A day in the Bear Trap Canyon
Last Saturday Bucky talked me into spending our shared day off, Sunday, in the Bear Trap Canyon stretch of the Madison River. The forecast promised sunshine and 40 degree temps with calm winds. We met here and left around 10 a.m.; Bucky, his dog Sadie and I. We arrived at the parking area and pulled in next to another rig. As we began gearing up the driver of the vehicle walked his dog, ( a dead ringer for "Bengie" if you recall the old motion picture named after the star of the movie a fluffy dust mop looking doggie) over to us and we began talking about fishing, the light winter Montana is experiencing, and more. BRF's Bucky introduced himself to this guy who commented, "My wife's name is Bucky" as she smiled and waved while slipping into her hiking boots. I introduced myself to the guy who laughed and replied, "that's my name too!" So we began our hike up river in the Bear Trap traipsing along with Bucky, Bucky, Craig and Craig and three dogs all the while knowing we were in for a great day with all the great Karma floating along with us!
Along our planned 2 mile hike to favorite midge water we kept our eyes off the river knowing if we stopped and watched water we'd see fish rising and would never make our destination. Slogging along in full wader regalia we worked up a sweat but arrived at our spot with fish already rising. We took several trout on Bucky's Purple Midge and Scotty's Skittering Midge before the sun sank behind the towering canyon walls at 3 p.m. and we headed back to our rig. Just short of the parking lot we came on several more rising fish and felt we had to honor the risers by presenting a Zelon Midge to them. It worked on 4-5 more rainbows before all rising stopped, the temperature began dropping and we headed in for the day.
This week we might get a chance to fish but before we get do we have a few important meetings to attend. The first is tomorrow in Bozeman with the Yellowstone Park Foundation to decided how to develop a program to raise money to keep the Yellowstone Fisheries Initiative program going in the Park. Next we head to Ennis Wednesday evening to attend the first Madison River Rec Planning session. Stay tuned here. And, last week I went to Salt Lake to help the Greater Yellowstone Coalition with a fly fishing program and fund raising event to raise money for their ongoing work in the Yellowstone Cutthroat vs. Lake Trout program in the park. We had a tremendous show and raised some great bucks. Stay with us in this blog for ongoing information and more on our aggressive programs and how you can help us protect, preserve and enhance Yellowstone's native and wild trout for all of us and future generations to enjoy.
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Another Chinook on the way
I intended to fish today. I got up early this morning and walked dogs. The winds were coming strong from the south, but I was hoping they'd calm from the 20mph gusts at 5 a.m.and allow me to fish midges around noon.
After a long walk with Leksie and Finn I returned home. I went over a power point presentation I am scheduled to present in Phoenix and Salt Lake City during the next 10 days. I got caught up on some correspondence, tied a few Scotty's MIdges and when Jackie got up I helped her with breakfast, all the while keeping an eye on the trees above the house for signs the winds might drop. Their branches still waving wildly in the gale force wind I knew fishing would not be in the cards for me today when I looked last at 10 a.m.
I sorted some hunting photos of elk season 2011. I remembered I'd forgotten to write a paragraph in our 2012 catalogue in my "Year in Review" portion on my 33rd elk season. Many readers have bugged me about not including an elk report in this year's catalogue. A few readers thought I'd finally struck out after 32 consecutive years taking that many bulls in a row. I admit, up until the last day of the season I'd been resigned that I was not going to score a bull; I was not going to take my 33rd bull in as many years. The 5 week long Montana elk season had been warm with little snow to move animals down from the high country. During the season I'd hunted as hard as I had ever hunted during those 33 years and I think I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for myself. I'd had a couple chances on bulls; one time my gun misfired when I had snuck up on 3 bedded bulls and surprised them in their day beds. Another time I bumbled into a couple bulls feeding in an open meadow just before legal shooting hours and watched them run off at less than 50 yards. And sadly, we lost our 13 year old male shorthair Taz early in the season and even though I continued to hunt hard I sort of muddled around in the elk woods all season missing the old boy and thinking of all the great birds hunts and times we'd shared over the years. When the last day of the elk season rolled around on November 27th I started up the mountain at 6a.m.determined to have a good day no matter what.
At first light I had a small bull at 200 yards. He disappeared behind a ridge before I could get set-up. At 9 a.m. I looked far down into an open meadow across the deep-dark canyon I was straddling and saw a 5 point bull elk with several cows and calves. I knew it was a steep-long trek down and across the canyon but it was looking like the only chance I might have on this last day of elk season. So, down I went. Half hour later I had snuck within 50 yards of the bull and 3 hours later I walked out of the woods with his antlers over my pack. 33 bulls in 33 years and we are enjoying elk steaks through the winter.
Back to today. Due to the huge winds ending my plan of an afternoon of fishing I decided to tie flies, all day. I selfishly tied for myself today, for my own fly boxes and not for the shop. I tied Nick's new PMD Soft Hackle Emergers, Soft Hackle Midge Emergers, Scotty's and Zelon Midges and Baetis Improved Sparkle Duns. I broke out a new piece of sparkle dun deer and a fresh Hungarian Partridge skin, some new zelon and a couple of our latest hen necks for more soft hackles. I had a fine day. Jackie and I ended it with a long-difficult cross country ski late this afternoon.
