, this is not the focus of the story.

Donn's 24" monster...take not of the shoreline in the
background

After being satisfied by catching some fish on dries, Donn immediately turned to the streamer rod. He refuses to nymph and will only throw streamers in the winter. They aren't nearly as productive as a nymphs, but there's always that opportunity for a trophy. He fishes streamers in the Kelly Galloup fashion; type 3 sinking line and light, articulated patterns. We covered several miles of water without even a chase. However, we did have a few false hookup's on rocks and sticks. We entered a long, deep run and suddenly Donn's rod doubled over. For an instant I thought he had caught another rock. Fortunately, I was proven wrong as the rod bounced and line peeled off his reel. Immediately I knew we had a VERY special fish. As we began to fight it everything slowed down and became very quite. At first the fish put his head down and bulldogged Donn. This is the moment when fishing from a boat becomes a team sport. If I were to let the boat be pulled down river by the current too much line would come off the reel. This would make it extremely difficult for him (or any angler) to control the fish and also a good chance of losing it. I struggled to hold the boat stationary as the fish held its ground (or I should say water). After a what seemed like an eternity, Donn was able to turn the fish's head and we slowly headed downstream. As he fought to gain line he applied opposite pressure to the fish. This is crucial in battling big fish. If the fish heads right you need to pull left with the rod, and vice versa. After about 200 yards, I spotted a soft inside run perfect for landing a fish. Although we both knew it was a monster neither Donn nor I, at this point, had seen the fish. As I eased into the softer water the fish was still about 20 feet upstream of us. Before he could coax the fish any closer, with a thunderous report, my oar blade hit the bottom. The fish although tiring, in a blink of an eye, rocketed out of the shallows and shot 100 feet upstream. With line screaming off his reel I pulled on the oars as hard as possible. Not only did I need to get the boat out off the bank, but as far upstream as possible. As soon as I got the boat in motion the wily beast spun 180º and charged downstream. I looked up at Donn's rod to see nothing; no bend and only slack, piled up line. As the fish raced past us, I got a good look at just how big it was. I felt like Sgt. Brody in the movie Jaws when the shark swims alongside the boat. With all the slack line I was sure it would be the last time I would see this particular fish. Fortunately, the fish gods were smiling. After what seemed like a lifetime Donn regained pressure on the beast. I quickly spun the bow of the boat downstream and began furiously oaring. We fought the fish for another 200 yards until I spotted another soft inside run. After some very tense moments, including when the fish swam completely under the boat while it was beached, we finally had the 24", 5 plus pound male brown trout in the net. On the Bitterroot River, this fish was, and still is, one of the biggest trout that has graced my net. I have seen bigger fish but they always have found a way to escape the net. My personal best is 23". On shore we relived the battle over a few celebratory beers . A great story for sure, but this only two-thirds of the journey.

Notice anything familiar in the background shoreline? I'm
standing in the EXACT same spot Donn was the week
before!

Fast forward six days. We saw another weather window open and decided to float the same section. The fishing was good, but not as productive as the week before. We nymphed up a few but none on dries. About a mile upstream from where Donn had caught his beast, I switched over to the streamer rod. It just so happened to have the same streamer attached as six days prior. As we entered the run where we caught the brown, I was just about to say, "There is no way I'm gonna catch a fish, let alone your brownie". But before I could say anything, the rod was nearly yanked from my hand! I looked at him in utter disbelief. I said, "There's NO WAY this is your fish." Just then the fish turned downstream as my reel screamed to life. In an instant, 75 feet of line had been peeled off. It was deja vu all over again. Like I did the week before, Donn eased the boat into the first patch of soft water. However, instead of holding it's ground, this fish decided to continue running downstream. Donn was quick to get us back in the current and we were off to the races. He soon caught up and we began looking at the next, very familiar, soft inside to land the fish. At this point we both saw the fish and knew it wasn't the same brown trout. Although, it was a very nice fish. After beaching the boat in the EXACT same spot we were six days prior, a beautiful 20" hybrid male came to the net. In all my years of guiding and fishing the Bitterroot River, I have NEVER seen two fish over 20" come out of the same run, with the same exact fly, and landed in the same EXACT spot. We marveled over what had just happened over several beers, each tasting better than the one before. Before leaving we named the run "Twenty or Better". Neither of us fished the rest of the way to the take out. However, we did laugh and marvel at our luck the whole way home.

Heed the Warnings!

2011-07-01T13:55:00.001-06:00

Fourth of July weekend is now upon us and the rivers continue to rage. The Westfork and the main stem of the Bitterroot River are both flowing over 3 times higher than normal. There have been 2 fatalities in as many weeks; one yesterday on the Locsha River (here is the newspaper article link) http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_1b2815da-a324-11e0-acd8-001cc4c002e0.html and one on the Big Hole. They still haven't found the body of the guy on the Big Hole. The forecast is for temps in the mid 80's to low 90's. There will be a huge temptation to venture out on the river. BE SMART AND NOT A STATISTIC!!!!!

High Water & Big Decisions

2011-06-25T23:30:00.001-06:00

Life is measured by making right or wrong decisions in crucial times. One right decision can lead to a positive turning point in life and vice versa. For me, June has been a month of making some very hard calls. The Bitterroot River has been flowing at unprecedented levels all month. It was past flood stage two weeks ago and has now resurged to flood stage this week. Those of us who spend hundreds of days on this river each year have been predicting a big runoff, but no one thought it would be this prolonged. Even years with higher than normal snow pack, we are usually fishing by now. It is not just Montana that is shattering records for river flows. It seems every river in the country is swollen beyond its banks with no end in sight.

Woodside Bridge Parking lot @ flood stage June 2011

I started taking reservations for fishing trips in January. Like most years, they were primarily for the famed salmonfly hatch. I am always very leery of booking reservations anytime before the second week of June. Typically, even on big snow pack years, the third week of June is prime time. Not this year. I, and every other responsible outfitter, have cancelled all the days in June and may have to cancel trips into the first week in July because of high and dangerous river conditions. Many outfitters, including myself, have taken a huge economic hit in the last few weeks, but the cost could be much higher. When the Bitterroot River and the Westfork are flowing this high, not only is there no soft water to fish, but they become a playground for the grim reaper. Any guide/outfitter's NUMBER ONE responsibility is the safety of the client. When I am on the oars on a river I have two other lives in my hands. Getting my clients on fish comes second. I know an outfitter, who is reckless enough to be taking clients out in the last several weeks. He has placed the value of a few hundred dollars over his client’s life. When the Bitterroot River flows first peaked at flood stage a few weeks ago he had four boats "guiding" (more like surviving) on the water. After being told he had to guide for the day, one of the outfitter's main guides refused to do the trip due to safety concerns. He was immediately fired. At least the guide had the balls to make the right judgment call. Once again this week when the flows peaked at flood stage he had clients on the Westfork. That isn't just reckless, it's plain stupid! Call me old fashioned, but I value lives over a few hundred bucks.

Veteran's Bridge (the bridge formally known as Silver Bridge)
@ flood stage June 2011

A few days ago one of my top guides, a good friend who fishes with me a lot, and I test floated the Westfork. At that time the flows were 1,600 C.F.S (Cubic Feet per Second) @ Painted Rocks Dam and approximately 4,000 C.F.S after Nez Perce Creek. All of us are VERY experienced oarsman and spend at least 200-250 days a year on the river. However, we had never been on the Westfork when the flows were that high. To say upper end of the Westfork (above Nez Perce Creek) was challenging is like saying surfing triple overhead waves is a challenge. This part of the Westfork is littered with snags, sweepers and strainers. Any false move here and you are dead for sure. Once we got below Nez Perce Creek the flows jumped to 4,000 C.F.S. or more-then the water gets squeezed into the canyon. Where there were once rocks exposed a few feet, on normal high flows, there were now standing 6 foot waves! We were quickly in survival mode. Ever corner the person on the oars had to set up for at least 300 yards in advance. If your hands slipped off the oar, the oar hit a rock and popped out of the oarlock or the boat hit something underwater that was unseen.......game over! After the day was over, all three of us agreed that we were scared in the canyon. Not deer in the headlights, panic mode scared, but the feeling you get in your stomach knowing that one tiny mistake would be our last. If someone accidentally fell into the water there would be nothing that could be done. I don't care if you have a life jacket on and could swim like Michael Phelps; death would be inevitable. There would no rescue only body recovery.

The view looking north from Victor Crossing Bridge @ flood
stage June 2011

So here we sit with the water continuing to rage with no end in sight for the near future. I don't like sounding like a Debbie Downer but the threat of a fatality on the Bitterroot River in the upcoming weeks is a grim reality. There has already been a fatality on the Yellowstone River, the Lochsa River in Idaho and just two days ago one on the Big Hole River. July 4th weekend is right around the corner and I'm hoping for snow. At least it will keep everyone off the river. When alcohol, high water and people being on the river that shouldn't be are mixed, it becomes a death cocktail. Please use good judgment out there. The river and fish will still be there in a couple of weeks when it is safe. DON'T BECOME ANOTHER STATISTIC!!!!!

The War on Brown Trout

2011-05-09T14:02:00.001-06:00

I know, I know, it has been a long time since I have posted a blog. I apologize but it has been a crazy and very busy spring. I guided more days this skwala season than any other. To everyone who came out, I thank you for making it my best early season yet. There were some really good days of fishing this spring, despite the crazy weather. There were some big fish landed, and as always, some very big fish that got away; that's fishn'. Before I go into battle stories of guiding and fishing, I would like to rant about an issue that has recently surfaced.

20" Beaverhead River brown; Approx age 18 years

Apparently, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) thinks there are too many big fish in the Montana's streams and rivers. They are proposing increasing the kill limits on brown trout for the 2012 season. Of course, I can't find out exactly how many brown trout will be allowed to be killed each day. Before I go into my rant I want to give you some facts on how FWP has mismanaged some of our local fisheries. I'm not trying to demonize FWP, they do some great work. However, they have dropped the ball on several occasions and like any governmental agency they need citizen oversight and input.

In 1984 FWP introduced mysis shrimp into Flathead Lake to "increase food supply" for the Kokanee salmon. However, the salmon eat plankton. Mysis shrimp also eat plankton and have out-completed the salmon. The salmon fishery has all but vanished!
In 1985 FWP decided there were too many large RAINBOWS in the Big Horn River and increased the harvest limits. The very next year the damage was evident and the Big Horn turned into a brown trout fishery. Since then, rainbow populations have recovered but more large brown trout prevail due to FWP's war on rainbows. Ironic, isn't it?
In the late 1980's Rock Creek made an unprecedented comeback and boasted over 4,000 fish per mile. FWP immediately increased the kill limits on Rock Creek and in just a few short years the fish population crashes to less than 2,000 per mile.
In late summer of 2008 the Bitterroot River water temperature levels were spiking well over 70° just below Hannon Memorial. Several outfitters/guides noticed a die-off of whitefish and large cutthroat trout (the native fish FWP is trying to protect) and contacted the local FWP fisheries biologist. His comment was that the water couldn't be that warm because the USGS online sites were reporting cooler temperatures. It turned out that the USGS gauge was broken and after several weeks water was finally released out of Painted Rocks dam, thereby cooling off the river.

Les Vance with a 22" brown trout; Approx. age 20 years old

FWP insists that brown trout are now out-competing the Westslope cutthroat and bull trout. Because of this they want to increase the kill numbers on brown trout WITHOUT any size restrictions. Currently, you are only allowed to kill 3 fish per day and only 1 can exceed 14 inches. This is because once fish start reaching 14 inches they become sexually mature and you will start killing the breeding stock. No fish with a slash under its jaw, aka a cutthroat, may be killed. One of my main objections to the new proposal is a zero slot limit. Large brown trout (over 20 inches) are very old fish. Unlike cutthroat and rainbows, who only live 7-8 years at a maximum, brown trout can live up to 25-27 years. A 24 inch brown trout can be between 20-23 years old, depending on year round food sources and fishing pressure. Given the long life-cycle of the brown trout, how long do you think it will take before the brown trout numbers crash?

Matt Hayes with a 19.5" brown; Approx. age 18 years

As of 2009 tourism revenue totaled $3 BILLION and for the first time in history exceeded all other industries in Montana, including minerals. It has been estimated that the outfitting industry in Montana was worth $140 million in 2009. This number is a little misleading and does not take in account all the other businesses that benefit, i.e. gas stations, restaurants, retail shops, lodging, grocery stores, bars/casinos, etc. I would guess that the true number would be close to a billion dollars. When I guide anglers, they seem to get most excited when they catch a big brown trout. It is no secret that people come to Montana for the chance to catch a large, wild brown trout. Yes, they want to catch other fish but a large brown is the creme de la creme. I can't tell you how many times someone has said, "All I want today is a brown trout over 20 inches." Almost all of the more memorable fish in the last 11 years of guiding came from clients catching large brown trout. If FWP has their way, these days will soon be over.

20" Blackfoot Loch Levin brown trout (very rare); Approx age 18-20 years

Now let's focus on some scientific facts. It is proven that brown trout are the most disease resistant of all the trout. They can block whirling disease on a cellular level. They reinforce their cellular walls, which doesn't allow the whirling disease parasite through. Furthermore, brown trout are the least susceptible to water quality issues. They can live in highly polluted water. There is a reason the Upper Clark Fork and below the Warm Springs tailing ponds (outside of Butte) are predominate brown trout fisheries. Brown trout can also live in waters that have extreme temperature fluctuations. They are the ONLY trout that can live where the water temperatures exceed 70º for extended periods of time. In the days when we are worried about the effects of whirling disease and climate change, remind me why we want to kill the one fish that could save our fisheries?!

Freddy Bensch w/a 23" brown; Aprrox age over 20 yrs

So why the sudden push to start a war on brown trout? Unfortunately this is not a new war; just a new phase. In 1997, FWP proposed a change to the fishing regulations for the 1998-1999 season (which passed but has since been modified). The regulations that were adopted stated that on the Westfork you could kill "up to 3 rainbow or brown trout with NO SIZE LIMIT". Now, over a decade later, they are staging a new front to an old war. The Montana chapter of Trout Unlimited has been in FWP's pocket (literally and figuratively) for decades. One of their collective goals is to restore native fish to Montana's fisheries. This, on the surface, sounds like a noble cause. However, all Montana fisheries are currently managed for wild fish stocks; including the non-native browns and rainbows. I am sure the lobbyists for Montana Trout Unlimited are making a big push to change the current kill limits on brown trout. The simple reason people spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year to fish Montana's world famous trout streams is for the opportunity to catch WILD rainbows, browns and cutthroats. When you think of the more famous trout rivers in Montana places like the Madison, Big Hole, Big Horn, Beaverhead, Missouri and Yellowstone come to mind. What is the major draw for these rivers? It's for the opportunity to catch world-class rainbow and brown trout. There have been a countless number of songs, stories and poems written about these rivers and the large trout that inhabit them. On rivers like the Big Hole, which is mostly a brown trout fishery, the negative impact will be devastating.

So what can you do? GET INVOLVED!!! The "official" comment period for FWP's proposal ended on April 22nd. However, I highly encourage anyone and everyone to either send a letter to FWP Fisheries Bureau PO Box 200701 Helena, MT 59620-0701 or email them a letter http://www.fwp.mt.gov/ and click on the Fishing Page. I would expect FWP to hold some public hearings before any changes are adopted, but you never know. The more pressure on FWP the better. I would also highly encourage you to write letters to the Montana chapter of Trout Unlimited. I also have a petition going in the shop for those who wish to sign their opposition to the War on Brown Trout.

Tweeting like a twit

2011-04-19T08:51:00.000-06:00

Well I finally joined the modern age and set up a twitter account. If you wish to follow it is under ospreyoutfitter http://twitter.com/#!/search/ospreyoutfitter I am guiding the rest of the week. I am also in the process of composing a new post on the current proposal by Montana FWP to increase the kill limit on brown trout. This is outrageous! If, like me, you see this as a war on brown trout please write them a letter voicing your opinion. Look for more to follow.

