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September 15, 2010 
 News from Blue Ribbon Flies
 Fish With The Best
In This Issue
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Greetings!

Welcome to another Blue Ribbon Flies weekly newsletter. Thanks for tuning in. Settle in and we'll tell you what's happening around West Yellowstone and our other favorite spots, show you the fly and the material of the week, and tempt you to plan your next trip with us.

Hope you're enjoying the end of summer and the beginning of fall, doing some fishing or still planning some, tying up some flies, and getting this year's trip to Yellowstone country all planned out or already taped into your 2010 scrapbook. Take a break from work or play, grab a cup of coffee, and pretend you're leaning on the counter here at Blue Ribbon Flies. We wish you were here, but until you are we'll keep you in the loop. Thanks for stopping by.

 What's New
 What's Happening in Yellowstone Country

Ennis Fly Fishing Festival Craig and John, Jen and Tylor, and several customers and friends all took part in the Madison River Foundation's Ennis Fly Fishing Festival a couple weeks ago. Here you can see the crowd assembled for Craig and John's fly tying seminar, which was a huge success according to all. Jen and Tylor's crowd consisted of candy-eating elementary students who learned fish anatomy and casting basics, 10 - 20 at a time. We all had a blast, and wish to thank organizers, supporters, and participants.

The West Yellowstone Happening is scheduled for this Saturday, September 18th. A silent auction, live music, and an excellent dinner are all part of the fundraising for the West Yellowstone Foundation, and all part of the fun. You can buy tickets at the door of the UP Building beginning at 5:00 p.m. Saturday. The West Yellowstone Foundation is devoted to strengthening the sense of community and enhancing the economic vitality in the West Yellowstone area. Last fiscal year, which ended in June of 2010, the foundation distributed $10,000 in grants and $80,000 in scholarships, all to local recipients. We're proud to be a small part of this year's festivities. To secure your seat at The Happening or to give to the cause, call 640-2030.

Saturday, September 25th is National Public Lands Day. This day is the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. In 2009, 150,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, removed trash and invasive plants, planted trees and restored our water resources. This year, find a public lands project near you. We're especially excited about local projects on the Rendezvous Trails and the Lower Madison River. To find out more, check out http://www.publiclandsday.org/ .

Oh and by the way, Lou and the gang are here. Look out.

As usual in the rest of this newsletter, you'll find fishing news from Yellowstone Country in the weekly Fishing Report. You can see what's hot off the vise in the Fly of the Week, get a sneak peek at some of the best materials on our tying bench in the Fly Tying Material of the Week, and stay up to date with the guide staff and their trips in the Guide Trip of the Week.

You'll be seeing a new email newsletter most every week throughout the summer and fall to keep you tuned in to all things fly fishing in the greater Yellowstone area and beyond. Throughout the seasons, we'll keep sending you news of hatches and fishing holes around West Yellowstone. So without further delay, go ahead and jump right into the newsletter. And as always, don't hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email if you have any questions, or if you just want a little fish talk.

Follow the Blue Ribbon Flies blog... 


 Fishing Report
 Weekly Conditions and Tips

Art Hanel As the seasons change, we will continue to do our best to provide a journal entry from some of our latest tying and fishing. We invite you to call and ask us what we've been up to if you get to wondering. We always have plenty of stories to tell.

Art Hanel found evidence last week of someone enjoying Slough Creek for more than fishing. Read his comments on our blog. Thanks for the news and the pics!

September 14, 2010
Blue Ribbon Flies Weekly Report

Craig Mathews


I got up at 4am this morning to see off our first bow hunters of the season and their guides. We've been watching some elk move onto the Madison face this past week. A couple huge bulls got our attention. The guides know where the elk will spend the day and hope to call in a bull or two sometime today. At 2:45pm I looked through my spotting scope and could see a couple elk feeding and lounging in a high meadow about 200 yards from where the guides expected to intercept them. While it is tempting to continue spying on the elk, overcast conditions moved into the Madison Valley a short time ago. I am going Baetis and midge fishing! Our Indian Summer weather is here so come to Yellowstone and watch and listen to bulging elk while you fish during some of the finest conditions of the year!

