What's New
 What's Happening in Yellowstone Country

'Tis the season for tying flies, sitting by a fire, and maybe reading your favorite book again. Too bad the calendar gets so busy right around the time the weather and your body slow down and want to rest in the cold, dark weeks of winter. Don't worry - it's not just you. As the schedules and the celebrations wind up, we find ourselves wanting to wind down.

We hope you find peace, and maybe even some quiet, as we move toward the New Year. In less than two weeks, the days will start getting longer, and before we know it we'll be seeing each other in West Yellowstone again. In the meantime, we hope you can celebrate with folks you love, find some time to hunker down, AND get those spring and summer flies tied. It's a tall order.

If you're still scratching your head over what to give those office mates and loved ones, not that they're mutually exclusive, we've got a few suggestions in this newsletter and on our new, great-looking website. Check those out, order today, and you'll have an immediate sense of holiday joy, self-satisfaction, and peace. Don't let the gift list get you down - just hand it over to Blue Ribbon.

We have a great sale on a Thomas and Thomas Paradigm rod, our last one in stock. It's a 9' 4-wt for 50% off. What a great gift (to yourself or ANYone else) that would be. There's only one left, and the first order gets it. Good luck!

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 winter to keep you tuned in to all things fly fishing and fly tying 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

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.

8 December 2010
Blue Ribbon Flies Weekly Report

Craig Mathews

I got home just in time early this afternoon to get on my gear and head down to the river before the wind came up. Another storm is brewing in the Pacific and the southwest wind is bringing it in now. But, for a couple hours I had a "moderate breeze", according to the weather folks. The "moderate breeze", around 24 mph, brought the 36 degree temps shown on my truck's thermometer down nearer the 20 degree mark with wind chill.

And, even though I thought I'd freeze out a couple times, the fishing was outstanding. I'd wanted to check out a new midge run on the river along with Bucky's new midge larva fly and a new strike indicator we'd just received. The "new midge run" was created this past September when a large fir tree split in two sending half of it into the river. Now there is a new quiet pool behind the tree's branches and boughs laying in 12-18" of water adjacent to a heavy run of water. During midge times the fish leave the heavy flow and line up in the quiet water behind the tree debris and take midge larvae, emerging pupae and adults in the shallow-slow water created by the fallen tree.

Last Sunday Bucky reported fishing the Madison below Raynolds Pass Bridge while Chris and I tried it near Babbling Brook. We fished dry while Bucky tried his new midge. Bucky took a dozen or more good rainbows. We had 8 nice rainbows on the dry. Bucky informed us that his new fly worked great, and so did the latest strike indicator he used. He told of how sensitive the new indicator was - how the tiny top part of it reacted to even the most subtle takes. This morning I loaded up with a couple of the indicators along with 3 of Bucky's flies he offered up. I couldn't wait to try them!

I got to the river at noon and slugged through 18-20" of snow to get to the new run. Once there I rigged with the indicator and knotted on Bucky's midge imitation. I sat on the bank and froze my butt all the while looking for rising fish before blind casting. I saw no rises after sitting on water for nearly 5 minutes. With the new indicator and fly tied on about 3 feet apart I took 10 casts and scored 4 fish. Now, the fish were mostly small, 9-13", and all rainbows but the fly worked well and the indicator was incredible. I know I took 2 fish I would never have suspected taking my fly in the first place had it not been for the sensitive little indicator. I fished the new spot as well as the next 3 pockets and scored several nice trout, one over 16", before freezing out. And, while I have to admit I do not much like using indicators this one was fun to watch due to its extreme sensitivity when a fish barely takes a fly.

So.. . .. ..I leave the river and come home and call Bucky and tell him to get on the phone and order these indicators as well as tie up some of his new midge flies! I don't mean to go on and on but I am a believer on both counts.

