What's New
 What's Happening in Yellowstone Country

Photo by Aaron Freed

Apologies to those of you who have been waiting on the edges of your office chairs, staring at your computer screens, and drumming your fingers until the weekly email newsletter appears. Between the Gulper fishing, the hoppers, and the Olympic women's gold medal soccer match, we've been a little distracted. But we've got some great photos, news, products, and stories to share with you, so we hope it's worth the wait.

The dog days of summer are fantastic for morning and evening fishing, with time in the middle of the day for a siesta, some interesting reading, a little fly tying, and maybe even an afternoon matinee. This week we'll give you some resources for any and all of these sunny afternoon options, except for maybe the siesta. You can probably tackle that one on your own.

You'll see more on our newest Yellowstone fishing guide, a compilation of several writers' favorite places, later in the newsletter, and don't forget our book signing event this Sunday, August 12th, at 10:00 with several authors of Astream. We'll have coffee of course, and maybe even a few refreshments, and we'll have the privilege of hearing these authors give readings of their work before signing copies for you and all your fishing friends.

We're also excited about a couple new (to us) films you could cuddle up with on a hot afternoon. Turn on the fan, put in a Howard Films DVD, and settle in until the sun sinks low enough to motivate your evening fishing. If the heat's just too much for you this month, you can also start looking forward to the Ennis Fly Fishing Festival, which is coming up August 31 and September 1.

Once again this year the Madison River Foundation will be raffling off a brand new, fully equipped ClackaCraft drift boat and trailer. We have the raffle tickets here in the shop if you want to buy a couple. The drawing for the boat will wrap up at 8 p.m., Saturday, September 1st. Our very good friends at ClackaCraft are building a special boat for the occasion: A 16-foot low profile Eddy, the newest boat in Clacka's line of exceptional watercraft. The drawing for the brand new Clacka during the Main Street BBQ is always the highlight of the festival.

This year, the big Saturday night BBQ will feature live music by Andrew Gromiller and the Organically Grown Band. The festival once again will feature our awesome bucket raffle with top-of-the-line rods, reels, fly fishing art, float trips, and more!

Fly casting clinics, celebrity speakers inlcuding Craig and John, fly tying instruction, fly tackle dealers and exhibitors, casting competition with great prizes, a special kids program, great food and live music - you'll find it all in Ennis on the Friday and Saturday of Labor day weekend! For a full schedule of events, click here.

One more little piece of news before we dive farther into the newsletter: we tracked down the mystery rod maker who generously gave Craig a handmade fly rod this summer in exchange for an earlier gift. Thank you Jeffrey and Grayling Wilkes. You inspire us to greater kindness and craftsmanship. Thanks for sharing your talents and your handiwork. Keep reading for more of this story.

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 summer and fall 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

9 August 2012
Blue Ribbon Flies Weekly Fishing Report
Craig Mathews
Photo by Chad Chorney

He didn't make a sound, just stood there at my hip, eyes wide open, big toothy grin on his 9 year old face, sandy hair tousled and blowing in a slight evening breeze. As I brought to hand another wild rainbow trout I heard a voice from behind me and looked to see a dozen tourists watching the struggling trout as I released it back to its home. Fishing a Tenkara can do this. It often attracts a crowd. I faced the youngster at my hip. His mom said to me, "He wants to learn to fish, he has no one to teach him, but that's all he's talked about this summer." I later found out he had no dad or anyone else to show him the ropes and get him into fishing. As we walked a few feet to the next short riffle I showed him how to cast and handed him my Tenkara rod to try. In less than 15 minutes he'd landed 8 fish, the biggest a nine inch "whopper" as he called it. I gave him the rod and told him and his mother to let me know how he was doing as I slipped a BRF business card in one of our plastic fly cups along with dozen or so flies. He could not speak. He didn't have to. His face said it for him. His mom asked what she owed me and I explained I got more out of the last half hour than the small price of the rod could ever buy.

A few days later a note came saying "thanks" for the rod. But, he'd "lost the line!" I sent him a new one and told him to keep the reports on his progress coming. Tenkara fishing brings out the simple pleasures fly fishing gives us as anglers. It gets kids and beginners into the sport. It makes us all feel good. So far this year I have given away a dozen Tenkara rods to kids. I am on top of the world! Speaking of kids, look at what one of our favorite kids from days gone by is doing now, featured later in this newsletter. And stay tuned for more stories.

