This morning I had a cup of coffee with my good friend, Jim. We usually get together in January to take a look at the fishing calendar and get some choice dates locked down for the coming season. May for March Browns, June for PMDs, July for Tricos, August for 'hoppers. I love fishing with local anglers and Jim and I have shared some very memorable days on the water together in the last few years.
The Best Trout
Mid Winter Montana Report
We are about half way through the winter months here in the Big Sky state, and it's time we emerge from hibernation to report on the ups and downs of life in the off season of a fishing guide.
We got the cold, but we need more snow! Near sub-zero temperatures hung around most of Montana for the last 6 weeks, and we had a couple big snowstorms rolled through, but due to a weak start we are running behind on snowpack. Our friends to the south and west (Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon and California among others), keep stealing all our snow! California really needs it, so we'll give them a break, but the rest of you are just being greedy ski bums.
When an Elk Hunt Leads You to the Dark Side
A short ride eastward in the ’06 Tundra led us to the southern end of Planet Hoth, a place none of us had ever hunted before. The cozy warmth of the truck cab's defroster was feeling extremely comfortable as the thought of a long day in sub-freezing temps started to become a reality. However, we didn’t drive all the way to this place to gaze lazily out of a windshield toward the frozen mountain in front of us. There was a mission to accomplish-fill the freezer with elk meat.
Winter Fishing in Montana
With one arctic blast after another, most of us in the Northern Rockies are stuck inside tying flies and dreaming about our next outing. As the thermometer needle dips below zero, the mind wanders to the river and what it might be doing without us. While many of our favorite freestones in troutopia are frozen solid with too much ice to fish, there are some great opportunities for winter fishing. In the winter season we like to focus our efforts on the local tailwaters. When the weather breaks its time to go.
It's All In Play
Fall. It is the season Montana outdoorsfolks dream about the rest of the year. It's all in play in the fall - trout, birds, big game, mountain biking, autumn aesthetics - and October is the peak month to hit them all. The only problem is 31 days is definitely not enough to fit in all the things you want to do. Not even close, and don't even get us started on playoff baseball.
August Fishing Report
August is here and we are ready to embrace the late summer fishing season in Troutopia. This is the month we can expect warm temperatures that make for perfect afternoon siesta conditions for fish and fisherman, but overall it is a cooling time period as we move toward September and the fall season. Here's what you need to know about trout fishing in Montana in August:
Fishy Factor
I have a theory about fishiness, and here it is:
Every person is born with an inherent fishy factor that sticks with you throughout your life. Regardless of experience and ability in angling, your fishy factor will play a big part in your productivity as an angler in any given day on the water. No matter how many different places you go, how good your technical casting and presentation skills become, your fishy factor will remain unchanged. It is a part of you.
Hold On To Your Hats!
Montana Fishing Guide School Expansion for 2016
With the ever popular growth of the Montana Fishing Guide School, we have decided to expand our offerings for summer 2016. If you or someone you know wants to live the lifestyle of a fishing guide or just wants to be a better angler, the Montana Fishing Guide School is a great choice.
The Heat is On!
With a forecast like that we can expect our sunscreen stock portfolio to shoot up along with the flows on some of our rivers as the remaining mountain snowpack continues to melt out. It's the overnight lows pushing the 60 degree range that make a big difference, and 90 degrees in the afternoon is real warm by Montana standards for early June.
Weekend Fishing Report
With June coming up quick, it's time for a Montana fishing report and short range forecast for you, our fishy friends. May has brought us some great moisture this year, with lots of rainy days and relatively cool temperatures which has helped to preserve our snowpack and fill the reservoirs that feed our tailwater rivers. Things are looking quite a bit better for our summer flows and fishing than they were a few weeks ago - keep it coming Mother Nature!
He's For The Birds
Montana Fishing Outfitters Fishing Report
It has been a month of classic spring rocky mountain weather here, with more on the way; 80s tomorrow, 50s by Friday. The north wind has been relentless, even on high pressure days when we should see gentle downstream island breezes, and we are more than ready to see it head back to Canada for the summer.
Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance Annual Gathering
Montana Fishing Report - Dry Fly Alert!
Overcast skies, highs in the 50's, a bit of precipitation - perfect springtime fishing conditions in Montana! Baetis madness is set to commence the next few days, and hopefully we'll see the March Browns make an appearance too. Gear up, fill your thermos, and pack your reach cast for some fantastic fishing.
Delay For Blast
Spring Soaker Storm
After a week of beautiful weather and mostly sunny skies, which has triggered some early snowmelt and off color water conditions in many of our freestone rivers around the state, the first real spring storm of the season is about to descend on the Big Sky state. Up to four inches of precipitation is forecasted in the coming days with high temps dropping into the forties by Friday.
Local Craft Beer Week? Yes please!
This just popped up on our radar, and since beer was in the headline we paid attention. Fishing guides are a simple but focused lot...
A week of great Helena brewed beer focused activities sounds like a nice compliment to one of our favorite weeks of the season on the local tailwater, the Missouri River. And with the Craig Caddis Festival gathering on May 21st, you'll really be set to get your fishin' & drinkin' springtime fix.
We'll see you there!
Dry Fly Alert!
After a month of watching bobbers bob, the mayflies finally popped on the Missouri for me today. Afternoon clouds and intermittent rain triggered a strong blue winged olive hatch, the trout responded nicely, and Ray and Micah both got their first few dry fly caught fish of their lives. It was a real good day.
We also saw the first couple skwalas of the season.
