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March 31, 2011 
 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 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.

 What's New
 What's Happening in Yellowstone Country

Tenkara USA We are co-hosting "The Tenkara Summit USA" August 27th at the Holiday Inn here in West Yellowstone. This is the first such summit in the U.S. and we are honored to have Dr. Hisao Ishigaki, our sensei, who is here visiting from Japan then, as our main speaker and instructor. Also present will be many of us who have introduced Tenkara fishing to the U.S. This awesome event is open to anyone and everyone!

For more information on this event and to learn more about Tenkara rods and it's style of fishing simply click the photo.

For folks near Billings, Mt a reminder that Craig will be at East Rosebud Fly and Tackle in the Magic City on April 16th from 10am to 5pm tying and presenting a slide show, "The Underfished and Overlooked Waters of Yellowstone Country". Hope to see you there!

Cam, Bucky, Jackie and Craig hope to talk with you all soon. And, our own Minori has moved on to Bozeman. She and her husband Rick have had enough of our long winters! Minori will be missed by us for her enthusiasm, big smile, fly tying skills, and fishing knowledge. She spent as much time on area waters as anyone we know, a serious student of Yellowstone waters. Good Luck Minori, and thanks for your years of service her at BRF!!!

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.

Want to learn more about Tenkara? 


 Fishing Report
 Weekly Conditions and Tips

craig By Craig Mathews I think it is finally here, spring that is. The welcome songs of blue birds, robins and kinglets as well as telltale screech from red tail hawks as they drive for mice and gophers in river valleys of Yellowstone country are our indicators that spring has marched in. Bison march up and down Highway 191 north of town on their way to Horse Butte in late March every year. It is a fine time to watch wildlife now; wildlife like bighorn sheep, elk and pronghorn which are all close to the highway in the Madison Valley. Literally thousands of elk are moving up-valley to the calving grounds in drainages like Wolf, Sun, Moose, Horse and Standard Creeks. Too one day it blows a gale from the south and the next the sun comes out with a endless bright blue sky it could only be the Big Sky State of Montana!

The Madison below Ennis Dam and downstream to Black's Ford is fishing during midge times. Baetis emergences are beginning and this activity will strengthen over the next few weeks through the month of April. The river below Hebgen Dam is stacked with pre-spawning rainbows now and fishing very well with midge imitations like our Zelon Midge and Micro-Madison Wulffs on the surface when fish are rising. When no surface activity is apparent give a $3 Dip in lime, zebra or original brown and trail it with a GM or Zebra and you can expect great nymphing. Don't forget a #16 red CJ and always use an indicator that detects even the most sensitive of takes, something like the Tel-Strike, and you will take 50% more trout. The river is fishing around Varney Bridge and downstream to 8 Mile with soft hackle streamers and some of our other new streamers and big stone nymphs.

The Beaverhead is turning on. Look for Baetis to show this week around Grasshopper and Barretts. I'd have Zebras and Slough Creek Midge Larva along as well as Micro-Madison Beadhead Midges, BWO Sparkle Duns and Scottys' Midges for the surface action.

The Gallatin and Yellowstone are both fishing well. The Yellowstone has plenty of rising fish around Carter's Bridge and the Baetis are on! Gallatin is best on the lower stretches around the mouth of the canyon, Axtel and Williams Bridges, etc. #18 Baetis Sparkle Duns will score lots of nice trout during Baetis times. Nymphing can be ridiculous as long as you fish a GM and trail a red CJ #16. Streamer action is always fun this time of year using a white woolhead sculpin pattern fished dead drift like a big stone nymph.

Sleeper bet of the week is the Boulder River upstream of Big Timber when Baetis are on. Call for more information on this little river.

 


 Fly of the Week
 Hot off the Vise!!

