What's New
 What's Happening in Yellowstone Country

Frank Shaw, $3 Bridge, Not so long ago...

Here we are on the last day of 2010, ripe for reflecting on all the interesting, funny, poignant, and surprising events of the past year and beyond. If we sent out a newsletter of actual news, of any journalistic merit, this would be the Retrospective issue, where we highlighted the big events of 2010. At the very least we could feature pictures of the biggest fish and the smallest caught, and portraits in sepia of people and places we'll miss in the New Year.

We're not journalists though, and we're not that organized. We're fishermen. We would never pass up an opportunity for a good fish story, but we'll leave the big stuff to your news magazine of choice. Plus, we do not want to steal any thunder from Craig's Year in Review, the highlight to many of our annual catalog, set to appear in your mailbox in the coming days.

Nope, instead of spending New Year's Eve focusing on the old, we're already jumping into the new. Perhaps prematurely, but we're not superstitious and we've been working so hard getting things ready for you, naturally we're excited. Before we unroll the newness however, we will say that we hope your 2010 was a fantastic year, and we hope your 2011 is even better.

So after all that, What's New? Well, first, we have a new section on our website labeled, are you ready?, Sale Items! Unless you've recently bought any of these items at full price somewhere else, we think you'll be as excited as we are about this opportunity. Simms, Patagonia, C&F Designs, Scientific Anglers are represented among the hugely discounted products you'll find here. You know how sales go, with all those virtual hands grabbing for the same sizes, so shop early.

What else is new? Our New Fly of the Month Club for 2011 of course. Members will receive their first 2011 fly next week. This means they should actually look forward to receiving all of the Blue Ribbon 2011 New Flies as well as well as the tying directions. This alone is a real bargain in case you've not figured that one out! We thought we'd give you a reminder, and light a match under those of you who haven't joined yet. Become a new member of our FOMC, and you'll get a year's worth of flies and recipes no one else has access to.

As you'll see in Craig's report below and in the rest of the newsletter, we also have several other new things in store for you, including an online catalog, a new selection of Hungarian Partridge skins, a Winston on sale that won't last long, and some new and exciting features here in the newsletter in the coming weeks. Ring in the New Year with Blue Ribbon.

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.

 

 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.

30 December 2010
Blue Ribbon Flies Weekly Report

Craig Mathews

The forecast calls for minus 20-25 degrees for low temperatures the next 2 nights with daytime highs screaming up into the single digits, if we are lucky. There will be no fly fishing here for a few days. Check out the attached photo - remember this? Although we haven't reached 2008 levels, yes we have plenty of snow! We always say once the snow level reaches to the top rung of the fence we have our snow for the year and it is already there. 2011 will be a great water year - good news for the fish and anglers alike.

Within the next few days our 2011 catalog will be both online and in the mail to you. While we can't say for sure the exact date, make sure you check out our website as the catalog will go live there by next week. Needless to say, Bucky, Cam, Jackie, Jen, John and I are very excited! It is time to get back hard at it to work, and we look forward to your calls and comments! Let's roll into 2011. And by the way, from all of us, a Happy Healthy 2011 to all!

In this newsletter you will find a few Happy New Year deals to you. Prime, and I mean PRIME Partridge (Hungarian) have just come in. Taken and skinned by Wild Bill Flick, son of the famous fly tyer Art Flick, these are the late season Montana skins all soft hackle addicts relish. Our supply is very limited so make sure you order early.

And, how about a Winston WT 9 foot 5 weight 2 piece rod we found stashed underneath the steps? Heavens knows who put it there, or why, but it is for sale in this newsletter with its gorgeous Elder Wood reel seat, fine nickel silver up-locking hardware and a low serial number of 137038! This rod is no longer made and is a collector's item already. (Plus, we'll throw in a free fly line with its purchase, a $70.00 value).

Why all this? Well.. ..I don't have much fishing news. It has been cold and windy and I have only fished a couple hours this past week so I have to talk about something here! Be sure and stay tuned as we are offering some exciting news, updates, products, flies and materials and much-much more over the next several weeks. We are getting gunned up for our upcoming saltwater trips as well as tours into Yellowstone next month to cross country ski and explore Yellowstone so stay connected here.

Let us hear from you. It is time to begin planning 2011 trips to Yellowstone country. Its time to get to the vise and tie flies. It is time to pick up a fly fishing book and read up for your upcoming trip or just to wile away the winter evenings no matter where you are. Let's look at our limited fishing.

The Madison River between the lakes has been good with our Rick's Red Dip and chocolate stone rubber-leg stones. The river near Raynolds Bridge has fished well too at least it did last weekend when it warmed up above 25 degrees! On the lower water good midge clusters have been the rule and these bring up great rises of trout when the clusters appear in late morning. I like the Hi Vis Midge Cluster for this fishing but you must be ready with a Griffith's Gnat Emerger or Skittering or standard Zelon Midge when the fish are rising to emerging pupae from 10am to noon or until the clusters are encountered.

The Gallatin has fished very well from the mouth of the canyon upstream to Taylor Fork. Here too red midge pupae and larvae work well as do Bucky's Muskrat Midge. For this one you'll have to wait until Bucky brings in his catalogue order for this all important new fly pattern as we have none yet in our bins.. ..next week I promise!

In future reports look for our section on "Essentials", those fly fishing items we feel anglers need for successful angling in Yellowstone country. We hope you will look forward to our "New Products" section too. We have worked hard and tested a lot of new gear, fly tying materials, and more we will be reporting and featuring in future newsletters to you. Don't forget our "New Flies" either. All of us have spent a bunch of time designing and fishing these exciting new flies for 2011! There are also many conservation projects we will be discussing in future letters and much much more. We value your comments, ideas, criticisms and thoughts on anything you have in mind so don't hold back. We love to hear from you!

