Success

This fish

is not the same as this fish



or this fish

Clouds = Bugs = Fish

Bad weather DOES NOT mean bad fishing.

Just the opposite.

Maybe you can see the fly hooked in the fish's nose. Do fish have a nose?

Another fly tie try

Here's another attempt at trying my hand at fly tying.

I tied a few and fished with this fly and it caught fish, lots of fish!

It was so exciting and so rewarding!

I like the feeling it gives me to know that I succeeded in tricking these (obviously hungry) trout.

Rick has been so encouraging. I just need to ignore everything else around me (especially electronic devices) and concentrate on tying. Repeat after me...

Snow Day!

We'd been looking at the weather forecast again so we knew the snow was coming. I was even looking forward to it. (I keep telling myself that watching the weather is a part of being retired and needing to know that the weather will be good so we can do "whatever we want", not a sign of getting old.)

We know it's the end of May and it's only going to get warmer. Not like last October when we got snowed in and realized there wouldn't be an "Indian Summer," that winter was upon us and not going away.

After having the snow come down Saturday and Sunday morning, it cleared on Sunday afternoon and we went fishing. The snow had melted, the sky was bright blue, the white clouds puffy, and no wind. The fishing was great because it seemed the fish wanted any of the 3 or 4 different nymphs we were tossing to them. It didn't seem to matter what color we tied on - olive, black, tan, green, pink or orange - they wanted the flies. There was another couple on the river who waded upstream and eventually our friends Stacy, Kelly and Clark showed up and fished nearby. A couple boats drifted by with clients and everyone was happy for such a good day on the river.

First in the net

We fished the day after opening and there were fewer fishermen on the river. We asked a fellow camper where all his friends were and he said they got really drunk last night and were spending most of the day sleeping. I thought "Oh, that's too bad," but didn't really mean the thought.

The fishing was better without all the crowds, that's for sure. (Tiny dark nymphs for anyone curious about what the fish were eating.)

Sitting on the Sidelines

We had a great opening day and we didn't even fish! We had a nice, leisurely morning, played with the dogs, talked with the other campers and took care of personal business.

We took a little walk along the river to see what everyone was doing and we saw what we expected to see. LOTS of fishermen trying to catch fish. Some were catching fish and some not.

There were worm dunkers and fly flingers. They were lined up elbow to elbow, squeezing out each other, vying for the best spot. A group of 8 directly downstream, another 10 spread out upstream, and another 8 or so right in front of us. I'd say most were from far away, not locals.

We witnessed the first, but guaranteed not the last, argument between fishermen about river etiquette. A verbal fight I think only because there was a small amount of deep water separating them. Really too bad there were a few young children who witnessed the name calling and swearing. But like I said, we had a great opening day because we did not fish the frenzy.

Day Before Opening

This is what we saw when we walked along the river on the day BEFORE opening day.

It was so peaceful and quiet.

The only signs of life were in the water and overhead.

All natural and all good.

Settled for the summer

We arrived Wednesday at our Montana summer home and boy is it good to be settled for a while! I love traveling in the motorhome and seeing the sights, but it's nice to know we'll be here for the summer.

The river looks great, perhaps a little low for opening day, but the flow was kept higher than normal throughout the winter. We're hoping the higher winter flows resulted in a successful spawn and more and bigger trout than summers past.

We're seeing lots and lots of fishermen arriving for opening day. They're setting out their waders and assembling their rods. From a distance they even seem a little giddy with anticipation. We're still debating if we will fish on the first day. We both agree that we don't want to bump elbows, or worse, get hooked by some wayward worm on a hook. We'd both rather avoid the opening day fishing fishermen frenzy.

I finally tied one on

Yes, I really tied one on! Not the first time I've tied one on, but it could just as well have been it's been such a long time. It's been more than 20 years since I tied one on! And I did it twice today!

My first flies in more than 20 years! After many months of saying I should, would, could, I did.

I tied one sparkle dun or compara dun and one green scud.


Rick was so patient, encouraging and a great teacher.

I've watched him tie flies for 34 years and I used to tie, so it was like riding a bike. I just need to get the feel for the thread, spinning the fur, dubbing, and especially proportion.

And I'd like to get a magnifier so I can see these tiny fake bugs the size of rice! Just think how good I'd be if I could actually see what I'm doing!

Oh, I know I need lots of practice to be anywhere near as good as Rick is, but he says with practice I can be a good fly tyer.

Lord knows we have enough tying materials for both of us to last a lifetime!