Logo
May 19, 2011 
 News from Blue Ribbon Flies
 Fish With The Best
In This Issue
Quick Links


Join our mailing list!

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

Last Sunday Jackie and Craig headed to Manhattan to celebrate Tom Morgan's 70th birthday. No one designs and builds better fly rods; it was great seeing Tom, his wife Geri, and old friends at his home. Today, May 19th we are helping the US Forest Service and Madison River Foundation at Bear Creek Ranger Station in the Madison Valley teaching youngsters to fly fish and more. Next week's report will carry a photo or 2 of Jen and Tylor working on this important project.

Wild trout and wild rivers urgently need your help. Go to NRDCâs website, to read about the plight of Patagonia rivers and help any way you can. This is very important, important to all of us even if we never get to these wonderful places and fish the rivers and trout they hold. We cannot simply sit back and watch as dams are built destroying world class fisheries and flooding wilderness areas. Thanks in advance, from Yvon and Malinda Chouinard and Jackie and Craig for taking a few minutes of your time to help wild trout and wild places!

This just in, stayed tuned here for our soon-to-be released aerial video format! We will be bringing some unbelievable video shot from above using our new drone aircraft just back from Pakistan! No lie, we now have the craft and Phil is shooting some awesome footage. You can check it out using this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoTuoVxktRI Just imagine some of the fishing and wildlife shots we will bring you into the future!

Stop in now and welcome back Jen, Tylor, and Aaron. All are veterans here at BRF and returning to work for the summer.

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 spring and summer 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

By Craig Mathews

This Saturday, May 21, the Madison River re-opens to fishing on the Earthquake Lake to McAtte Bridge stretch. It has been closed here since February 28th. We are all keeping our fingers crossed the runoff will not adversely impact the dry fly fishing. Quake Lake is mostly turbid from the inflow of Beaver and Cabin Creeks but the river below still shows over 2 feet visibility and there will be Baetis and March Brown mayflies as well as midges which will bring trout to the surface as long as the water remains relatively clear. Give us a call to check up-to-the-minute conditions if you are planning the trip up to fish the river.

Next week, Saturday the 28th, Yellowstone National Park's fishing seasons opens as does Idaho's general fishing season so stay tuned here for our reports on water conditions, hatches and hot flies and more.

Lakes like Hebgen and Wade have fished very well and getting better with each warm day. The ice remains on Cliff Lake but will be off any minute now. As the waters begin to warm up so to will the midge emergences and we anticipate a great late May-early June of midge fishing. In the meantime plenty of fish can be taken using the Driskill Midge Pupae and small streamers like the Bouface GB Barr's olive and black and Halbop and Rickard's leeches. Hebgen is ice-free down to the Longhorn Saloon. Give us a call and check out the incredible spring fishing these lakes offer this time of the year.

The Madison below the dam has been great, but crowded. Cabin Creek is ripping with turbid, cold-nasty water so downstream of it the river is blown out unless you can get to the other side which is reserved for those brave anglers with legs like Wilt Chamberlain. The river downstream of Earthquake is still running a bit high and with a touch of color and we are hoping it stays way at least through this weekend for the opener. March Brown and Baetis mayflies should emerge as well as midges. Even if the water gets turbid the nymphing and streamer fishing will be great. Make sure you give us a call or stop in before heading down to fish. Below the West Fork and to McAtte Bridge this fishing should be good when season opens this Saturday. Here will be mostly a rubber leg, streamer proposition with white woolhead and Cheech Streamers as well as big black and brown rubber legs.

The Gallatin is very cold and basically unfishable below the Taylor Fork. Upstream to the park line you can expect some nymph fishing with red and pink SJ Worms and egg patterns.

The Beaverhead has fished well upstream of Grasshopper Creek to Pipe Organ Bridge. The river opens from Pipe Organ t the dam this weekend. Caddis and Baetis mayflies are the insects you want to imitate during their time on the water. Poindexter is fishing very well during caddis times and also with streamers and 2 Bit Hookers (nymphs).

 


 Fly of the Week
 Hot off the Vise!!

Shakey Bealy

Nick will not be without this fly on the Madison in the fall. The large, bright soft hackle works best when swung on cloudy days. A little flash and great movement round out this fall run brown catching machine. Not only have we used this fly in the fall but have caught the guides sneeking a few out of the bins for the run-off. The guides claim that even through the high muddy water the fish somehow seem to find this fly. Many of of you have used this pattern but have expressed difficulty in tying it so we brought in the master himself, Nick Nicklas, the inventor of the Shakey Bealy to demonstrate how to tie this pattern. As usual, click on the photo to view this video.

For this and many other fine flies. 


 Fly Tying Material of the Week
 Unique Materials for Effective Patterns

X-DUB

Our fly tying goes on here at the shop in preparation for the season. Tylor, while cleaning the dye room, came on a box of X Dubbings we have used for several years. Our friend and talented fly tyer, the late Dick Talluer, favored X Dubbings over all others in his many years of fly tying. The colors are spectacular, especially PMD, Green Drake (and Baetis) as well as Callibaetis. We have a limited number of these color blends as well as Gray Drake and Midge-Trico Black. They originally sold for $2.50 each and since Tylor wants to get them out of inventory and into serious fly tyers hands we are sacrificing them at $1.00 a pack while our limited supply lasts.

