2021 Season

Hello!! 

The 2020 season was not as grim as it had sounded. I was able to keep myself busy with guide trips. I just didn't have time to update here. I did some on Facebook and Instagram. Please follow me up over there!!

Well, 2021 is here. Things seem to look a bit brighter than the last year. It's about time to predict river flows for the season and I'm booking trips. But the first thing first, please stay healthy and positive. 

A couple of contingency protocols from 2020 continue:

• Booking/cancelling policy remains the same. As long as COVID is the reason and we have to cancel trips, there will be no cancelling fees. Again, there may be another pandemic that would restrict clients' travels and/or my outfitting operation. We remain flexible and most importantly keep in touch. 
• I again am not sure if I renew the Yellowstone National Park guide permission. Just FYI to clarify, I'm a Montana state licensed outfitter which is renewed and current. YNP is a different jurisdiction that requires a different application/permission. Please inquire. Jumping to the 2022, I WILL RENEW the permission for sure!!

Meanwhile, since the end of 2020 guide season, I've been working on a big project. It's coming along. Here's a glimpse............ I hope I can announce something soon!

COVID-19 Updates & The MUST PMD Pattern Trilogy

Howdy folks, it's been a while. I've been as busy as anybody else. I've been active on Facebook and Instagram and I have to admit this blog has been squeezed out somewhat.

COVID-19 Updated Regarding 2020 Guide Season
LEFTY ANGLER & FLIES' #1 Policy is STAY SAFE & HEALTHY!!
Yes, 2020 season is going to be a really tough one and may even affect following seasons.
Montana has been recording the lowest case of COVID-19 cases in US and fishing is open for residents and out-of-state visiting fishers.
On June 1st, 14-day self-quarantine mandate for visitors will be lifted.
So visiting fishers are ready to go fishing or take guide trips upon arrival.
Now is the time for plan trips to Montana and book guide trips, but I understand it's just difficult this year. As much as I want my clients to come back and new fishers to book trip with me, #1 Policy, I'd like you stay safe and healthy. As long as we stay healthy and keep battling this invisible enemy, Montana's rivers and trout will always be there for us.

As for fishing reports and predictions, it's middle of runoff now. Weather patterns through remainder of May and towards end of June will keep affecting flows on rivers and reservoirs. I guess it will be an average to low flow season on most rivers, compared to the past 3 seasons. But we can't guess summer weathers yet. Will it be hot, lots of 90+F days, or cool like last summer?

Then as for booking guide trips, it's certainly very welcome!
Through 2020 season, if COVID-19 issues persist, deposit will be FULLY REFUNDED, i.e., no cancellation fee, with reasonable advance notice.
Bottomline, contact me and stay in touch!

Regardless of what we are up to, trout and insects will do their annual cycles.
PMD hatch on Livingston's spring creeks is coming in less than a month!!
Here's how to tie my Hen Hackle Tip Spinner.
It's said to be THE BEST spinner pattern!! I didn't claim that I invented it. I was asked to tie. But somehow I may be tying differently from others would do.

As for YouTube videos, I started to spend time on editing. And I try to make them more instructional than before. With this pattern in mind, I made a trilogy video.











Even if we can't go fishing, we can still tie flies!!
Stay healthy and stay in touch!!

Fall Fishing

At this point in early October, it seems the fall has had a very short life and the winter is showing itself............ Following is the reports from September. Yes I'm very behind. I was busy, involved in something else that I may announce later.

In September, there were a couple of over 90F days. Rest were mix of rain and clouds that made us feel some chills. Yes, it was indeed a fall.

In my note, it was a very rare "dry-fly double" on Yellowstone River.

I had one angler who wanted to pry Bighorn River.
This one was just longer than my hand, but with the totally odd shape. Definitely well-fed!!

Morning glory!!

 We fished for the remaining Trico!

From 90F days in Eastern MT, it was quite a change at Slough Creek in YNP!!
It was very slow in the morning. However, with our patience and perseverance, we had rising trout!!

The wrap up of his trip was on DePuy's Spring Creek. 

It was a midge day!!

 And the finale was this massive brown trout😲
Was this an early fall-runner or it happened to be there? Or hanging around through summer?

Let's see what October brings.
It's also time for me to work on Atlantic salmon flies.........💞

Bighorn River - Livin' The Dream 2019

Well, I survived the annual Bighorn trip and successfully got back home👏🎉
I came home with so many pictures and videos, of course many good memories and experiences. It'd better so because I spent half of August by camping and guiding😲
First I had to recover by resting my body and adjusting my mental set. Then I went through all the digital contents. After very time consuming effort and patience, I compiled the documentary👏🎊
Seeing is believing, enjoy the real & raw live actions🎥


Another brutal Bighorn trip on the book😎
The next main actor could be YOU😎

Floating Rivers

It feels like we're hitting the peak of summer. We're having upper 80F and 90F days, but this is only just past one week or two. It's been a cool summer, at least for my perspective and experience. Yellowstone River has been running in fair flows without many mud-plugs from up above. Float trip is going well.

Dry-fly fishing is the way to go!!

