Bighorn Trip

I apologize for another long gap since the previous post. However, you'll understand why if you read this and next post, and then wait for my newsletter from my main website (please subscribe or send me your email address).
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I had a series of guide trip on Bighorn River in the middle of this month. Although it may be slightly behind to report, weather and river conditions have not much changed since. The Bighorn has been running higher than ever!! Mountain ranges in Wyoming have accumulated way above average of snowpack through winter, which have been barely coming off. So the dam is releasing waters in historical level to accommodate oncoming snow-melts. As of my trip, it was around 10,000 cfs, which has been bumped up to 11,500 cfs as of today. It may sound scary "if this were to be a freestone river" but the River has been fishing so well. Just one caution: be super careful at each boat ramps!! Especially at Bighorn Access (or Thirteen Mile), make sure not to crowd the upper ramp for your- and others' sake. Then if one dares to use the bottom ramp, be careful!! No mistake should happen!!

In the morning, as I leave my house in Livingston to catch up with my clients at Billings Airport, it was like this............ serious scraping was required. This weather pattern has not been changed much since. I was expecting a repeating client of mine along with his son.

We had a short trip in the afternoon. It started well right after the launch at Afterbay Dam!!

We caught massive & healthy whitefish once a day...........

Stopping the boat and wade-fishing.

Not super big but a feisty brown from the side channel

 A good end for their first day on The Bighorn!!

While clients stayed in the cozy lodge at Bighorn Angler, I camped at Afterbay Campground. As the sun rose and my coffee boiled, my spirit also rose and I expected a good fishing day coming!

 Day 2 started just like the day 1.

Bighorn Double😁😎✌👍
This was one of the highlights of the trip!!

I have to mention that below Soap Creek, one of tributaries which enters the river about 2.5 miles above Bighorn Access, water was murky, even along the left bank. Fishing slowed down😕

Day 3 turned out to be different. First of all, perhaps due to the nicest weather, Afterbay launch became so busy😲. Also the dam release was bumped 300 cfs more sometime during the day before. And then, from the previous 2 days of fishing, we decided to float & fish the "Upper 3" twice.

After initial "armada" of driftboats passed and went ahead of us, we learned the mood of the river for the day and started to pick up trout.

Another Bighorn Double completed by father and son😁😸☝👌

 Just as we expected, the second float of Upper 3 was far less crowded - indeed did we count number of boats!? We were able to major hot spots without competition.

Then this rainbow marked the largest and the last trout of the trip🙌

It was a great 3-day of fishing on The Bighorn! I hope my clients enjoyed what the river has to offer.
And this is why I've been promoting to fish this world's greatest tailwater in spring!!

Spring Fishing Continues Well

Spring weather has been nice and we started fishing on foot as well.
On "Local B", we had a stretch to ourselves. I caught a nice 14-inch rainbow😁 (no picture). I called Renee to come over then right after she got hooked into something larger with leaping actions😲.

We caught a few more. One stomach sample shows lots of foods, including sign of spawning......

On some selected stretch and side channels of our "Big Y", midges and baetis hatches are prolific! I'm enjoying season's first dry-fly fishing!!

 😏

Then we traveled to Mighty MO, the section known as Land of Giants.

I don't think this stretch is a local secret, rather well-known by many. During spawning seasons (spring and fall), trout in Upper Holter Lake make upstream runs. Trout size can be as magnificent as geographic features! For her birthday, I outfitted her with brandnew 6-wt setup that consists of Echo Boost rod, RIO Grand line, and Redington Behemoth Reel. This was the first day to fish with it. After reading stretch and structures, she got huge tugs!! The brandnew rod bent hard, line stretched, and reel screamed!! She did her best to fight. I was finally able to net it in for her!!

 It was a 21-inch grand rainbow😎😲😀!!

Later on I caught one myself. It was a respectable 18-incher but totally dwarfed by hers😭

We had a few more actions and started to fish up to our vehicle. Renee got another huge action!!

Until her guide screwed up😱😰

I just can't emphasize what a great fishing one can have in spring, the pre-runoff season. It's the least fished and crowded season too. Yes, weather can be iffy, like it is now, but so can be on any days in Montana. Come and fish while it lasts or plan a trip in a near future!

