PMD on Spring Creeks

These pictures are from late June to early July though PMD hatch is still going strong on Livingston's spring creeks. As it has been, this is the period that we've been longing for and that never disappoints guides and anglers.

Just as with the previous salmonfly report, PMD hatch was also affected by the strange weather. We had the cold week in the middle of June, with the snow on Summer Solstice, and that is usually when we start to see PMD hatches and, day by day, we observe it's getting constant and stabilizing. We did have PMD hatches but they came late in the day = 1pm, 3pm, 3:30,....... Finally when weather became summer-like, they started to hatch earlier = 12:30, 12:00, 11:30, 11AM, 10:30AM................. For my side of difficulty, it was very hard to set and produce lunch for the first couple of trips😓

Rest is the photo recollection with minimal narratives.
Insect photos must be useful for those who come and fish this summer and those who plan to come in the near future!!

I had one day to fish on my own😏

Neighbor fishers🦌 🦌

 Also note these critters start crawling along creeks🐜

I had another day to fish on my own😏

Finally dada was able to show a proper trout to the next generation fly-fisher, caught with his namesake: Sage rod and Skue's method😎

 Sometimes it's more than PMD😎

Sulphur

 Even during PMD time, never forget these little dudes😎

 And a very rare Sulphur emerger😲

Come and fish spring creeks this summer or the fall😉
If you can't make this year, plan for next year or near future😉

Salmonfly on The Madison

This is NOT a timely fishing report.
Salmonfly hatch on Madison River came and then had gone. I was guiding on the river. Then I was also busy at Livingston's spring creeks for PMD hatch (definitely next post!). So blogs and all other social network posts have been way behind.

Talks along the river from long time experts to visiting fishers, and online, of course, is: it was an odd year with the hatch. It was sporadic here and there and didn't really go strong. I have some idea and explanation: WEATHER❗❗❗❗  In the middle of June, we had a very cold week. As it was on the news, we even had some snow drizzles on the Summer Solstice. Though it got warm up like summer-ish, it was immediately followed by late afternoon/evening thunderstorms almost all EVERYDAY from the end of June to early July. So, although the river flow and clarity were perfect, it was simply cold - air & water. This should explain the hatch of this season - at least to me. Though some to many anglers may have been disappointed, salmonflies did hatch and trout were caught on dry-flies. Also, I have to emphasize there were phenomenal amount of caddis were hatching. Plus Goldenstone and many species of mayflies were hatching too. Trout were interested in these dry-flies too. I understand many visiting anglers expect the most explosive actions with salmonfly dry-flies, especially if they have previously experienced one, however, me being a guide, this hatch on this river is just like any other hatches on the any other rivers. It's just the NATURE. So if I may offer an advise, bring your biggest expectation but also learn and accept what's going on this season and on the river.

My anglers and I chased the hatch. It seemed we chose a right section as we found this guy at the boat launch!!

These were seen all through the section.

As the day got warmer, these guys became very active. 

 Then we had "calm before the storm" and that was our window of opportunity.

Next day on the other section, we saw these. If I may interpret, these guys just quit or got interrupted from hatching perhaps due to wet/cold weather. 

 As I wrote above, we had some actions on Goldenstone and Caddis dry-flies too❗❗

So this is what I experienced and learned this season with the salmonfly hatch on the Madison.
What was yours? Whatever you've got, I hope you had fun. Then next year and near future, come back with expectations and experiences😉❗❗

Our YNP Opening Day & 700th Post

After a couple of commercial posts, here's a REAL 700TH post❗❗❗🎊

I guess blog format may not be as popular as used to be as more convenient social media are available. I use those more too. But I don't intend to end this site down. 

My guide season has begun with PMD hatches on Livingston's spring creeks - that'll be later!

In between, I had a little family day. We drove through Yellowstone National Park and checked river conditions. All of these are new and introduction to our little guy👶

His level😂

 Learning to be cool😎

 Only dada did some fishing and with his last very best effort, he caught a munchkin Brookie😂

I always like our own opening day on YNP. As he gets older, we'd like to explore more.
Hope you all have a good start of summer😁

2019 Guide Season Kicked Off!!

I've been fortunate to be busy through April with guide trips on DePuy's Spring Creek.
As it has been I have a pile of photos and videos. This time I decided to compile a very short video and make one post.

Enjoy & thank you for watching😉

Salmon Fly Finale 2019

My Salmon Fly season 2018-2019 ended - well, two months ago😢 I've been posting on social media as each fly and each fly has been completed. So this is the summary and wrap-up post for those who don't use social media and who missed it.

From Frederic Tolfrey's "Jones's Guide to Norway",
The Colonel

 and The Major

 And I framed as

SALUTE Frame done by Admiral Yamamoto

As I've been doing this for the past several years, I've been acquiring and accumulating some of expensive materials one by one. This past season, when I stopped momentarily and looked around, I found out that I have enough materials to challenge some of Major Traherne's patterns. And I really like this step and process that I've been through and accumulated. Meanwhile, my skills and interpretation have gained significantly. I was finally qualified to challenge some of the most complicated patterns among all classics without wasting expensive and exotic feathers.

Gitana

I call this "White Frame" as in The Beatles' "White Album". It needs no explanation as it speaks it self.

I listed materials as per the most reliable source, along with honestly stating substitute materials.

Nelly Bly - this is my own favorite😲👏

Quinchat

Its body is equally complicated and challenging as Nelly Bly above.

 So here they are.

As much as this past season was satisfying, I'm already preparing and looking forward to the next season😃Oh well, fishing and guide season has started before that😏 that will be a next post❗❗