Meanderings

Stalking trout with dry flies. Floating, wading, and camping along the rivers. Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Winter trips to Mexico.



Oct 10, 2016

Missouri Madness Oct 1-7 (3400 cfs)

When its right, its right.  A week of near-perfect conditions.  Hardly saw the sun at all. Lots of clouds, off and on, showers a few days, BWO's every afternoon, and comfortably cool. One day we stayed back rather than fish in the horizontal rain.

Its the MO, so too many fish pictures and sometimes it was pretty easy, but we could choose the level of difficulty by choosing which water we fished, and how.  Some days we fished the main river flat waters and edges, where the "A" game was needed.  Others, we fished side channels and slight riffles where all you had to do was get it in there right.   Most areas had both, so we could go back and forth from fast textured water to smooth slow flats.

While I was surprised at the October weekday crowds, especially with the inclement weather, there was always a place to go.  We fished the top and bottom of Lone Tree, the entire ladder area, and the islands below "high bridge".  Didn't see any bugs up above Wolf Creek Bridge the couple of times we went and looked.

Dark-winged flies were most visible, and the "Sri-Lanka BWO Emerger" in a size 20 was just magic.  Such a busy, bulky little but, but they loved it.  It's an Ebay, 60-cent cheapo special, not a $3.50 House of Harrop masterpiece, but the fish didn't care.  They did eat the little Harrop Cripples too though.  And the black-wing Adams was a winner in the pods of fish.
Baetis Box One
 
 
Tricky Fish
 
 
Three Legged Cripple
 
 
 
 
"High Bridge" Islands
 
 
 
Foam wing cdc fooled a few
 
 
Many hours on this pod.
 
 
Ah, Montana wilderness fishing at its finest!
 
 
 
The Glory Hole
 
Bi Visible was visible!
 
 
Just relax and stay a while at the mega pod
 
 
Yep, there were bugs
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Harrop Cripple always shines
 
 
This rocked in the pods
 
 
 
 
Fly of the Week!  "Sri Lanka Emerger."  Got the tough ones.
 
 

Sep 30, 2016

Micro Flies, Sunny Skies, and a Stalker

What a way to end September.  I had the whole run below Eva's all day.  Sunny and calm.  Fish up boiling start to finish.  Really doin' it.  I caught more fish on a #24 today than I ever have in one day.  Non stop eatin' it, moving for it, even a few turning around for it!  All in the drift, and the approach. 
 
Upon arrival, someone was at the end of the run I was going to fish.  Oh, the irony.  If you know me, you know my mantra is "stalk 'em like a Heron."  That's just how its done, so it was befitting that the bird was there to greet me before I ever got in the water.  I had a feeling . . .
Definitely "the" spot!
 
Bright and sunny today, and dead calm
 
 
#24 white hackle-on-a-hook
 
"Gnat Flat."  Great stalking visibility
 
 
The Cutthroat end of the creek
 
 
Mid-afternoon
 
 
#24 Griffith Gnat was the Fly of the Day, by far.
 
The grassy bank had sippers too
 
 
#20 gray hanger worked after noon on the grassy corner
 
 
Last fish, a Brown!  Some sort of 3-trout slam?
 
Lightning finally rolled in
 
Never forget, "Stalk 'em Like a Heron!"