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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 new year, doing some
fishing, tying up some flies, and starting to think about your 2011 trip to Yellowstone country. 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.
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What's New
What's Happening in Yellowstone Country
Cam is back in the shop after being held at the Belize airport 2 extra days as all flights leaving that little country were overbooked. He'd been returning from leading our saltwater trips to Mexico and Belize and his fishing reports will follow in our newsletter. Jen is sailing across the Gulfstream after spending a month cruising the Bahamas. Meanwhile, back at the shop, Bucky-Jackie and I have been snowed in and dreaming of a warm, sunshine filled day in Montana; something we have not had in several months. But, spring is on the way we are told. Science tells us that springtime moves north around 17 miles a day this time of year and friends told us it just passed Pocatello, Idaho yesterday so we are hoping for a warm-up next week!
We are currently at 112% of "normal" snowpack-water equivalent so our stream flows should be awesome this year. Rivers like the Firehole in Yellowstone Park should be in great shape by June 1st and we are looking forward to the park's opening day which is now only 9 weeks away!
Craig heads to Billings on the 16th of April to do a presentation at Rich Romersa's East Rosebud Fly and Tackle on 24th Ave. Craig's tying demo will be starting around 10am with a slide presentation on Yellowstone Park and southwestern Montana's "overlooked and under-fished waters" later in the morning. Craig will be at the shop from 10am to 3pm and he hope's to see you there!
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.
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Fishing Report
Weekly Conditions and Tips
By Craig Mathews
Okay, let's look at the week's fishing. The Madison below Hebgen Dam is fishing very well. This remains mostly a dry fly proposition but midges are coming off now in good number and look for trout to rise on overcast-calm afternoons in selected spots. The snow is very deep making access difficult but if you are willing to man it out and wade through the snow you can expect incredible action using our beaded Rick's Blood Midge, red Copper John and GM Nymphs. Dry fly midging is always a challenge but the Zelon Midge tackles the challenge head on, a #20 is your best bet. Tie this pattern onto 5 or 6x Powerflex Tippet and you will be in business.
The Madison below Varney Bridge is beginning to fish well. The gorge never made it above Burnt Tree Access but the boat launch there is still closed so you will have to use 8 Mile Access for the time being. The Ennis Bridge access is also closed due to ice so do NOT plan on floating to Ennis and taking out there for the next few weeks. Look for midge fishing to pick up this week. Big rubber leg stone patterns and rabbit streamers can be productive now too. Stop by to see our new streamers which are guaranteed to catch big trout!
The Madison in and below Bear Trap is fishing during midge times and Baetis action is just heating up. Sparkle Duns and Zelon Midges on top with Slough Creek Midge Larva and $3 Dips in original brown and red will score.
The Henry's Fork can be good now too. The river below Ashton, Idaho should begin to see some early Baetis but it is midges that can bring up the rainbows now. It takes a strong midge emergence to get the larger fish to the surface. Baetis are on the way. The Box Canyon stretch is fishing with nymphs like red Copper Johns, GM's and red SJ Worms (cheating if you use the worm).
The Yellowstone and Boulder Rivers are beginning to turn on big time. Baetis and midges are coming on but midges strongest on the Boulder above town with some great run-up fish coming up to dries. These larger trout will be tough to take. A long leader, 5-6x fluro tippets and the right flies are required for success. A Skittering Midge along with tan or peacock Griffth's Gnat Emegers in size #20 are best during midge emergences on both rivers.
Look for the Gallatin to begin to fish better this coming week with a warm up in water temps. Some midge action should be expected below Big Sky and down to Williams Bridge. The river around Big Sky can be good, mostly with nymphs, during afternoon hours from 2-4pm. Here you should fish red, lime and Krystal $3 Dips, Shop Vacs and #14 Biotic Nymphs. Do NOT forget a GM either!
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Guide Trip of the Week
Nobody does it better!!
Back From the Salt
I just arrived back from Xcalak and Belize and must tell you it was one of the best salt water trips I have ever taken! Great food, company, accomodations and the fishing was pretty darn good also.
The first week was a blast and I contibute most of this to the fine company that I was with Tom Swanson, Jeff Kroeger and Jeff Rader, thanks guys for making this such an enjoyable trip.
This was my first trip to Xcalak so I had no first hand knowledge of what to expect, but I can tell you now that this fishery is alive and well. Tons of Bonefish!! We never had a problem finding a overeager Bonefish to take our fly. Some of the best patterns that we used we the Rubber Legged Gotcha, Christamas Island Special and the Spider Fly. Not only were the Bonefish abundant but the permit as well the first day out Jeff Kroeger and I were in the Permit most of the day. Jeff Kroeger managed to land a Permit this week and it ended up being the only one for our group. It sure wasn't because of the lack of opportunity. I think my guide Cucho is still cursing me for the poor Permit display that I put on.
Tom and Jeff Rader kept busy with Victor working out the bonefish and caught well into the double digits on a number of days. For the most part we lucked out with the weather a few very windy days kept us from going to certain areas and milked up the water which made visibility impossible. It seems you always have a couple of these during a trip. The food was absolutly outstanding matter of fact I think I gained 10-15bls during my stay. Great local cusine and fine service. Thanks to all at Tierra Maya.
After the outstanding week in Mexico I would have been content just to go home but instead I took a water taxi down to San Pedro, I think you could have water skied the entire way it was so smooth. I then took off from San Pedro and headed to the Permit Capital of the World, Placencia Belize were I hooked up with Jim Clifton. (by the way, thanks again Jim) Jim was already out fishing with Bruce when I arrived so I settled in and prepared for the next six days, and what a next six days it was. Overall we ended up hooking up with 9 permit and landing 5. There are many details that I could write about this trip in this newsletter but there are far too many. This was indeed one of the best trips to Placencia that I have taken. Again thanks Jim, Jeff, Jeff, Tom and especially Bruce and Anita.
Fish WIth The Best!
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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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