Montana Fly Fishing News and General Ranting-Symptoms Related to Omicabin Fever. 2/1/22

www.flyfishmissoula.com

 

This doesn't happen in Hawaii.

Disclaimer: There will be very little continuity and flow to this blog post.

FISHING STUFF
I did see a great fly fishing post from a guide pal over on the Missouri River.  He had some big smiles from his anglers who were holding some fine looking trout. I would bet that anything pink or zebra-midgey would get the job done over there. As usual, look for the SLOW winter water.  The same holds true for the other area rivers. There is some open water on the Clark Fork and Bitterroot, but I'd bet that the Blackfoot and Rock Creek are locked up tight. P.T.s, midges and San Juans will take a few fish, but the only thing that could be more dreadful than nymphing in warm weather is nymphing in cold weather. If you want to watch a bobber, go drill a hole in the ice and stare at it until it goes down. 

COOL BOATS
I had a great conversation with an outfitter buddy about boats.  We both found ourselves in brand-spankin' new Boulder skiffs last season.  This followed several seasons rowing boats that I would describe as "iron-ore freighter-esque". Thankfully, Boulder Boat Works began manufacturing a skiff that is as rowable and durable as their famed low-pro drift boat. I'm always excited to get back at it, but the pain and discomfort associated with my previous battle-barge left me feeling nervous about whatever long term damage I might be inflicting upon myself.  This is the first year in a few that I'm excited to jump back in a boat.  In fact, I'm so happy about the Boulder Skiff that I sat in it last night and imagined all of the flawlessly accurate casts I would be witnessing this season. That's not really true; I just cleaned out some of the tippet, leaves and broken dreams from last season. So, if you want a drift boat give Boulder Boat Works a good look. www.boulderboatworks.com

SNOWPACK
The snowpack looks about right to support a good water year.  Although it has been fairly dry for the last couple of weeks, our heaviest snows typically occur in February and March. 

You may remember that we had a slightly above-average snowpack last year, but triple-digit temps took care of it in short order.  It would just be great to have a normal, average, easy summer without inner-toober dingbats and forest fire smoke.  It's still a toss-up as to which one I dislike more.  I'm leaning toward the toober goober ding-dongs.  When will Ace Hardware and Tire-rama be forced to obtain outfitting licenses? To my untrained eye, it certainly seems like they're outfitting the public and putting more pressure on the resource. I could go on about this for awhile. We should all be marching in the streets!

RODS
As many of you know, I've been a Sage fly rod fan for a long time. I love 'em! But faced with a last minute trip to Belize I didn't have time to secure a decent 9 weight rod. I had a few broken rods around, but there simply wasn't time to get one ordered and delivered.  Oh yeah, and there were very few available because nobody went to work for the last 2 years. Anyway, I called the gang at the Kingfisher and they had a couple of options that they were willing to sell me.  I ran down to the shop and fiddled around with a Sage. Then I grabbed the TFO Mangrove. It felt more balanced and more responsive than the Sage. So I bought that TFO; the first TFO I had purchased in 20 years. I must say that it was a great rod for the bones and jacks. I suspect that that rod in a 6 would be a killer streamer rod. If you're in the market for a good salt rod that doesn't break the bank,  this might be a good option.

I think that's it for now. Spring is just around the next couple of corners. It's snowing right now! 

-Predator

Droppers are for perverts-Yep!

Yep, this sums it up. Is the future of Montana fly fishing deciding which jig/nymph/ass to tie on? Look, I've went to one of the fabled rivers this past week. Not only did I get a ration of flat-brimmed, millennial guide, lazy gettin'-paid horseshoe at the ramp, but I thoroughly enjoyed the rising trout (and there were a bunch) in just about every corner that you could imagine. So my question is when did nymphing become the default for all of the new crop of guides? Shop owners should be embarrassed, and the guides should wonder if this is all that there is. True enough that many of these pups never knew anything else, but for Pete's sake read a Haig-Brown book. The customer learns nothing about fly fishing, dry fly presentation or the ethics of the sport. I guess it probably goes back to the short-cut, immediate nature of our lives lately. Now anyone can be a "fly fisher". Now anyone can "get into fishing". Shit man, you could be a guide if you have enough coin!

I remember a time when nymphing was dirty, akin to watching midget porn or using powerbait. Midget porn really isn't that bad.