Bucky and Craig dyed up a few Whiting, Hebert Miner Bronze capes last weekend. Grizzly capes were tinted green drake, Bill Scheeis Brown, and Drake Mackeral Brown. We dyed cream capes a perfect PMD-Epeorus dun color.

For this and many other hard to find materials click here! 


 Getting ready for a trip to Yellowstone Country?
 Nat Geo Maps will help you alnog the way.

Who doesn't love a good map? Looking at places you have been and would like to go is one of the funniest parts of planning a trip. These maps show, in detail, all of the hiking trails of Yellowstone as well as all of the rivers and lakes. Detailed and accurate coverage for Yellowstone National Park. Includes a detailed road network and popular trails, complete with use restrictions, mileages, elevation gains, and difficulty ratings. Popular attractions and park services are clearly identified. UTM and Latitude/Longitude grids ensure ease of use with GPS or compass navigation.

Yellowstone Resources, let these publications guide the way. 


 Guide Trip of the Week.
 Nobody does it better!

We thought for this weeks guide trip of the week we would take a little time to remind everyone of the benefit for Greater Yellowstone Coalition which Craig has been greatly involved in.

The Greater Yellowstone Coalition invites you to join us for a very special fly-fishing event on Montana's quintessential trout stream - the Madison River - with the West's quintessential fishing guide - Craig Mathews.

If you've ever fly-fished the Madison River in July, you know that words cannot describe its magic. The days are long and warm. The insect hatches are in full swing. The brown and rainbow trout eagerly rise to dry flies. And the surrounding landscape is green and bursting with wildlife.

We'll float the river in drift boats on Monday and wade fish the Madison River on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday morning before departing. Guests will enjoy the fabulous Elk Meadows Ranch, situated at the base of the towering Madison Range just a few miles from the world-renowned Three Dollar Bridge fishing access site. This event is exclusive to Coalition members and we will be the only guests at the ranch.

In addition to enjoying some of the world's best trout fishing, you'll have a unique opportunity to learn about the on-the-ground work of GYC from Executive Director Mike Clark. You'll also get to know fly-fishing legend Craig Mathews, one of the most celebrated fishing guides in the West and co-founder of 1% for the Planet.

Price per person is $1,995*. This price includes three nights of lodging at the private Elk Meadows Ranch, all meals, and two and a half days of professional guided fishing.GYC Events Summer Fly Fishing Event with Craig Mathews Host: A benefit for Greater Yellowstone Coalition Date: July 17, 2011 - July 20, 2011 Time: 05:30 PM The Greater Yellowstone Coalition invites you to join us for a very special fly-fishing event on Montana's quintessential trout stream - the Madison River - with the West's quintessential fishing guide - Craig Mathews. If you've ever fly-fished the Madison River in July, you know that words cannot describe its magic. The days are long and warm. The insect hatches are in full swing. The brown and rainbow trout eagerly rise to dry flies. And the surrounding landscape is green and bursting with wildlife. We'll float the river in drift boats on Monday and wade fish the Madison River on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday morning before departing. Guests will enjoy the fabulous Elk Meadows Ranch, situated at the base of the towering Madison Range just a few miles from the world-renowned Three Dollar Bridge fishing access site. This event is exclusive to Coalition members and we will be the only guests at the ranch. In addition to enjoying some of the world's best trout fishing, you'll have a unique opportunity to learn about the on-the-ground work of GYC from Executive Director Mike Clark. You'll also get to know fly-fishing legend Craig Mathews, one of the most celebrated fishing guides in the West and co-founder of 1% for the Planet. Price per person is $1,995*. This price includes three nights of lodging at the private Elk Meadows Ranch, all meals, and two and a half days of professional guided fishing. * The trip price does not include airfare to Bozeman (the nearest major airport) or transportation to and from the Elk Meadows Ranch. Getting here: The West Yellowstone, Montana, airport offers service from Salt Lake City with Sky West. Gallatin Field Airport in Bozeman, Montana, also offers a variety of flights and carriers from Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, and Denver. Cancellation Policy: Full payment is due at time of reservation. A full refund will be given if cancellation is made more than 30 days prior to the trip. A 50% refund will be given if cancellation is made less than 30 days prior to the trip.

 


 Blog, Blog, Blog!
 

As our season starts to kick in we will be doing more and more blogging and there is no better way to keep up with whats going on in Yellowstone country than the Blue Ribbon Blog. From articles about fly lines, rods, reels, wildlife and even some fishing reports we will keep you updated. Be sure to check in daily. Also you can now find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Keep up with us on the Blue Ribbon Blog! 


 Be sure to Renew your license.
 Montana Season Opener May 21st 2011

With the general fishing season opener taking place this Saturday we wanted to remind everyone to renew their licenses and although we are not aware of any changes in the Montana regulations it's always a good practice to read through the proclamation just to make sure we are all legal. The Yellowstone Park licenses will not be available until mid week next week.

We thought with the license renewal reminder we would feature the Simms Waterproof license holder. this item provides secure storage for your fishing license with accessories to easily display for authorities. It should be a great opener and if you are of the lucky ones to be out there have a great time!

 


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!


Bob gives the 2011 fishing season two thumbs up! Until Next Week.
The Gang at Blue Ribbon Flies

phone: 406.646.7642
fax: 406.646.9045