Baetis sh emeger Baetis Soft Hackle Emerger

Baetis mayflies are emerging in force on several area rivers. Craig will fish the Yellowstone and lower Madison again this week during Baetis times. Bucky and Craig have been tying some Baetis Soft Hackle Emergers and Nick just delivered his spring order of #20-22 BWO Soft Hackle emergers, one of the most effective patterns we use during Baetis times. Bucky and Craig have been using quill bodies for a segmented effect on our flies; not that the fish seem to care but they look nice in their fly boxes! The BWO and Baetis olive quills are perfect and the ginger quills make for a killing emerging midge pattern tied with a trailing shuck and midge gray zelon wings. We have fashioned a few early season scuds with the melon quills as ribbing through the scud pink zelon dubbing blend Bucky has perfected. Be sure to watch Craig tie this pattern by clicking on the Photo.

Check Out All Of Our Flies! 


 Fly Tying Material of the Week
 Unique Materials for Effective Patterns

mallard wings Mallard Wings

Mallard wings are back in stock and the shoulder feathers are what Nick uses to hackle his soft hackle Baetis emergers. The mallard wings are very hard to find this year but we can't blame the hair fashion folks for this shortage, it seems that fewer duck hunters are in the marsh the past couple seasons. We get ours from our guide, Drew, who takes plenty of mallards during the season. Drew also guides our waterfowl hunters so he cleans his share of ducks and we get some quality wings.

Look here for this and many hard to find fly tying materials. 


 Here's something for the serious traveling tier or if your just getting started
 Anglerhaus Standard Tying kit

tying kit Anglerhaus Standard Tying kit

Craig has packed his travel fly tying kit and stocked it with materials to tie Baetis and midges this coming week during my short trips to the Yellowstone, Madison and Beaverhead. He has used the Anglerhaus kit which includes a pedestal vise and seven tying tools needed to tie even the smallest fly patterns. You can see this handy kit on a short video clip in this report. Most of us here at the shop own this setup and it sells for the incredibly low price of $29.99, for the entire kit! It comes in a great wooden case and packs down to the size of a fly tying book.

Here's some other items of interest. 


 Guide Trip of the Week
 Nobody does it better!!

Patrick Featured Guide of The Week Patrick Daigle

Patrick has been guiding for us for four years now and has done a great job. Patrick has lead our Horse trips into Yellowstone for the past three years and is excited to do so again in 2011. Lets let Patrick tell you a little about his fishing experiences. Take it away Patrick!

I grew up on the Salmon River, in Moodus, CT too many experiences to mention but, my first trout was caught at the age of 3 and a half and I have been screwed ever since. I cast my first fly rod at the age of 14 I became involved with the fly fishing industry 15 years ago at North Cove Outfitters in Old Saybrook, CT. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Along the coast of Connecticut, I fished for stripers, blues, false albacore, bonito, spanish mackerel, from shore, vessel, and often from a kayak. Most memorable fish was a 43" Cow striper caught from shore on my 10wt fly rod, with 13"bunker fly I made, cast on a 500grain line for two weeks without a bite. At night, alone, and I let her go, forever seared in my mind. Why did I cast that damn thing for two weeks without even a bite, because I knew something would eventually eat that fly. Moved to Montana at the age of 27 and this will be my 7th? summer at BRF first guide trip was four years ago with Tim and Rusty, Varney to 8mile and totally took dead mans channel on river right, yep, over shot the launch and had to haul the boat up river a few hundred yards back to 8mile.

Fish WIth The Best! 


 New Thermal Long Sleeved Shirts.
 Perfect for Spring Weather!

Thermal shirts A couple other items we'd like to introduce to our email news members are our NEW Thermal long sleeved shirts for cool weather fishing, or just hanging out. We're excited to introduce these fine shirts which have just arrived. Not only do we have the men's Thermals but also somthing for the ladies. We've also have the PBR short and long sleeve shirts back in!

Finally, thank you for your kind comments regarding our recently released DVD, "Fly Tying Yellowstone Hatches Volume 2". It is great to hear this is already being used in advanced fly tying classes around the country and the reviews have been strong! We had a group of school kids in the shop last week and a couple which had never tied a fly before later returned with their parents, bought the DVD, and came back a few days later with flies they'd tied while watching the footage. I told both they had a job with us as they were tying great flies right off the bat! We need more young people to get into fly tying and fishing and away from all the electronic gadgets that seem to addict them and keep them inside. Sorry, I don't mean to preach.

 


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!