"Spring" Fishing Report!!

As the title suggests, I can say "spring has come" though my attire remains the same as during winter! We should be ready for some more snow and freezing temperature but spring is pushing winter out of its way. Most importantly trout are definitely in the spring mode!! Let's review how I did last week.

At DePuy spring creek (www.depuyspringcreek.com), in a calm (no wind, that is) and overcast afternoon, I finally spotted rises. Though it looked only a few to several trout were doing so, action prolonged for a certain duration. They were rising for Spring BWO (Baetis)!! I got the first dry-fly catch of the year!! Happy!!

 Just making sure.......

More numbers of rainbows are coming into the creek. And I started to see bigger individuals as the day goes by!!

This was the different one from the above. About the same size at the same spot!

Then I still can't help but trying Atlantic Salmon flies at trout. These are basically large attractor wet flies. Especially this one, Silver Doctor, has an egg-like impression plus minnow-like belly.

I did get one!! And it was big!! I messed up the "selfie" and let the trout swim away........

This one was also caught on the Silver Doctor, though I couldn't take pictures while it was still on the mouth.

I rotated flies. What was this?

This was one of Carrie Stevens' feather wing streamers, which was a little detour project in-between Atlantic Salmon flies during winter.

Brown seemed this type more than rainbows.

Back to the Silver Doctor, I finally took proof pics!!

It was taken & bitten by trout!!

Silver Doctor is on & hanging down from this big one's mouth!!

Later in that afternoon, I got a big brown..........wait........... I know her!! I haven't done close examinations but I'm sure she's the same individual caught by me TWICE ALREADY!!. Check back my posts on Feb 9 and Feb 16. I'm sure we are "tied" to each other with some tight clinch knots.........

Next afternoon, I was again experimenting and rotating those "gaudy" wet-flies...... Honestly large rainbows like these big bright wet flies!!

Durham Ranger was literally crashed!!

They don't care how long it takes for me to tie one!! But I'm happy!!

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 Last but not the least, I'd like to post "the occasion". Things just happened simultaneously and coincidentally.
1. For St. Patrick Day, I decided to cook corned beef & cabbage for the first time in 7 years (that I recall). I sure must have eaten brisket through these years but I haven't cooked in my house.
2. I just had a business trip to Butte = Biggest Irish town (I think!) in Montana (check out Master Breeder site). So I'd love to bring some pasty = traditional meal for old Irish miners = at The Famous and one & only Joe's Pasty Shop!!
3. So I felt I'm obliged to do something with Irish tradition. Now I got a reason to take a break from commercial trout fly tying and completed a Thunder and Lightning - Irish Pattern.

Corned beef & cabbage, then pasty with brown gravy, and a traditional Irish fly pattern. Can't be more Irish than this plate?

I admit the body hackle is unbalanced.......... I'll do better next year with different Irish patterns.

Hopefully everyone is having a good weekend, filled with some hearty foods.
I'm ready to fish hard next week!!

Hmmmm???? Fishing Day, Wildlife, & One More New Gear

No charade or prologue needed for yesterday's outing. Not that I made the day slow but I picked up a slow unlucky day, really.  Because of my guiding schedule and my "Fisherman's Almanac", I hit Lower Meadow of Slough Creek expecting Flying ant mating swarm. Conclusion: I didn't see any though I spent till 6:00pm........ My famous S.C.ANT remained in my box........

Check my past posts for how much I was longing for this special occasion!!, if not SADISTIC PUNISHMENT by Lower Slough Trout!!
http://leftyangler.blogspot.com/2011/09/yell-cutty-hopper-beetle-baetis-bear.html
http://leftyangler.blogspot.com/2011/09/patience-observation-discovery-problems.html
http://leftyangler.blogspot.com/2012/09/september-7th-part-2-flying-ant-mating.html
I will reconsider misc matters and may try again soon!!

Also, as I drove into Yellowstone Park, I dropped by Parks' Fly Shop (www.parksflyshop.com). They  informed me Soda Butte Creek had another late season "spike" couple of days ago and became muddy, consequently Lamar River would be also questionable for great fishing........ I was expecting to fish for Green Drake hatch during day-time!! My expectation turned out to be just a day-dream of yonder years and days......

