OFF or ON?

I'm making the best use out of DePuy's Winter Pass. For last two posts, I could almost set up a routine: streamer (early & late) - BWO (1 - 3pm) - midge (around 5pm).  We all wish fishing were to be like this............. Let me look back past two days (Friday & Saturday).

Yesterday I started well.

Same spot!

I moved on to next section.

He wasn't the biggest of the creek or for me, but surely shaped like a FOOTBALL!!

We have just started to have typical stiff SW winds for the season. These fellas are facing & swimming against winds (SEE BONUS video below).

Yesterday, in spite of winds, there were certain amount of BWO hatch and rising trout. I was fishing at a likely spot with my new design in experiment..........

As I reported in the last post, I somehow kept losing large trout (after perfect hook-sets) on my new design. So I wasn't surprised to the take. Yet a beautiful 'Bow!!

Though my concepts are already illustrated, I haven't named yet and also still in experiments. There  has to be some more experiments for details so this is going to be marketable!! To be continued!!

Anyway, my new design DOES coincides and represents these from stomach sample of trout above.........

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Then today, it's hard to define good or slow or hard to judge what was going on........Weather? Fall-finicky? I ended up catching ONE & ONLY ONE.............

Another FOOTBALL in different color!!

Happy enough!!

Although I wasn't at best spot or stretch for BWO & midge hatches, hatches & rises were very sporadic. Weather? Well..........wind wasn't too bad and it was a overcast condition with mix of rain & sun.............isn't is "supposed to be" a "BWO & Streamer" day?
On the other hand, this must be one of first bunch of large run-up rainbows (considering the amount I fish = probably the most among locals). This tells me rainbows are also on the move: either to munch on browns' eggs or stay in the creek to spawn even before spring. Cold front is forecast as of tomorrow Sunday. So that will make things more interesting!! Stay tuned!! I go & beat harsh weather and report live information for you (at least this month......)


BONUS video: Peaceful swans over my spot..............Who can get mad at them?

DePuy's 2: Unbalanced Diet or Unbalanced Luck?

I have an announcement here. I have officially established my cattle breeding operation (my another seasonal profession in Montana. Company name is MONTANA'S MASTER BREEDER. Official website is no other than another Blogspot @ http://montanasmasterbreeder.blogspot.com. So if you fishy readers are interested in how milk & beef are produced and eventually served on your table, check it out! And let me know if you need cattle work or consultation (as well as trout catching and fly tying consultation!!)
So past few weeks, right after guiding over, and now when I'm not fishing, like yesterday, I have been working on this. Official fly-tying operation is soon to follow!!
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Yesterday DePuy's (www.depuyspringcreek.com) was booked in full in this time of the year. (As said above I was doing other stuff but) it was a bit cruel that I could not get back for another shot for a potential trophy right on next day............. I was super anxious to get back this morning. Of course I'm always the first one at the creek!! Good start!!

Next one was OK too........

I moved from my always & most promising "trophy" spot. Drove and tried around other stretch of the creek. Finally!!

It wasn't my record breaking but colors & shape & strength truly belonged to "Fall-Runner"!!

In spite of cold air, I soaked my sleeves..... He was about to bite on my camera!!

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Now it was my turn to bite on something for lunch. From 12:30 to 1PM, trout became active again, this time for BWO. Hatch was good!! Rises were all over!! I had right flies!! I presented well!! I set hooks well!! HOWEVER!! NO trout came to my hands!! All gone in the middle; no tippets were broken, just slipped off from my flies.  I'd say all of them were 16-inch or larger..........
However, I had one exciting and content note. My brandnew pattern, that I designed last night!!, was taken by those lost souls!! One large brown put a big fight right after I lost a huge rainbow. Look what happened......... This picture shows "USED & CHEWED" so once I tie a new bunch (now with more confidence in them!!), I will explain what about.

Today, though I spent late and patient, trout didn't respond to MIDGES (they were abundant.....).
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One more shot with streamers......... I felt like it might be a bottom-snag. OHHHH!! Strong & Fast!! Got him!!

So it was a "one-way-or-the-other" day today......... Usually you would lose more fish with streamers than with dry-flies, don't you think so??

Weather pattern doesn't seem to matter for catching trout as the "RUN" and "HATCH" are so strong. Tomorrow, I gotta tie flies!! (plus some office works inside as a businessman!?)

DePuy's Winter Pass Opening-Day!!

