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For those of you who have been paying attention to our blog, you have another chance to get rewarded.  This is the second trivia I have posted now, and if you have not been on the water, you may not win.  Below is a picture I took this morning of a bridge on our beloved river.  The question I have for you is what is usually beneath this bridge?  To be more specific, it is on the bank, river left, directly under the bridge.  It moves from time to time.  What is it?  You should let me know as quickly as you can.  The first person to respond with the correct answer will be the proud owner of packs of sculpin wool, round rubber legs, gold crosscut rabbit strips, purple jumbo guinea, peacock pearl Flashabou, micro scissors, and a Big R Fly shop hat.   

 

It was cold, damp, and wintery in Livingston today.  It is deep winter in the Rockies.  The river is jammed up with ice, and the only open water that can be found is capped with films of slush ice.  I broke out the sticks and ran some drifts in nice and close starting with the bobber thinking that I could pursue more fish, trying to keep the spook to a minimum.  This produced one flimsy little whitey.  Ice enclosed the gap within my guides every five to seven casts.  Combinations of four letter words crept from my mouth on numerous occasions.  I thought about calling it early, but recalled what Jamie at the Yellowstone Angler told me earlier.  I started to swing fat headed creatures with heavy tips, only so I could penatrate the slush and mini ice islands.  This worked.  Polarized was key today.  Many fish would follow up the swung out bug which I would then pause and jig around.  Thats where most of the browns came from.  In fact, everything that staightened my kinked, iced up line was a brown.  They all wanted olive, but im sure other colors would have done the job too.  Using the car as a heating shack kept me in for the long run.  Its wild how tugs on your line translate into warmth in your hands and toes.  Just when you can't take the cold any more, another tug keeps you mumbling "three more casts."  Check out the fl. spots on this brown.  I was sure to focus (kind of) first, lift, shoot, and dunk quickly.  Fish like this should never leave the water, and for that I am guilty. 

Sam Wike working The Spey Side in Montana

Do you spey?  Do you want to?  Are you intimidated?  Many non fly fishers are intimidated to try fly fishing for the first time.  The mystifying aura surrounding the pursuit, along with the plethora of fly choices, rods and lines can certainly be overwhelming.  Spey rodding also has its intimidation factor: Long rods, big reels, and so many choices for running lines, heads, and tips.  Then there are all the casts.  The Switch Cast, Single Spey, Double Spey, Snake Roll and Perry Poke to name a few.  Well I’m here to tell you that two handed rods are fun and most fly anglers can have them working with just a little practice.

Guess what?  We have spey rods and lines in the shop and a staff that know about using them here in Montana, over on the Steelhead waters to the west, and up in Alaska.  I got started with spey casting in Montana, here on the Missouri River.  It’s really great water for learning to cast and swing and there are lots of rainbows and browns that like to pull on swung flies.  Here is a link to an article I wrote for Fish Alaska Magazine titled Spey and Switch Techniques for Trout.  It is a good primer to help get you started on the spey side.

Stop by the Big R Fly Shop and check out our two handed rods.  We also have lots of line, sink tip and leader choices for you to ponder.   You can pick our brains about swinging flies on the Missouri River.   It’s a subject we don’t mind discussing.

 

Its windy, its December, its cold, the fisherman are few, and the fish numerous.  Central Montana does'nt get much better than this, in one guys opinion.  Fishing the Mo. has been ultra productive as of late.  Do you like to nymph?  Than you will like our world class tail water.  Do you like to launch streamers?  I do to, and the fish are on them.  In this wind, you will be hard pressed to find much for other fisherman once you get over a quarter mile from any access points.  You can post up on froggy water and touch a dozen fish pretty quick.  If you want to work on the long cast, pull the anchor and watch the guy on the bow light up the banks, and many times, the middle.  Strip fast, swing long, twitch, its up to you, and its all working.  Its been exciting fishing a highly visable streamer just to see fish follow it.  Stop it, and it will often disapear.  Fun.  I lined up the six weight with a 8 wt rated sink tip.  This has been the savior many an occurance.  Cast, strip to the color change, lift, and shoot.  The fewer false casts you have to make, the better off you will be in this wind.  I have heard that a plane ride will take you to a hot place, with amzing fishing.  I want that just as bad as you, but enjoy being "stuck" in central Mt. right now.  I love it here.  If you can make a solid cast in this wind with old man winter biting off your finger tips, you will be better prepared when a grey ghost or big black tail is cruising the flats at 2 o'clock, 20 meters when its 80 degrees out.  The wind here is one of the best teachers I have fished with.  You will quickly learn the concept of line control.  If you are planning on going to Cabo with us this spring, go with the confidence that you can fish long, and well.  Its hard to perform on a high level late in the season when you have been riding the bench all year.   Take the oppertunity to treat yourself to this beautiful piece of water. 
Elk hunting guide, and fly caster Tom Isaacs joined me for a quick float down the Mo. yesterday.  He was efficient at raising many nice bows, and farmed a fish that would have been placed near the top of the size curve in this section of water.  The fish ate a big bug on a slow retrieval across a deep trench in the middle of the river.  It bent the rod into the reel seat, turned towards us, shook the hook, and giggled its way back into the depths.  It was pegged solid and we thought for sure one for the net.  Super entertaining.  Big fish don't come easy, and it will always keep us coming back for more. 

-PB

P.S
If you like Fishpond, we have a little surprise for you at the shop that has to do with saving $ on roller bags, carry ons, and chest packs.