The Passing of a Good Friend and a Great Man

2011-03-27T16:16:00.008-06:00

Tommy at home by the campfire

It is with an extremely heavy and sad heart with which I write this blog. I just found out that my good friend Tommy Sagen died early this morning. Tommy was a great man and a true Red Belly, a name for a native Montanan and our state fish. You always knew where you stood with Tommy. If he told you he was going to do something, it always got done. He was cut from the cloth of a dying generation, where a hand shake still meant something. Even though I only knew Tommy for the last four years, I had an immediate connection with him.

I will miss these times and only wish I had more of them

I first met Tommy the summer of 2007. He walked in my house with his usual summer attire of cutoff jean shorts and a denim long sleeve shirt, which always had a small empty plastic milk container for his snoose spit. After tipping back a few Captain Morgan and Coke's (Tommy's favorite drink), Tommy asked if I minded if he brought his guitar in to play a few songs. To which I replied, "Hell no! I will pour us a couple more cocktails while you get it." This began my love affair with Tommy Sagan's music. Tommy mostly played all his own music. The lyrics came from his experiences through life. From hunting big game in the Flathead Valley, upland birds on the Highline, fishing for trout and salmon, running trains and the women that broke his heart, Tommy's lyrics were funny, poignant and deep with wisdom. I, and many other people, spent many of nights around a campfire listening to Tommy play his guitar. After a while we all knew his lyrics and he loved it when people would sing with him. Every once in a while we would hear a new song on the radio that we knew Tommy could play. Sure as shit, it would only take him a couple of times for him to listen to it before he could play it. Tommy was an incredibly talented musician. I always threatened to rent a studio so we could get some of his music recorded. I regret not ever doing it now more than ever. Every time I mentioned it to Tommy he was always a little leery. He would say, "I will do it Buddy-boy but I just don't think it would have the same feeling that it does sitting around the campfire." It may not have had the same feeling but his music would have lived on. Now his songs are lost forever. Fortunately, I did film a couple of songs a few years ago. Here are three songs on the following links on Youtube: Tommy singing "More Desire" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9dn0gEk1xg Tommy siging "Red Belly" with help from the crowd http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LUa2CFIh9w and Tommy singing "Turnin' My Wheels" also with help from the crowd http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAtx7QRdoWw

A great man and musician. RIP Tommy Sagan

Tommy wasn't just a good musician he was a kind and generous man. He would literally give you the shirt off his back. That expression gets thrown around a lot. I think it is due to the fact that it never happens much anymore. Tommy and I had many discussions about the demise of morality by the younger generations. Tommy was a man who worked hard and played even harder. Just a few years ago he had retired from the railroad. He was at the point in his life where he was able to enjoy the things he loved most; fishing, hunting and being with friends. Unfortunately that time was cut way too short.

I am sure the music in heaven has gotten much sweeter and more colorful. I picture him sitting around a campfire entertaining the angels. I bet he has even got them singing along with him by now. I will dearly miss his company and songs around my firepit! My you rest in peace Dickhead (Tommy's term of endearment). Save a spot for me around your firepit up there. I love you and goodbye.

Lost Rods!!!

2011-03-19T15:24:00.000-06:00

A good friend of mine lost his two rods on Thursday March 17th while guiding. He was floating Wally Crawford to Angler's Roost and thinks they may have accidentally got kicked out of his boat near the Rennaker Diversion Dam. They are two Temple Fork Outfitters Signature Series 9 foot 5 weight rods with an Okuma & Ross Reels. They are in a two piece case that is tan and has a River Otter Fly Shop logo. If you happen to find them, Emmett would be very grateful if you called him at 406.370.5712 or you can call the shop at 406.363.1000. Thanks for your help on this one.

I am headed out for a couple of days of fishing this week and will report. We have been starting to see some fish willing to eat a dry skwala. It is just starting. It is about two weeks later than usual this year. It will only get better and better everyday.

HB 309

2011-03-07T08:57:00.005-07:00

A hearing is set tomorrow in Helena for HB 309. This bill will potentially change the Montana Stream Access Law and prohibit access to hundreds of miles of water. The time is now to act. If you can't make the hearing, which is taking place at 3:00 p.m. in the Old Supreme Court Chambers (Room 303), in the Capitol Building in Helena, please write a letter any and all Montana Senators (State not Fed). Now is the time to act. Here is a link to find the email addresses http://leg.mt.gov/css/find%20a%20legislator.asp Democracy doesn't begin and end on the first Tuesday of November.

The following is the letter I have sent to many Senators and House Representatives several times:

Dear Senators,

I am writing you this letter in regards to HB 309. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the hearing regarding this bill on March 8th. However, I would like to go on record as being adamantly opposed to this bill. I am a fly shop owner and fishing outfitter in Hamilton . I believe that this bill is not only bad for my business, but for the Montana economy as a whole. Anglers contribute millions of dollars to the Montana economy each year. Most anglers enjoy fishing in Montana due to the stream access laws. If this bill were to pass, it would block access to hundreds of miles of river that was once accessible. The loss of revenue to local economies would be catastrophic. In times like these, we can't afford any more negative economic impacts.

The current Montana Stream Access law is very specific when dealing with ditches. It is very clear that ditches are not part of this law. So why the sudden move to adopt an amendment? Several years ago some wealthy, out of state land owners were ruled against blocking access to Mitchell Slough. Since then, they have made several attempts to appeal but all have failed. Now, it seems they are behind legislation to block access to the slough. However, if this bill passes, it will have huge ramifications throughout the entire state. HB 309 will surely benefit the owners along Mitchell Slough but the costs will be felt by all resident and non-resident anglers. The way this bill is written entire river systems, such as the Bitterroot, Big Hole, Beaverhead, Big Horn to name just a few, could be deemed ditches. Furthermore, many side channels and sloughs would now be off limits. A very bad precedent would be set and there would be no going back.

The Montana Stream Access law is a great piece of legislation that benefits the not only the economy but resident and non-resident anglers. HB 309 is not only reckless; it is an attack on our way of life. If HB 309 is passed, it will start an erosion process that will completely undermine the Stream Access Law. The Montana Stream Access Law already specifically states that no public access is allowed, without permission, on any type of man made "ditch". I strongly object to the following points in HB 309:

1) A live, flowing braid or channel can be defined as a ditch if there is any kind of control structure at the head of the live channel, including 'natural features incorporated into the water conveyance system'

2) Recreational access is available only with landowner's permission on water bodies created at least in part by waters diverted from a natural water body where the diverted water is the principal source of water in the water body - think about low flows in August and September and the many Montana rivers and streams with side channels and braids that have diversion structures on them where return flow could be considered the 'principle source of water' in the river or stream.

I ask you all to carefully consider the costs to this bill. I also urge you to listen to all the citizens and non-residents that have written letters in opposition to this careless piece of legislation.

Good Fishn',

Sean O'Brien
Osprey Outfitters Fly Shop & Guide Service
406.363.1000-Shop
406.381.1004-Cell
www.ospreyoutfittersflyshop.com

The Skwala Hatch on the Bitterroot River

2011-02-17T16:54:00.004-07:00

Now, before you get too excited and start making travel arrangements, the Skwala's aren't out yet. As a matter of fact we have a fresh two inches of snow on the ground. However, the time is nearing and I wanted to talk about what to look for and expect during the hatch. Skwala nymphs, like most stonefly nymphs, live in the middle of the river for almost an entire year. The nymph is classified as a "clinger", meaning they attach themselves to the rocks. They aren’t good swimmers. Stonefly nymphs, as a whole, are very susceptible to variations in water conditions, their diet is mostly comprised of algae and diatoms and they require clean, cold and highly oxygenated water. They can be the proverbial canary in a coal mine for a river.

Skwala nymph photo taken on February 10, 2011

In late winter/early spring Skwala nymphs start their behavioral drift, which is exhibited by most hatching aquatic insects. Typically, there is an environmental trigger that cues an nymph to start emerging; either light cycles, or water temperatures. In the case of the Skwala, it’s when day and night start approaching a 12/12 cycle. When this occurs, the nymphs start their migration to shore in mass. The behavioral drift ensures the survival of the species. If only a few nymphs migrated at a time, they would be easy prey for fish. However, when millions of nymphs are migrating at once throughout the river, i.e. behavioral drift, the fish can't get them all. This is happening right now on the Bitterroot River. I usually start seeing Skwala nymphs in the rocks around the first week of February and this year is no different. The nymphs will congregate close to shore and stack into the rocks until the next environmental trigger.

That next trigger will be water temperature, not light. The magic number is 42º. Skwala adults will start to emerge when the water temperature reaches 40º, but they really get going at 42º. If you don't carry a thermometer, you may want to seriously reconsider. I carry one on the boat and ALWAYS have it in the water. Water temps can tell you a lot about fish and insect behavior. Once I start seeing water temps creeping into the 40's, I will start throwing Skwala dries, even if I don't see adults.

Adult female Skwala taken March 2010

An important side note of the Skwala hatch is you will not see the adults in mass. The female stonefly is the only one to develop wings, however most female Skwala don't fly. If you look closely you’ll see that some have underdeveloped, almost mutated looking wings. Most people I have talked to claim it’s because the Skwala has evolved to emerge when the air temps are quite cool. Instead of flying over the river and dropping their eggs, Skwala females deposit their eggs by crawling back from the bank. Note that even the most observant angler will have a hard time seeing adult Skwala's. On a good day, when the hatch is in full swing, I usually see a dozen at most. However, if you have a thermometer, you will be way ahead of the game.

Nice rainbow taken on a Skwala dry March 2010

The Skwala hatch is no longer a secret on the Bitterroot River. In just the short 11 years that I have been fishing here, the pressure has measurably increased. As a matter of fact, it was the Skwala hatch that originally brought me to the Bitterroot. And why not? During this time of year anglers in other parts of the country have to fish with size 20-24 midges (if they aren’t forced to nymph), while we throw size 8-10 dries! Because of this, don't think you’re going to have the river to yourself. I’m not talking Madison, Big Hole or Bighorn crowds but 6 or more boats in one section is common. Be patient. There is plenty of water out there and everyone is entitled to fish, good etiquette goes a long way. Common courtesy give’s wade fishermen a wide berth and when close to another boat, pull over to put some distance between you. No one likes the feeling of being crowded. That said, the Skwala hatch on the Bitterroot River can offer some of the best fishing of the year. Forty fish days are not rare and some of the biggest fish of the year can be caught on dry flies. The fish are just coming out of winter, are very hungry and are greeted by a steak sized bug floating down the river. This year is shaping up to be another great one. Have fun and come by the shop and show me pictures of the one that didn't get away!

A Change in Montana Stream Access?

2011-02-10T14:19:00.003-07:00

Well "they" are at it again! HB 309 attempts to further define a ditch. The bill has made its way out of committee and has passed the second reading on the Montana House of Representatives floor. The Montana Stream Access Law is very specific in banning any use of a ditch for public access. This bill could prohibit access to waters that are now classified as public. There is no need for this bill and it would only send us down that proverbial slippery slope. I encourage everyone to write your Montana State Representatives. Even if you are not a resident, I encourage you to write to the Speaker of the House. This bill will affect residents and non-residents alike. The following is a link to the Montana House of Representatives http://www.leg.mt.gov/css/house/. It is time to let your voices be heard on this issue! The following two links are an article regarding this issue http://www.krtv.com/news/bill-defining-ditches-called-assault-on-montana-s-stream-access-/ and the bill itself http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2011/billhtml/HB0309.htm.

Wading Safe

2011-02-05T19:57:00.008-07:00

I usually don't wade fish much, I prefer fishing from a boat. However, winter conditions usually dictate that any fishing done during these months, is for a few hours of wading. February 4th was one such day. We had just come out of several days with lows in the single digits, so there was some new ice formed along the banks. My friend Donn and I decided to hit a stretch of water that has become our winter fishing grounds It was a beautiful day; cloudy and temps in the fifties. We had gotten a late start, so we only journeyed about 3/4 of a mile from the truck to a prime spot. This is a classic riffle/run that stretches at least 200 yards. It is a perfect winter run, that is loaded with fish from top to bottom.

The fish I almost paid the ultimate price for

I agreed to start fishing the top of the run, here the riffle plunges into a series of nice deep buckets. Immediately I picked up a nice 17 inch rainbow. A few casts later I laced into the biggest fish I have seen all winter. Fortunately, the fish did not exert its muscle. If it had, I would have been running down the river in pursuit. This fish was so fat that I was struggling to get it in my hand. I don't carry a net when I wade, but I wish I had one then! After about the fourth attempt, I finally had the 20 inch, 3 1/2 pound fish in my grasp. I took a few photos with my phone (both Donn & I forgot our cameras so catching big fish was inevitable) and then released the big hen back to the river. After hearing my whoop and holler, Donn, who was about 100 yards downstream, asked if I had any streamers. Apparently, he had just lost two large browns due to a "dull hook". I walked down gave him a streamer and showed him the photo of the large rainbow I just landed. After sharing some laughs and acknowledgment of how fortunate we are to live in such a great place, I was back up fishing the upper inside of the run.

As I stated earlier, the days prior had been relatively cold and ice had formed along the bank. On this particular run, the ice was several inches thick in the middle of the floe and stretched about 25 feet from the bank. It was not stable enough to walk on, which I don't like to do anyway. Ice scares the shit out of me! The only way we could fish the run was to wade along the outside edge.

I wish I had my real camera for a better photo

Donn had already been though the run and reassured me it was doable. As I began skirting the ice, I knew it was gonna be iffy. I have a rule that I NEVER wade much past my waist when I have on waders. Once you get much beyond your waist, the margin of error becomes extremely small. If something goes wrong and your waders fill with water, it is game over! Donn has come up with an ingenious idea in dealing with this very issue but I am getting ahead of myself. So there I was, skirting the ice as icy water was licking the tops of my waders. I was at the point of no return but, in just a few more steps, I could tell the water would begin to shallow up. It was then that I felt a slow push from behind, the kind you would feel from a surge by a large crowd of people. I started to feel the 35 degree water entering my waders, which was like thousands of tiny cold needles piercing my skin. I tried pushing back, but realized that the ENTIRE ice shelf had separated from the bank. It was moving with slow, deliberate purpose toward the middle of the river; carrying everything in it's path, including me.

This was no small piece of ice that I could simply dodge. The floe easily measured 150 feet long, 25 feet wide and was about four inches thick in the middle. I have no idea how much it weighed, but I would guess several tons, at a minimum! The outside edge, where I was, was very brittle. As I was being pushed toward deeper water, not only was water was entering my waders but I couldn't gain any purchase on the ice. Every time I tried to get on top of it, I would just break though. Things were becoming VERY critical VERY fast. Donn, seeing my dire straights, started coming out toward me. I kept trying to push back against the massive floe because if it ran me over, Donn would be pouring whiskey over my grave in true Irish fashion. Fortunately, when Donn got further out onto the floe, it caused it to crack. The floe started separating between us and creating an escape route. I was initially hesitant to enter the gap. I had visions of being between both floes, only to be squeezed out and forced under. However, water was now pouring in my waders and they were getting extremely heavy. If I took on much more water it wouldn't have mattered if I was pushed under the floe, I was headed to the bottom anyway! I shot into the gap and Donn was able to help me scramble onto the thicker section of ice. Donn grabbed my rod, which I threw on the floe when things started going awry, and we got the hell outta there.

Many things could have gone the other way that day but didn't. However, I should not have been in the situation in the first place. I broke my one main rule of wade fishing with waders; I went well above my waistline. I don't care how strong you are or how good of shape you are in, once you get much beyond your waistline, you are setting yourself up for disaster. I got lucky the other day, but will credit myself for a few things. First of all, I didn't panic. If you panic in heavy situations, it will be your last! Secondly, when things started going bad, I didn't hesitate to ditch my rod. I was using a R.L. Winston with a Ross Vexsis Reel; a thousand dollar setup. So many accounts of people drowning in the river include, "The last time we saw him, he was headed down river with his rod in his hand." Is your favorite rod and reel really worth your life?! Things can ALWAYS be replaced, life can't! Lastly, and most important, if Donn were not there I would not be writing this. It is always good common sense (it should be called "uncommon sense" because common sense is not so common) to practice the buddy system. When things go bad, it is good to have someone come to your aid.

