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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
Spring is in the air, again, here in Yellowstone country. We are all hoping it is a done deal this time having been teased into it a few times before only to have storms blast in again from the north and dump snow on us time after time this spring. We are at about 112% for normal snow pack for the year. With this awesome moisture 2011 should go down as a strong dry fly year with good emergences, big trout and great recruitment of wild fish into the future. As you can see by looking at John Juraceks photo this is what we are waiting for.
Craig will be at Rich Romersa's East Rosebud Fly and Tackle in Billings this Saturday, April 16th, from 10am to 3pm and I hope to see you there. We will be tying flies, talking about the conservation programs in the Madison Valley and Yellowstone National Park, a slide show on "Overlooked Waters of Yellowstone" and much more.
Craig has been practicing a bit with my Tenkara rod, an Iwana model, this past week in preparation for the season. Craig can't wait to hear from those of you who purchased Tenkara rods after last week's newsletter on how you like this simplest of fly fishing. Already Stan has called in and reported taking fish on his new rod after reading through our featured Tenkara book and trying out his new rod. He reports bringing his 8 year old daughter into fly fishing simply by putting his new Tenkara in her hands, showing her how easy it is to cast and the next thing he knows she is screaming for him to help her get her first trout(s) off the line! Good stories, and great to hear youngsters are excited to get on the rivers away from the couch and video games and catch wild trout trout with their parents!
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
I fished the Madison with Tim Bozorth yesterday. We walked in above 8 Mile access and took some very nice browns, all on nymphs. The wind was up and even though we had a good number of insects on the water the trout were reluctant to rise.
Baetis are in full swing now on rivers like the lower Madison and Gallatin, Missouri, Beaverhead, Boulder, Yellowstone and spring creeks. The Madison has fished well from Varney to 8 Mile and from the dam at Ennis Lake downstream to Blacks Ford. The huge midges are out in number now and the trout key on them before Baetis emerge in the early afternoon. The female midges are a full #18 and many anglers confuse them for Baetis duns due to their habitat of lifting their wings when they emerge giving the appearance of a mayfly dun. You must pay close attention as the trout will key on emerging midges for an hour before taking the duns during their time on the water which might begin around 1pm. By 4pm the Baetis are done for the day and the fish will switch back to midges. Both Skittering and Zelon Midges work best on top. For subsurface fishing have our new Muskrat Midge and a Slough Creek Midge Larva and you will be in fish all afternoon. During non-hatch times try a #14 tan x2 Caddis or a Yeller Sally on top trailing a red or original brown $3 Dip. Streamer action has been super by dead drifting a white woolhead sculpin or Kora's Crayfish pattern deep.
The Gallatin is a sleeper coming into its own now with warmer temps. I'll head to the Portal Creek area and fish from there upstream to Porcupine with the famous GM Nymph trailing a lime or red serendipity. Pay close attention for risers, Baetis below Big Sky and midges above, during the afternoon hours. Downstream of Portal Creek and all the way to Logan you can have good streamer and nymphing with big stones, red SJ's, and even some Baetis above the Norris Road.
The Boulder River is fishing as is the Yellowstone River during Baetis times, noon to 4pm, best on overcast days. The same with the Beaverhead but here the river is flowing such that a boat is required. The Beaverhead and Ruby will both run high all year. Work on the Ruby dam further puts the damper on this river, in this area for the next couple years.
The Missouri has been awesome with big streamers and float fishing. As you float along though be watching for fish podded up rising to Baetis and midges in selected spots.
We are getting calls about ice-out on Hebgen and Quake Lakes. This should occur by mid-May so hold your horses. Call and check before making the drive. But, speaking of making the drive, Yellowstone National Park opens April 15th to wheeled vehicle travel and there is no better time to head this way to check out grizzlies, wolves, a few early baby bison and so much more. Yellowstone's fishing season opens May 28th, more on this important subject as we get closer!
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Gearing up!
Get ready for the 2011 season.
Several of you have been getting geared up for the up and coming fishing season, arranging your fly boxes, tying flies, cleaning lines and making sure all is set. One thing we often forget about is our packs. Ripped and torn from the previous seasons, zippers that don't work and in general just mass chaos! Here's something to check out, the William Joseph Surge Pack. The folks from William Joseph have eliminated zippers from this pack and made it easily accessible as well as secure. Magnetic closures make all the difference. This hip pack has a breathable suspension, water bottle holders, and enough pockets and storage space to house all your needs and then some.
That's about it for this week, Give us a call, or drop an email or better yet stop by for a cup of coffee and let's visit about this year's fishing season and some of the conservation stuff happening in and around Yellowstone and the Madison Valley this year. Our tiers are delivering their spring-summer orders, new products are arriving daily and we hope to use some of the new sun block soon! Until next week, thanks for your support. And remember 1% of your purchase goes to conservation work here through our 1% for the Planet program!
The finest in Pack & Vests
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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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