I managed to catch one decent Cutty on my own brandnew Green Drake dry-fly, though!! This new pattern will be announced in a near future with pictures and a tying video.

See how big it was!!?? And the water condition in the back.......

Rest of pictures are just another day spent in Yellowstone Park.......
This is the first time to see badger gets out of its den and what? hunting trout??

It's really odd this year. We didn't see many hoppers last hoppers then suddenly here they are!!

Hope these pictures will stimulate your tying enthusiasm, like I'm already thinking of something.....

Dragonfly resting on my Fishpond Guide Lumbar.

Although our guide season is winding down for the season (not fishing!! just to let you know), I decided to get another guide-gear.
One of the most important jobs of the guide = netting clients' catch of the day!! This is a true collaboration between guides and clients. There are clients who are used to and who can handle most sizes of fish. Then there are some big ones that even those experienced anglers have some hard time to bring them in!! Also there are clients who don't get used to our wild trout. I can't help them to reel in as reeling & fighting fish is clients' work (as well as enjoyment & excitement, of course). The best help I can offer is net them, when they get the closest to me.....But "closest" really varies..... Although I coach and direct my anglers for out best results, there has been "the very last second escape". Then once netting completed, another question I'm asked is "how big?". Yes, size is important but, for me, over all process is more important. Yet as a professional with trained eyes, I'd better be able to answer.  I was reviewing a while and finally found the tool to answer all of these. I just purchased Large size Measure Net (http://www.themeasurenet.com/).
Now, "I have two guns. One for each of ya." (Doc Holliday in Tombstone).

It's feather-light on my hand!! Then already longer than my regular net.

 And it extends for further reach!!

Accompanied is Net holder from Dr. Slick.  This is another super "slick" gear!!

I haven't wet this new net yet. Hopefully netting some giants at Lower Slough for my clients!!

Touch of The Fall............

September: We definitely have turned the another corner of season. Day-in & -out temperatures are getting cooler. Numbers of tourists and party-floaters are winding down. As a guide, I have more trips to run and expect more numbers of serious anglers would visit in the fall. As an angler, fall is the best & glorious end of the season!!, if I have to pick one season anyway, so I will sneak out more in between guiding and once the guide sequence is over!!

In our Great Yellowstone Country, Brookies would probably be the first species showing fall = spawning colors!!

Good looking buck!!

Dedication of the job!! Sun-up somewhere in Yellowstone National Park. Air temp was just above 30F...........

Yellowstone River had been hanging in there...... Fishing and river condition will be improved as it cools down. Once on hopper, always on hopper!!...........our happy wish..........

And it's time of the year again!! My Annual Whitefish-of-the-Year Championship has officially begun as of this month!! Here's my own entry. Yesterday, I had this sensation in a while!! I hooked something BIIIIIIG!!, felt like 20+ inches trout!!,............ then it was this belly-snagged 17-inch Whitie!! (see the red-dot) Still skinny but look at his (her?) lips!!

Competition runs till end of this year. Email me your BEST and I will post on this blog of mine. If I receive many pictures, I consider to create a new page. Winner will be awarded with a dozen of my custom flies!! - seriously!!

Summer is ending but hopefully you will have good fall-fishing. You will find me fishing for Green Drake and Fall Baetis (BWO) and hauling in huge fall-runners!!

Minor Hatch & Insect - Important Trout Bug!

Yesterday I really had a really long day..........(Using "really" twice is very redundant, even annoying, but it was "really" so........). In between guiding and breeding cows, I went to Yellowstone National Park. For fishing? Yes.........only for the last two hours. Mostly I spent for observation, experiments, scouting, measuring driving distance & time, etc., etc............... this is the real life of hard-working fly-fishing guide, folks.

There are some things "different from average years" going on in YNP waters. As I have discussed, so do area fly-shops, Madison River drainage (Firehole, Gibbon, & Madison, and tributaries) are NOT having serious run-off this year. Consequently waters in those rivers/creek are lower & warmer water than average years. That's the main reason of my outing.