The river has been good lately, both during Baetis and midge times and also when terrestrials like beetles and ants are active. The Madison will continue to fish well with dries until Christmas when the midging slows down for a few weeks. Look for the tiny blue-winged olives to continue well into November. Float trips have been very good of late as the guides work anglers into some fine dry fly action along the way. The river between the lakes has been great lately with nymphs and streamers, and the stretch above Hebgen Lake to the park line has fished very well for pre-spawning browns. If I had to pick a few flies to have in my arsenal I'd want a $3.00 Bridge Dip in original brown, a Micro-Madison Mayfly Nymph along with a Mercer's Olive May with a bead, both in #18. A Baetis Sparkle Dun, Improved Zelon Midge and Micro Wulff Cripple will work during Baetis and midge times. For streamers have a Foxy Minnow and White Sculpin. Soft Hackles are producing very well now too. For the park stretch I like a Shakey Bealey and September Song as well as a Full Dressed Red for the large run up fish. Terrestrials would include a Foam Ant in black #16 as well as a #12-16 Tiger Beetle.

Slough Creek has been awesome not only during Drake Mackeral emergences but also when ants, bees, beetles and crickets are on the water. The same can be said for Soda Butte Creek and the Lamar River where you should also carry plenty of #22 Slough Creek Baetis Sparkle Duns for success.

The Firehole is coming into its own now. Fall Baetis along with Hydropsyche and Nectopsyche caddis are coming off and the fish are rising like mad to their activity. Evening angling has been wonderful from 3 or 4pm to dark which now comes at shortly before 8pm. The entire length of the river is fishing well so spend a day or two on this fine dry fly stream. If you enjoy swinging soft hackles then now is the time to get on the Firehole too. Our Starling and Herl as well as Partridge and Peacock soft hackles will work great. For caddis you will want the Oecetis Crippled, Iris and X2's. The Firehole's average size fish might only be 11-12" but they can be as tough as rivers like the Henry's Fork and most spring creeks. Have a Baetis Knocked Down Dun #20-22 for those times when no other fly seems to do the trick.

The Yellowstone River downstream of Gardiner, Mt has been incredible lately with large hoppers and crickets on bright days and Baetis mayflies during overcast-wet conditions. The river is fishing well now too below Livingston, Mt with large Grand Hoppers and streamers like the Sculpzilla and White Woolheads.

The Henry's Fork has been great when Mahogany Duns and Baetis emerge which is pretty much each day around 11am to 4pm. While sporadic emergences can be expected on bright days overcast conditions will being on a fine rise of fish. Some of the larger trout key on the larger Mahogany Duns so have a #16 sparkle dun. The river too downstream near Ashton, Idaho has been fun too and the Box Canyon has fished well with large streamers.

If lakes are in your plans you will not want to miss Hebgen's late season gulper action as well as Earthquake Lake. Callibaetis can still be expected for the next few weeks as long as the late summer weather conditions hold. A Callibaetis Nymph fished as a dropper behind a sparkle dun is a deadly combination.

With our cold-crisp mornings you won't want to leave town without a fresh cup of coffee on us so stop in for some great fishing advice and grab a cup of coffee, some hot flies and hit the water with confidence daily! I hope to see you soon.

 


 Fly of the Week
 Hot off the Vise

Baetis Soft Hackle Emerger Baetis Soft Hackle Emerger

Try A Few Yourself!

We have always been aficionados of the classics; soft hackles are as effective now as when they were originally developed years ago. This Baetis Soft Hackle is one of our favorites.

This soft hackle is tied with the shoulder feathers from a mallard wing. The natural preneal oils found on these feathers serve as a natural waterproofing and help keep this fly riding just above the surface film. You can use wood duck or mallard for the tail.

In #20s and #22s, these patterns perform beautifully.

See for yourself... Try a few Baetis Soft Hackle Emergers... 


 Fly Tying Material of the Week
 Unique Materials for Effective Patterns

Mallard Mallard Wings and Flank

Mallard wings are an often overlooked material, but a good pair can be essential for wet flies and soft hackles. The fibers are strong and easy to match and work with, and make excellent wings, hackles and collars. We currently have paired wings available, but you need to add them to the comments section of your order or give us a call. They're not on our website as we never know when we'll have them in stock.

Mallard flank is a great substitute for wood duck flank. We have Big Bags of dyed flank available for $2.99. The feathers are finely barred and can be used to create legs, throats, tails, wings, and wing cases on nymphs and wet and dry flies. Give us a call to take advantage of this great price.

Get some today! See what you can tie up with a little Mallard... 


 Blue Ribbon Flies Blog
 See What You're Missing

Firehole Fog J Juracek If you haven't checked out our web log lately, here's a little taste of what you're missing.