I mentioned earlier that Donn has come up with an ingenious idea to help in situations such as these. It is no secret that waders are extremely dangerous. Every year, anglers are pulled to their death due to their waders filling with water. Wading belts only offer a false sense of security as it will not stop the waders from filling. However, after Donn had his own life threatening situation, (see his story http://wadesafe.blogspot.com), he began to develop WADESAFE Wader Technology. He has created a patent pending design to completely evacuate the water from the waders. I have helped with the field tests of these waders and can attest to their effectiveness. The day will soon come when every pair of waders will incorporate Donn's technology. The following is the link for WADESAFE's website http://wadesafe.com. When I got back on the bank after my ordeal, I told Donn that I sure wished I had a pair of WADESAFE waders! In the mean time, be careful out there and wade safely.

A Follow Up on Bank Stabilization Work Downstream of Tucker Crossing

2011-01-28T09:07:00.001-07:00

For those of you who follow my blog, you know that I wrote a series of somewhat contentious posts last spring concerning bank stabilization work that was done downstream from Tucker Crossing. This series of blogs elicited everything from praises to threats against me and my business. My biggest concern regarding this project was not just the timing, but also the siltation it created, the loss of aquatic life and the lasting effect of the work itself.

I believe that the biggest threat to the Bitterroot watershed is rip-rapping the stream side banks for stabilization. Not only does this channelize the river, it creates erosion downstream (See previous posts). However, when Wildland Hydrology took on the project below Tucker Crossing, they had a completely different approach to bank stabilization. Instead of placing large rocks along the bank, they proposed a more natural bank by driving logs (toe wood) deep into the bank, folding large areas of sand and soil over the top of the logs and planting willow and alder in the sod mats. This is a very simplified explanation of their complex project. To my knowledge, this project was the first of it's kind on the Bitterroot River and everyone in the fishing community was eager to see the results.

Recently, I have attended some Bitterroot Conservation District (BCD) meetings. The BCD is the agency responsible for issuing 310 permits. The BCD is comprised of local citizens, most of whom have been born and raised in the Bitterroot and from varied backgrounds. Chris Clancy, Fisheries Biologist for Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks, is not on the board but acts as an advisor to the board. Also, Jack Mauer, a longtime fly fishing outfitter in the Bitterroot, attends almost every meeting and provides input to the board concerning anglers and outfitters. In order to do ANY type of work in the floodplain a 310 permit must be issued first. When I say floodplain, I mean all the area on the streambed that is below the high water line. Typically, that mark is defined as where terrestrial vegetation begins. 310 permits are not required for any work above the high water line. This requires a county floodplain permit, which is issued by Ravalli County. The first meeting I attended was akin to walking into the lions den. In previous posts, I have had some choice words regarding Mr. Clancy and the BCD. However, I have been treated with respect by not only Mr. Clancy, but all the members of the BCD. I plan to attend as many meetings as possible because they are very informative with regards to any projects occurring or set to occur on the Bitterroot River.

It was at the latest meeting (January 25, 2011) that the Annual Maintenance Report was released on the bank stabilization work done downstream of Tucker Crossing. Wildland Hydrology is contracted to maintain their work for five years after the date of completion. If any of their work is damaged by the natural process of the river, they are required to fix the damage. The spring of 2010 was a large runoff event and was a great first test for their work. According to Wildland Hydrology's report, the total loss of "toe wood" for the entire project was 3%. The entire project is comprised of three separate sites; Site #1 The Bucholz Project consisted of 1500 lineal feet of work; Site #2 The Hanson Project consisted of 1,700 lineal feet; Site #3 The Double Fork consisted of 250 lineal feet. The Hanson project lost 80 feet of toe wood after runoff (the largest amount of the three) and the Double Fork lost just 30 feet. There was no loss of toe wood on the Bucholz project. Wildland Hydrology credited the zero loss on the Bucholz project to the fact that the homeowner used sprinklers in the summer months; thereby increasing the growth rate of the willow and alder. Furthermore, the photo evidence seems to suggest that the toe wood structure, on all the projects, created lower velocity of flows of the river near the banks. Instead of the river slamming into the bank, a seam was created a few feet off the bank. According to the report, this aided in the deposition of sand and sediment behind the toe wood structures. The photos further indicated that after the flood water receded, there were cottonwood seedlings sprouting behind the structures. In all the projects, there was no further terrace bank erosion; also credited to the toe wood structures.

Wildland Hydrology has painted a rather positive picture of their own project and it seems to have been successful, after the first year. However, my concern is how well it will stand the test of time. The true test will come in the next 3-6 years and if we continue to have large runoff events. This years snow pack is currently well over 100% and we are slated for a large runoff. It will be interesting to see how this project performs. I hope that it will be successful. If so, it should only encourage other landowners to do this type of bank stabilization instead of traditional and harmful rip-rap.

Proposed Felt Ban in Montana

2011-01-07T20:17:00.005-07:00

I have been informed that there is legislation afoot (no pun intended!) to ban felt soled wading boots by our "esteemed" Senator Ron Erickson, a Democrat from Missoula (see the link below). Rubber soled boots are not the cure-all to invasive species. I believe rubber soles will only aid in spreading invasives because anglers will be lulled into a false sense of security. Furthermore, rubber soled wading boots pose a serious safety concern. You can view my opinion on rubber soled wading boots in a previous blog entitled "To Felt of Not to Felt".

I encourage everyone to write a opposition letter to the Montana Senate. If you are a Montana resident please send/email a letter to your senator. If not, please send/email a letter to the following below. I have sent an email to my senator, Sen. Bob Lake, R-Hamilton, as well as all the senators listed below. It is my job to inform you. Now do your job to be proactive!

President of the Senate: Jim Peterson (R-Buffalo) jimpetersonranch@gmail.com

President Pro Tempore: Bruce Tutvedt (R-Kalispell) tutvedt@montanasky.us

Majority Leader: Jeff Essman (R-Billings) jessmann@mt.gov

Majority Whips: Taylor Brown (R-Huntley) taylor@northernbroadcasting.com
Chas Vincent (R-Libby) cvvincent@hotmail.com

Minority Leader: Carol Williams (D-Missoula) cwilliams@montanadsl.net

Minority Whip: Kim Gillian (D-Billings) glonky@aol.com

Link to the proposed bill: http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2011/lchtml/LC1760.htm

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas to all and may 2011 bring plenty of water, endless blanket hatches and a abundance of 20+ inch trout rising to your fly!

Milltown Dam Removal

2010-12-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

Another milestone in the removal of the Milltown Dam was achieved this week when the Clark's Fork River was re-diverted to its original channel. In 2006, the Clark's Fork was diverted into a man-made channel to begin the process of removing approximately 2.2 million cubic yards toxic sediment. The toxic sediment was loaded onto train cars and shipped to the ARCO-BP repository near Opportunity, MT. The last load was hauled away in 2009. Although 2.2 million cubic yards of toxic sediment were removed, there was an estimated total of 6.2 million cubic yards of sediment on sight. The obvious question arises, what happened to the excess 4 million yards of sediment?

In recent years, the removal of dams have become a rallying cry for river coalitions around the country. The removal of Milltown Dam was on the front lines of this battle. In 2008, the Milltown Dam was breached and for the first time in over a century the Clark's Fork river flowed freely. However, when the dam was breached, it released more sediment than any other dam removal in U.S. history. A study done by the University of Montana in 2008 found that sediments containing arsenic and copper were not only being deposited 50 kilometers further downstream but at 3 to 5 times the concentration than pre-breached levels. It has been reported, that some of the sediment has traveled 100 miles downstream and settled behind the Thompson Falls Dam. It became apparent during the fishing season of 2008 that the removal of the dam would have some drastically negative effects to the fishery. Over the last few years, the mayfly hatches on the Clark's Fork have been a mere shadow of years past. The Trico hatch, which once came off in blizzards, is now almost non-existent. The same can be said for the Baetis. Furthermore, where there once was clean cobblestone and pea-sized gravel, there are now sand bars of silt. Another unintended consequence, was the fact that behind the Milltown Dam resided a very large population of Northern Pike. There was always a population of pike below the dam, but since the removal of the dam the amount and size of pike being caught have both increased. The fall in productivity of the Clark's Fork has also led to increased pressure on the Bitterroot River. More and more Missoula anglers are fishing the Bitterroot while the Clark's Fork heals.

In 2009, Gov. Brian Schweitzer was one of the first and only people to float and fish the unobstructed Clark's Fork and Blackfoot intersection (the section remains closed to floating). During that trip, it was reported that Gov. Schweitzer caught a 17" inch Westslope Cutthroat (According to the most recent article in the Missoulian newspaper, the fish story had grown and he allegedly caught a 22 incher. I guess the governor is a true fisherman!) The Milltown Dam project has been heralded as a environmental success story. There is no question, that in the long-term, the removal of the dam will only benefit trout populations, not only on the Clark's Fork, but also the Blackfoot, the Little Blackfoot and all the tributaries located upstream of the old dam site. FWP has already reported higher fish concentrations upstream of the old dam site. However, the negative effects on the Clark's Fork downstream of the old dam site will be felt for years to come. Will the fishery ever truly recover? Only time will tell.

How to Hold a Fish

2010-12-13T16:13:00.001-07:00

I see it happen all the time. A client presents the fly right, sets the hook and lands a trophy fish to perfection. Then, when they want to memorialize the moment, they botch the hold of the fish and get a lousy photo. It may seem a trivial subject, but doesn't everyone want a great photo of the trophy they spent countless hours trying to catch? Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to hold a fish to get that image. There are other important factors, such as the fish's health and safety to consider as well.

A 22" Brown held the wrong way

The most common mistake people make holding a fish for a photo is they get their hands in the way. When they lift the fish up, their hands are covering it and facing the camera. To capture a good fish image, you want as little of your hands exposed as possible. This is achieved by a few simple steps. After the fish is in the net and the hook is removed, let it rest for awhile and get its' breath. Then, gently turn the fish completely upside down. This will put the fish into a semi-catatonic state and it will be less likely to go wild when you pick it up. Now, slide your hands along its side closest to you and put your fingers under its belly and pick the fish up. Now, the less you squeeze it, the less likely it is to go crazy and the less likely you are to harm it (more on that later). To get a good photo, you will want to bring the fish up to your chest. Try not to be tempted to hold the fish as far as you can from your body. This is an old trick to make the fish look bigger than it really is. If you are taking a photo of a trophy fish, the photo (as long as it is taken properly) will do the fish justice without any trickery. I usually try to keep my arms bent and the fish as close to my body as possible. Also, make sure a net is under the fish while you are taking the photo. If the fish does flop, it will fall safely back in the net. This, not only saves the fish from getting away in an untimely fashion, but also prevents it from landing on the ground, rocks or the bottom of the boat.

The same fish held the right way

Now that we have got the logistics of a good photo out of the way, there are some safety concerns that should be addressed before you handle of a fish. Fish have a slime coating on their skin that protects them from parasites and diseases. Most guides use rubber nets instead of the old mesh ones. This is due to the fact that the rubber nets are much less likely to remove the slime coating. Also, if you are planning on handling a fish you MUST first get your hands wet. If you handle a fish with dry hands, you will remove some of this slime coating. The more slime coating the fish loses, the more likely it will contract a skin borne disease or parasite. Once you have the fish calmed down (in a catatonic state), lightly cradle the fish in your hands and avoid putting a death squeeze on the fish. Fish live in a very low gravity environment and their body structure cannot handle a lot of outside pressure. Gently lift the fish up, snap a photo and place it back into the net and water. I tell my clients that the fish can be out of the water as long as you can hold your breath. Once you can no longer hold your breath, the fish goes back in the water to catch its breath. Larger fish are more susceptible to oxygen deprivation, so it is best not to keep them out of the water for long periods. Once you have your photo, place the fish back in the net and let them recover before releasing. A fish uses the dissolved oxygen in the water to release the lactic acid out of its muscles that is built up from the fight. If the water temps are in the upper 60's, it is probably best you do not take the fish out of the water or handle it. As the water temperature goes up the amount of dissolved oxygen goes down. During these times, handling and removing the fish from the water could be too much for the fish to recover, especially for the larger fish. When reviving a fish, simply face the fish upstream so the water flows through its gills. When it is ready, it will swim off. DO NOT rock the fish back and forth. This will force water through the back of its gills and can potentially suffocate the fish. Everyone, including me, wants a great photo of that one that didn't get away. If you follow these easy steps you should have that shot and the fish will live to fight another day.

To Felt or Not to Felt

2010-10-12T14:36:00.000-06:00

There is currently a strong movement across the entire country to ban felt soled wading boots. I would like to pose the questions at what cost and for what real results? Invasive species, such as Eurasian watermilfoil, hyrdrilla, New Zealand mud snail, zebra mussels, didymo, whirling disease, etc., are all real threats to a lot of North American fisheries. Recently, the move to rubber soled wading boots has been touted as the savior for the spread of invasive species. There is one company, Redington, that boldly, and falsely, claims in their catalogue that their rubber soles are "the cure" for spreading invasive species. I believe there are some fundamental flaws in the argument to completely ban felt.

The most glaring and obvious misconception, is that people will be now lulled into a false sense of security that the new "Eco Rubber" will completely stop the spread of invasive species. These invaders do not just get transferred on the soles of angler's boots. They also hitchhike on their shoe laces, gravel guard cuffs, the waders themselves, nets, boats and bilge water. Regardless if your boot soles are made of felt or rubber, the disinfection process is the same. You must either freeze them solid, or scrub them with a 20% bleach solution and then let them COMPLETELY dry out. This must also be done for any other item that has been in a river before going to another. So, if you must disinfect rubber the same as you would felt, why the sudden rush to ban felt? Most Americans want to do the right thing but are too lazy to take the steps needed to actually do it. We are quick to pull the trigger on an emotional hot button and want to find a fast fix. However, most of the time the quick fix ends up being more harm that good.

Furthermore, I believe that the new rubber soled boots pose a serious risk to the angler. It is no mystery that the new rubber does not grip half as well as felt. Some companies are touting their rubber as being as sure footed as felt. I call bullshit! There is no rubber technology, that I have seen, that can grip even close to felt. It is only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or killed because their new rubber soled boots didn't grip a crucial rock. All the wading boot companies know of this problem and will tell you that to put studs in the sole. Since when have steel and rock meshed well together? Maybe if you were headed to do some ice fishing or ice climbing, studs would be ideal. However, people who fly fish are wading across slippery, algae coated rocks. Every client I quizzed this season about their new rubber soles (both with and without studs), ALL said the variations of the same thing; "They are horrible!" or "I have almost busted my ass several times!" or "Where can I get felt soled boots?". Unfortunately, most all wader companies are drinking the rubber sole Kool-Aid and phasing out or drastically reducing their felt products-Simms sells zero felt soles, Patagonia currently stills sells one model, Dan Bailey's no longer offers their top of the line Yellowstone Guide boot in felt only their Adventurer model and Korkers offers a felt sole insert on their boots, wading sandals and shoes that must be purchased separately. Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time until felt goes the way of the dinosaur.

So what is the answer to the spread of invasive species? WASH YOUR EQUIPMENT AND LET COMPLETELY DRY! Like I mentioned above, you can also completely freeze your gear solid. I actually did this for two clients who fished with me this summer. I took their stuff to my chest freezer and the next day they had a frozen block of fishing gear free of didymo and whirling disease. If we are going to stop or curtail the spread of invasive species, it is not going to be because we wear rubber soled boots. It is going to take EVERY angler to be vigilant on cleaning their gear. Unfortunately, we all know that not everyone will be vigilant. By the way, are you going to wash every duck's ass and feet when it leaves here and heads south?

