Shotgunning @ DePuy

No sir, no mam, I didn't do any duck or muskrat killings at the creek.
I head to DePuy's this afternoon as I booked for tomorrow. Reason? Because it was not windy!! And it's supposed to be be not windy again tomorrow. Either way it's getting colder every day.
My agenda for today and tomorrow is "Shotgunning". Here's the video featuring Gary Borger (from yonder years). Watch around 3:00 minutes in. If you want to go through all 6 of clips, you may suspect, like I do, part of it would definitely be filmed in Armstrong's.

 Also for readers, click this article by Jason Borger.

 I trailed "egg" and Sparkle Scud.

As I was getting into the position, I started casting. I'd say I wasn't quite ready for the action. WHAM!! Something huge started to run and leap!! Massive rainbow!!

On Sparkle Scud!!

Looks like I got some water splash or moist on the lens but it's OK as other picture shows my nose was dripping!!

I felt enough already. Now I wanted to get to the position and started casting on the way. Within a few minutes, just about the same spot, I felt another huge bite!! This time on egg!!

My hands, sleeves, and handkerchief were not dried yet!!

Catching-wise, I was ready to go home but I hadn't even tested that stretch and my tactics yet. Now I wanted to get in position. Started casting........within a few minutes, I felt much bigger bite!!  

20-incher, give or take, 3 in a row!!!! I thought this 3rd one might get close to my record but was ONLY 21-inch......

I had two 18-inch browns also and hooked/lost a few more so-so ones. I could go through that stretch just before my fingers frozen off and made another notes. Quite a surprise for a quick afternoon outing. Then I proved Shotgunning is deadly at riffles of spring creeks. It's an aggressive nymphing, not just watching bobber and cursing at whitefish!!

Tomorrow's gonna be colder.........Do I need to dip my sleeves again!?

How Many Eggs Cracked?

3 Medium ones in the morning,

Then 3 EXTRA EXTRA LARGE ONES in the afternoon!!

We didn't mess with redds and all trout were released without any damage.

More at DePuy's

Past two days were hazardously windy. So was this early morning and that made it hard for me to get out the bed. But by the time I leave my house, winds died down and it was lightly snowing.......!! Baetis, midges, and streamers weather!! We head to DePuy.
Breakfast was egg, not sardines. I pulled out a nice 19-incher that didn't react to streamers with my egg!!

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After warmed up in the hut, I started to see some rise rings and baetis were on!! Oh boy, I have to share here that this "CDC DUN" that I tied last night was an absolute KILLER!!

Something was sipping just under the water film. It looked super technical to cast and set the hook but I did it with the very first cast!!...............17-inch whitefish on size 22 CDC Dun tied on 6X tippet.......Can you believe it? Should I be happy?

I consoled myself with a nice Yellowstone Cutty. I had one more giant whitie and many more rises/bites that I lost. Wonderful baetis time!!

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Koichi and I fished with an angler from Japan who didn't mind throwing junks streamers and eggs. Look at the bend of his rod!!

He was rewarded with two nice browns (this is the smaller one...why didn't I take a pic of big one?)

Good looking anyway.

Tomorrow seems to be calling a similar weather. I'll do my best to break my record. I mean with brown trout, not whitefish please!!

Spring Creeks with Japan's Master Angler

Koichi Kawai (http://kwaters.blog92.fc2.com/), who's been the original Japanese guide in Livingston and working for Dean, is visiting town now. We've been fishing spring creeks (a day off today). Click on his blog for more pictures in great quality (I'm featured too!). This post is about our visit to Nelson's with pictures from my camera........

First thing in the morning, trout were so aggressive!! We did "sight-streamer" in gin-clear spring water! Here Koichi is working on a nice cutbow!

I got a lucky one too!

All the fish were this much aggressive!!??

We encountered sporadic baetis hatch and rising trout. With continuous wind from south, casting and presentation were tricky and fish were rising in a tight spot. But Koichi managed all and hooked a rise that he singled out (though it was whitefish......). He caught some more while I hooked and lost two.

Toward end of the day, streamer time again. Trout were aggressive again. I broke my record at Nelson's!!

(Thank you Koichi-san for taking great pictures!)

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Back in DePuy yesterday, it was a tough day with stiff winds. We didn't see much insect hatches and rising trout........ We noticed some brown trout were making redds at certain sections of the creek. We left them alone. But there were some shadows following behind those redds area. I couldn't resist especially day was slow. I did the new & advanced technique "sight-egg" and caught a nice rainbow with a single bow-&-arrow cast.......... I caught a rainbow sucking brown's eggs, not browns actually spawning, so I think it's legal & ethical enough and don't blame me!!

Here in Livingston, wind is not cooperating this month. Hopefully we can get out again this weekend.

Winter Fly Shop is Back

My winter fly-shop is back for the season.
FISHY & CATCHY FLIES @ http://leftytyer.blogspot.com

This time, I can show all of you my flies with much bigger confident than when I started last winter. I caught lots of fish with my flies when I was guiding or fishing myself. And now I have "title" as a fly-designer for Montana Fly Company. Then again my COYOTE made to the magazine!! I stand behind every fly I tie.

My Regal Vise is ready to work hard for you!!

Spring Creek is Never Ending!!