What is a Blog? It's a web-based journal of sorts, a web log, our new attempt to be modern, timely, and informative. It's a more frequently updated fishing journal, an almost daily fishing report, a website we add pictures, thoughts, and reports to on a continuing basis. It's our electronic diary, with multiple contributors and plenty of room for your comments.

John Juracek posts photos and articles frequently, Craig adds fishing reports and breaking news, Tylor's great about posting fly recipes, photos, and fishing adventures, Patrick has had some great input, and Jen occasionally sneaks an article in under someone else's name.

We get interesting, challenging, and entertaining comments from you in response to the articles we post, and you can even comment on comments! It's a great interactive way to keep up with what's happening on the water and off. We look forward to adding posts, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Just this week on the blog, Craig added a mid-week fishing report, we posted more tying instructions, and John published another stunning photo, seen here. Don't forget to read the comments!

We're STILL looking into how to add a subscription button, so you can sign up to have updates sent to your email when we post something new. In the meantime, check it all out at blog.BlueRibbonFlies.com, and keep checking! It changes all the time, and it's how we keep current these days.

See what's new on the Blue Ribbon Flies Blog... 


 Guide Trip of the Week
 Nobody Does It Better

Pink Boat Blue Ribbon Guides Do It All (almost)

Ok, so they don't play the piano or crochet, but our guides do just about everything else. They fish dry flies, nymphs, streamers and soft hackles; they know how to see and catch fish; they sing, tell jokes, tie flies, ski, build things, garden, and occasionally row pink boats. These are men secure in their manhood, and they're not afraid to be seen in pink.

A few weeks ago, West Yellowstone hosted "The Pink Boat," a RO driftboat built and touring the region with the intent of raising awareness and funds for the Susan G. Komen For The Cure (of breast cancer) chapter of Montana. Four guides from town took a turn with the pink boat, and in our four days, over $1000 was raised!

Philanthropy isn't our guides' only specialty. Let them take you on a fall guided trip and teach you how to read water, match the hatch, select appropriate places and flies to fish, how to cast, mend, and set the hook. THEN they'll get really technical and raise your awareness about trout fishing to a whole new level.

O'Dell Creek closes to fishing at the end of this month, so if you've been pining away for some elbow room and some great fishing, book with our guides today. If you want to learn to spey cast or you want to hunt birds and fish, we can help. Let our specialties and passions pay off for you. We can't help you with the piano, but we can take your fishing to a higher place.

Fish with the Best! Book your fall trip today.... 


 Gadgets and Gear
 Handy Gizmos For Fly Tying and Fly Fishing

Boat Bags Sale of the Week

Simms and Patagonia Boat Bags are on sale for ONE WEEK ONLY. Not to be loud and insistent, but we are selling these models at 35% off for ONLY ONE WEEK! Please imagine that said in our best monster truck voice.

The Simms super-tough water-proof versatile Dry Creek bag will protect your fly boxes, reels and spools, and extra pair of dry socks. Your lunch will stay dry, as will your gear. These grey, durable, handy bags are long-lasting and infinitely usable.

The Patagonia Great Divider bag is a fantastic waterproof tackle bag. Its sturdy walls help to provide protection for fragile items such as cameras that you might want to bring along on the boat, and the waterproof components will keep it dry. This is the perfect bag for those who like to organize their tackle and other items for the boat in a compartmentalized fashion. The bag has movable/removable foam divider walls using Velcro to maintain placement as well as re-movable transparent, zippered internal pockets. At just over three pounds, this lightweight Patagonia boat bag will hold all necessities and protect them without the weight of a hard plastic case.

Try either today, or at least before next Wednesday. Call us to claim this special deal and tell us which model you'd like. Mail order only.

Call us for a super bargain on a boat bag... 


 Simms Fly Boxes
 Simms, DeYoung, and Wheatley

Simms Wheatley DeYoung This new artist's series Wheatley box combines everything classy about fly fishing in one item. Perfect for you or for a gift, this new addition to the Simms line is a fantastic blend of art, style, and function.

The anodized aluminum construction and the rows of slit foam will provide an accessible and good-looking home for your flies for many years to come. The brown trout and brook trout designs painted by Derek DeYoung will set this box apart for all others.

Give us a call to learn more about these boxes or to order one for yourself or your favorite fly fisherman. Don't let these get away!

 


Hope you enjoy the latest issue. We'll keep 'em coming, keeping you up to date on the best fishing water, tips, and gear we can get our hands on. Let us know how you're fishing, and what you're up to. Keep those pictures and fish stories coming!

Thanks for spending time with us. We'll see you soon!

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