Spring Tailwater Expedition Continues

Spring has been just as we know around here. It's warm but not overly, indeed we feel touch of cold during morning hours. We like this modest transition so snow in our ranges wouldn't melt quickly, especially in April to June period, so we can expect constant flow in the middle of summer (July and August).

Spring is the greatest time to pry our BEST tailwater fisheries in Montana, if not the entire world. We did the Bighorn last weekend, this time we hit Missouri River.

Here's the second voyage of my new boat at Holter Dam under the rising sun!

I read and decoded the spot......... I had an opener😎

I was slightly proud of...... However, right after,  my lovely companion made her debut on MO with the most impressive way possible!! Her first trout on her first expedition was this 21-inch long and 12-inch girth monster😆😲

A true trophy and a typical of MO!!

I'm very content and capable of being happy with my own fishing results, but this was one of a few times I got jealous😑😒. Later on I was able to catch up😅😝

She kept enjoying action on Mighty MO.

Another nice buck!

We somehow found a rose washed away along the bank as we hauled in a huge hen😻🌹

This is a typical average in MO..........

It was another long-day and long-driving but we quite enjoyed.
Come and enjoy springtime in Montana!

Maiden Voyage

Another blank from the previous post........... Well, as the calendar suggests, spring has arrived! And finally it seems my daily life and schedules are up and running. And I believe some fishing can be mixed up from now on!

I'd like to announce one more big change for this year and many more to come.
From this season, I'll be with a brandnew drift boat, masterly built by RO Drift Boats in Bozeman. Project had been set from the last fall and built in early February. So both human and boat were waiting for "home".

Along the Yellowstone River access.

It's a 2017 Guide Model. Hull remains the same as the previous model but there are some major improvements.

As I loaded up my necessity gears, I did a quick job on the floor. This rubber mat is fatigue reducing and will accommodate any type of boot soles. 

Then Renee and I hit the road for fishing in a very while!
Our destination was Bighorn River, which has been running very high for this time of year, as huge spring water is anticipated.

She got the first bite for her and boat!!

😁😆

Checking😎

While I was getting a feel of new boat, she kept catching!

We stopped and I was able to enjoy some!

She remained in the boat and kept fishing........then she got another bite which seemed larger than the others!!

👏👍😸

So the Maiden Voyage was great and enjoyable.
What a boat!!!!! It's quite advancing from the previous model. I can go on and on just about that - perhaps in the near future post.
Also it's been exactly a year since I first took Renee to the Bighorn. Renee advanced quite a lot. She didn't even get tangled in spite of our blank and the indicator rig😉
We try to get out as much as we can!

February (and Perhaps Winter too?) Wrap Up

Sorry for long periods between posts through this winter.........
Am I fishing? Where are salmon flies?.................
I've been busy........ Well, here's how & why.........
In other words, it's settled!!!

There will be more new things to announce as spring nears.
And we will soon get out to fish!!
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We've got good snow-packs this winter!!!
If you Google and click any snow-pack information, snow/water equivalent is way over 100% for Yellowstone Drainage!!
This reminds me of winter of '13-'14 and consequently constant flows and fishing through summer of '14. Spring and fall were great as well. There are still many more factors to consider - spring warmth, rains in May and June, and so on. But we can have high hopes!!

So I just posted one of must-have patterns for upcoming summer!!

Tie up some and start planning your summer trips Yellowstone Country!!

Winter Tying Demonstration

Weather is still alternation of warm and cold, brisk & snow. However it seems slightly warming up. Let us see how it rolls.

On the last Saturday 4th, I was offered an afternoon tying demonstration spot at Montana Troutfitters. Due to my experience through East Idaho Fly Tying Expo, which I'm committed to go to, certainly this is not the first time to do this. I've done a Tying Theater, that lasts an hour, for two consecutive years. I just wondered how a 3-hour theater was going to be....

Getting ready.

We had quite a number of good crowds through 3 hours.

I went through about a dozen of my spring creek patterns, some of which had variations, finishing with 5 different wing styles of No Hackle Gnat.

Over all it was good!! I was able to manage a couple of technical patterns!!
I don't think it's too early to mention: see you in Idaho Falls in April!!