This morning I will take my Tenkara to a couple spots I want to check out. I circled these creeks and ponds in red last winter while perusing our "Lee Metcalf Wilderness and West Yellowstone Vicinity" map I got from the USFS. I waited for spruce moth time in mid-August but this year the moths are not much of a factor here in the Madison and Gravelly Mountain Ranges. I've also been reading Nate Schweber's just released "Fly Fishing Yellowstone National Park" which holds some fine tales from anglers of their favorite fishing spots in and around the park.This little book has caused me to circle more places in red. Places I know I might not have time to fish this year, but spots I'll dream about on long winter nights here in Montana.

But this morning I'll load up my one Tenakra fly box, a spool of tippet and Dry Magic in my favorite pack, a Patagonia Stealth Chest Sling Pack, and head for the hills. One day a week I explore waters I've never fished and have been doing this for many years and still can't make a dent in my list! I'll get you a report.

The Gallatin River has fished very well all the way from the park line to the mouth of the canyon. Fifty miles of quality river along Highway 191 is yours to check out with terrestrials, spruce moths, and Epeorus mayflies along with caddis. For the past few weeks Bucky dons his Simms Guide Flips and heads to the Gallatin and its tributaries. He has become a flip-flop guru since he's owned this pair. He and his dog Sadie fish this river nightly and his reports cause me heartburn on whether to head to the Gallatin or stay on the Madison each night. Bucky likes to explore the Taylor Fork, Swan Creek and a host of other small tribs to the main river simply wearing his Guide flips and wading pants, toting one fly box and a head net along with bear spray just in case. Fishing PMX's, Royal Trude Cripples and Spent and M's Hoppers has been the ticket for his success all month. Check with him for stories, both of the fishing and wildlife kind! This river has been incredibly great all summer long.

The Yellowstone River both in and out of the park has fished very well lately. The Tower area and Black Canyon stretches have been great with hoppers and big foam flies. Our Sunken Stone continues to bring up big cutts even though the big bugs have hatched out long ago. Big cutthroats simply cannot refuse high floating foam bugs. The big river's tributaries have all fished well too with the same flies. Small streams like Tower should be on your short list.

The Lamar River and tribs like Slough, Soda Butte and Cache are places you must fish this time of summer. Try upper Soda or hike into Cache, or explore the Lamar above its junction with Cache. All fine spots to catch and release great trout. Be prepared with Spent and M Hoppers, foam and CDC Ants and Zelon Flying Ants. You will thank us for recommending Longhorn Beetles and Jiminy Crickets too! For times when insects are emerging you will want Zelon Midges both Skittering and standard, Heptagenia Cripples, #18-20 olive and rusty mayfly spinners and #18 PMD Sparkle Duns. NEVER travel to these streams without our famous SLS (Slough-Lamar-Soda Butte) Sparkle Duns either!

For some very fun fishing with lots of great brook trout, wildlife, and scenery head now to the upper Gardner River and its tribes like Obsidian, Winter, Straight and Indian Creeks. While in the area hike into Grizzly Lake or Sheepeater Cliffs or into the Gardner River Canyon near Bunsen Peak. You cannot go wrong!

It is time to look to small streams like Cascade and De Lacy Creeks and Lava Creek now too. Lakes on your list should include Grebe and Cascade, Wolf and Elk in the park. Always, before making the trip, give us a call for advice on which one(s) to try, best flies and trails to take to reach your spot(s) and more!

Gulpering is trying to break into full-swing now. Hebgen's Callibaetis sputter along from day-to-day. One day the air is full of spinners and the next you can't find one. One day the fish rise and the next they don't. So goes gulper fishing but one thing is for sure; if you have great dry fly gulper fishing one day do NOT go to that some spot the very next day as you will not repeat 2 days in a row. Earthquake Lake has fished well both during Callibaetis times as well as spruce moth periods. Try Ennis Lake for a change of pace. Here the fish are easier to fool and the Callibaetis might come off all day long if the wind stays down. Lake anglers will not want to miss Wade and Cliff either for some fun fishing. Cliff's spruce moths are not going to show up in near the numbers we have seen in the recent past but the lake still fishes well. Wade's far sage brush shoreline can offer up very good hopper fishing now too. Hidden Lake still sees good Callibaetis times and Elk Lake has some wonderful fishing both during the early morning and evening hours.