Title says all. This is my another and last Opening Day for the season. Since I have Yellowstone River and creeks that are open-year-around, I really don't have season opening/closing days. Maybe YNP. Though I'm not enthusiastic to make rows along Madison or Firehole on Memorial Day weekend, closure = the first Sunday of November is somewhat emotional. Yet it's indeed an "Opening" considering past 3 weeks of NO-fishing period (recovering from hard-guiding and working on some other stuffs) "Winter Pass" is not exactly a right naming for me. It's more like "Fall to Spring Pass" or for some anglers "Fall & Spring Pass", I guess. I was waiting for this day. Last night, I couldn't sleep from excitement. The fun (I could call it privilege!!) goes on till April 14th next year.

Weather was calling for my liking. Brown trout are leaping at..............Oh what a scene!! My first trout for this year's Pass was like this!!

Caught on my all-time favorite Doug's Home Invader.

Guess how big.......Good enough for an Opener.

THEN!! My next hit was BIG &HUGE HOG!! Fight wasn't dramatic but not easy. It swam toward me like a submarine. I could almost net it but TOO BIG TO SCOOP FOR GOOD!! Playing around my feet with some currents was a bad omen. It could go between my legs!! What a shame!!...............Lost him........He was gone........It could have been AS BIG AS LAST YEARS (my current title pic).............End of story.
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Another best thing with Winter Pass is this period still offers some of the best hatches at the Creek. WAIT!! Who's this?

This is the one we usually expect, Fall baetis.

This simple CDC Dun worked perfect.

Fly selection, Angle, Drag-free, Timing of rises, (list goes on) everything has to be PERFECT (or close)!! Happy 'Bow!!

In a way, catching this small at DePuy's can be harder than catching bigger individuals!!

Brown came too!!

Look what they are eating and take a note!!

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Baetis hatch went from 1 to 3PM. Then, everyone in my vicinity decided to go home!! What a pity.........I know a bit more (of course some of those "civilian" anglers had things to do). I was positive trout would rise again on MIDGES just in a short while..........!! And they did. This simple Emerger pattern was all I needed (or all trout liked!!)

Pushing 17-inch Browny on tiny midge pattern with 6X tippet!! VOILA!! I felt it does compensate my loss in the morning and sooth my feeling!!

From the very first day, it was mix of everything!! I don't know how many days I make this time but I know it's fun at DePuy's all the time!!
I understand Winter Pass would mostly be for locals but I do suggest anglers from all over the country and world still should visit DePuy at this low rate period. For some of the best and BIGGEST fishing of the year!! To Be Continued for the rest of the Pass........

"G" River Fall-Runners

I'm back on the river!! My mind is filled by good books and my body is nourished by Montana harvested deer meat (as posted last). I headed to "G" River in "G" town. Never mean to secretive but it's so obvious and I'm just shortening my typing....... I woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and left my house just as my guiding days in summer. As I drove, I had to feel our summer and guiding days felt way back...... I was driving in the dark all through and I was fishing with my winter hat and gloves.........

Anyway, I just started fishing as last time I had fished was yesterday. I saw a herd of cow elk were crossing the river. Then I heard the sound = bugling sound....... Oh.........."Hi, I'm a breeder. Are you a breeder too?" (I don't crop this picture on purpose.)

"Fall-runners" are our jargon for, not me as I don't run!! & not for these running elks either!!, trout coming up from "Y" River to "G" River to spawn in the fall. Large brown trout are known to conduct this annual ritual, followed by rainbow and whitefish both of which love to munch on browns' eggs. Whitefish are in spawning mode too!
At likely spots, I started to catch trout, starting with a rainbow...............

More rainbow..........

Then a brown............. Though red spots were vivid, this one nor top were nowhere close to be called as "runners"...........

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By the way, though we have likely flies and tactics in our head and hands, bear in mind, BWO & MIDGES DO HATCH & TROUT DO RISE for a period of time. This situation is worth forgetting your heavy rigs and fishing with dry-flies. A few in the group of risers can be really big!!
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As sunrise was late, sunset was early, earlier than summer of course. In this boulder- & pocket- oriented "G" River, where is the comfortable spot/section for trout to make redds?? THINK & ANALYZE!! Toward the end of the day, I finally hit a spot. Large-ready-to-spawn whitie!! 16-incher!!

Then 17-incher!!

18-incher!!

