Fall Migration

Well fall is here and I have regrettfully made my migration south to Arizona. I am alreday trying to figure out when I can get back before I return in May to guide. My dad and his buddy Hal were able to make it up and spent about ten days at the end of October fishing the Henry's Fork and The Madison chasing big browns. Although they didn't encounter the kind of epic brown trout fishing dreams are made of, they had unbelievable weather and were able to land some great fish, including a number of big rainbows and some beautiful browns like this one Hal nabbed on the Maddy.

Going forward I will be including some Arizona material. Hopefully bass, trout, carp, basically anything finned that I can chase with a fly rod. There is still a ton of water for me to explore and I hope to shoot a few birds this year as well. Also I will try to stay up on industry news, fly fishing issues, and anything else I find interesting and fun.

Cover Story on the Henry's Fork In New FR&R

Pick up the fall issue of Fly Rod & Reel for a great artice on the Fork by Greg Thomas.

New Article on South Fork Rainbows with photos by my buddy Bryan. Interesting stuff.

This is Fly

The Next Generation

Gotta keep passing it down.  That's one of the cool things about fly fishing. Most people can't just pick up a rod and learn how to fly fish. Someone's got to take the time to teach you. I think the generation before us did well in bringing up the current generation of young fly fisherman.  I think the future's in good hands too.  Everybody I know that fishes will be bringing up their sons and daughters, nephews and nieces with a fly rod in their hand. My nephew put a fly rod in his hand about 5 years before I ever did as a kid.

Good Fishing Dogs

Kim and I are anxiously awaiting word whether or not we will get one of the pups out of a just born litter of German Shorthairs that we have a deposit on.  It got me thinking of my first fishing dog Rocky. 

He was a great fishing dog who loved going fishing with my dad and me. When we got fish on he'd  investigate each fish and give them a little lick before we released them. 

My dad has a young Shorthair named Bucky and he's on his way to being a good fishing dog in his own right. 

I think the most important thing to being a good fishing dog is looking good in the drift boat with a big smile on your face.  I'm looking forward to getting a new pup and all the days we'll spend on the water together.

The Teton Canyon

I was able to fish the Teton for a little while. Man I love that river.  I was helping my friend Mike put his boat in on the slide.  The Teton slide is where we lower rafts down a 1000 ft cliff to fish the remote canyon section.

It is well worth the effort and something I have always had fun with.  I enjoy the adventure and thrill of it. Not to mention the fishing at the bottom. 

Only problem with being the guy helping out is as your buddy and his client push off down river, after you've caught a few eager Cutties you still gotta hike your way back out of the canyon. I like the challenge and besides rowing it is one of the few real workouts I get up here all summer.

The pictures almost don't do it jusctice. The Teton really is a special place. It's hidden among the farmland and it is the kind of place you know not everybody knows about or gets to fish. You would never expect to drive through this.

And end up looking down at this.

South Fork fishing report - July

Heading in to the last week of July its definitely a good time to take a look back and report on the last three weeks or so.  As flows came down and the water warmed up we were able to take the nymph rigs off and start tossing dries.

The Salmonfly hatch has been a bit off this year. I think possibly due to the sustained super high flows in June. Hopefully the Goldens will contnue coming off and be a bit more consistent for us.

We did have a great hatch of Green Drakes though, that led to some explosive fishing in the riffles.

PMD's have been coming off consistently mid-afternoon and the cutties have been on the grab. Fishing should be rock steady all the way into August and hopper season.

July is flying by!

I guess its obvious that the guiding season has really taken off. July has been BUSY and the fishing has been great as always. I will download some pictures and try to get some stories up from the last three weeks as soon as I can.

I don't always tie my droppers on with 3x but when I do...

...I prefer to catch big browns.

Andre hooked this great fish above the bridge, so we had to pull anchor and chase. Being a good 6'6" tall, Andre was fighting the fish as he ducked  under the bridge trying to keep pressure on her. At first I thought she was on the rubberleg but he was able to get her in on a size 16 caddis pupa. Great job Andre!

Father's Day Trip

Over Father's Day weekend four of my college buddies and their dads headed to Island Park for a little father son fishing trip.

We laughed, fished, drank a lotta beer, fought hangovers, and worked through some line management issues.

All in all, great success! Fathers and sons had a blast and I was happy to be able to share my favorite place on the planet with them.

Both the fishing and the fisherman could have been better on a couple days but there's not another bunch of dudes I would rather spend a day with.

Henrys Fork River Run

The River Run is a very cool tradition that was started by some guys after a day on the water with their guides. It started as just a bet to see who could wade across the river, touch the bank, and be the first one back. After a few years it has evolved into a race with an amateur and guide class, and each racer is auctioned off to the highest bidder. This year was my first year running. Definitely a lot of fun and definitely exhausting. I made a respectable showing (I didn't finish last). Hot wings and Keystones do not make a good pre-race meal.

It's Here...

The long awaited Ranch Opener Party is upon us. Hog roast and music at Trouthunter. Ten Foot Tall and 80 proof take the stage at 9pm.

What is a Mecca?

Mecca: Any place considered to be a very important place to visit by people with a particular interest; heart, hub, nerve center; a place that is regarded as the center of an activity or interest; a place that many people visit or hope to visit

Raging Waters

With the South Fork coming down from some pretty serious flows it may be a little longer until I see one of these little guys. I love those South Fork Yellowstone Cutts! We've been staying busy nymphing and streamer fishing the Henry's fork waiting on word of Golden Stones. And were less than 48 hours from the ranch opener. Good times abound!

The Beginning...

Welcome to Mecca Fly Fishing. This blog will be a place for me to document and share the beautiful things I see, the fish I catch, and the people I get to hang with here in God's country.