Three September Stories

2010-09-30T09:02:00.000-06:00

Well, where to begin.............I guess the best place is the time I had the privilege to guide a good lad from the Old Country, Kevin. Kevin was visiting from Georgia and part of a very large group of clients that fish with me at least twice a year. These guys are all beer and alcohol distributors in Atlanta; you can just imagine the debauchery that goes on while they are here! I had the pleasure of guiding Kevin on the second day of the trip. I mention this only because the night before we both drank like the true Irishmen we are. It is not often that I get to tip a few, and a few more, back with someone from the Old Country so I took full advantage of the situation. Needless to say, when I picked up the boys up in the morning, there were a few cobwebs in all our heads. Anyway, Kevin is brand new to fly fishing and he was having the common problem of using his wrist to cast. When a person tries to use their wrist to cast, they end up bringing the rod way too far back on the back cast and they cannot shoot the line. It got so bad, that I had to shackle Kevin to the fly rod by using a bandanna. Now I hate to shackle any Irishmen, but doing it to one that is directly from the Old Country seemed like a mortal sin. However, it was the only way to get him casting correctly and it worked great. About 3/4 of the way through the float, I decided to take a very small side channel that I knew had some good fish. I let Kevin out of the boat and told him to fish a line where two currents converged. Before you know it, the silence of the wilderness was broken by "Oh shit, oh shit!" I looked over and saw Kevin's rod completely doubled over by a solid fish. I told Kevin that we had to cross the small channel to land the fish. There was simply no way we were going to land it in our current position. During the battle, Kevin's heart beating so hard, I swear I could see it coming out of his chest! We gingerly waded across and after a few tense moments we had a beautiful 18.5 inch rainbow in the net. This is the way we cure hangovers in Montana. After the adrenaline subsided, I believe there was a small flask of fine scotch passed around afterwards. ERIN GO BRAH! Here is the link of Kevin releasing his fish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwZTLYEN92o

Speaking of that particular side channel, I had another great day in it with MJ. Now, MJ was part of a large group that came to Montana via Yellow Breeches Outfitters in Boiling Springs, PA. Yellow Breeches Outfitters had organized a trip for some of their clients. The first week, they had about 7 people and the following week about 10 people staying in a house on the river. When they first arrived, I went to the house and gave a presentation on the Bitterroot River. I tlked about what they could expect to see in the form of hatches and fish. After my presentation, MJ decided she wanted to go fishing the next day. The day started off a little slow and we had some opportunities at a few fish. MJ, like most people who come to Montana to fish, was having trouble with setting the hook. When you are missing fish, it is primarily because you are setting to fast. In New Zealand the guides will tell you to say "God save the Queen" after you see the fish eat your dry fly. I tell people to count to two or say "I got you" before setting. The reason being is the fish must take the fly under water before you lift up, otherwise you will pull the fly out of the fishes mouth. After MJ found her groove, she started wailing on fish. That day, and in that channel, she landed a 17, 18, 19 and a 20 inch trout! Needless to say, it was a good day. At one point she looked at me and said, "Aces Sean, nothing but aces!" Here is a link of MJ releasing one of her fish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0HLyzKgkxc

Then there was the day that I took Greg Hect fishing. Greg had been in the Bitterroot for a few weeks but had only caught a few small fish. I told him, like I tell everyone, I am a guide not God. I know where the fish are but I cannot make them eat! Greg, it just so happened, got a day where the fish were eating in a big way. The fish were loving a properly presented Hecuba/Mahogany Dun combo. The Hecuba is our last drake of the year and has a green thorax and a brownish tail. It is best imitated by a size 10 or 12 a brown or green drake. Greg had a beautiful hook set and the one big fish that did not make it to the net, was only due to the fact that it broke him off during an explosive run. We landed many fish that day with the best being a 17, 18, 18.5 and a 19 inch trout. The most memorable fish was the 19 incher. Greg was fighting the healthy cutbow for a few minutes, with his line stretched halfway across the river, when we heard a bunch of commotion on the water below us. I looked downstream only to see a flock of about 20 mergansers taking flight and headed straight toward Greg's line. I started yelling at the ducks, as if the could understand every word, "You damn ducks better not hit his line!" I thought for sure at least one would collide with his line, which would cause us to lose the fish. But being the good ducks they were, they "ducked" his line and we were able to land the fish. Here is the link to the video of Greg fighting the fish as the mergansers took flight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DefXcH4GvWI and the link to him releasing it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHeV5r241ps

September is now almost over and trees are starting to get their fall colors. Some of the best fishing of the year is coming up. Most of the time the river is pretty vacant; the kids are back in school and a lot of people are in hunting mode. If you haven't experienced the Bitterroot River in all its fall glory, it is time to hit it! The fish are in the better shape than anyone has ever seen them and they know winter is coming. We are starting to see decent numbers of October caddis and mahoganies. Even though the Hecubas are beginning to wane, there are still enough of them out to fool some nice fish. There are still a ton of grasshoppers hitting the water and barring any major cold snap they should be around until late October. As we push later into October look for the baetis hatches to be incredible. As a matter of fact, I think it is time to turn of this damn computer a go do some fishing!

Wolf Wars!

2010-08-18T15:29:00.003-06:00

I am going to deviate away from fishing on this post because I want to rant about something that is having a devastating effect on our Montana lifestyle. I think I have cooled down enough now to write about this issue. On August 6, 2010, U.S. District Court Judge Donald Malloy reinstated federal protection for the Canadian timber wolf under the Endangered Species Act. The question, however, is how can an animal that is not endemic to the area, be protected under the Endangered Species Act? The recent ruling has many people in Montana up in arms, literally and figuratively.

This large wolf was killed in Salmon, Idaho

A common misconception regarding the wolf issue is that they were "re-introduced". The fact remains that the wolves were introduced! These are Canadian timber wolves, not the native Rocky Mountain wolves. The Canadian timber wolf is 33% larger, on average, than our native wolf and has completely dominated and overrun the natives. Since these wolves are significantly larger, they are having a devastating effect on our elk and moose populations. Simple math will tell you they need 33% more prey to survive. Also, being larger than the natives, they can track down and kill prey easier and in deeper snow. There was a day, in the not to distant past, when I would drive up the Westfork and see at least 3-6 moose at any given time. I have seen a whopping 1 moose in the last 3 years! Furthermore, the elk numbers are so thin in the Westfork, that there is currently a hunting outfitter asking Montana FWP to close the area for hunting; due to the lack of game. You know it is bad when an outfitter, who makes his living on guiding hunters, is asking for FWP to close his area!

Photo of a Black Bear drug out of it's den
and ripped apart by a pack of wolves on
the Westfork drainage

The introduction of the Canadian timber wolf is also having a dramatic and negative effect on other native predators. On July 28, 2010 Soda Butte Campground, in Montana, was the location for one of the worst grizzly bear attacks in recent history. One camper was mauled to death and two others received serious injuries. This attack was totally unprovoked, in the middle of the night and the campers had done everything right as far as food storage and bear preventative measures. Today, August 18th, the AP released a statement that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service concluded that the sow grizzly and her three cubs were starving. The sow was full of parasites and obviously malnourished. In response to the attacks, the sow was killed and the three cubs are serving a life sentence in the Billings zoo. A grizzly bear's primary source for large game in the summer months is moose. In recent years our moose have disappeared due to predation by the exotic Canadian timber wolf. As game numbers continue to plummet, there will be more and more human/bear conflicts, which will increase the death toll for bears. In may be coincidence, but this summer there have been more bears searching for food in places like Missoula, Darby and other urban interfaces. If you need further proof of wolf/bear conflicts, please come see a photo I have in the fly shop. It shows a black bear ripped apart by a pack of wolves up the Westfork drainage. The wolves dug into the bear's den, in the middle of winter, and ripped it to shreds. The only tell tale signs of a bear are its paw in the snow.

Tavy Mason killed this 165 pound wolf just east of Hamilton

Another fallacy regarding wolves is that they only kill the weak, sick, old and the never sport kill. First of all, there is plenty of video evidence showing wolves chasing down and killing healthy, big bull elk. Furthermore, tell the sheep rancher in Dillon, MT that wolves don't sport kill. One morning last August, he went to check on his sheep herd and 93 (YES 93!) of his sheep were slaughtered and left to rot. These are highly intelligent dogs and dogs sport kill. If you are not convinced, I have more proof. Where my family is from, Meeteetse, WY, we HAD two large elk herds. Both herds would enter winter with at least 20-35 cow/calf replacement pairs. Now, we are lucky to have 4-5 cow/calf pair at the start of winter! The Carter Mountain herd circulates from draw to draw passing through some knife edge ridges. The wolves have now figured out how to buffalo jump these animals. Once the herd is half way across a knife edge, the pack charges the heard; pushing 20-30 elk at a time over the edge to their death. Do you think the wolves are utilizing each animal? Oh, I forgot wolves don't sport kill!

Speaking of Wyoming, some people and Judge Malloy are blaming Wyoming for the recent ruling. Judge Malloy stated (and I am paraphrasing here) that since Wyoming is treating the wolves as a predator that they should be protected in Montana and Idaho. Remember, we are talking about an invasive species here, much like the New Zealand zebra mussel, Asian carp, Snakehead fish, etc. What should happen is an all out bounty on the invasive Canadian timber wolf to save what is left of the native wolves. It is true that Wyoming, in true Wyoming fashion (God Bless Wyoming!), took matters into their own hands after the Federal government rammed the wolves down our throats. Being classified as a predator, allows anyone to shoot the wolf on site. Even with this distinction in Wyoming, the wolves are thriving. These are intelligent and highly adaptable animals. I know a lot of people in Wyoming and they have all told me that once they started shooting at them, the wolves have become almost impossible to find. At least Wyoming has the balls to treat this issue as a State's matter.

Much like Wyoming, Montana should treat the introduction of the Canadian timber wolf as a matter of the State. With the current economic hardships, the traditional Montana industries of logging, log homes and construction trades have all but dried up. Here locally in Missoula, the Smurfit paper mill has been closed down, further increasing job losses. The one bright spot in Montana's economy is tourism; namely fishing and hunting guide trips. Montana is rapidly getting a bad reputation from hunters as the place NOT to come. In recent years, hunter harvest numbers have been on a serious decline. Furthermore, Montana FWP is talking about drastically reducing the amount of elk, moose and sheep tags. Their official reason for the decline in game is due to “harsh winter and spring conditions”. Are you kidding me?! The hunters that come to Montana don't just put money and food on the outfitter and guide’s table. When they are here, where do you think they stay, eat, shop and drink? The trickle down effect is mind boggling and worth millions of dollars to local economies.

So, where do we go from here? There is currently a movement by ranchers and sportsman's groups to appeal the ruling. The problem with this is that we are subject to 9th Circuit District, which is very liberal in its decisions. Out "esteemed" Senator Max Baucus is saying he wants the U.S. Congress to intervene. He claims to be adopting legislation that would put the wolves under the control of State of Montana. Given Senator Baucus' track record, we will have to wait and see. Locally, there are whispers of the 3 S's and old Montana justice. However, this has the potential to make criminals out of people who are just trying to protect their way of life from an invasive species. There is no easy solution to this ever growing problem. It is time to take a stand and make our voices heard or we will lose our hunting heritage forever. In the meantime, take a picture of every moose and elk you see because our future generations may not have a chance to know what they look like.

Big Brown Trout in the Bright Sun

2010-08-07T16:56:00.001-06:00

I got a call from a client a few weeks ago wanting to fish out of a hard boat. That was not a problem since I do own a 16' ClackaCraft drift boat (by the way her name is The Minnow). I was concerned however that I would be relegated to fishing on the lower portion of the Bitterroot River, in late July, with bright sunny conditions. Now don't get me wrong, the lower river can fish great, but usually you need some cloud cover for the nice fish to look up. I have had my ass handed to me on the lower Bitterroot on bright, sunny days. So, needless to say, I was not very optimistic about our chances on July 27th.

As we slid Minnow in the water at 8:00 a.m., the temperature of the air was already 70 degrees with nary a cloud in sight. Uh oh! Our only saving grace was a couple sneaky springs I knew of in this section that could possibly make our day. As we drifted down the river we had a few little fish looking at our flies. We did see one VERY large brown trout go completely airborne about 3 feet. The only thing I could think of is he was ambushing a small fish from below; much like Air Jaws off Seal Island, South Africa. My client Ray gave a few futile casts to this behemoth. I figured the odds of that fish eating a dry fly were slim to none, and slim had just left town. But you just never know. Unfortunately, this fish didn't even bother looking at Ray's fly. After floating a couple hours and only seeing some small fish, we pulled over to hunt one of the springs. I told Ray that these fish are pretty wary and there was little to no current. We would need to cast to a likely spot, wait for the fish to cruise by and hopefully Ray's fly would grab the fish's attention. As we walked into the spring there were three VERY large fish cruising and sipping a variety of PMD's (emergers, spinners & duns). We tried every PMD in my box, which is a lot, for about 45 minutes with no success. Every time a fish would start cruising toward his fly, something would divert it off course. In complete frustration, I decided to unmatch the hatch and tied on a size 12 hopper. I told Ray to cast it in and after it landed, give it a twitch. Ray made a great cast and as soon as he twitched the hopper, it was too much for a very large brown trout to resist. The trout opened his mouth and the hopper disappeared in a large swirl. I didn't see Ray react at all and I yelled, "There he is, there he is!" Ray came up with his rod and buried the hook into the fish's mouth. I will never forget what happened next. Feeling the pressure Ray was putting him, the fish jumped at least two feet out of the water. It was then that Ray said, "Holy shit!" I started laughing and said, "Yep, that is the one were were looking for Ray. Now remember we are on 5x, so take your time." Ray battled the large trout like a pro and about five minutes later a beautiful 22 inch brown trout was in the net. After stealing a bit of his sole, we released him back into the spring where he still resides (see the video below).

I would like to say that the day only got better from there, but it didn't. We walked into another spring but with no success. By the afternoon, it was really hot. I happened to look to the east around 2:30 and it looked like someone had dropped a nuclear bomb in the Sapphire Mountains. It was the start of the Dominic Point fire. This fire looked like it was going to be with us until the snow flew. However, we have been having some unseasonably cool and wet weather, which has aided in getting that fire 90% contained. We spent most of the afternoon finding good swimming holes to cool off and catching a few more small trout. It really is amazing though how one fish can save and/or change the face of a bad day of fishing. Actually, there are no bad days of fishing only bad days of catching.

Fishing on X Creek

2010-08-06T08:56:00.001-06:00

A week, or so, ago a guide buddy (Emmett) and I decided to get out of the Bitterroot for the day. He suggested we go try a piece of water (X Creek), which is a few hours away, more or less. Yes, I am being a little cryptic here. Please don't even bother to ask me where this place is because I am sworn to secrecy by the penalty of death. I had never been to X Creek, but I have heard stories from Emmett who had fished it a couple years ago. The only clue I will give you is that it has cold water, big fish and it is a few hours from here. That's it, no more clues!

After arriving at X Creek, we rigged up our rods and headed down to the water. Not only were we greeted by a plague of hoppers, it was obvious that the mosquitoes had not seen anybody in a LONG time. From the 100, or so, yards from the truck to the creek, I think I was drained of at least a pint of blood. The only saving grace was that I was wearing waders and a long sleeve shirt. You might by scratching your head right now at the wader aspect. If you know me, you know that I cannot stand waders. However, even though it was the later part of July and the forecast was for 90+ degrees, the water in X Creek is COLD. Another factor is the rock structure on X Creek is very jagged and slippery. This is no place for my typical bush hippie bare feet!

