Surprise Again? Another Biggest for A Species....

What surprise now? Getting enough? I am too but please go through pics till bottom.....you will love today's surprise I experienced.......!!

Yesterday and today, I visited DePuy's Spring Creek (www.depuyspringcreek.com) on nice winter days. Actually too nice, which reminds me of last winter......., which makes us think about snow accumulation and how river-flows will be this coming season.........
Fishing was a bit slow. I was experimenting or confirming some of my own designs anyway..... Even this little was very picky about fly selection!

 Then, good bite & fight!!

Look!! Sparkle Crane Larva (promoted in my sales site) was chosen over egg!!

Checking what's been eaten.......

 Next, I caught a very colorful, a typical spring-creek colored, brown in nice size!!

 Got something on its cheek......

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Today, fishing condition was similar but I caught fish where I expected. Happy!!

 This rainbow was nothing big but very colorful!!

It fell on B.P.C. size 18!! (also check up in my sales site!!) Well, Spring BWO (baetis) is about to make some moves from now on........

This one seems "Cut-Bow". It had very faint orange slashes but black marking patterns was unique, didn't look like typical rainbow's (compare to one above).

 Then I moved to one of my favorite spot at House Pond for the final spot of the day. I was fishing deep......suddenly a large tug!!??? WHAT? What's this!?

You SUCKER!!!!!!

Or me sucker...........

 Anyway it was massive......

I remained the same spot. I actually observed a school of suckers. They must have bullied trout out!!
Just about the sunset, I had another big tug!! It was huge & heavy!! 20-inch trout to end the day!!!

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It was THE 5-POUND SUCKER!!!! (held by 140-lb sucker)

 I didn't really tape but for the reference, my palm is 3.5-inch to 4-inch.

All suckers were happily released back to the pond to produce future generations = soon-to-be trout food.....
Thank you for reading this far!! I say good-bye via my friend's mouth!!

Another Surprise in Different Color (Taimen from Yellowstone?)

I first apologize for a naughty title before I go on.......... There is no Taimen in Yellowstone River (unless you count some great pictures of Taimen at Sweetwater Travel which stands along Yellowstone). But, but, but, even before I'm sobered up from (stop bragging) my experience with that humongous rainbow, I was struck by another surprise of the year. Again it's January!!

It snowed relatively heavy yesterday. Only these guys were fishing ahead of me at DePuy's (www.depuyspringcreek.com).

I wanted to catch fish but also I wanted to test a new pattern of mine at spots with a certain structure. I hooked two but lost them. My indicator responded for the third time and I set the hook. Suddenly "IT" started to pull my line, breaking all frosts on my rod-guides!! I was taken by surprise for a second then was back into fighting mode!! I secretly wished it would be a 16-incher foul-hooked on its tail. Well, unfortunately "this thing" was definitely heavy. It changed the direction and headed downstream. I chased, reeling my line. Almost there! There is a deep hole below. I couldn't let it slip there. I had to get him in the riffle before. I slipped off a glove from my right hand in case I had to dip my sleeve. Also I was ready in my mind in case of accidental "bath"!! I got it before the hole without falling in!!

Once netted, it wasn't so dangerous. I guess we were both exhausted........

Vermiculation is vivider than ever!!

I didn't really tape it but for the reference my palm is about 3.5" to 4"........

It wasn't as heavy as the rainbow from only 3 days before but probably longer.........

Afterwards..........this in normal........

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Today it turned out to be another nice winter day. A couple of little ones kept me busy......

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Here's the premier of my new fly......I go on more details later on.......Just guess what for now.

I still can't swallow this experience in January....... Considering our waters around here, these must be counted as some of largest. That is, did I already caught the best for each rainbow and brown for 2013? And both of them are among BEST in my life!!?? I'm afraid I'm using up my "fishing charm" for 2013. But in other words, all I need to focus from now on is GUIDING other anglers!!
Let's see what's gonna happen next month!

Very Early Season Surprise!!

MEDIA UPDATE: From tomorrow, a series of columns I wrote for Fly Anglers OnLine (www.flyanglersonline.com) will start. It's a deep insight of spring creek fishing: creek analysis, trout there, methods, flies, and so on...... Whole site is usually updated every two weeks. So everyone, keep your eyes on and follow new chapter of my series besides this blog!!
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It's an extreme bi-polar weekend. Yesterday, we had over 50F sunny day. Apparently I went fishing to DePuy's Spring Creek (www.depuyspringcreek.com). To be honest, fishing was slow for some reasons. Today, it turned out to be snow!! Temperature was down to around 30F and it wasn't windy at all. So it wasn't so cold in Montana standard. I went back to creek. I was expecting midge hatches but I didn't see any even at most likely spots.

So I started experimenting another brandnew "underwater" pattern. Suddenly I saw a few to several active rainbows....... Uh......happy!! NOTE: it's not something coming down from my nose!! but it's the snow flake just passing down in front of my nose!!

Next one was much bigger handsome buck 'Bow!!!

Some cute gangs.......

I thought it was good enough. I got some pictures for this post and probably I would take a pic or two of my new fly once I got home...........

It was almost 5:00pm and finally getting somewhat cold. But something told me I should check one more spot. It was "gut instinct" but I knew why I felt so. There was only a few more anglers other than me today (on the contrary to yesterday) and I bet they went home already without fishing hard. Then this some spawning actions........... I had to check one more spot..... I was expecting I might catch one or two like the first one.... I set the hook for my indicator...........WHAT??

It was indeed football shape in "SUPER BOWL" size!!

Several Pounder, A.K.A Yellowstone Steelhead!!

Pardon me for one more self-timered pic..........

 Well, only a couple of posts before, I caught a nice "year-opener" brown but this Buck 'Bow is THE BIGGEST Rainbow I ever caught in Montana rivers (one I caught last year in a local private pond would tie). I'm afraid I'm using up my "fish charm & luck" for this year this early!! But I feel this event was deducted from my "learning & observation". So I will keep fishing!!

40 & 41

It's been a mix of things all through this month. I seemed to have worked on one by one. For example, I have submitted a series of columns to Fly Anglers OnLine (www.flyanglersonline.com). From next Monday update, my article will be posted every other week. Anyways, though I went fishing to DePuy's (www.depuyspringcreek.com), I had to do some photo-sessions rather than catching and enjoying....... Then, it's time to get ready for this year's guiding!! That sort......

I finally went back to "full-time fishing" yesterday!! That made 40TH visit with Winter Pass. It will definitely be a record-breaking by the end of Pass!!
But yesterday and today's first couple of hours had been like this........... I did hook some and luckily netted a few, but trout were too feisty to sit tight for pictures or stomach-pump! This was snapped (out of consciousness) as I tried to grab him back........

Today, 41st visit, I finally managed to take some appropriate pictures.

Also, let me report to you that trout have changed their habitats and feeding habits. It's not browns' spawning time any more. Early rainbows' spawning seems done also. I had to figure out spots and flies.

Here you go!! This is what I found!

Right, midge larvae seem main-dish........

 though I found these also......

I also figured out "winter habitats" one by one......... Good one!!

 But..........it was infested like this on the belly!!

 Hope she will get over and gain some weight soon.......

This is the little larva that worked until gap-opened. One of my clients from last summer, Mark from NJ, sent me his flies.

I hope I can report the first dry-fly fishing of the year very soon!!