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February 7, 2013 
 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

Photo by Patrick Daigle Photo from Patrick Daigle

Last Sunday, Phil and I headed to the river that day and I took some great footage of Phil, who normally does the filming, as he fooled head and tail rising trout taking midges. Later that day, just before I fanned on the big rainbow I took today on the Empi fly, I saw a black and white creature approaching along the shoreline and said to Phil, "oh-oh", about the time Phil's 3 dogs got hosed by a skunk. ..

Today, all afternoon, fish came to my new flies. I was pleased to say the least. The weather was perfect, calm winds, 35 degrees and high overcast. I left for home at 3 p.m. to get ready to head to Great Falls tomorrow to do a fly tying-conservation-fishing presentation. Arriving home I had an email from my friend, Terry Gunn, who is editing a book on "the 50 Best Tail Waters". I am doing a chapter on the Madison River and Terry needed a photo along with a bit more information. Make sure you stay tuned for this fine book that will be released later this year. Another message came from my good friend, Yvon Chouinard, who is heading this way to fish with me and work on our new book we are writing together. Again, stay tuned here for more! I'll be in St Louis, Mo with the Ozark Fly Fishers next week for a 16 February presentation. Check it out on their web site by goggling the name and I hope to see you there! The following week, 23 February, I'll be at "Troutfitters" in Bozeman, Mt for a tying presentation. Not much fishing for a couple weeks but it will be great to see old friends and meet new ones! March looks even busier so stay tuned here.

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

Fishing Report By Craig Mathews

If I were you I'd head to the Madison and Gallatin to fish. Both are fishing well. Check out our web site for more video of us midge fishing on both rivers. Then tie up plenty of Zelon, Skittering and Soft Hackle Midge Emergers and get to the river(s) between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and watch for rising trout. Dan took friends and clients from Butte last week and turned them on to winter midge fishing fun. Even beginners can score fish in winter with patience, a bit of guidance, the right presentation and fly. Nymph fishing is very good now when the trout are not coming up. Use Rick's Reds (still), Wire Dips, Micro Madison Nymphs, and big brown rubber legs and you will do fine.

Check out this video of last weeks fishing! 


 Fly of the Week
 Improved Callibaetis Nymph

Nick Nicklas made this improvement to our old standard. This fly is tied slimmer to better represent the natural Callibaetis nymphs. If you spend any mornings on our local lakes from mid July to mid September you may encounter excellent emergences of Callibaetis mayflies. On many days the fish will be taking nymphs just under the surface and this pattern has proven to be one of the most successful either stripped slowly or dropped below a dry.

Check out the video, you can find it at the bottom of this page and stay tuned for more videos including a few salt water patterns for those of you heading to tropical climates this winter!

Watch Craig Tie the Improved Callibaetis in this Video. 


 Fly Tying Material of the Week
 Improved Micro Zelon

I had fashioned a few new midge patterns, mostly soft hackle emerging midges along with a couple Zelon and Skittering Midges tied with Improved Micro Zelon for shucks and wings. I wanted to tests new soft hackle patterns I'd tied using ruffed grouse feathers from the backs of immature birds taken last fall. These well-mottled feathers work very well for midges and small caddis patterns by using our hackling method designed to tie even the smallest soft hackles with feathers mostly sized for larger flies. You'll want to check out how we do this on a tying video in the "How To" section of our web site but it works so well, is easy to master and allows the use of nearly all feathers from the bird for small, as well as larger flies, with no waste! As I tied the midges I thought back on how we have had to move to Improved Micro Zelon as a replacement for our old Straight Zelon. Millie, the elderly lady who'd come into the shop during winter to iron zelon straight had passed away 2 years ago and we could find no one who could iron zelon as she could without curling the tips. So we began using Improved Micro that is easier to use and we dye it in the best colors we know of to imitate shucks, egg sacs, wings and more. Colors like amber, gray (dun), fluorescent green (caddis egg sacs), white and blue-winged olive as well as Baetis olive(most mayfly shucks) and tan (best caddis color known to man). I got to the river by noon and found fish rising sporadically to emerging midges. I knotted on one of my "test" soft hackle midge emergers and took a fish on the third cast, a fine 17" brown. I busted the hook off at the barb releasing it most likely due to fracturing the steel making the hook barbless as I tied the fly earlier in the morning. Next I tied on one of our February Flies of the Month, an "Empi" that imitates an emerging Empididae sp midge. This little pattern proved tough to see but took a very big rainbow I couldn't fool last Sunday.

For this and other fine materials check here! 


 Finsport Fly Keeper
 

Monumental day, today was. First I replaced my Fin Sport Fly Keeper. The faded green one I'd had for over 10 years was finally failing, the foam and Velcro were giving way. It traveled with me from Yellowstone country to Alaska and Maine, from the Atlantic salmon rivers in the Gaspe Region of Quebec to the steelhead waters of British Columbia. I couldn't just pitch it in the trash. No, this one hangs in my fishing room along with the photos of friends still fishing, and those forever gone; all smiling those big toothpaste grins their sunglasses reflecting good times we shared of days gone by.

Many of you picked these up at our store, and how superior they are to ordinary fly patches and fly traps. Get rid of those sheepskin patches! This is a combination foam patch/fly box with a sawflip-down velcro-closure lid and mesh sides.

 


 Guide Trip of The Week
 Fish With The Best!

Here's Tommy and Drew doing a little recon before their Spring tours last year.

Believe it of not we are only 6 weeks away from the first Mayfly tour of 2013. The Blue Ribbon Guides have been tying a few of their "secret Patterns" in preparation for these trips.

We still have some availability on these four day guided fishing adventures and if you have never experienced Montana fishing in the spring you are in for a real treat. Many argue that the Spring fishing can be the best fishing all year long. We have had several groups come back year after year for over the last 13 years so there is obviously something to this fantastic trip.

Here's another video from Hebgen Lake! 


 Who are these people?
 

 


 Fly Sale
 Cinnamon flying ant

If you have ever found yourself in the middle of an Ant hatch you know how much fish love these flies. Over the years we have observed fish moving many many feet to take an Ant imitation. Whether it be a lake, river or small stream you can find ants everywhere and when the fish get on them you better be prepared.

These are size #14 and we are letting these flies go for only a buck per fly. The sale will run for only one week or until we run out, so jump online and stock up while you still can!

Here are a few more sale flies you may be interested in! 


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!