The fishing on X Creek can best be described as a long stretches between good holding lanes. We covered probably 3 miles of creek that day. Although we did catch some fish in the shallow banks, all our nicest fish came in deep, long runs. In the first run, it just so happened, that I was on the best side. I was fishing a #12 hopper and on my first cast and nice 15 inch rainbow sucked it down as soon as it touched the water. Emmett said, "That's nice but if you a good one one, you better be prepared to run downstream as it runs". These fish, I later found out, are so wild that they are not used to being fooled by an artificial. Once these fish get hooked, they absolutely explode and make some reel smoking runs. They receive very little, if any, pressure. As a matter fact the only footprints I saw the entire day were Emmett's. However, there were signs of four-legged critters. At one point, I looked down to see a very fresh pile of bear scat. This area is known to have some big grizzly bears and at least one had been there recently. We did not see any bruins that day, but we sure made a lot of noise as we headed up the creek. Anyway, back to fishing. After a few more casts in the same run with no success, I decided to try a local Bitterroot pattern tied by John Foust; the infamous Freddy. On the first cast into the run with Freddy, a very large brown trout absolutely crushed Freddy. Unfortunately, I didn't get the hook buried properly in its' mouth and it took just one head shake to spit the fly. The next fish ate Freddy as it was swinging at my feet. This was a beautiful 18 inch rainbow that took off straight downstream after I set the hook. I tried to land him like I would on the Bitterroot River, by swinging it to the bank. However, I forgot where I was and what I was dealing with and I should have run downstream with the fish. A few moments later the fish shook the hook. After getting my ass handed to me by two large fish, I suggested to Emmett that he take point on the next couple of runs.

As the morning turned to afternoon, the fishing just kept getting better and better. When I caught up Emmett he had just landed a 15 inch and a 17 inch brown trout. He then suggested that I fish the next deep run. After a few unsuccessful upstream casts, I walked upstream and let Freddy float downstream. I gave Freddy a little twitch and the water erupted. As my rod doubled over, I knew I had a really nice brown trout. He tried first to wrap me around a log and then he took off downstream full of piss and vinegar. I got really lucky in coaxing him around several large boulders, which I thought were sure to shear my line. I must have run downstream at least 50 yards before gingerly easing the fish to the bank. The fish measured 21 inches and weighed at least 3 1/2 pounds; a bruiser for sure. After seeing the success I was having, Emmett asked if I had anymore Freddy's. It just so happened that I did have one more. However, the funny thing was that Emmett does not fish Fred. He is not purist A-hole by any means but is not a true believer of Fred, until now. Just a small side bar, Emmett came by the other day and got a couple of Fred's from me to fish on the Bitterroot; another convert. We both landed a few more nice fish the rest of the day but my brown was definitely the fish of the day; makes me wonder how big the first one was! I did land another 19 inch brown that slammed Freddy on the tail end of a float as he was skating across the water. Go figure!

We both decided halfway through our day that we would walk all the way up this certain section of X Creek and get on the road to walk back to the truck. We knew it would be akin to the Bataan Death March. However, before we hit the highway, I shed my waders, took a long swim in X Creek and made sure my clothes and hat were soaking wet. This made the first half hour okay, but the rest off the walk was brutal. I even resorted to hitchhiking while waving a $20 bill to entice a ride. However, my efforts proved to be futile. Much to my amazement, a guy drove by with Montana trout plates and didn't even stop. That was probably good thing because I wouldn't have wanted to talk about where we just fished! I know a lot of people have their own X Creek, which is a good thing. Everyone needs a place to go where they can feel like they are one of a very few, if any, people to fish that specific water. There are still places like X Creek left, all you have to do is find yours.

Water Wars!

2010-07-24T16:45:00.009-06:00

Well it is that time of year again in the Bitterroot; the dog days of summer. All the doom and gloom forecasts for extreme low water levels have not come into play just yet. In fact, we are hovering just above historical averages for flows. However, the new concern is over lethal water temperatures. Currently, the Bitterroot River is drastically warming to upwards of 69 degrees at Tucker Crossing. I haven't been on the lower river lately but I am sure it is above 70 below Stevi and Florence. When the water temperatures reach 71 degrees, or higher, it becomes lethal to trout and whitefish. The reason I mention whitefish (probably much to your surprise), is that whitefish are the canary in the coal mine for rivers. When the water quality diminishes, whitefish are the first to die. After the whitefish, cutthroats are the first of the trout species to succumb then the rainbows. Brown trout are the least susceptible to poor water conditions and can bulldog their way through a variety of poor water conditions. When the temps reach 71 degrees or warmer there is not enough dissolved oxygen in the water for fish to recover after battling an angler. They simply cannot release the lactic acid from their muscles and they will perish. You may see them swim away, but they will go belly up no matter how long you revive them as long as the water is above 71 degrees.

In the mid-1980's a group of sportsmen, fishing outfitters and guides discovered a way to cope with this very issue on the Bitterroot River. A long story cut very short, they along with the State of Montana and FWP purchased 50% of the water stored in Painted Rocks reservoir, which flows into the West Fork of the Bitterroot River. The contract specifically states that "the water is to be released into the Bitterroot River for the fishery". Therefore, when the water quality starts to diminish, we are supposed to get cooler water released from the bottom of Painted Rocks dam. Since this agreement was made, the Bitterroot has re-blossomed into a far greater fishery than it was during the 80's and early 90's. However, the last two years have been water surplus years and ironically there was a fish die-off last year.

This week, a few other outfitters, guides and I became very concerned about the water quality of the Bitterroot River. I personally contacted Chris Clancy, FWP head fisheries biologist for the Bitterroot River. I wanted to find out when we could expect to see some water releases from Painted Rocks. Mr. Clancy is not in charge of the release for water flows (Larry Shock of DNRC is in charge of requesting the water master to open the gates and release water for the fishery). However, I thought I would let Mr. Clancy know of the water temp issues me and other outfitters and guides were witnessing. He explained to me that they "normally don't release water from Painted Rocks until the FLOWS are 400 C.F.S. or less at Tucker Crossing". I find this very disturbing on two levels. One, I don't care it the flows are 10,000 C.F.S.; as long as the water temps are above 71 degrees fish will die! Secondly, the original contract signed for the water releases NEVER mentions minimum flows. It states that it is for the Bitterroot fishery period! Mr. Clancy informed me that the irrigators, who own the other 50% of water in the reservoir, "will surely be calling for water and that is just as good as us calling for the water". So, just like last year, are we going to see the flows out of Painted Rocks jump dramatically in late September when we don't need them? How many fish are going to have to die, like they did last year, until we get our water? It is time that we, as anglers on the Bitterroot River make our voices heard. I encourage everyone to make calls to Larry Shock at (406) 542-5885 and Chris Clancy at (406)363-7169 and demand we start getting OUR water. These people work for us as employees of the Great State of Montana and also are in charge of our resources. The Bitterroot River is an amazing fishery and will continue to be as long as we use all our wherewithal to protect her. There is an old saying in Montana that goes, "Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting!"

IGNORANCE IS DEATH!

2010-06-30T11:42:00.008-06:00

I thought I was going to witness the first fatality on the Bitterroot River yesterday (June 29th) while fishing clients in the town section; Angler's Roost to Woodside. We were stopped fishing a back channel when I heard a loud scream off in the main channel. I looked over and saw a man and his wife hit a strainer and flip their "boat". When I say they were in a boat it is a GROSS overstatement. This thing was an 8 foot dingy style raft that looked like it came off the shelf at Kmart. I wouldn't have been on the thing in Lake Como in a five mile per hour wind! I watched the couple grab their paddles (not oars) from out of the snag. Yes, they had two, three foot paddles they were each trying to use to row their dingy in very large water. As my clients continued to fish, I kept one eye on my clients and the other on the soggy couple. After fumbling around for a few minutes, they got in the boat only to make it a whopping twenty feet before t-boning another strainer! This time the genius couple managed to completely taco the boat around a root ball. It was amazing to me at this point no one had been seriously hurt or killed. The ironic thing is this was happening at the exact place where Dick Galli was killed last year. As I watched Dingyman try to free his folded "boat", I told my clients I should not go help him which would force them to walk out. However, I decided against my initial feeling and walked over. When I got to the couple, I asked them if they realized they were on the most dangerous river in the State of Montana. Dingyman replied, "Oh ya, we have floated this before." I immediately responded, "You have obviously never floated before because I just witness you flip your boat twice in twenty feet. Furthermore, this is the exact place where Dick Galli was killed last year. I will help you pull this boat out but you need to walk due east of here and go to the Fetch Inn. Do you want to die today? This river will kill you if you go back in it. I do not want to be pulling bodies out of the water today!" Against my better judgment I pulled the boat off the strainer. I tried to reinforce the fact that he and his wife were in a very life threatening situation if they got back in their dingy as the river got real serious in the next 400 yards.

I pulled my anchor and headed to the Skalkaho Creek channel, where I planned to make lunch for my clients. As soon as I got back up the channel and dropped my anchor, I heard shouting coming from the main stem again. I thought, OH SHIT HERE WE GO! Immediately I took off running for the main channel. By the time I got there I saw Dingyman hanging onto another raft while trying to hold on to his dingy. The wife was nowhere to be found. I stripped off my shirt, hat and sunglasses and swam across a small channel to an island on the main channel. My intent was to help the other boat rescue this guy because it was obvious they were struggling to oar; the guy and his raft were hanging on where their starboard oar needed to go. However, they were able to get into the Skalkho channel backwater. I yelled at the man in the water, "Where is your wife?" I thought for sure we would be pulling her body out of one of the MANY strainers upstream. Luckily, she somehow managed to jump on shore when they hit the first strainer. At this point I completely lost it on Dingyman. I yelled at him, "Do you have a fucking death wish?! I told you you were gonna die today if you got back in that boat. Do you see this channel? This is Skalkaho Creek. Take that boat, put it on shore and walk your ass outta here. You have absolutely NO business being on this river. Not only have you endangered your life, you have put your wife at risk as well as my life and the lives of these two people who just saved you! It is not our responsibility to pull your ass from the river because you are ignorant." He told me he was not in the mood to be yelled at right then. Maybe so, but I was very pissed off. He finally did heed my advice and the last I saw of the couple they were walking east toward Highway 93.

I don't know if this guy realized it but if it weren't for the two guys from Washington State, me, or someone else, would have been pulling his body from the water. The Washington boys were heroes yesterday! There would have been no way that Dingyman would have made it through that maze of log jams and strainers. I think Dingyman is part cat because he used up at least three lives yesterday. I know some of you who read this probably think my comments to Dingyman were probably a little too harsh; maybe so. However, I have been posting on my blog and my reader board at the shop that the river is super dangerous. Dingyman put way too many people in harms way multiple times yesterday. It would have been real tragic if they came here on vacation and left in a casket! On this river ignorance isn't bliss, ignorance is DEATH!!!

The Signficance of the Western Tanager.

2010-06-12T13:41:00.012-06:00

Well I can't stand it anymore and by this weekend word will be out. For those of you that think I have lost it and I am now a bird watcher, you are partly correct. Birds will tell you a lot about fishing both on rivers and the ocean. When certain birds arrive, you must ask yourself, "Self, why are they here now?" When the swallows are filling the air on a river, have you ever stopped to wonder why? I have always told my clients, "When the birds start eating, the fish will follow." However, the arrival of the Western Tanager to the East and Westfork of the Bitterroot River means only one thing; the emergence of the mighty Salmonfly. These beautiful songbirds are ONLY here during the Salmonfly hatch. Where they go the rest of the summer, I have no idea. They are native to the Rocky Mountain West and any bird book will tell you they are present all summer. But in the 10 years I have been guiding, I have NEVER seen them after the Salmonflies are gone. The Western Tanager is actually a subspecies of the Cardinal family. The red pigment in the face of the Western Tanager is rhodoxanthin, a pigment rare in birds. It is not manufactured by the bird, as are the pigments used by the other red tanagers. Instead, it must be acquired from the diet, presumably from insects (Salmonflies) that themselves acquire the pigment from plants. A truly amazing fact is that the incubation period for the Western Tanager is only 13 days. After both parents feed the hatchlings for 11 short days, they leave the nest. However, they will stay close to the parents for a few weeks. I think the fact that they are dining on Salmonflies allows the hatchlings to grow at such an incredible rate. In early fall, they migrate south for the winter as far as Panama. I want to be a Western Tanager chasing the Salmonfly hatch and winter in Panama. What a life!

So now that I have let the bird out of the bag, yes there are Salmonflies on both the East and Westfork of the Bitterroot River. The Eastfork is fishing a little more consistent on dry flies and there are Western Tanagers from top to bottom. The Westfork is a little different story right now. The flows are coming down and it is starting to come into shape. I floated the Westfork twice late this week from Painted Rocks dam down the entire length to High Bank with identical results. There are no Western Tanagers at the dam yet. We did have some good results fishing Salmonfly nymphs for the first two plus miles. However, once I saw the first Western Tanager we switched to a dry Salmonfly. About five minutes later we were landing our first fish on a dry! It is amazing what a bird will tell you without even knowing English! There were Western Tanagers everywhere until we hit Nez Perce Creek. Right now Nez Perce is easily doubling the size of the Westfork. Not only is it increasing the volume, it is also cooling down the water 3-4 degrees. Now that may seem insignificant, but Salmonflies need the water to be at least 50 degrees to emerge as adults. The water temps below Nez Perce were 47 and guess what, no bugs. We did not see any Western Tanagers the rest of the float and did not have another fish rise to a Salmonfly. We did find a few fish willing to eat a Salmonfly nymph. It was only in the 2 mile "micro-ecosystem" did we find the tanagers and fish willing to eat a dry Salmonfly.This is all about to change as the Westfork is dropping fast. The entire length should start fishing by early to mid next week. You now know the signs to look for. I start a long stretch of guiding on Sunday and will post photos and stories when I can. Now is the time to drop everything you are doing and chase the big bug like you were a Western Tanager.

The Western Tanager's are here!

2010-06-11T09:36:00.004-06:00

The Western Tanager's are here! That is all I am gonna say. If you don't know the significance then either call me or stop by the shop.

Mitchell Slough Dilemma

2010-06-04T11:52:00.012-06:00

When I stirred the pot over work being done to stabilize the banks of the Bitterroot River, I was called everything from a hero to a babbling idiot. Not being afraid to call it how I see it, I would like to start a new debate regarding Mitchell Slough. You might be surprised by my stance.

Since the courts have ruled that Mitchell Slough is a natural waterway and deserves public access under the Montana Stream Access Law, it has done two things. The first, and most obvious, is the general public now has legal access to once private waters. Most people applauded this decision, including me. However, after seeing what has happened to the slough, I have changed my opinion. Immediately after the courts made their ruling, the landowners, who own the water rights for Mitchell Slough, shut off all the supplemental river water that fed the slough. This is completely within their right. I believe they were attempting to discourage people from fishing but there is no question that the landowners made Mitchell Slough the fishery that it is today. Before they improved the habitat, Mitchell Slough was a de-watered and silted over dead zone. Only after spending A LOT of time and money did Mitchell Slough blossom into a trophy fishery, as well as a very important spawning grounds for Bitterroot River trout.

There is no doubt there are very large trout that can be caught on Mitchell Slough; but at what cost? Since there has been public access, Mitchell Slough has only suffered. When the landowners lost the lawsuit, nearly all supplemental water feeding the slough was shut down. Now that the water is barely flowing year round, the slough is once again silting over. Once the silt starts filling in, critical spawning gravel will become non-existent. When Mitchell Slough was improved by the landowners, it re-emerged as a very important hatchery to Bitterroot River trout. The Bitterroot River fishery already suffers from rip rapping and other forms of “bank stabilization”. If the siltation of Mitchell Slough continues it will be yet another huge loss to critical spawning habitat.

Ironically, the same Montana Stream Access law that gained public access to Mitchell Slough may also be its downfall. According to the law, to legally fish Mitchell Slough you cannot walk on any vegetation. This only encourages people to tromp all over the redds (trout spawning beds). How many people that fish Mitchell Slough are vigilant not to step on the redds? When I went to assess the state of the slough a month ago, there were redds everywhere. I even was fortunate enough to watch a pair of rainbows spawning. I also couldn't help but notice redds that had been walked through and completely destroyed.

These two issues: siltation and public access do not make for a sustainable or healthy spawning ground. So, what is the solution? I do not believe you can force the landowners to release water back into the slough. It is their water and they can do with it what they want. However, if they do not use the water, can they lose their water rights over time? This is a question for someone who knows more about water rights than I. Is there any water that can be purchased by citizens outfitters and or FWP that could be released in the slough (similar to what was done in Painted Rocks)? Short of these ideas I only can think of one other solution. I truly believe that Mitchell Slough should be closed to public access. Yes, I said closed! If it were closed, the landowners would once again supplement the flows, thereby flushing the silt and restoring the habitat. We cannot afford to lose anymore critical habitat on the Bitterroot River. Is it really worth catching some big fish now with the ramifications being the overall loss of productivity on the entire river over time? I would like to hear your opinion on this matter. I know it is a very sensitive issue, but I really do not like to debate the easy ones! I am sure the people who thought I was a hero in the earlier controversy think I am a blabbering idiot and vice versa.