As seen behind, when clouds cover the sky, streamers can yield surprising results😲

And then................BIGHORN😎

Following is my scout trip for the upcoming BIIIIIIIG trip😏

This is the place to be🙋

I'd like to say this upfront; ALL the TROUT I caught in these two days were VERY VERY STRONG😲💪💪❗❗ I had very hard and, of course, enjoyable times to bring them in. 

 Not on purpose at all, a caddis flew into my water😅

Trout are very strong💪

 See what's out there😎

For those who are planning to come this summer, I'd like to offer you fair information.
There are LOTS OF TROUT to be caught❗❗ DO NOT listen to or believe in what someone talks about fish count/population survey. Besides as you can see in my pictures, water is running clear, flow has just come down to the ideal & preferable level for anglers, trout, and insects, and tremendous hatches are going on❗❗
That's all for now.
I'm sure the next post will be after the upcoming trip - perhaps in early September - only if I survive😬

Salmonfly on The Madison

This is NOT a timely fishing report.
Salmonfly hatch on Madison River came and then had gone. I was guiding on the river. Then I was also busy at Livingston's spring creeks for PMD hatch (definitely next post!). So blogs and all other social network posts have been way behind.

Talks along the river from long time experts to visiting fishers, and online, of course, is: it was an odd year with the hatch. It was sporadic here and there and didn't really go strong. I have some idea and explanation: WEATHER❗❗❗❗  In the middle of June, we had a very cold week. As it was on the news, we even had some snow drizzles on the Summer Solstice. Though it got warm up like summer-ish, it was immediately followed by late afternoon/evening thunderstorms almost all EVERYDAY from the end of June to early July. So, although the river flow and clarity were perfect, it was simply cold - air & water. This should explain the hatch of this season - at least to me. Though some to many anglers may have been disappointed, salmonflies did hatch and trout were caught on dry-flies. Also, I have to emphasize there were phenomenal amount of caddis were hatching. Plus Goldenstone and many species of mayflies were hatching too. Trout were interested in these dry-flies too. I understand many visiting anglers expect the most explosive actions with salmonfly dry-flies, especially if they have previously experienced one, however, me being a guide, this hatch on this river is just like any other hatches on the any other rivers. It's just the NATURE. So if I may offer an advise, bring your biggest expectation but also learn and accept what's going on this season and on the river.

My anglers and I chased the hatch. It seemed we chose a right section as we found this guy at the boat launch!!

These were seen all through the section.

As the day got warmer, these guys became very active. 

 Then we had "calm before the storm" and that was our window of opportunity.

Next day on the other section, we saw these. If I may interpret, these guys just quit or got interrupted from hatching perhaps due to wet/cold weather. 

 As I wrote above, we had some actions on Goldenstone and Caddis dry-flies too❗❗

So this is what I experienced and learned this season with the salmonfly hatch on the Madison.
What was yours? Whatever you've got, I hope you had fun. Then next year and near future, come back with expectations and experiences😉❗❗

2019 Guide Season Kicked Off!!

I've been fortunate to be busy through April with guide trips on DePuy's Spring Creek.
As it has been I have a pile of photos and videos. This time I decided to compile a very short video and make one post.

Enjoy & thank you for watching😉

Late September Guide Trips

While my mind was flying somewhere over the Bighorn and then while I was physically there, Livingston's area rivers fished really well for what I heard from my contacts and what I saw on social medias. I think this average-to-cooler summer contributed a lot all through the season. At the turn of the fall, I had a series of trips around here.

YES!! Yellowstone River is still fishing well with dry-flies. Of course, nymphing is effective earlier in the day or all through the float. Baetis and some terrestrials that still roam river banks offer good dry-fly fishing.

 Ants worked for me but not hopper as I heard. But I'm sure it just happened to me and my people. I spotted this one at around my lunch spot.

I believe she was carrying the egg sack😍. She didn't hop, barely walking on the sand😊

Lower Madison has its own mood as always. One method may work better than the other and then some nice fish show themselves from nonchalant structures😶

 DePuy's Spring Creek has been fishing well all summer as insect hatches continue. Indeed this has been an incredible season on the creek👏. We guide team welcomed the annual big group to the creek. This morning I was able to show a couple of spots with rising trout for my clients.

But catching them was not easy😏

 Then in the afternoon, PMD still hatch😲 and baetis follow😆❗❗

 

Then we floated Yellowstone River. We shared our methods and catches as we go on. My people and I figured out what worked for us and so did others. All 5 boats had great times on the Yellowstone🙌

Of course I was shining among the rest of outstanding guides❗❓See what I can get my clients hooked up with😅 I seldom hold fish for clients just to take good looking pictures (I want clients to hold and be in pictures, not me!) but for this I sacrificed my hands 😖 and we had good Sushi lunch🍣😂

We caught many good looking trout and this was particularly memorable😆Of course this good looking trout itself, but also as we were going through the cascading riffle, I couldn't let my hands off of my oars. So this client performed tugging in this strong Cutt and then a one-man YOGA netting all by himself👏😉

 Well-done😬🙌

Let's see what the fall offers us in Yellowstone Country😉
See you on the stream👏