"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!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 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!!

Spring Premonition!?

Blizzard was gone...... Weather has got somewhat milder. Now we are facing FLOOD all over!! This is really a freaky weather pattern. This seems affecting trout behavior and insect hatches.....

At least it's been good enough to get out fishing. I fished DePuy's Spring Creek (www.depuyspringcreek.com) 4 days in a row, just like my full-time job. Following pictures are in a chronological order, though I don't separate or comment. You could tell from the light condition and my hat etc.

As more rainbows are coming into the creek, I was fascinating and wishing they would be aggressive to large bright wet flies. So I actually fished with my Atlantic Salmon fly in a smaller size. Whether it takes 3 minutes or 4 hours to tie, my flies are meant to be fished and get wet!

Not with the one above \(^_^)/!!

Nice brown too!

My own B.P.C. was crushed at the first bite!!

 I just wiped my nose for the occasion, never meant to chop my neck off!

I fish in and out of the creek, you know..........

Usual suspects.

Another fine 'Bow!

I caught a 12-inch rainbow later on.

Look!! Yes, Spring BWO (Baetis) were found! Furthermore, these were apparently duns and emergers. They must have been hatching somewhere & some time I couldn't observe. And trout must have taken them on rises!

Nice brown!!........

Also containing......

He got some tattoos?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I honestly wish I could keep tying Atlantic Salmon flies all year. But as the weather gets warmer, I have to switch into the work-mode. Fishing & guiding = trout flies to tie. I have just re-worked on a Silver Doctor. I am planning to tie some more when I have open time slots for next 4-5 weeks but not as much as before any more.

Anyway, I'll be a learning student of this subject forever.
And then, I keep fishing. See you next week!

One Day Fishing Report: A Fine Day Sandwiched by Snow & Blizzard!!

I recall it was very cold with some snow when I posted the last time. This weekend is the same, no worse!! Yesterday, March 1st, we (Paradise Valley to Bozeman and surrounding area) were hit by a ferocious blizzard. Today it's a bit improved: no winds and no snow-drift and it's only -6F!!

Strangely and luckily, we had very nice & mild weather on the last Thursday, in between snow (last weekend) and blizzard (this weekend).  No winds and the air temp went up above 40F!! I actually sweated a lot. (and this is why we are all surprised by the sudden change.) And it turned out to one of most interesting fishing days. Enough to make a full post, really! Let's review.

Thanks to good folks at Waterworks-Lamson, my reel was revived. Actually I received the reel handle assembling parts on last Wednesday. Of course, I hit DePuy Spring Creek (www.depuyspringcreek.com). My first catch was very fine & leaping brown!! I did appreciate the revived reel!! I also caught one fine Rainbow in spawning color at the same spot but couldn't take pictures.

.................................Then I did something different from usual. It wasn't only me who decided to take advantage of a nice weather while we could. Creek was somewhat busy for this time of year. And as of now I NEVER show up before noon!! (it will change soon, I guess.) At any spots I thought of, I was behind of others. So I was still at the creek property but I didn't fish the creek...... Go figure! A massive Whitie swallowed my Stonefly nymph!!

And I conducted a stomach sample. Yes!! If you are trained and aren't scared of Whities, you can sample Whities, just like trout!! It was a great discovery to me!! See midges in every stage were taken (larvae, pupae, and adults)!! Then Look at the number of small Stonefly nymphs and their nymph shucks!! I can't specify the species of Stonefly for now but they are getting active and hatching.

Right after the Whitie, I had another big hook-up....... It was larger and heavier for sure and fighting/swimming differently from Whities............ Wow!!??

 Yeehaw!!

 Perhaps the best rainbow for me from this "water"!!

 I moved onto one more stretch. This time it was a nice brown!!

Indeed midges were hatching a lot though I didn't really any rising trout.

See!! This is the nymph shuck also collected on the shore. I try to identify the species and I keep you updated.

As it darkened, I went back to the creek. Now I found some room. I caught a big one! Rainbow in spawning color? Not it was a big buck brown who seemed just spawned out.

 So I released him quickly and snapped under-water pics while I could!! Turned out to be cool.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How about my Atlantic Salmon fly projects? Perhaps this would be my best effort. As spring coming, I gotta shift into trout flies for guiding and sales.

For the final work, I am paying my best attention to every detail. The head must have been improved quite a lot!

Hopefully I can go fishing next week. Well, before thinking of fishing, I need to keep my house warm and I'd like to drive safe!!

Fishing Full-Time (kinda) This Week

I've been working on my blogs (English & Japanese) a lot lately. With some bloody effort, I created this page: http://leftyangler.blogspot.com/p/sw-montana.html 
Hope this will help you choose & decide which month(s) to visit & fish our Greater Yellowstone Country!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WOW!! We are experiencing another big pack of snow! Air temp is bearable as it's not windy. But there's always a possibility of our vehicles getting stuck, if not buried, so always be cautious. For the first time since last November, I fished more than anything else this past week. Full-time!!........not exactly as it was 4 afternoons......... Apparently DePuy Spring Creek (www.depuyspringcreek.com) is the place to be. It's not whole a lot yet but rainbows are getting active. They are coloring up gorgeously and gaining weight & strength. Number of bigger individuals is also increasing as the day goes by!!

Don't underestimate ones about this size! Though I'm quickly hoisting with one arm for a pic, these guys will fight hard and pull out my line!!

One trouble.............Water on the line seeped into the screw of the reel handle and froze. With my reeling motion, I must have untwisted the handle. I couldn't hang onto. I could pick up a washer in the creek but handle was gone. I gotta talk to the company.

Yesterday, I was fishing with "as is". It was very hard to fight with rainbows in current condition. Furthermore, I left my net in my truck!

For this one, at least I had a net with me. Definitely a "River Trout"!!

Last but not the least, though now I'm tying slightly less than past many weeks, Atlantic salmon Flies still captivate my heart and occupy my mind the most. I found this one of historical works = A must for serious "Fly Dresser" (I start to call myself so from now on). This can be downloaded for free. Check out: https://openlibrary.org/books/OL7218454M/How_to_dress_salmon_flies
You can look for any other old books (fishing, flies, any subjects). Have fun!

Durham Ranger: My best & hardest work.

Uhhhhhhh, more snow falling........ Good time to read the book above and file tax till next friendly weather arrive!!