Our westslope cutthroat fingerlings will be headed to their new homes soon. I'll head over and feed them again this morning before heading out to fish. Over 4000 will soon be in the wild. More on this later. I am going fishing!

Read past fishing reports and archived newsletters... 

 Fly of the Week
 Enhanced Chaos Hopper

Hopper Time is Finally Here

You can only watch so much of the Olympics before all that athleticism inspires a little action, and we don't know of any better action than hopper action. There is no better hopper than the Enhanced Chaos Hopper.

This second generation of the all time best Yellowstone hopper has proven to be a powerhouse pattern in its own right. Modifications from the original Chaos Hopper include an easier to cast foam bullethead and a highly visible foam indicator.

Here's a couple of other patterns you should check out... 

 Fly Tying Material of the Week
 Montana Fly Company Does It Again!

Henry's Fork Hackle

We have finally received Henry's Fork Hackle in stock. Whether you're new to tying dry flies or have tried every dry fly material ever conceived, you are not going to believe this stuff.

We use it to tie our famous egg-laying caddis patterns and CDC Ants. This awesome product has not been available this summer until now.

No dubbing is needed owning to the fact that the CDC feathers come spun on ultra light mono which we simply wrap on the hook shank for the fly's body.

Dressed with Dry Magic, these flies are great additions to anglers' fly boxes during summer months here in Yellowstone country, and they just wouldn't be possible with Henry's Fork Hackle.

For this and other fine materials check here! 

 Blue Ribbon Flies and Howard Films
 Comrades in the Art of Angling

Craig remembers Jamie Howard as a bright-eyed kid coming out every summer with his dad. They've been friends for a long time, Craig and Jamie, and as you can see Jamie still comes out every summer to fish, visit Blue Ribbon, and get away from the big big world of film-making.

After working in advertising and directing commercials in New York and Los Angeles, Jamie decided to apply his skills to something impractical - creating great fly fishing films for anglers to share the magic of the sport he loved. A decade and change later, he has created award-winning films on tarpon (with 5-time Gold Cup winner Andy Mill), bonefishing in the Caribbean, and even bass fishing with fly rod world record holder Larry Kurosawki. These films were shot from air, land and sea with the best in the sport on their home waters and serve as collectors items for the angling obsessed. Don't tell the boss, but when the shop gets slow and the temperatures drop, we've been known to tune in to Chasing Silver and Location X ourselves. Sometimes we even drool a little.

Jamie Howard founded Howard Films in 2003 with the mission of "entertaining, informing and connecting with an audience in new and unexpected ways." His films have been featured in theaters and most recently on ESPN, and now you can get them from Blue Ribbon Flies.

Once you've seen the DVDs and collected the signed copies, you'll want to wear the t-shirts and the baseball caps too. One of these days we're going to talk him into selling his soundtracks separately too. For now however, you can follow Howard Films on Facebook, stick his decals on your neighbor's truck, and keep an eye out here for more from Jamie. We're hoping he heads out West for some quality time with Craig and the Gang, but next in the works is a project on striper migration which will take a while to finish but will hopefully be on television and then DVD, and THEN right here at Blue Ribbon Flies.

See Jamie's latest work... 

 Guide Trip of The Week
 Fish With The Best!

Photo by Chad Chorney

As you read in Craig's fishing report, this is the time of year to fish smaller streams for beautiful trout. Just because you book a guide with Blue Ribbon doesn't mean you have to float the Madison. We love to hike into (and out of) pretty places in Yellowstone National Park where you won't see many people but you will see plenty of fish.

Spend a day fishing with Blue Ribbon and see where your feet (and your guide) will take you. We've got plenty of places up our sleeves, and we're as excited as you are about getting to them. This is the season for throwing hoppers, beetles, ants, and attractors to willing and hungry participants.

If you want to walk, wade, hike or trek, Blue Ribbon has a guide, a map, and a vista with your name on it. Let us take you to places you won't believe for fishing you won't forget.

Blue Ribbon Guides - nobody does it better! 

 Temple Fork Outfitters
 Soft Hackle Tenkara Rods

TFO has introduced its own line of Tenkara rods. Rumor has it Craig was instrumental in developing these 10'6" and 11'6" Soft Hackle rods, both for under $200. In honor of Craig's passion for Tenkara and his enthusiasm for introducing it to beginners, young people, and fly fishing experts alike, we are pleased to publish the following:

Poised like a heron

With fly dancing on the stream

I am Tenkara.