Yet, or should I say because of that, I have experienced one of the most unique hatch toward the end of the day. It was a reminisce of my past experience. It may be worth to bring back my past posts. Oh, I was young and my hair was long & full!!
http://leftyangler.blogspot.com/2010/07/day-5-pm-firehole-puzzling.html
http://leftyangler.blogspot.com/2010/07/day-6-pm-firehole-puzzle-solvedjust-bit.html
http://leftyangler.blogspot.com/2010/07/day-7-pm-muleshoe-bend-last-effort.html

At a certain section of Firehole River, A.K.A. Insect Factory, I first saw White Miller Caddis (nectopsyche) were hatching and trout were taking them. But also I observed Helicopsyche (click here & here) were hatching and some trout were really keying on!! It can be confused with Glossosoma due to similar size and dark coloration but trout know the difference, just as I was confused 3 years ago!!
Let's review about "Helico".

• size 20 & 22
• dark/gray wings with Amber-ish body
• hatches certain sections of Firehole during warm periods
• hatches En Masse
• Up-stream cast is refused!!
• consequently cause lots of frustration among anglers!!

I was well-prepared this time with 3 years of accumulated knowledge and experience!!........just kidding....... This is the X-Caddis for Helicopsyche!!

Even this size of trout was feeding very selectively!!?? Hooking this size & keeping my line tight are very technical as everyone knows!!

I actually caught some nice trout on both White Miller and Helico.
Next time when you plan to fish Firehole in June, better keep your eyes open for this tiny little bugs!!
I'll be back for experiment and observation next week. It's a hard-work but I know it's piling up in my brain as memories & knowledge and in my body as experience. Besides, now is the time I can freely fishing and driving around before guiding really kicks off!!

PFS Lake Check Run!!

I'm in between Master Breeder schedules. Usually this time of year, I don't have many opportunities to go out fishing (due to spring run-off, Yellowstone Park is not open for fishing yet, and other reasons). But that does not mean Fishing Guides aren't fishing but are re-hibernating. I was able to join Private Lake Check Run with guides at Parks' Fly Shop (www.parksflyshop.com).

Now is the time to fish local lakes/ponds which are located within private cattle ranches or guest ranches, just like spring creeks in Livingston (BTW spring creeks are in great conditions too).

On Monday, we checked two lakes. Winds were on a rough side all day. We had fun. Here's Wally's DOUBLE!...........perch-y-ish!?

A group of Avocet against winds. It was a rare scene for us.

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Today we hit another well-known private lake. It's within a real working cattle ranch. I couldn't help chuckling with this landscape.......... An outhouse supported (probably braced!?) with wires and posts. Has anyone tried to steal this building or has it been knocked off & blown away by famous winds around here?

Owner & Outfitter of PFS, Richard bringing in The Starter!

It was a nice Cutty (no pics). I quickly "pumped". Hmmmmmm........, likely stuffs but also NOTE a BEETLE in it!!

Just as we had expected Chronomid hatches were abundant. Richard took a nice rainbow! Note that I'm writing just "nice" for this beauty because.........

Then very large & beautiful mayfly, Calibaetis started to hatch!! We were surrounded by rings of rises!!

I caught a nice little Brookie on a dry-fly!! Happy!!

Right after that Richard got a much nicer Brookie!

And then Morning's Glorious Rainbow!! - I wrote "Morning's" because.......

It was "She" as you can see.......... are these for Sushi Lunch!?

Wally and Rob also kept hauling trout.

It was a bit slow in the afternoon. We were afraid trout were regurgitating from morning feeding and taking some naps. However we have located several rising/cruising trout. Mr. Parks again got things done just right!!!!

It was quite a fight!! Massive submarine pulled out Richard's reel into almost backing-line so I helped him by moving my boat. And finally I could sweep my net under, extending my arms!!

We suspect "He" was Boyfriend for "Her" above!!

We saw some crayfish hatching!!??

We all had fun. I was trained how to net big trout by the outfitter with 50-Plus-Year Experience......!?
As I've been informing there are lots of places/options to fish all through year around here. Come and find out yourself!!