Didymo on the Westfork

2010-06-03T10:38:00.024-06:00

I have floated the Westfork of the Bitterroot River a couple of times in the last week, before the water started pouring over the dam, and couldn't help but notice the large amounts of Didymo on the rocks and underwater brush. Now before you freak out and think the sky is falling, let's back up a little bit. For those of you who don't know what didymo (aka "rock snot") is, I will try to explain the little I know.

Didymo is a naturally occurring diatom that is found in almost every Western river that runs clean and cold. This diatom has received a lot of press as of late in places like New Zealand, Chile/Patagonia and some rivers in the U.S.. When didymo explodes on rivers, it covers miles of river and forms very large mats (up to 6-12" deep) and that choke off aquatic life. Didymo thrives on rivers that receive a lot of sunshine, which is most good trout fisheries. Once didymo takes hold of a river, it is almost impossible to eradicate. New Zealand was the first country to take a proactive position by banning the use all felt soled boots . This is just one way didymo is transferred from river to river. It also can be transferred via boats (both clinging to the bottom and sides as well as water stored in the boat itself), any type of clothing, fishing gear and birds. (By the way the picture to the right is NOT on the Westfork. It is a stock picture of a completely choked river by didymo.) Although we cannot control the spread through birds, the other ways didymo is transferred can be controlled. If you are taking your boat from one river to another be sure to wash it out completely and thoroughly with a 10% bleach solution before getting to your next destination. If you have felt soled wading boots, make sure to thoroughly wash them with at least a 10% bleach solution and let them COMPLETELY dry out. Most wader companies are now making rubber soled boots to help fight the spread of didymo. However, they too must be washed and dried. Currently, there are many states considering banning felt soled wading boots in attempt to stop the spread of didymo, as well as other "Aquatic Nuisance Species". As of this writing, Vermont and Maryland have bills in the House of Representatives awaiting approval. Alaska was the first state to enact any legislation and will ban all felt in SE Alaska in 2011 and state-wide in 2012.

After the first time I noticed didymo on the Westfork of the Bitterroot River, I called Chris Clancy, Montana FWP Fisheries Biologist for the Bitterroot River. Mr. Clancy immediately relayed my story via email to both James Craft, Research Scientist Flathead Lake Biological Station and Bob Wiltshire, Executive Director Center for Aquatic Nuisance Species. I received an email from all of the above parties asking if I could collect samples the next time I was on the Westfork. I collected two samples (the first 2 miles above Job Corps and the second 2 miles below Job Corps) which Mr. Clancy immediately sent off to be analyzed. I have to give props and thank Mr. Clancy for his prompt actions regarding this matter. For those of you who follow my blog, you know that I have had some harsh words for Mr. Clancy. However, during this process he has been great to work with and his reposnses have been immediate. Mr. Clancy also informed me that there will be someone on the Bitterroot River this summer from the Center for Aquatic Nuisance Species that will be sampling the river for invasive species. When I find out more information on this issue I will follow up with another blog. In the meantime, I do not think we are due for a full blown invasion of didymo. However, if we experience severe low flows this year, anything could happen. The best thing anyone can do is practice the good preventative measures described above.

Nymphing 'Em Up During a Blizzard Caddis Hatch!

2010-05-11T11:36:00.024-06:00

For those of you that know me, prepare to be shocked! This weekend we saw some explosive fishing during the Mother's Day caddis hatch on the Bitterroot River. However, almost every nice fish ate a stonefly nymph fished about five feet down. I am not the biggest fan of nymphing but you cannot argue with results. The caddis hatch on the Bitterroot River is a weird time. People will tell you they have epic days on the Bitterroot during this hatch, but I beg to differ. If you want to catch a bunch of small fish, then by all means throw a caddis dry. I was on the river all day Saturday and Sunday and saw maybe four real fish eat a caddis. I have found that for some reason the larger fish on the Bitterroot River tend to ignore caddis adults. People have asked me why on almost all other Western rivers the caddis is a very important food source for trout but not so much on the Bitterroot River. I believe there are a few reasons for this unique feeding activity. First of all, the Bitterroot River contains 64 different type of stoneflies! During the Mother's Day caddis hatch and even summertime hatches there is always a stonefly (either adult or nymph) for our fish to choose from. These are much easier and meatier targets for large trout. Therefore, they do not have to spend as much energy sipping a much larger stonefly that is prone on the water versus a caddis that is bouncing all over the place as it lays it's eggs. Furthermore, in the spring (and summer and fall for that matter) when the caddis are out there are also multiple types of mayflies on the water as well. Just like the massive variety of stoneflies, the Bitterroot River has almost every type of Western mayfly. Once again, a floating mayfly dun or spinner is a much easier target for a hungry trout than a bouncing caddis.

With all this being said, this weekend we decided to throw a stonefly nymph almost all day on both days. Yes, I said we threw a nymph all day and yes I am feeling well! Saturday, a buddy of mine was back in town for the weekend so we decided to hit the rio. The day before he had wade fished and "absolutely crushed 'em" on dry flies. However, on Saturday he must have either angered the fish Gods, spent all his good luck the day before or maybe it was just karma for calling me every ten minutes the previous day telling me his triumphs as I sat in the shop, he could not land a fish to save his life on Sunday. He must have locked into at least 20 fish and only landed a few. I won't mention his name but when you hear me say, "You Robbed 'em", maybe you will figure it out. The best fish of the day was a nice tail out Brown, that when it jumped the first time, I thought would be in the 20" class but turned out to be 18 1/2". This wily adversary fell victim to a Freddy in the deadest of dead water. Freddy, you da man!

Sunday, being Mother's Day, I took my beautiful wife out. After the day previous, I was hoping she could get good juju back on Bella (my boat's name)! Only minutes into the float, she landed a nice 14" Weslope cutthroat; yes on a nymph. She proceeded to absolutely crush fish after fish, most of which came to the boat. Jenna brought over 20 fish to the boat on Sunday and definitely got some good juju back on Bella. The biggest fish she landed was an 18 1/2" Cutbow that absolutely exploded when she set the hook. The fish jumped two times and gave two smoking hot runs that made her reel sing! Unfortunately, she Robbed a nice big brown and a VERY large trout at the end of the float. You can’t win them all! It was a great day for Jenna to get out and enjoy all the Bitterroot River has to offer. That night she had a smile ear to ear as she massaged her battle worn arm.

A New Pod Cast Fishing Report is Up

2010-05-01T08:52:00.003-06:00

You better get out there while you still can. Runoff is right around the corner!

http://explorethebitterroot.com/bitterroot-river-still-fishing-well

Shark Attack on the Bitterroot River!

2010-04-28T08:59:00.011-06:00

Ok, I know it has been a little while since my last post but in the last week or so there hasn't been much to report. However, after the latest push of water subsided, a guide buddy of mine Emmett & I decided it was time to go do a little R & D on Monday. When he showed up at the shop, I was stoked to hear he wanted to float one of my favorite streamer sections on the Bitterroot River. Emmett started off with a dry fly hopeful that the 38 degree water temp would not matter. After about a half hour of watching his bug float unmolested, I suggested he go with a little bigger strategy, "Let's go for the fish that are eating the fish that are eating the dry flies!" It didn't take long for the fish to cooperate. After landing our first fish we were ready to recycle the run again. However, just before pulling out we noticed a boat coming down and recognized both anglers; an old time outfitter on the oars and a guide in front. We exchanged pleasantries, after which they proceeded to pull into the opposite bank and pound the run with a streamer with no success. We let them jump out in front and were happy to exercise the five fish that they left behind in this one particular run! Emmett and I were switching after every two fish landed and, needless to say, we switched a few times that day. If you have fished streamers with me before, you know the pattern I was using. If not, well let's just say it is not a black wooly bugger!

I don't know if it was a combination of the recent high water, which had flushed last years minnows in the river, or that the water was still receding and the fish were hyper territorial, but the fish were absolutely sharking the streamer. I mostly fish a dead drifted streamer and let the current do it's magic. However, on Monday they were liking an aggressive strip with lots of movement. We had fish chase down our streamer from ten feet away! Both Emmett and I agreed not to take photos of fish that were less than 20 inches. Unfortunately, we did not boat any in the 20 inch class but we did boat 20+ fish all in the 16-19 1/2" range. We measured a beautiful male Cuttbow that Emmett caught at 19 1/4" and a Brown I caught that was 19 1/2". 19 1/2" is still not 20" unless you step on it and stretch it! We did break the picture guideline on the Brown due to the shear beauty of him.

Speaking of sharking, early on in the float Emmett's eyes grew wide as dinner plates when a newly introduced species of fish chased his streamer. Somewhere in the background I could hear the theme to "Jaws" play. We watched as the 15 foot Great White Shark turned away from the streamer, only to take a bite out of my oar blade! Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water. Let this be a warning to all that float the Bitterroot River; you may want to think twice before floating or going swimming. I was just glad he decided to take a bite of my oar blade and not my boat! As Chief Brody said, "I think we need a bigger boat."

From Great to Grim!

2010-04-19T09:06:00.003-06:00

Well, the recent warm weather has made for a rising river. In the last three days we have seen the river go from record low flows (300 C.F.S.) to reaching almost 73 year average flows (1,000 C.F.S.) at Darby. The Bitterroot River is currently flowing at 730 C.F.S. and rising. While I do not think this is the start of "more water" (this is what a friend of mine is calling high water this year), this push is enough to put the fishing off for a little while. I looked into my crystal ball this morning and it told me that we should start to see the main stem of the Bitterroot River fish by the weekend. Maybe if I shipped my crystal ball to the weathermen they could be more accurate. "They" are calling for some really warm temps (75-80) in the next two days but by mid to late week it is supposed to cool down again. Do not fret, there are some fishing opportunities to be had. I will R&D them and will post more on this later. For those of you who live here, you know of which I speak and I will see you there.

A New Pod Cast Fishing Report is Up

2010-04-14T15:08:00.002-06:00

Here is the latest pod cast fishing report. As always, you can also clink on the link just above "The Follwers" & "The Garrlic Blog".

http://explorethebitterroot.com/bitterroot-river-fishing-report-april-14-2010

Time to Stir the Pot!

2010-04-09T09:12:00.011-06:00

If you have been keeping tabs on the controversy swirling around my blog, you will see that I had a chance to talk with Mr. Clancy. During this conversation I picked up on a few points I would like to discuss further. First of all, Mr. Clancy informed me that he is not the person who issues the 310 permit. He stated that he is only an “advisor” during the process. The Army Corps of Engineers and Bitterroot Conservation District issue the permits. However, without Mr. Clancy's approval the 310 permit cannot be issued. The 310 permits for the projects below Tucker were issued last fall for the Double Fork Ranch and the two residents just below Tucker crossing. Mind you that the total job stretched almost 3-4 continuous miles of river. Instead of undertaking the work all at once, is it possible to prioritize these jobs and construct each over time? Granted, the homeowners would receive a priority due to the fact that their homes were in immediate danger. After the work was complete, the river should be allowed to heal. After one or two seasons, only then the Double Fork should have been allowed to do the work. The Double Fork would receive the lowest priority due to the fact that no structures were being threatened. The only reason the bank stabilization was done on the Double Fork was to protect property values. Ironically, the river makes the Double Fork property extremely valuable but yet they want to stop it from doing its natural thing. If this model was implemented, it would have lessened the immediate impact on this section of water. It is my opinion, that the extensive amount of work that was done in this section will have direct and negative affect on the aquatic life and therefore the fish productivity. We will find out as the season continues.

Another comment from Mr. Clancy jumped out at me while discussing this issue. I don't want to directly quote him, but it was my understanding that he thought the entire project was completed last fall. Now, anyone who floated that section was surprised by the work that was being done both last fall and this spring. It was obvious that there was NO work being done at the homeowners’ location last fall. Why Mr. Clancy did not go down to inspect these projects is beyond me. It is not like he is in Helena. His office is right next door to my shop. Since he had obviously not been down to the river, I guess he was just as surprised as everyone else when the work commenced this spring. Is it not Mr. Clancy’s job, as head fisheries biologist, to know exactly when these projects start and finish? Shouldn’t he be at least mildly concerned about the quality of work being done? Pretty amazing when you think about it! Like I said, I don't want to directly quote him but if you would like to discuss this with him and get direct quotes feel free to call his office at (406)363-7169.

As far as the whole 310 permit process goes, I believe that the Bitterroot "Conservation" District, the Army Corps of Engineers and Mr. Clancy only care about the wealthy landowners’ interests, i.e. the Double Fork Ranch. Why would pasture land take precedence over, not only a homeowner, but the health of the river itself? Moreover, if you buy land on the river it is worth exponentially more than land just off the river. That is all well and good. However, why should they be allowed to stop the river from meandering, as rivers do, just to protect their property values? Eventually, the channelization of the Bitterroot River will choke it to death. The Double Fork does little for the economic welfare of the Bitterroot Valley. Conversely, the Bitterroot River is worth millions of dollars annually, not only to us guides and fly shop owners, but also to hotel/lodge owners, other retail shops, supermarkets, restaurants, bars and so on. There is currently very little else driving the Bitterroot Valleys economy besides the tourism. I am sure this post will continue to stoke the fires of the current debate. However, I have never been one to back down from a fight nor have I ever been afraid to voice my opinion.

An Angling Exposition: 3 Days of Laughs & Fish

2010-04-07T09:17:00.080-06:00

Well it wasn't quite the hedonism of Woodstock but I had a great three days of guiding Alan Farris and Les Vance on the Bitterroot River. Alan had called me two weeks ago to inquire about fishing and the possibility of being guided for three days. He was quite concerned about weather conditions for the time period he would be here. At that time, the weathermen were calling for fairly nasty conditions. I told him that I don't believe what the weathermen call for in 24 hours, let alone a week out. How is it that we have some of the most sophisticated radar/weather models in the world but when you go on three different weather websites you get three different predictions for today's weather? I wish I had a job where I could be right 15% of the time. I have found that if I take all three predictions, put them in a hat and maybe the one I draw will be today's weather. I figure those are 33% odds, far better than 15%! Anyway, I told him that I am not God but I think the fishing should be good. So wouldn't you know it on Saturday morning I woke up to a half inch of snow on my boat and it had the look of not stopping. Fortunately, by the time Alan & Les arrived the snow stopped falling had melted off my boat. For the first day, I picked a stretch on the upper river that had been fishing really well. By the time we got to the boat ramp and geared up the sun was out and the air was warming. Alan gave a hopeful look as he viewed the early spring sun. I told him do not get fooled but hope for the best and be prepared for the worst. After all, it is spring time in Montana and we could see all four seasons of weather on days like these, which ended up being the case. The fishing started off pretty slow due to the fact that the cold overnights had dropped the water temps to 38 degrees. I kept a watchful eye on the thermometer and told the boys that as soon as the water temps creep up in the 40's we should start seeing some activity. When the water temp finally did creep up, as if on cue, the fish started looking up. Thank God I am not a weatherman! Alan started off the day hot and ended the day with the hot hand on the boat. Although the fishing wasn't truly on fire, due to the fact that we had to deal some nasty winds for most of the afternoon, we still had some good fishing.

