Monday, July 15, 2013

Montana Trip Photo Recap

   After recovering from my lengthy trip fishing the legendary waters of southern Montana I have finally settled down to review some of the photos I took along the way.  As I sit down to write this post with a cup of coffee in hand I can't help but notice this my 600th post on this blog.  When I set out to record my fishing and art adventures with a blog I never imagined it would lead to this.  Over the years I have been blessed with some great fishing and artistic opportunities through this blog and there isn't a better to celebrate my 600th post than with a photo recap of a trip to Montana.  It was a wonderful trip done at the perfect time of year and the fish did not disappoint.  I got to see family I haven't seen in over a year and had the wonderful experience of giving some instruction on how to cast a fly rod to my future brother-inlaw as well as my own father and I am happy to say that both of them caught fish on that outing.  I saw some of the most beautiful country this land has to offer and enjoyed the joy of sharing it with my wife and kids.  It was a trip of a lifetime and a memory starter and feel blessed to have done it.  Now the only problem is ... When can I go back?
For a few of my first outings I had the added privilege to fish with a master of Montana waters. Brian not only showed me some of the most storied waters Montana has to offer but also local knowledge on flies and how to fish some of the biggest water this angler has yet wet a fly.  He wasn't a guide but I would venture to say he had more knowledge and experience than anybody I have ever fished with.  He represents the die hard culture of fly fishing that is so prevalent out there and I am looking forward to fishing with him again.
I hooked this beautiful 20 inch plus brown with Brian on the Ruby River.  It was the biggest fish of the trip and I was glad he was there to help bring it in.  For you bloggers that read this you might notice the bamboo rod I caught this on was the very same Fall River Bamboo I received this past winter from the OutdoorBloggerNetwork.  Paired with my new Abel Fly Reel I fished this setup exclusively on this trip and was extremely satisfied with their performance.
The browns I caught here are just amazing.  Every color was brilliant and I have seldom caught such pristine fish in the numbers that I hauled in here.
Fishing the Gallatin river downstream from Bozeman
Buffalo Jump park near the Madison River.  Atop this butte my brother and I discovered the tell tale stones of teepee rings.
These Montana bugs were amazing.  Never had I seen such hatches coming off at all times of the day.  The fly of choice always seemed to be the Yellow Humpy or Yellow Caddis and I fished the dry almost exclusively. 

When those ran out I used a Yellow Sally.  Besides a few catches on small nymphs I used the dries as much as possible.  Nothing beats a take off the top and as long as they were biting I was a dry fly man.
The flowers here are also amazing and thanks to the late rains I was able to witness some brilliant colors on the plains and rolling hills.  
The only day that I did not fish was the day the whole family went to Yellowstone National Park.  If you have never been then you need to take the time.  Last time I was here I believe I was about 13 and it leaves a lasting impression.  I was happy to have shared this last tip with my own kids and am sure they will remember it for a very long time.
One often visited site in the park is the Yellowstone Grand Canyon.  What A Sight!  Overall we spent only one day in the park and a total of about 14 hours driving through some grand country.  Someday I would like to tour the park on a bike for a week and see all the sights but with four very young kids - one 4 months old - 14 hours is a healthy day for anyone.
We exited the park at around 7pm and had dinner just beyond the north gate originally dedicated by Teddy Roosevelt.  It was simple an awe-inspiring trip.
For this angler Montana was a dream and I cant wait to get back.  

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Beautiful Browns

One more quick post as a spend a final few hours fishing the beautiful banks of the Gallatin River. I can't say enough about the brown trout here in Montana. Amazing! Big or small they are all brilliantly clean and bright.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Yellowstone!

Took the day off from fishing to go tour the park with the family. Pictures cannot describe it.  Simple beautiful!

Montana Flies

Fishing these Montana flies this past week has been amazing. All day long these things are popping off at various times.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Gallatin River Browns And Bows

Just finished another evening fishing the Gallatin near small town of Amsterdam. Beautiful river, beautiful fishing, and beautiful day!
That makes 5 straight days of catching fish. I love Montana!

Saturday, July 6, 2013

After Dinner Brown Trout

Continuing my Montana trip I spent the day with family doing the tourist thing in Virginia City then hit the river after dinner for a little evening hatch. Nothing to big (8 browns and one trash fish) but it continues my streak of catching fish every day of this trip.

Friday, July 5, 2013

Salmon Flies On The Madison

Just got done fishing the Bear Trap and upper Madison today. Not a fish filled day - hooked into about six but only landed one.  The Bear Trap below the dam had the gates open so it was washed out and by the time we reached the upper Madison it was a Wal-Mart parking lot. All that said it was still a great day. These salmon flies were found on the upper Madison.  Biggest dang flies this angler has ever fished!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Fishing Browns On The Ruby River

As I said before, I am moble posting this week and minus a computer but I can't help posting this beauty. The fish of the day was an over 20 inch brown caught on my Fall River / outdoorbloggernetwork bamboo rod and Abel reel. It took me for a ride and was a blast! The vast amount of other browns in the 14-16in range made for a blockbuster day fishing Montana's Ruby River!

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Hello Fly Fishing Heaven

After a week dodging long lines and chasing Mickey around Disney the fam and I did laundry, repacked our luggage,  and headed west. Three flights later we landed in West Yellowstone and were greeted with beautiful weather and the most wonderful rivers a fly angler could hope for.
After a two hour drive north my jaw dropped when we came to a four way stop and literally saw four... that's right FOUR! fly shops. One shop for every corner. About three hundred yards further on I slammed on the brakes.  Off to the left was SIMMS. YOU BET I STOPPED!  
I'm moble posting so don't expect to many wonderful photos this week but I am sure to have a great couple of posts once I get back. Right now however I am just stunned at the beauty of the place.
I can't wait to wet some salmon flies!