"Here's the first entry in the first annual BRF Hiaku contest. I'm pretty sure there was a call for entries, or was I dreaming? At any rate, encourage others." Mike Harves

We will Mike, we will. Consider yourselves encouraged. Challenged even. And by the way, the TFO Tenkara comes with two tips and is finally in stock. Give us a call.

See all our Tenkara products for your haiku inspiration... 

 Great Resources and Distractions for Hot Summer Days
 Something to Watch, Something to Read, and Maybe Even Something to Wear

Besides mouth-dropping saltwater footage, don't forget Blue Ribbon's tying and fishing DVDs. Too hot to fish? Pour yourself a cold one and wait for the evening hatch with Fly Fishing the Madison River or Fly Fishing Yellowstone Hatches.

Want a good book to flip through? Nate Schweber's new Yellowstone guide is a good read and a great sampling of local experts and celebrities. Subtitled "An Insider's Guide To the 50 Best Places by Nate Schweber," this guide offers wisdom and advice from a collection of Yellowstone anglers ranging from knowledgable guides-including Craig Mathews, Richard Parks, Molly Semenik, John Bailey, Alice Owsley and Bob Jacklin-to savvy locals and visitors. Also fresh insights from notable people including authors Tom McGuane and Doug Peacock; ranger Shelton Johnson, who was featured in Ken Burns' National Parks series on PBS; Vice President Dick Cheney and President Jimmy Carter.

Maybe you're more of a map person. Our new Fly Fishing Map of the Harriman Ranch is another great resource for our area. It charts the water of the Henry's Fork with Aquatic and Terrestrial Insect information. Many experienced anglers argue the Harriman Ranch offers the most challenging delicate fly fishing on the planet. There are logical reasons for the legendary difficulty: prolific hatches of aquatic insects occur throughout the season; moreover, the slow moving, clear water allows trout to carefully inspect potential food sources. Catch and release regulations provide the opportunity for the fish to identify artificial imitations; finally, the rainbows are educated, daily, by skilled anglers from all over the world. This map will help you crack the code.

And if it's a siesta you're after, well, we'll just get ourselves in trouble if we finish this sentence, so, pick your poison. Read, watch, map, nap. Let us know how we can help.

See all our new books and DVDs... 

 
 

Nate Schweber may be here for a reading and signing opportunity soon! We'll keep you posted.

 

 Simms Guide Flips
 Stay Cool and Look Cool Doing It

Simms' new waterproof, full grain leather Guide Flip takes the flip-flop and raises the performance level with non-marking siped rubber outsoles and molded EVA midsoles for superior traction, comfort, and support.

From the Gallatin to the boat deck to your favorite Goombay Smash-serving bar, the Guide Flip goes anywhere your intrepid (and sometimes wobbly) fishing legs may lead you. Available in men's whole sizes 8-13 (much to Jen's dismay) at Blue Ribbon Flies.

For other cool items don't miss out on these... 

 More on Grayling, Our Up and Coming Rod Maker
 

We finally tracked down the makers of the mysterious and beautiful gift Craig received last month. You remember the story - last year he gave a young man a fly box and a few flies, and a few weeks ago the young man and his dad returned with a gift so generous and gorgeous we were all blown away.

Only trouble was, we never got their mailing address or phone number, so no thank you note could be sent, no glowing phone call made to tell the craftsmen how grateful Craig was for their time and their kindness.

Since we all love a happy ending, we wanted to share the next chapter in the story with you. We got an email from Grayling's dad after we mentioned this in the newsletter, and an invitation to view a few photos of the workshop and the workers in action. Here is what he said:

"Sorry we missed Craig. I have posted a few photos of Grayling working on Craig's rod. He did a lot of it by himself, including cutting metal from solid stock, turning handles and teak inserts, planing, heat treating. We tried a new glue process, new varnish and varnish application, new coating for guides and wraps. We test cast it and it appeared to do well. If there are any problems let us know. I hope the pictures come out okay."

Indeed they did, and we wish we could share them all with all of you. One day you'll say you heard about this young man before he became a famous and well-paid rod maker. Until then, keep up the good work Grayling, and thank you again.