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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.
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What's New
What's Happening in Yellowstone Country
Happy Groundhog Day!!
Well it looks like we have a little controversy this Groundhog day. Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow this morning at 7:25am and has predicted 6 more weeks of winter. However Charles G. Hogg, at Staten Island Zoo better known as Staten Island Chuck, disagreed with Phil saying he did not see his shadow and has predicted an early spring. So who's right in this matter? I guess we will just have to wait and see.
What ever the case may be here in West Yellowstone Montana we have been experiencing a very mild winter, especially compared to last year. The snow pack has stayed at a moderate level and for the Madison Range we are currently looking at 88% and for the Gallatin 82% over the last 30 year average.
We've had many calls concerning the snow pack and what the predictions are for the upcoming year, looks like we had better consult the West Yellowstone Wolverine and see what he thinks??
Craig and Jackie have headed out for a little warmer venue in Phoenix Arizona. In their absence Bucky, Dan and Cam are holding down the fort and we're hoping the place doesn't crumble to the ground.
Craig is now on the Traveling circuit and after returning from Phoenix he'll turn right back around and head to Salt Lake City to discuss the importance of conserving wild trout and share an exciting slide show on fishing Greater Yellowstone's lesser known waters. So if your around the Salt Lake area,t he event will take place at Alta Club, 100 East South Temple, Salt Lake City.
6-8 PM
Donate $100 or more for a chance to win a fully guided one-day fishing trip with Craig Mathews.
To RSVP or donate by Feb. 6, contact Heidi Barrett at 800-775-1834 or, hbarrett@greateryellowstone.org
A silent auction featuring a fly rod graciously donated by Sage and outdoor gear from Black Diamond and Patagoina will also be on hand.
Refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be served.
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...
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Fly Tying Material of the Week
Filled Dubbing Dispensers.
These dubbing dispensers have become very popular over the years and why not, having all of the primary colors in one place has several advantages plus these dispenser are a great value. We have six different types so check them out and see what works for you.
WHITLOCK'S SLF DUBBING DISPENSER. These dubbing blends designed by legendary fly tier, Dave Whitlock are the perfect colors for tying his original, world famous fly patterns. Original SLF is the ultimate seal substitute and mixing with natural fur offers exceptional flash and lifelike appearance. Colors Include: Scud & Shrimp Tan, Red Fox Squirrel, Scud & Shrimp Gray, Sowbug Gray, Sowbug Tan, Red Fox Squirrel Abdomen, Scud & Shrimp Olive, Damsel Tan, Damsel Olive, Dragonfly Dark, Dragonfly Olive, Scud & Shrimp Orange/Pink.
WAPSI SUPER FINE WATER PROOF DRY FLY DUBBING DISPENSER This is a 1.2 denier, 1.5" staple synthetic material that has been permantly waterproofed. It makes fantastic tight bodies on dries past size 28. just take a look at the great hatch matching colours. Colors Include :- Black, Brown, Blue Dun, Blue Wing Olive, Amber, Light Cahill, Mahogany, Brown Olive, Adams Gray, Olive, Pale Evening Dun, Hendrickson Pink.
TROUT ICE DUB DISPENSER This is a 12 Compartment Dispenser loaded with your favorite Ice Dubbings. This is the ICE DUB by Hareline Products. Colors Include: Caddis Green, Choc Brown, UV Cinnamon, Golden Brown, UV light Olive, Pearl, UV Light Yellow, Olive, Peacock, Peacock Black, Rusty Brown, UV Tan.
SCUD DUB DISPENSER Super bright and easy to dub. Picks out perfectly for all your scud & shrimp needs. Colors Include: Olive brown, Orange, Pale Olive, Pink, ShrimpScud, Tan, Gray, Gray Olive, Gray Tan, Amber, Light Dun, Olive.
HARE'S EAR PLUS DUBBIN DISPENSER Hare's Ear Plus Dubbing is a mixture of rabbit and guard hairs with some Antron to create an extremely buggy look. This is great for nymphs. Colors Include: Rusty orange,Dk. hares ear, Insect green, Black, Reddish brown, Hares Ear, Dark Olive, Tan, Chocolate Brown, Gold, Olive Brown, Olive Hares ear
HARELINE DUBBIN STALCUP'S MICRO FINE DRY FLY DISPENSER Micro Fine Dry Fly Dub is cut short so that even the novice can precisely place the right amount of dubbing onto the thread without unwanted bulk. Small or even micro sized flies are no problem with this dubbing. Colors Include: Mahog Dun, BWO Gray Olive, PMD Olive, PMD Yellow, BWO Olive, Red Quill, Sulphur Orange, Sulpher Yellow, Trico, Callibaetis, Baetis Gray, Baetis Tan.
