Baby it is cold outside!

Last Saturday afternoon the temps soared into the low 30's and I went fishing. I got to the river and saw my buddy poking around the rock garden off shore near a spring I know it lives near. I've seen the critter's snow and mud slides and entrance to its den not a  hundred yards upstream. Someone commented here a few weeks back that I must be smoking something when I reported this otter to be 5 foot long. I watched it Saturday and know now that it is all of 60", and maybe 62". Remembering years ago when we'd purchase damaged otter skins from trappers in order to tie the, at that time popular, Otter Nymph. I can still see John, Jackie, trapper Scott and others admiring the huge otter skins taken off streams like the South Fork of the Madison. One hide comes to mind, the one artist Gary Carter bought that time, over 25 years ago, to have the hide sown into an arrow quiver he would use as a model to paint in one of his great painting scenes of Yellowstone country. The skin measured 61".....the otter I watched Saturday was this large.

I watched the otter hunt for lunch seemingly oblivious to me, until it glided by and headed downstream to a new area to look for his next meal. As it past by it came up to the surface and snorted and blew at me continuing downstream. I knotted on a Scotty's Midge and took 2 fine brown trout rising to midges. I worked up to the next spot and although the midges were on the surface the fish were not coming up soI put on a Rick's Blood Midge and took several more nice rainbows before heading home....completely satisfied to have taken many fine trout and enjoyed the sunshine and otter's company.

Sunday Jackie and I XC skied and returned home around 2pm I headed to the river even though temps hovered around 20 degrees with a north wind. I took a couple nice rainbws near Moose Creek then began to feel the temp drop. Where before I could get 3-4 casts before icing up, now I could get 1 or 2. I decided to head home but in looking up at the shoreline I noticed I gotten myself into one of those deals with the snow banks being too high to climb out of the river. you will see a couple shots attached at the end of this report: high snow banks, lace ice along the shore and another of my waders freezing up before I got back to the truck. By the time I'd gotten back to the truck it was 8 degees. On the drive into work Monday we took the attached photo of a Sun Dog near the Oliffe Ranch at Raynolds Pass.

The forecast is for a warmup the next couple days. I will fish ! We head into the park for a couple days next week of XC skiing with friends. I will get you a report! Thanks for reading....and one other note, I just recieved word our 13 part series on The World Fishing Network comes out this Sept. The first show will be Yvon Chouinard and I on Spring Creek. The show run 52 weeks, 6 times per week., with 13 different fishing venues I will keep you posted with information on other shows, where and when and more so stay tuned!