The following day, Easter Sunday, we were greeted by some lingering cold overnight temperatures, it was 24 degrees when I started my truck at 7:30 a.m. Needless to say, the fishing was less than stellar in the morning hours, the fish would even eat a double nymph rig fished deep. I suggested we stop on a riffle, where four days prior I got into some REALLY good mayfly shooting, to eat an early lunch. My intent was two-fold; 1) I wanted to get lunch out of the way earlier than normal so we were not eating when it started to fish & 2) I didn't want to go by this particular riffle complex before the mayflies started to pop. Being that Alan is from Texas and he left 85 degree weather to fish in some beautiful Montana spring weather, I figured I would start a fire before I cooked lunch. As I was building my little tee pee of kindling I was informed that I was in the presence of not one but two Eagle Scouts. Holy crap! Not only was I expected to find fish for these boys, but I sure as hell better not screw up building a fire. Once again, thank God I am not a weatherman! I told them I had a old Indian trick to lighting fires on the river bank-Uncle Joe's Firestarter (this is flammable gel akin to napalm). Within minutes the boys were sitting around a nice campfire thawing with a warm cup off coffee in hand. Meanwhile, I fired up my bar-b-que and placed a large side of Steelhead on the grill. As we dined on probably one of the best Steelhead fillets I have ever eaten, we were joined by subtle noses poking up for mayfly emergers below the riffle. By the time we had all the lunch gear packed back in the boat, the fish below the riffle were feeding with reckless abandon on a variety of Ameletus, Baetis and Skwalas. We camped out on the riffle for over an hour a caught several trout on a variety of mayfly adult and cripple patterns as well as a few on Skwalas. As our short mayfly window (only about an hour) began to close, we shoved off and headed downstream. We had a very good afternoon and evening of fishing with the last couple of hours dominated by a local pattern called Freddy. John Foust is the inventor of Freddy and this fly ALWAYS produces in the fading evening light. Alan learned this when, about a 1/2 mile from the takeout, a large brown absolutely crushed Freddy. As the large brown jumped the second time, he winked his steely eye at Alan as he spat Freddy out of his mouth. I looked up at Alan laughed and said, "That brownie just kicked your ass!" (Sound familiar?) Alan laughing said, "I like that Freddy guy." Yep, Freddy is the man!

I pulled out of my driveway on day three with big expectations; simply because it was a Monday (no crowd issue although we hadn't seen much in the way of boat traffic all weekend), the overnight temps were warmer than they had been in weeks and the forecast called for clouds, light and variable winds and warm temps (but you know those weathermen!). I decided on the lower river thinking that if the weathermen we right for once, we would have some incredible mayfly activity. Also the fish on the lower river are a bit larger but only like to play when there is cloud cover. We drifted through the first few banks with no response. However, not much further down Alan was floating through the heart of darkness when all of a sudden the water erupted. After a valiant battle, an 18 inch absolutely beautiful, heavy spotted rainbow came to the net. We cycled through the bank a few more times and both Alan & Les missed a fish apiece. No worries, it was game on! As we came into the next bank both Alan & Les commented that it was probably the prettiest looking piece of water they had seen so far. Keep in mind, at this point we had covered approximately 23 miles of river in the last three days. This should give you an idea of just how sexy this bank looks. We must have recycled this bank six times with either one or both the boys getting eats. As we oared back up on the last time through, both Les & I saw a nice trout eat tight to the bank and under an overhanging dogwood. On or way back down Les put a shot perfectly just above where we saw the fish eat. As we both watched the bug slide past, I think we were both holding our breath in expectation of the take. But for some odd reason the fish didn't come out to play. I immediately told Les to reload a little higher and tighter to the bank. The fly hadn't made it five feet before disappearing in a vacuum swirl. A few minutes later and after a few hard runs a bright 17 inch brown trout was in the net. Sweet, the first brownie of the day! From there the day just got better and better. To top it off, the mayfly activity that I was hoping for materialized in a big way. We came into the first pod of fish that were absolutely chowing. At first glace, I thought they were dining exclusively on the hundreds of both Baetis and Ameletus floating down the river. So I immediately anchored and switched over to a mayfly imitation. After I had the boys re-rigged, I really started watching the bigger fish in the pod and couldn't help but notice that it would eat a small Baetis, then a bigger Ameletus and then follow it up with a Skwala eat. After exercising a few fish on mayflies we went back to the Skwala. Why fish a #18 when you can fish a #10 with the same results. I had Alan cast a Skwala to a very large mouth that was feeding with reckless abandon. This fish was a little tough to get to because it was on an inside bend of a recirculating current. However, Alan's first cast was money. I told him to give the Skwala a little twitch and instantly a mouth the size of Texas was open and before it could close, the fly came shooting back at us. Alan and Les had a big laugh as I pulled my hat over my eyes and shed a small tear. We gave the fish a few more tries but those big boys don't get big for a reason and almost never give you a second chance. Along the next bank I had the boys play a classic Bitterroot River cobble run. At the tail end, it was as if I had paid two large fish to simultaneously eat both Skwalas. In the end, Les played and landed yet another beautiful 18 inch brown trout. After stealing his soul we released him back to the river.

We recycled yet another bank for more than an hour, which had the most Skwalas I have ever seen on the water at one time in my 11 years of fishing this river. I asked the boys if they were ready for lunch. After all, it had to be at least 2:30 or 3:00. Alan informed me that it was 5:15. No freaking way! Both Alan and Les said, "The fishing is so good, we don't need a full lunch. Let's just have some crackers, cheese and bread and get back to fishing." I said, “Great because I have a real treat for you guys just a little down river.” If we were going to hit this sneaky little channel I had in mind, we were going to have to get going. Hell, we were only two-thirds of the way through the float. I parked the boat further down grabbed my camera, some flies and my net. We had to hike about 800 yards to get to this channel that you cannot get to by boat and usually is loaded with big fish. On the first run a football shaped 16 inch rainbow exploded on Les' fly. On the next run down Alan caught one about the same size. Don't get me wrong these are nice fish but not exactly what I was expecting. This channel is really small and about as technical as the Bitterroot gets. As we were walking around I told the boys to be very careful where they step because this place was loaded with redds. If you are walking side channels this time of the year please be mindful of these spawning beds. Those are our future trout and you cannot mistake the clean, circular gravel beds where a trout has spawned. Please give these redds a wide berth. As we were headed back up the channel, Les noticed a large swirl at the bottom end of some really still water. I said give it a shot. Les commented that the fish was probably cruising but what the hell. Les peeled off some line and his Skwala landed about ten feet from the bottom of the run. As he mended his line, the bug twitched. As soon as the bug moved, a wake formed and came charging toward his fly. It took nerves of steel not to pull the fly away as a VERY large mouth could be seen breaking the surface. As the fish turned down, Les pulled up and with that we both let out a war cry. The fish exploded as the fly sunk into its mouth. It did its damnedest to shake free but Les played him perfectly. As the fish came to the net we both saw that it was a very large male brown trout; the fish measured a good 21-21.5 inches and healthy. As we walked back to the boat full of adrenaline, Les said, "If I would have missed that fish, I would not have been able to sleep tonight." I told him, "Shit, if you would have missed that fish you would be sleeping here tonight!" After we left the channel we had probably 10 more ops (eats). The fishing had slowed a little and ended as the light faded from the sky. Unfortunately, I had to row out for the last half hour in almost complete darkness. This was probably the best day of fishing I have seen on the Bitterroot River so far during the Skwala hatch. There were more bugs on the water than I have EVER seen and there were lots of big noses coming up. I was glad I could spend it with two great guys. Thank you again Alan & Les I really enjoyed fishing with you and I look forward to our next adventure.

The Battle Rages!

2010-04-07T08:18:00.003-06:00

As far as I am concerned, if this is such a hot button topic and if I have pissed that many people off, START YOUR OWN BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't tell me what I can and cannot or should and should not write! Don't ask me to call you before I post anything to get your side of the story. The last time I checked this is still America. Although the Chinese own our ass, they do not run the country, yet! I will post whatever the F*%# I want on MY blog. I try to keep it light and comical but sometimes there are going to be sensitive issues. If you want to voice any opposition please feel free to start your own blog.

I have no ax to grind against the construction company nor the homeowners that are currently working below Tucker. If all projects for bank stabilization along the Bitterroot River were done in this fashion there would not be an issue. They are doing some great work. If you read my posts, you will see that I was able to talk to the owners of the construction company doing the work and was grateful that they were doing the job. My blog posts are about the bigger picture along the Bitterroot River. The greatest threat to the river system, in my opinion, is illegal riprapping and its affect on the Bitterroot River. Hopefully, the next post will be back to fishing stories. Although, I am sure I will be re-visiting this issue as more people come in and voice their opinion on both sides of the argument.

GONE VIRAL!

2010-04-06T10:05:00.003-06:00

"Dude, you've gone viral!" This was a quote of my good friend Donn said after telling him the goings on regarding my blog. This all started on Saturday (April 3) when I was visited from a person by the local chapter of Trout Unlimited. He came into the shop to talk to me about my blog and the fact that "it has pissed a lot of people off". My first thought was, holy shit people are actually reading my posts?! This gentleman continued by saying that since I was a relatively new shop in town I should be careful to essentially not rock the boat and that I should watch what I post. Was this a threat? Normally, I would take great offense to someone threatening me at my shop but I was still getting over the fact that more than a few of my friends were reading my blog! He went on to say that I had offended Mr. Clancy with my remarks and I should call him myself and discuss the issue (which I have since done). He stated that Mr. Clancy was on the forefront of stream side setbacks and the best watchdog this fishery could have. This may be the case, I have my opinions on the matter you can do your own research and decide for yourself. It will be VERY interesting to see what happens this year as far as river closures are concerned. We have very little water at this point and late July and the entire month of August could be challenging times.

This morning I was visited by a civil engineer looking for "Seen". I asked him if he was looking for Sean. He said yes and that I have pissed a lot of people off in this valley regarding my blog. Once again, holy shit people are reading it! This gentleman seemed very upset and had a printed page from my Facebook site regarding the recent article in The Bitterroot Star titled "Homeowners Reconstruct River". I had to cut the conversation short (due to the fact that I had customers in the shop) but suggested that the gentleman please come back and I would be happy to debate the issue with him. We will see what happens.

After talking to Mr. Clancy today I have decided to go to the Conservation District's meeting coming up. Mr. Clancy informed me that they are the one who actually issues the 310 permit and he is only an advisor to the process. There is also a permit that must be issued by the Army Corps and by the County for any floodplain work. Mr. Clancy did say that he used to have a post on the Conservation Districts website to inform people on the work being done on the Bitterroot River. He also used to post signs at river access points to inform floaters on any work being done. He said that these were ineffective because no one would check the website and the contractors would not be consistent with his postings at boat ramps. He now is suggesting new criteria be adopted for work being done during the Skwala hatch, March15-May15. He would have the contractor post a notice at the boat ramp as far as work schedules. He would also like to see the contractors do the work early in the morning and late in the evening to lessen the water turbidity during times when we are floating the river.

This is not a new issue plaguing the Bitterroot River. People have been basically doing what they want around here as well as toeing the line and getting permits when it comes to bank stabilization work. It seems that I have touched a REAL sensitive button for a lot of people around here. Leave it to me to be in the middle of controversy! Who knows, if I keep posting controversial issues maybe we will have full scale protests marching for both sides in the parking lot. Like they say, "Any press is good press". Who are "they" anyway and why do "they" know so much? I digress, sorry. GO FISHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Little Calmed Down Today

2010-03-29T09:32:00.004-06:00

Well just after posting my latest blog regarding the work being done on the river, wouldn't you know it, the people who are doing the work came into the shop. Dale & Deanna Hockett of Elk River Construction specialize in river restoration projects all over the world. Some of their projects include stream restoration in Africa, Costa Rica and numerous places in the Untied States. Dale explained the current process ongoing in the Bitterroot River, which is good since neither I nor anyone else has heard what is going on from Mr. Clancy! Instead of just placing large boulders down in a riprap fashion, which has been the norm on the Bitterroot and most other western rivers, they are creating a more natural environment. In a nutshell, they are taking large logs, burying them deep into the river bottom and laying gravel and sod mats on top. The desired effect is to have the bank stabilized without compromising habitat and creating erosion further downstream(which happens when a bank is riprapped). By burying these logs, the river will have an opportunity to create an undercut bank where trout can live. Above the undercut, they have planted willows and cottonwood cuttings that will create shade and further increase trout habitat. This is obviously a gross simplification of the process that Dale explained to me but in my mind is a much better alternative to riprap stabilization. Dale stated that he was going to bring me drawings to look at and if he does I will share them.

Does this lesson my anger to Mr. Clancy? Two words, HELL NO! It would have been nice if Mr. Clancy would have held a public meeting regarding the work being done. It would have eased a lot of public outcry if all us outfitters and/or shop owners knew the time line of the project and techniques that this project was using. In talking to Dale, he could not understand why there was no public meeting regarding this project either. After talking to Dale, I understand now why they were hired over a local contracting crew. I agree with this decision, but once again it would have been nice if Mr. Clancy held a public meeting to address this subject as well. As far as homeowner being able to stabilize eroding banks I am adamantly opposed. There is still a need for stream side setbacks along the Bitterroot River. If all bank stabilization projects were like the one currently being done it would ease some pain. But how many homeowners are going to undertake their project with a company such as Elk River Construction? I bet not many and the days of riprapping will continue.

MAD AS HELL!

2010-03-27T11:54:00.007-06:00

If you don't want to hear (or read) a really angry rant then you may want to skip this blog entry. So yesterday I was off do some fun fishing with two guide buddies and happened to pick up the local free paper, The Bitterroot Star. I was hoping that my coffee hadn't kicked in yet and I had misread the headline which stated "Homeowners Reconstruct River". WTF! The article states that a construction company out of Colorado just started the process of completely moving the river out of its current channel to the 2008 channel and away from two existing homes and was approved this winter by Chris Clancy, head fisheries biologist for Montana FWP. I am going to attempt to break down what are, in my mind, the fundamental flaws in the above statement. First of all, Chris Clancy held NO public comment period for this massive project. According to the Bitterroot Star, after the river channel is completely moved they are planing to use 4,800 cubic yards of logs, brush and sod mats to shore up the banks of the "old" channel to prevent the river from coming back into its current location. "Another 20,000 cubic yards of cobble, gravel and sand will be removed from the river channel and placed along the bank, basically digging out a new, deeper channel and filling in the channel near the cliff bank" (where the two houses are). Not only is this having a dramatic negative affect on the fishing now it will continue to do so well in the future. Basically, Mr. Clancy has taken out an entire section of river during the peak of the spring fishing season. For the long term, what affect do you think it is going to have on the aquatic insects that are in the section that is getting diverted? Basically these actions are going to result in a aquatic desert. The last time I checked, fish need those insects to survive! Furthermore, Mr. Clancy decided to attempt this project when we have record low flows on the Bitterroot River and record low snow pack. The silt deposits that will result from this and other projects currently underway on the river (2 others upriver), will not be able to be flushed from the river bottom. There just won't be a "normal" runoff this year and the possible silt build up will further damage the aquatic insect life, further impacting the trout fishery. Furthermore, who was the rocket scientist who hired an out of state contract to do this work. Since the project got railroaded through, what was the reasoning behind not hiring local contractors? The economic hardship that has fallen on the Bitterroot valley has left many of contractors out of work. I am sure one or more would have loved to do this job and probably would have been more cost effective to use! Along those same economic lines, the Bitterroot River is basically one of just a few things bringing revenue to the Bitterroot Valley. The river is literally worth millions of dollars a year. In recent years, the log home industry as well as almost every kind of contractor related services has dried up. Historically, these were the economic mainstays of the Bitterroot Valley, along with logging. In times like these why are these projects being started at the peak of the early fishing season? Wouldn't it be better to do these projects in the winter so as not to loose any tourism dollars?

As I mentioned above there are two other "projects" happening currently on the Bitterroot River. The first is a dam replacement project at Rennakers diversion dam below Wally Crawford access site. This project started in February and is almost complete. However, on Tuesday they diverted water from the west side of the project to the east side. The work has completely muddied up the water from here down to Angler's Roost. Once again, this has taken out an entire section of river in the prime early season! This is further concentrating anglers in fewer sections of river and only adding to congestion problems. The other project is happening above the Darby bridge. Fortunately, this is not having any short-term negative effect on water clarity. However, the homeowner is doing some bank stabilization, which always has long-term negative effects on the river.

