What's New
 What's Happening in Yellowstone Country

We're full of child-like enthusiasm this week. No winter doldrums here. Maybe a bit on the congested and exhausted side from all the time we're spending outside, but you won't hear any of us complaining. We're busy fishing, working, and exploring Yellowstone country, and thrilled about it.

Our Madison River Foundation Day was a huge success, if by success you mean we had a blast, signed up new members, and sold a few more raffle tickets for the MRF Clackacraft drift boat. The odds are still in your favor if you want to buy a ticket or 20 yourself. It's shocking to us every year how few tickets end up being sold, which only UPS your chance of winning. Call us at the shop to purchase yours.

The Madison River Foundation signed up their first international members, our friends Rene and Iris, on Monday. We're so excited to play a small part in promoting and preserving our beloved Madison River, and we're proud of all the members and supporters who make it all happen.

One important project coming up soon to help the Madison River is the 2011 Madison River Weed Mapping training, to be held next Monday, July 18th, from 3 - 5 p.m. in Ennis. After the training and river section assignments are complete, the River Mapping Day will take place Thursday July 21st, with a BBQ for volunteers to follow. Contact 682-3148 or 682-3181 for more information, or give us a call at the shop.

We have good news if you're fishing or staying along the Madison River: our friends at the Vigilante Pub are open for business. Located not far from the Grizzly, the West Fork, and $3 Bridge, the Vigilante has free wi-fi, is ready to serve you a tasty beverage and a burger to go with, and can help you with fishing licenses. Stop by and see for yourself next time you're in the neighborhood.

Other good news to report is that we once again have our leather fly fishing journals in stock. Craig's is filling rapidly with daily entries as well as pressed flowers, well-chewed flies and grouse feathers he finds along our rivers.

One of our readers admonished us for reporting in this newsletter that Craig was putting feathers in his journal. In response, Craig wanted us to "remind folks that collecting waterfowl, songbird and raptor feathers is, of course, not recommended. I only put grouse feathers in my journal but I put many different pressed flowers in mine along with my well worn flies and lots of notes and fly tying ideas I'll pursue next winter." Thanks for keeping us on our toes.

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.

Read more from Blue Ribbon Flies... 

 Fishing Report
 Weekly Conditions and Tips

By Craig Mathews
13 July 2011
Fred Harrison had a great time fishing O'Dell Creek with Patrick Daigle last week! Fishing here is tip-top - hope you can come soon!

If you like fishing rivers like the Madison, Henry's Fork, Gibbon and Gardner I'd recommend you book the first flight out to Yellowstone country you can. Get here NOW! The Madison cleared up 3 days ago and the dry fly fishing is awesome. The past 3 nights have been glorious during caddis emergences, and salmon flies are emerging all along the river from Palisades to Hebgen Dam. Pale Morning Duns, Green Drakes and Epeorus mayflies are coming off now too; I can barely type I'm so excited shaking just thinking about all the fish rising while I slave away at the key board!

Afternoon thunderstorms continue daily it seems, and when they do boom through they cause some great mayfly emergences on The Henry's Fork, Firehole and Madison in the park. I have fished a few Gray Drake times on the Madison lately, nearly a full month late now, both duns and spinners in selected spots and the same holds on the Henry's Fork where this mayfly has been coming off for some time now.

Float fishing has been especially good on the Madison as well as the Box Canyon of the Henry's Fork. Our guides report their clients' faces beaming daily as they recall a day of big trout rising to stone flies and caddis on their ride back to town.

We've had a full week of conservation programs at BRF. Monday saw the Annual Madison River Foundation/BRF Day at the shop where we signed up several new members to the foundation. Yesterday, Wednesday, and Thursday I am with Confluence Films, filming fishing in the park and talking about the Yellowstone Park Foundation's Fisheries Initiative and more. The film is scheduled to be released in October so stay tuned here for the date and time and where to see it!

The best river to fish this week and for the following few more will be the Madison which is clear and fishing great. The salmon flies and golden stones are spread out from Ruby Creek to Hebgen Dam. Evening caddis are going gangbusters and mayflies like PMDs and Pink Ladies (Epeorous) are just now beginning to show in selected spots from Wolf Creek to the gorge. Floating is the best way to fish the big bugs but you must call well in advance to reserve one of our long-time guides. Small attractors like Royal Trude and Wulff Cripples, Stimulators and PMX's will produce during times insects are not on the water. But, the real fun is matching the hatch. When the caddis are on you must have Iris and X2s as well as a forgotten fly, but one of the most effective emergers: the tan Antron Caddis Emerger located in the top left corner of our caddis fly bin. It saved last night for me with more than a few big rising trout coming to it from 6pm to dark.

The Madison in the Park has provided nice dry fly fishing when flows dip below 700cfs. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms have brought flows over 800 and even 900 lately and when the river sees these heavy flows the trout seem to lay low and not come to the surface unless gray drakes are on. Morning PMD and Gray Drake spinner falls have provided some very fine dry fly fishing for those on the water by 8am. Duns might emerge at 10 but most likely hold off until noon. Gray Drakes have been good this season when and where you find them. Yesterday we saw hundreds of the large drake spinners near the Talus Slide and 9 Mile Hole. Evening caddis activity remains strong around 9 Mile to Madison Junction area during white miller times. You will see lots of little yellow stones around too so have the Clown Little Yellow Stone, Iris and X White Millers, #18 PMD Sparkle Duns and spinners and Krystal Dips beaded and unbeaded.

The Firehole River continues to fish well. While the hatches of PMDs wane evening caddis are still bringing up lots of nice browns and rainbows from Fountain Flats Drive to Biscuit Basin. Mornings can be fun with midge activity and during the heat of the day look for damsels and dragonflies to bring trout to the surface. Best flies: PMD Sparkle Duns #16, Foam Damsels in blue, Sparrow Nymphs for dragons #6-10, rusty and olive spinners #16-18 and White Miller Iris #18, cripples and X Caddis too in white millers.

