Why reinvent the wheel every year? Well because when things get reinvented, they get better, or at least they're more fun to fish and require less effort to float all day long! This years batch of new patterns mixed in with a few of our favorites has a common theme - foam... If you're a dry fly purist and can't stand the site of rubberlegs and foam, then avert your eyes. For the rest of us that like to catch fish, read on and check these bugs out!  

This is a new pattern available this summer that had our interest peaked when we first saw them last fall. We've already had them out and on the water, and they flat out work... 

Another foam and rubberlegs pattern that has to be fished to appreciate. The silhouette of this pattern on the water is excellent and squeezing some floatant into them is key!   

We've had this pattern for a couple of years, but it works, early when the fish haven't seen big ones, and late when they've been hooked by too many big hoppers. Excellent hook gap on this one makes it a favorite of ours. 

  

It may not technically be a "hopper" but it's a terrestrial pattern that simply works and gets eaten on a regular basis. Our friend Eric Paulson is a mad man at the vise and this is one of his best from over the years. Get some now, they're hard to get later.

Although we don't have as much water in the rivers as we did last July, you won't hear anyone around here complaining about it! The dry fly hatches this year have been incredible, and the hopper fishing in August and September should be phenomenal. So if you're not in MT, make sure that you make it out. If you're lucky enough to call it home, get ready for some excellent fishing over the next couple of months...

The river dropped and came into shape this year in plenty of time to catch the Salmonfly hatch, and that's over now, but the attractor dry fly fishing is just getting good and the hopper fishing is right around the corner over here! July has been great, August will likely be just as good if not better on the Stone.

More consistency this year, that's been the story on the Upper Madison. The Salmonflies were good, but the dry fly fishing hasn't cratered afterwards like it did the last 3 or 4 years. Looking forward we expect the good dry fly fishing, good flows, and good fishing to continue! Look for a better than average hopper year up on the Uper Madison this year, call it a hunch...

The Gallatin is in prime shape right now both up in the Canyon and down in the Valley sections. The flows are down and the gravel bars are exposed lower, up high in the Canyon the Spruce Moths are just getting started. Look for better dry fly fishing the further into July and August we get - hoppers soon...

Unlike last year when things were still high at this time, the rivers are at more normal summer levels and despite some hot weather, the fishing has been phenomenal for the past month or so now. The Yellowstone is fishing excellent, the Gallatin has been producing some good dry fly fishing in the riffles and the Upper Madison seems to be chugging right along after Salmonflies finished up and hasn't skipped a beat. Hoppers aren't far off with the hot and dryer weather, so look for our little tan bouncing friends to be making their way to a river near you soon. 

 

Although the famous Salmonfly hatch is all done and wrapped up for another year, we're still looking forward to pitching big dries with the hoppers and midnight stones just around the corner - we've been seeing a few fish eating some Morrish Hoppers already, and there's been a midnight stone shuck here and there along the banks and fish have been gobbling up the Chubby like it's on sale so stay tuned! The best stuff is still on its way so check out our Summer Fishing Forecast, and if you want to get out to Montana this August or just get out on the rivers for a few days, check out our Guide Trip Special for August this year!

 

Our new website is up and operational, and we're still working hard to get the Online Store all up and running this month - we'll let you know when it's all ready to go. In the meantime, check out the The Report from Kris, Kris has a new format for his updates, including some of his favorite flies and products he's been playing with at the shop and on the river. Check out his review of the products of the month for a new floatant combo. 

 

The 4th Annual Photo Contest is underway, so if you've been out on the rivers without your Troutfitters logo's, now is the time to throw those in when you head to the water and get creative. Check out last year's winners and get an idea of what the photo contest is all about - having fun and getting out on the water! Click Here for Photo Contest Details

 

With a banner hopper year on the way, check out some of the new terrestrial patterns that we've got in the shop this year, along with some of our favorites from the past couple of years. Stock up too, because once these are gone, they are tough to find around Montana...

 

 

If you haven't hooked up with us yet on Facebook and Twitter come and see what you've been missing with fun fishing report updates, chatter and fishing banter, contests and more!

 

 

 

  

We have assembled a crew of Low Life's, trout bum's and general fishing derelicts to cater to your fishing needs whether you're a die hard local, a beginning angler from another zip code, or a total neophyte to the sport of fly fishing all together. Our group of guys here at Troutfitters fish more than any shop staff in the area, and they do it all in the name of bringing you the best on the water fishing information in the area. Plus they're all really good guys to learn a thing or two from in the shop to help make your next trip to the water a successful one. 

So if you haven't been by the shop this summer, stop on in and say hi to James, Chris, Jeff, Jake, John, Kris or Justin - we're all happy to show you where to go and what to use on your next fishing trip! Or stop on by the new website and see what they've been up to - we're trying to get everyone to share a bit of their fishing adventures (but not necessarily their secret spots) on the Shop BLOG. You can meet them all online here.

   

The never ending struggle for dry fly fishermen is to find a product that can keep their dry flies dry, and not ruin the materials or require you to use a hazmat suit to put apply it to your fly... There have been various concoctions of lighter fluid, parafin wax, tubs of hand balming gel, you name it, people have tried it. It all works, but how well does it work, how often you have to apply it and how safe is it to store/use in a boat or in a personal fishing pack is the key.

Enter the recent contestant, Shimazaki Dry Shake Spray. It's aerosolized unknown contents in a can, we can't read Japanese, at least it's in a can and not in a homemade tub or tin that you have to transport around with you. One blast of this stuff and your fly is floating all day long - but there's a secret to making it work even better... Check out the BLOG for the details!