Stay tuned here for midge fishing reports late this coming week. A Chinook wind is arriving by week's end and with it temps are forecasted to rise into the 40's and we will again be on the river, I guarantee!
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Midges, and “other travels in search of native trout of the world”
Things are getting busy here in Yellowstone country. Not only has the fishing been great but there are scheduled native trout and fly fishng programs coming up.This week Thursday, January 26th, our good friend James Prosek will be at Montana State University to present a lecture, "Fly-fishng the 41st Parallel and other Travels in Search of Native Trout of the World". The lecture begins at 7 p.m. and iks at the Museum of the Rockies Hager Auditorium. If the weather allows we'll be there and hope to see some of you there also! James has fished some incredible places around the world and has written several important pieces and books on native trout as well as his incredible art work dealing with native and wild trout so if you are anywhere near Bozeman on the 26th make sure you attend his lecture!
On the 9th of February I'll be traveling with The Greater Yellowstone Coalition to Salt Lake City for a great evening at The Alta Club. See the attached invitation in this blog. I hope to see you there if you can make it.
Yesterday I fished the Madison River during midge times, 1-3 p.m. Jackie and I along with our 2 shorthairs took a nice cross country ski in the morning when temps went from 19 to 26 degrees. The wind remained calm so I headed to the river after lunch and when I arrived at a favorite piece of midge water there were trout rising. The first few fish rose to Zelon Midges. All were small browns, 11-13". Then all rising stopped for a short time so I knotted on a #20 Slough Creek Midge and scored my best fish of the month so far, a fat 19" brown still sporting a distinct kype and fall colors. I took several small rainbows around 10-12" on the SC Midge and walked up to the next spot where fish were rising again to adult midge emergers. A blood spot on the ice with double tracks leading away on the snow indicated our local pack of otters were feasting on river's trout...sure I like otters but I wish they weren't so brutally efficient at taking fish. At the otters' spot I took a couple more nice rianbows and one small brown as the wind picked up and my rods' guides began icing up every other cast so I reeled in and headed home.
This week the forecast calls for temps in the 30's with some snow. We will be on the rivers so stay tuned here.
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A Ripping Blue Norther Arrives in Yellowstone country
A north wind and cold temperatures has put an end to our string of midge fishing days here in the Madison Valley. The frigid temperatures and brisk winds arrived around noon yesterday. Today temps could not break the single digits and the north wind continues.
For 5 days last week experienced fine midge fishing conditions. Calm winds, highs in the 30’s and partly cloudy skies brought on incredible midge emergences along with mating clumps of midges. This coupled with perfect weather furnished some of the finest January midge fishing we had in years.
Phil fished 4 days from noon to 4pm and I was able to get out 2 days.
I was able to fish our new Soft Hackle Midge Emerger on 2 different occasions when the sun shined brightly and the fish were skittish and keying on emerging midges just under the surface. Pleased with my results I will tie more on this pattern tonight. Dave McKee a talented fly tier and author from Bozeman ties ours’ at the shop and his are flawless and the fish loved them. I hope I can tie mine as well as Dave ties the shop’s!
Yesterday on a stretch of the Madison downstream of Lyon Bridge I arrived before noon, just as the norther was arriving with winds switching from south to north. I came on a couple nice browns cruising the shallows with tails and backs breaking the surface as they took emerging midge pupae in the slow-shallow drift. I’d knotted on one of McKee’s Soft Hackle Midge Emegers before I left home. I remembered a time last February on this same stretch of river when I could not raise a fish to my dry offering but did OK with a greased $3 Dip. A flock of golden eye ducks lifted off the side channel as I approached and I cussed them thinking the fish-egg eating ducks most likely spooked any and all trout nearby. When I got to the spot I saw heads and tails and the 2 big browns cruising. I presented my fly off to the side of the nearest brown and he came quickly to the tiny soft hackle emerger. As he turned my way to take my offering his mouth opened and with that wink of white I raised my rod and hooked the fish. The second brown came to the fly pretty much the same way but jumped 3 times and pulled loose before I could net him. As the air temperatures dropped and the wind picked up I headed home happy with the 2 good browns, both coming to our new fly pattern.
The weather forecast calls for a warm-up later this week, back into the 40’s from the low teens the next 2 days. I’ll be back on the river with some fresh Soft Hackle Midge Emergers. Stay tuned here for reports. In the meantime make sure you watch our videos of midge action near Raynolds Bridge which we will post on our free weekly email newsletter….if you don’t get our news go to our web site and sign in, you will enjoy our stories and videos and weekly fly tying series. Until then....
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Midge Water
Sorry, I forgot to include an entry on results of my fishing last Sunday.
I hit the water around 1pm. You can see the water in the photo included in this report. Notice the heavy flow adjacent to the soft midge water on the right side of the image. The soft water is about 2 feet deep with slow currents, perfect for trout to move into from the near heavy flows in order to take advantage of midges emerging. It is in this spot I came upon a dozen rainbows head and tail rising to emerging midges. I tied on a Hi Viz Zelon Midge to my 6.5X TroutHunter tippet and took 4 good rainbows in half an hour before my hands got cold and I headed home. We will be tying our Hi Viz Zelon Midge soon so check out our weekly email newsletters for this great fly coming up.
More midge fishing coming later in the week, after it warms from minus 18 degree lows of today! Stay tuned here.
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