The end of Yellowstone Park fishing season is sentimental every year. I had my own fun on the second last day so I call it "I enjoyed the Park waters again this year". But fortunately or unfortunately, fishing in SW Montana goes on all year. I bet people from West Yellowstone, Ennis, Bozeman, and anyone in between try to sneak around Madison any time, and here in Livingston, we are still looking for a right day to float the mighty Yellowstone, hoping to catch the biggest trout of the year. And then, spring creek fishing never ends.
Today, I went fishing to DePuy again. Believe or not, NO WINDS at all in Paradise Valley!! That's good enough to be outdoors. The hazy Sun was warm enough all day though temperature was just around 30s. Then fishing was good enough too!! We saw very good baetis hatch and rising trout after lunch. I hooked and lost some trout with my own Pheasant Tail Mayfly Cripple,

With some more effort, I hooked something solidly. It leaped and I noticed it was a nice size rainbow (not whitefish!!). After more than several tug-of-wars, I could finally net it......

It was a fine & wide rainbow!! This is one of my best rainbows ever caught in three Paradise Valley Spring Creeks. With the fact that it was caught on a tiny dry-fly with 5X tippet, my PT MF Cripple can prove its point (my intention) of the design. So happy!!

By the way, these girls are much harder to stalk around than trout.........anyway they are cute!!

Brown trout are still coming up to DePuy and look hungry!! And baetis hatch seems to continue for a few more weeks. Then we can expect to fish with midges later....... I wish I had time to read books and tie flies in my house in front of wood-stove with hot coffee. Livingston's winter is rough but I still have to get out!!

Park Season Ending

As of typing now, Yellowstone Park fishing is open till tomorrow Sunday 6th. Go take a chance, folks, if you can beat the snowy driving and cold air like I barely did.

I left my house in Livingston at 6am. The moment I got out of my house, it started snow. It wasn't bad at all till in the middle of Bozeman. From there to Belgrade, south to Big Sky, I started to regret......I should have stayed inside, sat in front of wood stove, and drunk coffee.........Well, no way to go back.

I really didn't plan strictly as for sections, tactics, etc. OPEN, so to speak. As I was driving south to the town of West Yellowstone, I saw a few cars at Baker's Hole CG and another at Cardiac Hill......So I u-turned to 191 Bridge where I didn't see any cars. I knew I would eventually go into the Park so I planned to fish a few hours with streamers. Maybe 45 minutes since I parked, dressed-up, and walked in, with the third rotation of the fly, tan/original Sculpzilla,

I felt WHAM!! It went deep!! Heavy!! I knew it would be larger than average!! I bet it was HER. See her belly. Filled with eggs??

I recall I was thinking "hey no more skunk for today and it's big enough, let's get the hell out of this weather and go home!!" 

After this, I walked down to one more promising spot but I just spooked two fish along the way.

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Now I penetrated into the Park section. As having lunch at Seven-Mile Bridge, I saw a few rising trout. This is the typical indication that small trout rise before larger ones at the beginning of the hatch. What hatch? Of course baetis. I moved to Upper Haynes and held the spot. Exactly 1pm, baetis hatch started!! My choice was this Pheasant Tail Mayfly Cripple as I do at DePuy's.

Rainbow liked it,

and brown too!! Now I got approval from Madison trout!!

Nothing huge (I got line-broke by a huge tag though) but I had fun and even overcame past failures thanks to recent experience at DePuy. Next time, I want to raise a run-up trout on size 22 with 6X!!

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Hatch ended 3pm. I concerned my driving on the way back so I decided to quit early. I head to Barn's Hole #1 around 4pm, hoping other people couldn't take the weather any more. Wrong.......

Today's joke: Barn's Hole = Visitors Hall. Really. This is "way less attended than normal".

I really didn't care. I knew they would not catch fish (no technical comments or criticism here) and I just wanted to swing large soft-hackles above and below the pool (pic above was taken from below the pool). I walked up-stream to Cable Car Run and swung one of my most favorite pattern, Jack Gartside Soft Hackle Streamer in black.

                          

I love the moment that trout hooks itself on this fly then starts leaping!!!!

Not the biggest of the river or the year, but it was a fine 17-inch fall-colored brown!! Then again on swinging large soft-hackles!! Happy!!

I did try my COYOTE with my best. But it seems trout must have read the magazine and been very careful not to get close to it!! Jokes and excuses aside, I really concerned driving back to Livingston. I wanted to cover even a few miles while still light..... Wish I was a visitor who's staying in a motel in West Yellowstone. Well, I made home and am typing this with my wood-stove on fire!! I love that too.

Fall fishing at Madison in the Park can be hard to predict or define but I call today as good day!! As I enjoyed all streamers, baetis hatch, and swinging large soft-hackle!! And caught nice fish!!

Again, I wish I was a visitor from other state who stays over a week, like I used to be. But thanks to the accumulated experience, I can do fairly well by just visiting one day!!

See you all, trout & wildlife in the Park, next year!!

COYOTE in Magazine

Here's a little article but a big achievement for me. My COYOTE made it in a magazine!!
Go to magazine corners and pick up NORTHWEST Fly Fishing November/December 2011 or you can go online (www.matchthehatch.com). I also made a permanent PAGE on the right hand side of this blog and posted scanned pictures. Anyway, the fly is MY OWN TIE that I sent in!!

NWFF is region specific so I enjoy it more than other magazines. I hope lots of shops will order many many COYOTEs from Montana Fly Company next year. So readers out there, when you happen to see COYOTE at your near-by flyshop, please try one!! Or have them order if they don't have!!

And you can always buy directly from me (sales page)!!

Big Fish Blues

Long story short, I didn't have a good day yesterday at DePuy. It was always fun to be there and made lots of personal notes. But I hooked a huge brown for the first 10th cast in the morning and lost him in 30 seconds.......

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Today I went back to the same spot. Not revenge or anything, it's just a good place to get started. BOOM!! Got him (back??)!!

I don't have to explain the fly again, do I?

Happy & Big & Good looking (me or trout?) but.........

It measured ONLY 21-inch.........from now on when I can break my record or even get close??