I talked with a prominent fly shop owner today and he explained that his shop would be limiting their guided trips to 6 per day. That's pretty dang cool. He had a bunch of reasons for the decision, but it all boiled down to a better experience for the guest, the health of the rivers and a commendable sense of preservation. His kids need as good of an experience as we all had. The let's "make all we can while we can" mentality is near-sighted and pretty pathetic. So, check yourselves; try to see a bigger picture. Wouldn't it be nice to present to the public a brighter and sustainable face of commercial use? It does seem that the ones complaining about over-crowding and boat traffic seem to be profiteering off of our best resources. It must be hard to sleep each night on pillows filled with hypocrisy. Maybe not. But, it should be. 

Best of luck to the nymphers this season. We will be praying for your souls. 

-Predator

 

Missoula, Montana fly fishing report 2/1/20

   

Ok Pilgirms, let's all be clear right off of the bat; Skwalapalooza just sounds ridiculous. Hipster-anglers are just as silly  in the same way that I hope there are manicured dudes in rainbow suspenders, rollerblading around the strip-mall this weekend, looking to trade flyrods for My Little Pony  temporary tattoos.  Oh, skinny jeans and shorn beards don't help either. Just sayin'... What makes it worse is that there isn't a chance in Hell that someone can, or will, launch a drift boat in western Montana anytime soon. Whatever- let's just get some folks through the door and maybe we'll sell a Pat's and a Chubby. Fair enough. Best of luck. And...gay doesn't have to be mean, or spiteful and full of fear. Who doesn't love Matthew McConaughey?  But, let's all calm down on the "Fests". If I have a "fest", I'm headed to Walgreens for some sort of insecticide. That could suck!
   Missoula, Montana suffered through a fair bit of snow this week-HAHAHA!!! What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on around here? My flaky snowplow guy got stuck in the driveway; I kinda thought these cats like snow. Whatever the case, the February snow Gods have thought us unworthy and they are punishing us. I talked to one guy in the bitterroot valley today and he said that he had at least 40" of snow in his yard. FORTY. Other places have vastly different amounts. That right there is true local knowledge. Whatever- there's a bunch of snow and if you think you're fishing anywhere besides the Missouri, best of luck. I think we're at least 3 weeks out, and that is naively hopeful. But, if you want to help shovel a parking lot, totally show up for the SkwalaPalooza thingy. They'll have hot cider and SJW tying demos.

Missoula fly fishing was brimming with flat-brims attending the film fly fishing tour deal-i-o. It would be a dis-service to capitalize that. I have to give huge thanks to Taylor at the Missoulian Angler  (not a bad place to buy a few flies) for putting together a nice night at his shop. Man, he had it all! Food, beer and plenty of experts. But seriously,  it was good to connect with a few folks this winter; we get pretty locked into the gray skies and ice-fishing .But, the tales of chasing worms and turds seemed to be non-stop. Oh, the poor Bitterroot...Who would've imagined that we could crowd the parking lot at Bell Crossing? Give 'em a break, eh? Take a gymnastics lesson!
   There were a few folks that didn't make it to the Angler, which is good because I had an earful for  the "guides" that were there. Dang.

So, you want the sweet report?  Here it is, pilgrims:
-Clark Fork River
The water is cold as hell; it's winter. The zebra midge isn't bad. The worm will work, too. This week brings lower temps and not many adult midges. Go find a good inside, and nymph the living hell out of it. Instagram the pic of the fatigued fish struggling to survive. If you go the da crick, try the worm and maybe a smaller prince.  Then, go home and wonder why you even bothered. Six weeks and you can go "rip lips". Settle down- you are awesome.

-Missouri River
It's so sweet! Someone tonight said that the "ripped" them at the dam. That could be a good place to start. I would suggest that the water from the dam to stickney would be solid, at least in the slower stuff. Try a Z.M and a amex. The czech in smaller sizes could be good, too. If you want to pull a streamer maybe go small and dark. And slow. You can try to find a pod of midgers, so give that a shot. For heck's sake, its winter. Go dry out your moldy life jackets and learn a reach cast!

Where else do you want to fish?

-Blackfoot River
Bring an auger and a good supply of SJ worms. I know you all have them. God, help fly fishing. Please, oh, please. Look man, it's winter. If you can't figure out where to put the bobber on your leader, neither can I. I'm sure it'll work out.
For Pete's sake, don't be such a clown- Buy a book, find some natural instinct. Ok, try a prince or a worm or a schnugget. All in 14, 16.
Please post photos of your latest conquests. That's what keeps us all going during these gray winter months.