The Gardner River is seeing golden and giant stones emerging. Large attractors are scoring now too. Our buddies at Park's Fly Shop can fill you in if you get to Gardiner, Mt. Have Improved Sunken Stones and Golden Sunken Stones as well as large Royal rude Cripples and you will be set for surface fishing. Nymphers can count on big Prince Nymphs and Rubber Legs to produce well.

The Henry's Fork still fishes well although the big drakes are mostly gone for the year. The Fork is having its best year in nearly a dozen. PMDs, some Flavs and caddis are bringing up lots of big fish from Ashton, Idaho to Island Park. Conditions change daily. Our day crew spends lots of time fishing the fork in the evenings and days off so check in for up-to-the-minute information.

Grebe Lake is our sleeper bet this week with Sparrows and Green Weenies subsurface and Adams Parachutes and blue damsels on top. Bring the bear spray and catch some beautiful grayling and the most gorgeous rainbow trout around!

Hebgen Lake is fishing well during Callibaetis times in the mid-mornings and Tricos will come strong on "The Arm" now that hot weather is coming this weekend, so says "The Eagle" weather forecasters, "broadcasting from the highest point in the Pacific Northwest", as they say.

For much more up to the minute fishing information as well as fly and fly tying advice, water and weather conditions, places to stay, where to eat and more call or stop in! And now, I gotta go fishing!

Stay up to date with our Fishing Report and other news... 

 Fly of the Week
 Hot off the Vise!!

Improved Sunken Stone

If you want a double hook-up, like the Balogs had with Geoff last week, you'll want some Improved Sunken Stones on hand. Now is the time, although if you want to stock up for next year, don't let us talk you out of it.

Nick Nicklas has improved the original Sunken Stone pattern, an awesome imitation to begin with, by tying it with foam. It is easier to tie, floats better, and most importantly the fish take it with more confidence. They remain both judge and jury in this game.

If you're planning on fishing here anytime soon, give us a call or order some Improved Sunken Stones online.

For these and other great patterns... 

 Fly Tying Material of the Week
 Unique Materials for Effective Patterns

Zelon Dubbing

Bill Dodson had a successful trip two weeks ago, but he had to go back home to his tying bench. All that fishing cleaned out his fly selection, and all that tying cleaned out his zelon dubbing. Craig ran out of pheasant tail, Hydropsyche, and Glossosoma zelon dubbing blends during the past few weeks of tying. They've been busy, but they're not the only ones running low on colors.

So Craig and Tylor hit the famous BRF material shed and spent some time dying and blending up several fresh packs of these and other colors. Thus, zelon dubbing is our featured fly tying material of the week.

Make no mistake, zelon dubbings tie up the best caddis emerger bodies known to man, with Craig's personal guarantee! We use them on our personal patterns and they work - period!

One other item serious anglers can't be without is our fly tying travel kit for only $29.99. This durable tool set comes in a handsome wood travel case and includes any and all quality tying tools to make fly tying on the road a pleasure. The vise holds hooks very well, all the way from #26 hooks on down to larger streamer and nymph sizes.

For superior fly tying materials... 

 The Echo Micro Practice Rod
 Saves The Day (and Your Casting) Again!

Craig put a new Echo-Micro practice rod in his fly fishing room yesterday. The last one he had he gave to a youngster visiting the shop with her parents and now she, (at 13 years old), can cast better than most, including Craig (he says)!

John has written more than once here that the Echo Micro practice rod is the best casting tool he has found and continues to recommend it to anglers taking his casting lessons here at the shop. This is the best money you can spend on fly fishing and casting, believe us.

This 4-feet, 2-piece rod comes with an incredibly informative brochure with more casting tips than you can shake a stick at. (Did you catch that? We just crack ourselves up.) We think you'll learn so much with this one tool you'll be a better angler for the rest of your days.

See the Echo Micro Practice Rod and other great gear... 

 Guide Trip of the Week
 Nobody Does It Better

Summer is Here!

We mentioned last week that Julia and Rick Llewellyn are back in town, as evidenced by more than one of our super photos in the last issue.

They've been doing more than just taking pictures though. Those Llewellyns have been busy fishing too. As you can see by this smile (and this fish), a day with a Blue Ribbon Guide is one of the best ways to spend a summer day we can think of.

Book a trip today and make a few smiles, memories, and photographs of your own.

Fish with the Best! Book your trip with Blue Ribbon Flies... 

 Blog, Blog, Blog!
 A Great Resource for News, Reports, and Information

John's at it again, and promises more photos soon.

As our season continues to develop we will be doing more and more blogging and there is no better way to keep up with what's 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.

Check out our blog... 

 The Blue Ribbon Flies Book Club
 We're Thinking of Getting Our Own Sticker!

You've seen the O sticker on books Oprah chooses (or chose??) for her book club. Well, Larry and Cecil were threatening to invade your local book store and stick BRF stickers on the covers of our favorite books. We told them some may consider this vandalism, and that we could probably get the word out about our favorite books in a slightly more subtle fashion.

You know we're big readers around here. How we fit in a few chapters when we're fishing until dark is probably the biggest mystery, but a good story is hard to resist in person and in print.

We know we've mentioned Wolfer before, but we're proud to report that Carter Niemeyer's book not only has won another gold medal award but it also remains the best non-fly fishing book seller we have ever had, hands down!

For those of you who've not had the great experience of reading it we are pleased to announce it is back in stock at BRF. If you want to know the whole wolf story, the truth and nothing but the truth, then buy this book and read it. You cannot put it down once you start it.

See all our great books...