If the day had ended like this, this would be a joke pose (though it was really fun!!).
However my observation, analysis, and perseverance were finally rewarded..............

Never leave your house without Minch's Bead, Hare, & Copper!! (click for YouTube Video.)

Well, my first day fishing after "resurrection" was great success. Although days are short and cold, fall fishing will be long & hot for me!!

B & V & B (Books, & Venison, & Beads)

I'm still in rehabilitation from hard-working guide season. Now it's a life with Beer, Pizza, Wings, Popcorn, McDonald's (if not Arby's), that's for day-time, then I move into Wine, Imported Cheese, Cocktail Shrimp, Fried Chicken Breasts for dinner, finally finish myself with bottles of Canadian Whiskey. Flipping 115 DISH channels if not NetFlex.......... Repeat that next day.......................

THESE ARE ALL "JKs" (just kidding-s)!! What a disgusting life it may be!! But it's true I'm not fishing right now. There are personal & practical reasons. Personally October has been the longest month of year all through my life. This is when all the fatigue come out and work on my body, which is also adjusting for cooler seasons. More personally I've been experiencing "turning-points" of the year or my life in every October....... Then practically it's not really "fall" for "fall fishing" yet!!  Well, there should be someone out there catching some large trout with streamers but I know better. I don't think brown trout haven't begun "running" (except for certain rivers. Don't make me name them!). BWO hatch will be better as the month goes by (although Lamar, Soda Butte, & Slough should be fishing well with BWO right now. Very tempting!! Check with Parks' Fly Shop!!).

Then today we had snow for the first time for this coming fall/winter. According my friends in Gardiner and Bozeman, they didn't have. Sounded like just in Livingston with 15 to 20 miles radius of surrounding area, which are usually dryer than the other.

Calm overcast day......pitch streamers!!.............Relax & wait. Month goes slow (at least for me).

Truth is I'm doing what I couldn't do during summer. First, stretch my body (true rehab!!) and re-train for later fall (I'm more like Peanuts, Spinach, & Diet Coke). Then some other "businesses", which I may announce here soon.
Then BOOKS!! I just ordered at AMAZON.COM. Good books give me more virtual images than movies or dramas on TV. Imaginations are really important to design new fly patterns too! I'm not intending to read this quickly! This is for all winter.

Then my friend CJ (wildlife biologist & savvy hunter) got me the first harvest of the year!! I didn't take pics this summer but my Montana-harvested deer-meat lunch (do I need to make a list of "today's special" soon?) was very popular among clients. I do eat these myself but I'm already thinking about menus and recipes.

I'm not completely away from fly-fishing or flies. These are new "beads" nymphs for this late fall. Some of you might recognize these look familiar already, indeed these are some new touches of previously success flies!! Always learning, observing, and experimenting!!

Books and venison are secured in my house and my other "businesses" are completed. So I may resume fishing whenever. But then again, WAIT! RELAX! Fall is short but October is LONG!!

Fall Color

Although my own fishing in Yellowstone Park and Montana waters goes on, my guide business is coming to end for the season. It's been a great summer with Parks' Fly Shop in Gardiner and clients who visited us. I will summarize a "season review" with a mix of both guiding and my own fishing later on.

So here in this post, I post up-to-date fishing reports as usual. I still see several anglers, especially on the boat, without waders but I am comfortable in my G4. I gladly welcome the fall. I myself haven't really been chasing "fall-run" brown trout yet. Just the other morning, I tried a few hours in "G" River before a PM guiding........... Handsome enough but not quite large to be defined as "runners".........?

What's in your mouth? It will show more as the fall goes by.........

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Forget sizes, I can't emphasize how gorgeous brookies can be colored up!!

 His belly was purely art....

Kyped & blackened well in his own right........

And look at this mastery color & art!!

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One of my recent stomach sample from a rainbow in Yellowstone River.

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MIDGES & BWO (baetis) are hatching very well and trout are rising from noon to 3pm (if you are lucky and if you know what you are doing!!) in certain spots & stretches of Yellowstone River.

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Right now I'm at the point that "I'd better take off from fishing.......". Let me stretch & restore my body after guiding and non-stop fishing from January. I love to fish in October but also October is the longest month of the year for me (it's a life-long story other than fishing....). So I know October won't be gone quickly. I would take a break with or without fishing in the first week or two of the month. Then I DO focus on very late fall fishing as always............which goes on till November!!

We'll still see at the river. If not, wait till my next post!!