 I have a dilemma every Thanksgiving.  The time.Why do people eat at 2 o'clock?  What time did the original Thanksgiving take place?  I figure I have a day off on a perfectly sweet fall afternoon... in which I am very thankful for, and in which I very much want to go fishing.  So I want to be clear, I think it is a good thing to take a day to give thanks for all that we are fortunate enough to have... I just would like to do that on the river.  I am very lucky to have the family that I have as they realize I have an obsession, and make annual compromises for Turkey dinnertime. This year I chose noon.  I wanted to work with my dog doing some waterfowl hunting in the morning and made plans to make it to the Mo for an afternoon float.  I brought Paul Bloch his Thanksgiving dinner to the boat ramp as he had been fishing all morning with pretty successful results.

A much more difficult dilemma is, “What streamer should we start with at the end of November on the Missouri?”   Paul started with a Skip Morris pattern that imitates a small rainbow trout.  Got a big rainbow to eat the fly but then lost it to hard hook set, and a fly locked on the bank (that may be a fly we see in our fly bins next season).

I often hear, and many times think myself that if the fish are eating streamers; then they are eating streamers.  However, the Missouri can be finicky, even on flies intended to bring out the predatory nature of fish.   We switched to an olive zonker looking fly, which under many circumstances would be a great streamer.  However, evidently not on Thanksgiving, and we switched flies a number of times after that with minimal success.

I would have probably been too lazy to switch flies(after a noon Thanksgiving) but Paul was pretty persistent to figure this out and finally we switched to a simple white crystal bugger, all white.  First cast landed a small brown trout, and although we had little river left, Paul and I switched back and forth landing fish off the front of the boat.  They wanted white for Thanksgiving this year.  

I am very thankful for the day, for fly-fishing, for our customers in the fly shop, our country, some great co-workers, my friends and family, and for Paul’s skills in using rocks as an anchor (I believe he has done this before).

Transitions –

We just got snow and the forecast is looking cold.  The season has changed, and so have our rivers.  We are fortunate to have access to a year round fishery on the Missouri.  As the smaller freestone rivers lock down with ice and slushy flows, we will continue to have open water and feeding fish all winter long.  Fishing weather depends on your constitution.  I like calm days with temps near or above freezing.  I know some guys will fish in just about any condition.  In the cold season, you will need to pick your days, but they can be great days if you take advantage of them.

As water levels and temperatures drop, the fish move to the edges of the current, below shelves and drop offs, and into slow runs and deep froggy waters.  Fish are no longer spread through the riffles and runs so productive during the summer months.  This is not bad news.  While there is less water to fish during the winter, the productive waters will hold fish in higher concentrations.  Work these areas deep and slow.  Try a few different flies.  Be patient.  The fish still eat throughout the winter.  They will bite eventually, often during the warmest part of the day.  That’s also pretty convenient.

Fly Choices

While midges make up the bulk of the active insects, scuds and sow bugs are still available and draw lots of attention during the cold water window.  A fire bead Ray Charles or a Rainbow Czech Nymph followed by a Zebra Midge, Rainbow Warrior or tiny Lightning Bug is a solid combo.

If you don’t feel like drifting the little stuff, try going large and fishing streamers.  In the winter, streamers can be very effective for moving lethargic fish or for picking up opportunistic cruisers.  In deep runs, dead drifting is an option if you have a floating line.  Slow stripping with a sink tip or intermediate line is also productive.  We’ve got the Rio Streamer Tips and SA Streamer Express lines if you need to add a new streamer line to your arsenal.  You might also consider swinging with a switch or spey rod.  That’s what I often do, and it’s a great way to keep one hand warm between casts.

Dry fly fishing is always a possibility on the MO.  In a few areas, you can chase your fix by offering tiny midge adults, Buzz Balls, or the intrepid Griffiths Gnat.  As always, calm, overcast and milder days will offer the best top water action.  At times, it can be quite good.  You just have to be there and be ready for it, and that pretty much sums up winter fly fishing.   Take a good friend.  Make sure to bring the coffee or maybe an adult beverage and take it slow and easy.

Its cold, its windy, its snowing.  Excellent!  Over the past few weeks, and for months to come, fishing will be at its best in Montana.  This is purely an opinion of mine, but I know of a few other heads who would have to agree.  Long gone are los ninos del sol.  Long gone are the rod case carry on, overbooked flights.  Long gone are the grab a ticket in get in line to row days.  Welcome late fall/early winter.  We welcome you and your 30 mph gusting, fridged, icy, miserable temperment.  The fish get to take a break, during which time they can enjoy each others company, and comfortably eat truck loads of midges.  To those of you who will be fishing in less than favorable conditions, I look forward to seeing you, and then letting you own the stretch of water you are on, as far as your vision can travel.  With so much open water to play with this late season, we have no reason to stack up.  When we do decide to gather, let it be over a boiling hot coffee, or even an ice cold beer.  Happy fishing everyone.  Enjoy winter while she lasts.

Cornfed and some friends spent the weekend up on the Grand Ronde this weekend.  According to the messages I was getting, fishing must be pretty good, and fish were caught on the swing. Steelhead return numbers do not look as high as last year.  Cornfed and I will be headed back next weekend to try again after Calvin and friends destroyed our self esteem on the Clearwater a few weeks back (jk...kinda).  Here is a link to the most current Steelhead report from Idaho.