The current projects along the Bitterroot River only emphasize the need to have stream side setbacks. As the current law stands, any landowner is allowed to build a house 25 feet away from the high water line. Unfortunately where the high water line is currently does not necessarily dictate where it will be in five, ten or twenty years in the future. The Bitterroot River like all alluvial rivers is constantly moving and changing its course year to year. This is what rivers are designed to do. However, when homes are constructed alongside the banks, bank stabilization is sure to follow. Not only does this create erosion downstream (due to the fact that the river is not allowed to naturally spread out and slow down it will speed up and erode banks further downstream) bank stabilization cuts off spawning habitat by blocking historical channels and springs. Why doesn't Mr. Clancy, the Bitterroot River's head fisheries biologist, understand this growing problem? That is the question we guides and outfitters have been asking for many years. What do they teach fisheries biologist in college these days? If you are still reading this rant there are only a few solutions to this problem that I can see. I am currently drafting letters to Mr. Clancy's office, the main office of Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks in Helena and one to the Governor's office. I don't know how effective they will be but I will at least voice my opinion.

A New Pod Cast Fishing Report is Up

2010-03-27T09:02:00.004-06:00

Here is the newest pod cast fishing report on the Bitterroot. Look for a new blog concerning the work being done on the Bitterroot to be posted real soon. Until then here is the link for the fishing report and you can clink on the link above the followers......

http://explorethebitterroot.com/

New Rods, Getting My Ass Kicked and Guiding

2010-03-17T09:40:00.000-06:00

When you own a fly shop there are days, especially in the early part of the season, that are like Christmas. Instead of being delivered by Santa and a sleigh pulled by reindeer, these gifts come via the UPS and FedEx trucks that pull into the parking lot. Unfortunately, these gifts cannot be bought with milk and cookies! Such was the case the other day when my R.L Winston order came to the shop. This will be the first year I will carry R.L. Winston rods. Not only are these great fly rods but they are made here in Montana. Just like a kid who gets exactly what they want for Christmas, I had to go out and play with my new toys. After all I have to know how the rods will fish if I am going to sell them, at least that was my justification for closing the shop at 4:00 and hitting the river.

Right off the bat I could tell I was going to love the new rods. I started off fishing the 9 foot 5 weight Boron IIX. This is their faster model but still has the characteristic flex that has made R.L. Winston famous. My good fishing buddy Donn was gracious enough to let me fish most of the time we were out so I could have some quality bonding with my new toy. If you haven't fished one of these rods, when you do, be prepared to buy one. Not only do they cast amazing but they mend like no other rod I have ever fished. I started out of the gate by landing a decent cuttbow, which was a good way to christen the rod. After that, I completely farmed my next six fish. Don't ever let a guide tell you they don't miss fish. If they do they are full of themselves and shit! Anyway, we pulled into a inside bend where I knew a very large brown trout resided last fall. Granted, I haven't seen this particular fish since October so I was not sure he would be back in the inside line yet. On my second cast as my Skwala slid behind a big boulder there was a sound akin to a toilet being flushed. After my miserable performance on the six prior fish, I was not going to prematurely set this one. Like I tell all my clients, after counting to two I lifted the rod only to have a hell break loose! True to big brownie form, this fish instalty took off and headed for deeper water littered with structure. I battled the fish for about five minutes during which he took me into backing and a across the entire river twice. As he started to tire he made a hot run right at me and I was picking my line up as fast as possible to keep a tight line. However, this wily brown had one last trick up his sleeve and as he got to the slower seam just ten feet in front of me he instantly turned back and ran toward the faster water. Just like that was gone only to return and haunt me in my dreams! I looked over to Donn with dismay and he laughed and said "That fish just kicked your ass!" Yes, he was worthy adversary and had the upper hand on me that day. All I could do was laugh and while drowning my sorrows in a nice cold Budweiser. We ended up having a stellar afternoon with a lot of fish coming to the boat in the 15-19 inch range. Donn landed a nice 19 inch pure Westslope cutthroat. All in all in was a great day to play with the new toys.

Yesterday, was the first day I had a commercial trip for the season. Although I have guiding for the better part of ten years, on the first trip there are always butterflies and checks and rechecks to make sure I have everything. Yesterday I took Clay and his son Mark. Clay owns the City Center Motel here in Hamilton. If you are looking for a very affordable motel that is located right downtown, this is the place. Clay fishes with me a few times a month during the season and it is always a pleasure to have him on the boat. I met Mark last summer but never got to fish with him. The fishing started off a little slow for the simple fact that the water was temping out at 38 degrees in the morning. However, after lunch the water started hitting the magic number of forty-two. If you don't have a thermometer with you while fishing the Bitterroot River this spring, don't worry the fish will let you know when you start hearing and seeing the fish aggressively eating the naturals on the water. We had a great afternnon of fishing with about 35 fish that ate our flies. Of those, about twelve came to the boat. The best fish came at the very end of the float. We were coming through a long, fast riffle the used to house a pair of beautful rainbows. However, I haven't seen them for the last two years. Mark made a great cast about two feet from the bank and as soon as the fly touched the water a very large mouth sucked the Skwala down. He paused long enough to let the fish get his body back under water and then lifted his rod. Immediately, his 8 foot 5 wieght rod doubled over and I knew we were going to have a battle on our hands. I instantly started pulling us upriver and toward the opposite bank, as the fish was not wanting to leave its home which was now about 25 yards upstream. Mark got the fish turned back downstream (the first time) and started coaxing him toward the boat. But of course as soon as it saw the boat it instantly peeled line off his singing reel and headed upstream and to the opposite bank. I dug my oars into the current and tried to head upstream with him but now were were at the bottom of the riffle and the best I could do was to try and stay stationary as he tried to turn the fish back downstream. After a few tense moments he got him turned around and I slid the boat downstream and into a back eddy. The fish took a couple of hard runs but eventually came into the net litteraly 50 yards from the takeout. Mark is a Marine pilot and flies an Osprey, so we have a Osprey bond going. I would like to thank Mark again for serving this great country as he readies for a redeployment to Afghanistan. Godspeed and come home safe so we can do some more fishing.

Check out the new pod cast fishing report

2010-03-13T10:34:00.001-07:00

For some reason it cuts out in the last 1/4 of the report but we are working on it. Hopefully the full report will be up soon. Good ole computers. There is a saying that I truly subscribe to that goes, "Sometimes the best thing you can do with a computer is to turn it off and go fishing!" Until then, here is the link. There is a link just below the followers list as well.

http://explorethebitterroot.com/bitterroot-river-fishing-report-march-12-2010

Snow Day!

2010-03-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

For those of you that know me, you probably would never have thought you would hear the words "It is good to see the snow!" come out of my mouth. However, this morning I woke up to see about an inch of new snow blanketing the valley. I have never been so happy to see the white stuff this late in the winter/early spring. If you have been following our snow pack, or for better words lack-thereof, you know we need every little bit we can get at this point. The Bitterroot Range is currently sitting at 51% of average for this time of the year and the Bitterroot River is at record low flows.

The one thing I am staying positive about this year is the fact that it is a heavy El Nino year. Typically during an El Nino year we get a lot of storms late spring (April and May) and our summers are usually cooler and wetter than normal. So we have that going for us, which is nice. Another factor to stay positive about is the fact that our fish are in the best shape anyone has ever seen for this time of the year. Typically, our fish are a little skinny this time of year due to the fact that they have dined almost exclusively on midges. This year the fish in the Bitterroot River look like they have been eating Salmonflies all winter. Even the brown trout, which are usually the skinniest this time of the year, are all fat and healthy. So instead of focusing on the doom and gloom of having very little water in the mountains, I am staying positive with a watchful eye on the weather satellite images. We really only need a few good storms to get our snow pack up to acceptable levels.

Let the Skwala Madness Begin!

2010-03-05T09:22:00.001-07:00

Needless to say it has been a very mild winter, which is being followed by a warm and early spring. The good news is that the Skwala hatch on the Bitterroot River is coming earlier than anyone has ever seen before. The bad news is that we may be left with very little water later in the season (more on that later). We started seeing the first adult Skwala on the water on February 25th. .
Each day we were getting 5-10 eats on Skwala dries. My buddy Rob got the first nice fish with a dry fly on February 27th, a beautiful 18 inch 2 1/2 pound Cutthroat. Since then, the dry fly fishing has been improving exponentially every day

Yesterday, March 4th, was a good friends' birthday so of course we had to get out on the water. The day started off a little slow but as the sun warmed the air and water, that all changed. The magic water temperature for Skwalas to emerge as adults is 40-42 degrees. We have been seeing water temps start to reach 40-42 degrees and yesterday the Bitterroot River temped out at 43 degrees. Accordingly, yesterday we saw alot of adults (25-30) on the water. During Skwala hatch you tend not to see the amount of bugs on the water that you will on other stonefly hatches. For instance, during the Salmonfly or Golden stonefly hatch the water can be blanketed with bugs. However, once the Skwala adults start hitting the water the fish on the Bitterroot turn on eager eye toward this bug. You will know when the fish are eating them by the amount water that gets displaced when the fish viciously attacks. After eating size 20-24 midges all winter, I think the fish just can't hide their excitement of seeing a size 8 stonefly floating down the river. Fishing the Skwala hatch can produce not only some of the biggest fish you will see all year but some of the most memorable takes. After all was said and done yesterday, we had 32 fish eat a Skwala dry fly. That is some epic fishing for the fourth day of March!

If you haven't noticed, the snow pack in the Bitterroot and Sapphire Ranges are extremely low. Right now we are sitting at 52% of average in the entire Bitterroot River drainage. This could mean for some interesting conditions come late July and all of August. The only thing I am trying to stay positive about is the fact that it is a heavy El Nino year. This usually means that we have a cooler and wetter than normal summer. Only time will tell. My advise is if you are thinking about fishing the Bitterroot River this year, you need to come early and often!

Eagles, Waxwings and Icebreakers on the Bitterroot River

2010-02-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

Last week I was looking at the ten-day weather forecast and decided that it was time to wake my boat up from its' long winters nap. After rolling her out (by the way her name is Bella), pumping Bella up and giving Bella a full bath and coating of 303, I got a call from a good client and friend of mine about going fishing this week. As it turned out, this would be Peter's last float on the Bitterroot River because he is moving to Belgium. After looking at the weather window it looked like Tuesday would provide some good late winter fishing. Sunny skies temps in the upper 40's would make for a good icebreaker first float of the year; little did I know that this could be taken literally.

Given the fact that flows on the Bitterroot River are super low right now, even for this time of the year, I decided to float from Woodside to Tucker Crossing. This way we would not have to cross any major diversion dams and the minor one that is in this section had allegedly been removed. After hearing this rumor I wanted to confirm it for myself. Peter met me at the shop and within a half hour we were launching the boat. No sooner had we started floating when Peter hooked up! I looked up to see his rod was doubled over and following the fly line it was evident that he had firmly lodged his fly in a bush not fifteen feet from the put in. Oh well I guess you are allowed a mistake on your first couple of casts of the year! We floated through the first run fishless and under the watchful eyes a pair of Bald Eagles. If you have spent much time on the Bitterroot River in the winter you can't help but notice the unusual abundance of Bald Eagles. I think the reason you see more in the winter is because in the summer the Osprey chase them off. Osprey and bald Eagles are arch enemies due to the fact that Baldies always try to steal the Osprey's fish. It is amazing to watch one or more Osprey attack and dive bomb any Bald Eagle that tries to fly in the river bottom.

Winter fishing is much different than any other simply because the fish are stacked in long deep runs. So floating the Bitterroot now means you are just going from run to run and there is not much fishing in between. On the second run I stopped the boat above and told Peter to get out and work the long deep plunge pool. I have fished at least 20 times since the beginning of the year and knew there were at least four nice fish eager to eat in this run. As if on cue, Peter's strike indicator went down on one of his first casts and his rod doubled over. This time I knew there was no bush to catch his fly only a hungry trout. Just as I was about to grab the net, his strike indicator and two flies shot out of the water after being spit by the fish. Unfortunately this wasn't the last time this would happen in this run but he needed to dust the cobwebs off after a long winter.

At the entrance to the next run we were greeted by a flyby of an immature Golden Eagle. As the huge raptor flew off, Peter's indicator once again dipped below the surface. This time the fly stayed firmly in the fishes mouth. The fish took a couple of good runs for this time of the year and as it came to the net we could see that it was a healthy 17" Cutbow. We both were impressed by the depth of the fish. Almost all the fish I have been catching this winter have been really healthy. The last two years of great water conditions have kept this fish plump all year. Peter caught a small but healthy rainbow in the next run and offered to get on the oars. Even though it felt really good to be on the oars again, I accepted his offer and got in the hot seat.

After unsuccessfully dredging a couple of runs I finally hooked up and landed a decent cutbow. I proceeded to get back on the oars because after all this was Peter's last float. I told him we are going down the channel that led to the dam that had allegedly been removed. We both looked down the channel and Peter asked if I was sure we wanted to proceed. I have to admit it was super skinny looking down there and I knew I would be doing some dragging but I wanted to see if the damn dam was gone. After rounding the first corner I could see that the entire slick I had to go through was covered in ice. The ice looked really thin and with Peter out of the boat I though I could break through by rowing. However, Bella is not made to be an icebreaker and about halfway through the floe I got completely stuck! After a couple of tense moments while Peter was laughing his ass off at me, I stood up, punched the oars through the ice and backed off the ice. I then had to drag the boat by shore over the floe and through the next set of bends.

After the ice floe debacle, we were once again fishing on our way to the dam. The last run before the dam is some great holding water that runs along a car body bank. These were used in the old days for bank stabilization. Although we did not see any fish, we did see the first Bohemian Waxwings. Like the American Robin, these birds are harbingers of spring. Another thing we couldn't help but notice was the fact that the damn dam was still intact. Such is the Bitterroot rumor mill.

We pushed over the dam and between there and Tucker we landed a fish apiece. Peter had a very large Brown Trout one for a little bit. However, the fish just put the stick to him and there was not enough water and space in the run to keep the fish from running into a log jam. Soon after Peter landed a very healthy Westlope Cutthroat. All in all it was a great first day of floating and breaking ice on the Bitterroot River. Peter you will be missed this season and I wish you well in your Belgium endeavors.

February Fishing on the Bittterroot River

2010-02-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Well in trying to post some photos of the fishing we have been having in January and February, I accidentally deleted the original blog. Good ole computers! There is a good saying that I live by that goes, "Sometimes the best thing you can do with a computer is turn it off and go fishing!" Anyway, we continue to have some really good winter fishing conditions on the Bitterroot River. As a matter of fact, yesterday (Feb 12) was 50 degrees! Being that it got that warm, I had to venture down to the rio and check on the Skwala nymph migration and maybe exercise a trout or two.

After turning over a few rocks, it was obvious that the nymphs have begun their migration from the middle of the river to the banks. In one run, there were about 5-6 Skwala nymphs clinging to every rock I turned over. Now before you get too excited, we should not see any adults in earnest for at least three weeks. That being said I have seen years where we were fishing dries the first week of March. You can usually set your watch to the middle of March for fishing dry Skwaklas and the peak of the hatch is usually around the second week of April.

Now the question becomes how do you know when the adult Skwala will emerge? Unlike the nymph, which starts it's migration from the middle of the river according to light cycles, the adult gets it's cue from water temperature. As soon as the water temps start getting to the magic number of 40-42 degrees the adults will come out to play. During the Skwala hatch you will not seeing tremendous numbers of adults as you do during other stonefly hatches, i.e. Salmonflies, Golden stones, yellow sallies, etc. Unless you have a trained eye, chances are you will only see a few during the day. However, you can bet your ass that the trout see them and are stoked to have the equivalent of a T-bone steak floating down the river after eating breadcrumbs all winter!

Now that I have got you all wound of for fishing it is time to take a deep breath a re-read the above section on the hatch. That being said get ready because it is just around the corner and pray for more snow in the high country. I will leave it at that and will post another blog after this weekend regarding the state of our snow pack and the general health of the fishery currently on the Bitterroot River. Until then, have a great weekend and good fishn'!