It is midge time in Yellowstone country. The Madison, Beaverhead, Gallatin, Henry's Fork and Yellowstone Rivers are all fishing well when midges are active, noon to 4pm daily. I'd have $3.00 Dips in crystal, olive and brown now along with Zelon Midges and Griffith's Gnat Emergers. Bucky's new fly will not be ready for purchase until January when our 2012 catalogue comes out. The new indicators are scheduled in next week and we will keep you posted.

The Madison between Hebgen Dam and Quake Lake is fishing well now with nymphs like the olive Lucent, red $3.00 Dip and GM. The river below Varney might be slushy due to the gorge so I do not recommend it.

Now to is the time to get to tying flies for next season. Our 2011 catalogue will be out within the month and will be loaded with new flies, materials, tying tips and ideas but in the meantime it is time to begin tying those patterns you know you will need for next year - flies like Zelon Midges, Iris and X Caddis, Sparkle Duns, spinners as well as nymphs like Micro Madison Baetis, GM's, and Pt's.. Think about hoppers and beetles and ants and other patterns you are out of. Now is the time to get to the vise and begin tying up those staple patterns.

And, it is time to settle in and read a couple great new fly fishing books. Check in with us for ideas on materials and tying tools, books, DVDs, flies and gear. We are here for you! Sign up and renew your "Fly of The Month" subscription through us for 2011's latest greatest fly patterns.

Check out our new web site and call or email us with your questions. Sign up your friends to receive this free weekly email newsletter from Yellowstone country. Stay connected and informed here with us throughout the long winter!

Keep up to date with fishing on the Blue Ribbon Blog... 

 Fly of the Week
 Hot off the Vise

X Caddis

In (Almost) Every Size and Color

If you haven't fished with an X Caddis, you've cost yourself a lot of fish! This cousin to the Sparkle Dun is simply a machine. Another concoction of zelon, dubbing, and deer hair; the X Caddis is always our go-to fly for the epic caddis emergences.

The standard X comes in tan, olive, and green, in #14 and #16, which would be quite an arsenal if we stopped there. However, in the past few years, we've been busy adding even more ammunition.

The White and Amber X Caddis are 2 important patterns those of us at the shop have carried in our boxes for the past few years. The #18 Amber X imitates the Helicopsyche species of caddis so important in late spring on areas of the Firehole and Madison.

The #16 White X Caddis is an unorthodox tie of our standard X patterns with an addition of hackle. This allows the fly to skitter and move like the naturals it imitates on the Firehole when Nectopsyche species caddis are emerging and egg-laying.

Along with the pupa, the adults of the Glossosoma caddis are extremely important in a trout's diet. The venerable X caddis in black accurately matches this overlooked insect and stage.

And we haven't even mentioned the X2! Stock up on X Caddis for excellent fishing in 2011.

See for yourself... Try a few X Caddis today... 

 Fly Tying Material of the Week
 Unique Materials for Effective Patterns

X Caddis Deer Hair

No, your eyes aren't going blurry. It's just that our hands were shaking so much from excitement while we took this picture. We have NEW X Caddis deer hair in large(12-14) and small(16-20) natural for $4.99, and in Yellow Sallie yellow, dun, and bleached for $5.99.

If you happened to order deer hair in September or October, you may have been told "Give us about a month, until deer season produces some beautiful skins." Voila. They are here, the hair is just what we've been hoping for, and we think it's worth the wait.

Give us a call or check it out on our new website! For tying X Caddis in just about any size and color, for this staple pattern, we've got everything you need. Order today, then get busy or get stocked up for that post-holiday tying spree. This hair will make tying a breeze, and those X Caddis will do the same for your fishing.

See what you can tie with some X Caddis Hair... 

 Guide Trip of the Week
 Nobody Does It Better

2011 Mayfly Tours

Booking Up Now

You've heard it, read it, and seen the pictures. You've either taken one or wished you could. You know that we introduced the April Mayfly Tour years ago, 2001 to be exact, and we've been talking them up ever since. What you may not know is over the years, hundreds of anglers have experience this particular trip, and all the thrills and luxuries that come with.

