The 2013 Season Is Upon Us

Good news is Trouthunter kept me very busy last summer and we had a great season. The bad, I guess,  was a total of zero blog posts for the year. It was definitely easier to find time to write when I used to work in the fly shop a couple times a week. Guiding almost every day with a wife and kids and living in a cabin with no internet has taken a toll on this would be blogger. This year we will have internet so I hope for a little more productivity in the ole blog department.

I am hoping to be able to put down some good words and fresh ideas going forward. It is hard to get past the fishing pictures and fishing reports content but I will look to dig a little deeper and try to hone my writing skills as well as putting some fun and worthwhile stuff on here.  I am certainly no gifted writer but an interesting thought or two makes its way through my head from time to time. Hopefully I can find the motivation and inspiration to put something down that folks will enjoy. Here's to a productive 2013 both in the rowers seat and behind this laptop!

Changing Seasons and Changing Boat Stickers

A new year is upon us and there are some new and exciting changes to talk about. Moving forward, I am happy to say I will be guiding out of TroutHunter. I'm stoked to be joining an already awesome team.

It seems like it will be an earlier year than the last couple. Warmer temps and less snow should combine for some of the best early season action in 8 or 9 years. I can't wait to get back to that little piece of heaven known as Last Chance, Idaho.

The itch to get back has really been getting to me this year, but I take solace in the fact that in 2 weeks, I'll be crossing over The Fork, heading up the Ashton Hill with the windows down, and the smell of Lodgepole Pine in the air. And when I hit town the truck always seems to veer into that Trouty parking lot. Where, just maybe, inside at the bar I will find some good friends and some cheap beers I have been meaning to catch up with.

Hopper Dropper Time

To most folks around here August means hoppers. We have started to see and hear awesome numbers of hoppers on the banks and there are starting to be enough on the water to get the fish keyed in on them.  Throwing a hopper dropper rig is a great way to pick up fish this time of year and I was able to do just that with my new buddies Vern and Jason. We fished the hopper dropper rig all day on the Henry's Fork  a few days ago with pretty good success. We got quite a few looks on the hopper with our best fish coming on the little nymph.

One cool thing about this set up is you usually can see the take even though it is sub-surface. Vern saw this 17" Rainbow move on the nymph, he set the hook, and boom! Picture time!

Weird Year Continues

Although we're about half way through our season it still feels like we are just getting going. Mostly because the South Fork is still not in optimal shape. Its floatable and its fishable but not like we're used to. The upper is clearing and fishing better but I was in the lower canyon today and it was pretty off color still. We were running the river at 23,500 CFS so the current flows of 13,500 feel like a lot less water but we would like to see the flows drop to the 11,000-12,000 CFS range. When this river gets right it is going to GO OFF!

The Henry's Fork has had a pretty strong year and is still hanging in there as we roll into August. We saw some great fishing on the lower river and good to great fishing on the Ranch and especially the last few weeks in Last Chance.

Its been a strange one this year with record high water but I think we will have great late summer and early fall fishing in the Mecca. It's been a bit of a roller coaster ride but I think our best fishing may still be ahead of us.

Here's some pics to catch up on. My Olympus waterproof camera decided to not be so waterproof so new pictures might be a little delayed until I sort that out. So for now...Here ya go!

BACK IN THE 208

Well Summer may not have arrived yet in east Idaho, with the temps staying pretty darn cool ,but the Salmonflies have arrived.

They've pushed all the way up the Henry's Fork now and we are looking for adults in the Box Canyon and waiting for the Golden Stones to follow.

Check out the Caddis in the same shot as this egg-laying female Salmonfly. Love it!

We've had most of our luck on big rubberlegs dropped beneath a big fluffy salmonfly. Most of the fish were on the nymph with a few nice rises to keep you on your toes.  This nice little kyped out brownie fell for Luke's big black rubberleg.

 With so much snow and rain this year it's starting a little slow but it's only going to get better. Summer 2011 will be a great one in the Mecca. We've got a lot of great fishing ahead of us. Get here if you can!



Ohio Chrome

Somewhere outside of Cleveland;

 Big Fred got his paws on a nice slab of steel.

Henry's Drift

Anyone looking for a cabin to rent in God's country this summer? Check out http://www.henrysdrift.com/.  The new site is awesome with a cool new fish porn gallery. You might even see a familiar face. Great cabin, great location, and it is managed by a very good friend. Spots are filling up, the time to book is now.

Well...

It's official. I have let life get in the way of my fishing and moreso blogging about it.  As I type my dad and a buddy are up at The Ferry getting after some trout on a trip I should be on.  I will save the excuses and just move on...

I have been out fishing a decent amount but it has mostly been contained to fishing my community pond, getting skunked at Lake Pleasant, and a few other one day trips that can only be described as lackluster.  One of our mainstays for winter flyfishing in Arizona the Lower Salt River has had an off year.  The last few years you could roll up for two or three hours and land a few stocker trout no problem.  With only 8 cfs coming out of Saguaro our ususal spot is a no go and other exploring hasn't produced a lot of fish.

One bright spot is that I have landed some new species on the fly including largemouth bass, carp, catfish, and even a desert sucker. I would like to get a few more Arizona species in before I head back to Idaho.

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.