A Happy and fish-filled 2011 to all of you from all of us! Until next week.

Stay up-to-date with fishing and more with the Blue Ribbon Flies Blog... 

 Fly of the Week
 Hot off the Vise

2011 Fly of the Month Club

We're going to wait until next week to start the showcase of New Flies for the New Year, so we have just a quick reminder for you this week, and a pop quiz. Without reading the answer, can you identify the insects in this photograph?

Don't forget that one of the best ways to see new flies, try new patterns, and learn new tying techniques throughout the year is by joining the Fly of the Month Club. You'll be amazed at your own learning curve. What you see here is a pair of mating Hydropsyche caddis. Now for extra bonus points: What pattern would you tie to imitate them?

We know, we know, sometimes we tend to repeat ourselves and state the obvious. As we said in the opening article, we're not journalists. When you add tje Fly of the Month Club to the shopping cart you will receive the new 2011 tying instructions. Each month after we will send you a new cutting-edge BRF fly, instructions and materials list for that fly. You will start receiving this the first week in January.

Join the Club. It's a steal of a deal, and a real gift to yourself or your favorite fly tyer. You can be a straight-A student with a little help from BRF.

See for yourself... Join the FOMC today... 

 Fly Tying Material of the Week
 Unique Materials for Effective Patterns

Huns, Huns, PRIME Huns

Craig was not teasing when he said (see above) that we have some of the prettiest Hungarian Partridge skins we've seen. Having the Flick name associated with these skins should tell you something about their quality and their usefulness.

There is no question this bird is as valuable to the fly tyer as anything that flies. The feathers come in shades of brown and gray, are finely speckled, wrap like a dream, come in a nice range of sizes, and can be used on dry or wet patterns.

Start the new year off with a brand new partridge skin and see how far it takes you!

See what you can tie with some Hungarian Partridge.. 

 Follow the Blue Ribbon Flies Blog
 For All Things Fly Fishing in the New Year

Whether you've become a faithful follower of ours or you're still scratching your head at the word "blog", we've been busy adding fishing reports, photos, and breaking news to our web log (hence blog).

The web address and the look are slightly different than they were when we debuted the blog this summer, but it's still chock full of information and entertainment. One of the best features of a blog versus a website is the capacity for comments. We welcome your questions and your responses, and believe your feedback and input is a vital part of this technology.

The other best part of a blog is the capacity to keep fresh photographs and articles coming. It's so easy to post a picture or a report, or copy and paste a press release or article we want you to see. In fact, if you didn't read about Yellowstone's plan to restore native fish populations in the Park and comment on it yet, the blog will guide the way. Here's the link.

We're excited about keeping in touch and keeping you in the loop with the blog, and we hope you find it to be a useful tool. Now that it's linked to the website, you can read, watch videos, shop and comment, all in one place. We'll see you there.

Keep up with us on the BRF Blog... 

 Guide Trip of the Week
 Nobody Does It Better

Summer Float Trips

THE Classic Way to Fish Yellowstone Country

Just about any flyfisherman you talk with around the country knows, and quite possibly drools, about fishing the Madison River. It is the quintessential blue ribbon trout stream, classic in its beauty, its hatches, and its trout. What better way to see it, fish it, and experience it than by floating a stretch of river with a blue ribbon (aka a Blue Ribbon) guide?

We truly believe that a float trip down the Madison River with a Blue Ribbon Guide is the best day of guided fishing that money can buy. Float trips are our most popular trips, and after spending a suspenseful day covering every nook and cranny of 10-12 miles of fish-filled water you'll see why. From learning how to read water to executing the perfect reach cast, a day in a drift boat is not only an adventure, but the perfect environment to learn the art of fly fishing.

In addition to the mighty Madison our guides frequently float the Yellowstone, Missouri and Beaverhead. So, the next time you're in Yellowstone Country, treat yourself to something really special and reserve a float trip with a Blue Ribbon guide. It's an experience you won't soon forget.

We are booked up on a few guided fishing dates already during the June 20-Aug 10 time frame. Anglers thinking about or wanting to book a guide during that most popular time should do so ASAP to avoid disappointment.

Give us a call today. Well, maybe Monday would be better. Make it your New Year's resolution and check it off the list! We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you on the river!

Fish with the Best!... Book your 2011 Float Trip today... 

 Tie With Craig
 Step by Step Tying Tutorial

There are so many things we like about our new website it's hard to pick our favorite feature. One of the top ten however is the ability to embed video clips within our own web pages. If you haven't poked around on our website or watched any of our tying videos, maybe tomorrow when you're nursing a headache or a cup of coffee after tonight's revelry, you should do a little Blue Ribbon Flies web-crawling.

Click on the picture above or the link below to see Craig tie the Bloody Midge, Hi Vis Zelon Midge and SLS Sparkle Dun. Don't know what the SLS Sparkle Dun is? Click and behold. One of the most interesting things you'll notice, besides the technique and the materials, is how the Materelli Whip Finisher includes a cutter - how handy is that? Give us a shout to pick up one of these for yourself!

Sit back and watch, or get your tying materials ready and follow along. We'll be posting more soon, so as we like to say, we'll keep you posted. Enjoy!

Take a look at our latest tying videos... 

 Don't Snooze or Lose
 This Winston Rod Can Be Yours!

And finally, as promised in Craig's report, there is our Lost and Found Winston rod, on sale, and waiting for its new home. First come, first served, so email or call us right away to claim this collector's item. It's sure to make your new year or someone else's that much happier.

Claim this prize today...