This groundbreaking series of guided, Montana-style road trips has become our most exciting trip. We invite you to hit the road with one of Blue Ribbon's guides. Each year we have added more and more dates to our line up, and for 2011 we are excited to have the broadest selection of road trips yet. The April Mayfly Tour began as a mild case of spring fever, and has grown into an epidemic that lasts throughout the fishing season.

These first class trips are all inclusive. Four days of guided fishing, all meals, lodging, and transportation are included. All you need to do is arrive at the Bozeman airport with your gear, and we will take it from there. Each day brings a new river, different strategies, a variety of water, and a unique landscape. The fishing options in Yellowstone Country and Southwest Montana are staggering, and conditions change from year to year or day to day. Let our guides sort through the dozens of fishing options to find the best of the best for your road trip.

Start calling your buddies now, and line up a Mayfly Tour soon. Click on the picture or the link below to see specific dates that are available and payment information, and start writing your letter to Santa. It's an epic trip in the most gorgeous place in the world, though we may be a little biased. Put your name on our calendar and have the time of your life.

Fish with the Best!... Book your 2011 Mayfly Tour today... 

 Magnetic Hook Pallet
 From C&F and BRF

Tired of hooks scattered all over your tying desk? Well C&F Design has come up with a solution. The Magnetic hook pallet keeps all of your hooks in order where you want them.

In three sizes, Midge, Standard and Streamer, you'll find these handy hook pallets stackable, visible, and incredibly efficient. They feature bright white magnetic base, foam partitions and clear lids, and are the most practical and useful fly tying hook management system you'll find.

Take a look at the magnetic hook pallets... 

 Just a Thought
 As Seasons Change...

Christmas on the (Web) River

Ok. First, we totally bummed this photo off the internet. You've probably even seen it already. Maybe the credit goes to Jolean Wheeler?, but it's hard to track down the original source. Nothing says Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah or Shop for the Holiday with Blue Ribbon Flies like a deer eating a snowman's face. ?? Ho ho ho.

Second, and more important, we've compiled a great list of gift ideas for you and your loved ones, just to make this season a little easier. From how-to videos on fishing and tying, including the award-winning Bonefishing and Fishing Yellowstone Hatches DVDs, to books of essays and photographs, shop the collection of resources at www.blueribbonflies.com (Christmas on the River). Whether you're buying for yourself or your favorite angler, we'll make your experience as pleasant as possible and your purchase as helpful and interesting as can be.

If the books and videos don't grab you, here are a few other great gift ideas: How about the Simms sweater with our Blue Ribbon logo? It's warm, fuzzy, and a great reminder of your last vacation or your next one. You could give a Gift of Flies, which sends your favorite angler (aunt, uncle, substitute teacher or postal worker) two dozen flies in a Blue Ribbon Flies box.

We also have the Echo Micro Caster for the man or woman that has everything. It's a great distraction from work, a great party toy, or a great practice tool - however you choose to see it. Still not sold? How about Brodin Ghost Nets - the ONLY net we all use?

For the fly tyer, you'll want to give the 2011 Fly of the Month Club. This will be our third year to offer club members special patterns and recipes not available to the rest of the world. The Fly of the Month Club is a great way to give a gift now that delivers throughout the year. The members receive new flies, directions and a list ingredients every month, and are inspired to tie and hopefully fish all year through.

And if you're still not sure what you're after, a gift certificate is the perfect solution. Check out Christmas on the River for gift certificates in several denominations, as well as all sorts of wonderful offerings for all your favorite folks.

Browse, order, and sit back with a satisfied smile, knowing your holiday shopping is taken care of. We're not the greatest gift wrappers, but you'll be so thrilled with yourself and your shopping genius you'll hardly notice. Give us a call or order online soon, and enjoy your holidays!

Browse our gift suggestions in Christmas on the River...