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December 29, 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.

We've got a lot to show you and tell you about this week, so settle down in a comfy chair and dig in. 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 hope to see you soon, right here in West Yellowstone, but until then we wish you happy and healthy fishing and fly tying. All our best to each of you. 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



It is just daylight here in the Madison Valley. Between snow squalls I can make out a steady stream of tractor-trailer rigs hauling tandem trailers loaded with hay south on Highway 287. They are heading to drought areas of Texas with their loads to feed hungry herds of cattle. Jackie and I are heading that way today too. We are meeting friends and neighbors in New Orleans then on to south Texas to shoot quail. We are looking forward to seeing old friends and watching their dogs work in the field. We will be back in Montana in a few days and should be bringing some soft hackle tying materials back with us along with some fond memories of days afield with bird dogs!

Temperatures here in the valley have warmed into the 30's and the 7 day forecast calls for some 40 degree days. When we return I hope for some time on the river during midge emergences. I spent a G\short time on Christmas Day fishing the Madison. I'd hoped for midges but the wind was howling so I had to be content fishing small nymphs. My plan was for just one Christmas trout. I took a 15" rainbow on my second cast and thought I'd better take just a few more casts before returning home in time to meet Madison Valley quests and friends for a dinner of bison loin. Jackie was busy preparing the feast and since I would only be in the way and still had a few minutes before I had to head in I took "just a few more casts". I ended with a few great rainbows, in a spot I'd taken mostly browns a few days before.

As guests arrived and we shook hands and hugged and wished each other Holiday cheer and good will it hit home with all of us standing in our living room what a great place we live in; a high-wide valley so beautiful and full of wildlife and wild trout with so much of it protected by conservation easements. Standing in our home were ranchers, fishing guides and Wall Street guys all smiling and sharing our love of this valley so well protected for all future generations. Then, thinking ahead to this week, we wished each other a Happy and Healthy 2012. We are so fortunate to be here in Yellowstone country and have you all as friends. Thank you for making 2011 a banner year for Blue Ribbon Flies and all of us here at BRF wish you all the best for 2012!

There's lots of conservation and wild trout work to be done in the coming year. We will be bringing you details of some of the projects we will be working on in 2012 so stay tuned here for our updates. Some of the programs include the Yellowstone Park Foundation's Yellowstone Cutthroat project in the Park as well as the Yellowstone Lake/Lake Trout program, Madison River Foundation's on-going whitefish study and stream enhancement projects, Greater Yellowstone Coalition's Yellowstone Cutthroat program and a couple 1% for the Planet shows we'll be talking about and inviting you too. So, stay tuned here and we will get you and us through the long winter with our news!

As usual in the rest of this issue, 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 fall and 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.

Read more from Blue Ribbon Flies... 


 Fishing Report
 Weekly Conditions and Tips

By Craig Mathews

The Madison and Gallatin Rivers will continue to fish well over the next 2 weeks with the January thaw. Look for midges on calm days from 11 a.m. to 3p.m. On the Madison I like the area around Babbling Brook and Raynolds Bridge. The short 10 minute walk from the highway to $3 Bridge is worth it now too. Have Micro Madison Midges and Zelon Midges and you are set for any midge activity. Nymphing anglers can score using the Micro Madison fished behind a brown stone or large Prince. Remember to single out a rising fish and do not flock shoot to all the rising trout you may encounter on the right day! On the Gallatin try the area just below Big Sky turnoff and the Swan Creek-Greek Creek stretch for fish rising to midges. The same flies as for the Madison should work just fine but, as always, never-ever fish the Gallatin without a GM Nymph!

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


 Fly of the Week
 Here's something you'll want to take advantage of!

Baetis Cripple #20 and #22

As promised, we continue to bring you some great fly deals. This week we have Baetis Cripples on sale 2 for the price of 1. These cripples fool the most selective trout whether fishing the Madison, Yellowstone, Henry's Fork, Missouri, or Bighorn.

If your one of those folks who prefers to tie rather than buy, click on the cripple photo and it will also show you all the necessary materials to tie this fantastic fly.

For this and other great patterns. 


 Fly Tying Material of the Week
 "Silly Rabbit"

Snowshoe Rabbit Feet

Snowshoe Rabbit feet are the esential material in tying Fran Betters the Usual.

We've recommended snowshoe feet for years as a great material for wings on emergers and duns. This high floating hair has been incorporated into several Blue Ribbon Fly patterns including 2001's new fly the "PMD Rabbit Emerger"

You'll find that we carry seven different colors, so check it out and see what works for you.

For Snowshoe Rabbit Feet and other superior fly tying materials... 


 BRF Waterproof Boxes.
 Now just a little larger now!

BRF Waterproof boxes

Our small water proof boxes have been a very popular item, but haven't been large enough for some folks. So we got together with our supplier and have brought in these beauties. These boxes can carry all of your trout flies and are large enough to handle a nice selection of saltwater flies for those of you who are heading south this winter.

This 6"X3.5" boxes hold 300 flies and are a great value of only $11.99

Check out this and other fine products. 


 Guide Trip of the Week
 Nobody Does It Better

Xcalak Mexico We will be fishing 6 days and the focus is usually on Bonefish for this trip however several Permit have been caught along with many Tarpon and Snook.

We will be staying in their ocean front suites. Each room has two double bed, private baths with showers, a small refrigerator and fresh water, plus a balcony overlooking the Mexican Caribbean. We will be eating at the Mexican Grill which is just down the stairs and across the patch from your rooms. They serve a variety of local dishes expertly prepared. We will have breakfast around 7am, for those of you that are fishing; the guides will bring your lunches, then an appetizer at about 4-5pm after fishing and the day's activities, dinner about 6:30pm. There is also a well stocked bar

We only have 3 spots for Feb 15th to Feb 21st, 1 spot left for the March 4th to March 11th trip and 2 spots for the March 11th to March 18th trip. Don't miss out on this Salt adventure!

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


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

As the Holiday's come to a close we will start to get back into the Blogging mode, so keep a close watch.

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 do our best to keep you updated. Be sure to check in often. Remember you can now find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Check out our blog... 


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.

Thanks for spending time with us. We'll see you soon!