For Dubbing Dispensers and other fine products click here.
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2012 Catalog Entries.
So Where are the Fish? by Richard Rohrbaugh
Photo by Jack and Susan Brown
We could not fit all the entries that we received into our 2012 catalog, so we thought that for the weeks ahead we would put these fine entries into our news letter. Thanks to all of you who sent these entries they are very much appreciated.
Article by Richard Rohrbaugh
So Where are the Fish?
Living right on the Madison offers the opportunity to observe both fish and anglers on a regular basis. It also affords a wonderful opportunity to note the timing, density and frequency of hatches. In fact close and frequent river-watching is an activity that can benefit the angling skills of even the most experienced among us.
One thing you can learn very quickly while river-watching is how many anglers fail to notice the way fish move around the river in response to different types of insect activity. Most anglers are familiar with various types of fishable water. There are "resting" lies, often in deep water, behind rocks or otherwise out of the heavy current. There are also "feeding" lies into which fish move when a hatch is occurring. And in some places you can find what are often called "prime" lies, where fish can feed and rest at the same time. All of that is genuinely useful information, but the reality of fish location is a bit more complicated.
One frequently sees anglers who fish the same type of water no matter what time of day or what time of year. They know from experience that fish occupy that water (everyone knows fish lie behind rocks) and thus they work it over thoroughly every time they hit the river. Yet the truth is that fish move around a river a great deal in the course of a day, occupying a given type of water, even good feeding water, only some of the time. That is because what constitutes a feeding lie changes markedly depending on what is hatching and where you are in a hatching cycle. Fish move around the Madison far more than most anglers realize.
For example, caddis flies emerge immediately below riffles; thus it is possible on a July evening to actually watch fish moving into the water just below riffles at about the time caddis nymphs begin to emerge. Because caddis flies hatch so quickly, the head of a pool is usually where the biggest fish will be. Often they are right up in the riffle itself. Aggressive, slashing rises tip you off. But the darker it gets (the time when hydropsyche caddis emergences are heaviest on the Madison) the shallower the water in which the big fish will feed. Shallower water requires less effort for feeders since the water column is shorter. In fact the big fish are often still in that shallow water at first light in the morning and will not move into the heavy and deep water until the sunlight is bright and direct. Yet it is amazing how many anglers walk right into the shallows to fish the deeper water. In fact walking on the fish is probably the most common mistake one can see on the Madison River.
Mayfly emergences can work very differently. During a baetis hatch it is the small fish that are at the head of a pool just below the riffle. The bigger fish are back a bit. That is because the slower-hatching baetis ride the pool for a distance drying their wings. Many don't make it. Thus the bigger fish are often feeding on cripples near the end of a pool rather than chasing nymphs at the head. So anglers who move aggressively into the bottom of a pool during a baetis hatch usually miss the best action. The same is true during pale morning dun hatches: the bigger fish are often back from the riffles or in softer water such as eddies or along the bank.
One mayfly hatch, however, is an exception to the above. Epeorus, which have become increasingly important insects on the Madison in the last four or five years, hatch very quickly and do not cripple as often as baetis or pale morning duns. Their hatches produce aggressive, splashy rises that often confuse anglers who think caddis are hatching. But Epeorus hatch a little earlier in the evening than caddis and usually hatch across a broader expanse of a pool. Fish are rarely in the shallows during an Epeorus hatch so a bit of wading does not mess things up the way it does during the caddis hatch that comes later.
During summertime midge hatches the prime feeding water changes again. Since Madison midge hatches often occur near dark, it is again the shallows that matter. But this time it is the slower water where softer rises will begin to appear. With the right light and angle of vision it is again possible to see fish moving into the quiet shallows. They are in water they would never frequent earlier in the evening.
So fish move. The key is thus to know what type of water the insects will be in at each point in their hatch cycle because the fish will be there too - unless that happens to be right where you are wading when things start to get interesting!
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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.
Thanks for spending time with us. We'll see you soon!
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