Weber 3-1-10

Got out and hit some fish today on the Weber above Coalville. This was Brents second day fly fishing...the first day didn't go too good. We were on the water at 0915. The temp in the truck read 24 degrees and when we left read 45. Georgeous day and, despite the iced up guides we both stayed warm...I got some very SEXY thigh high wool sock...yeah...I looked delicious in them! The Weber was super low, fish were stacked up in the deeper pools. Started out with neon gnats in pink and olive and lime green serenstupidies. No luck early on so I put black zebra midges on for both of us and we finally started hitting fish, even if they were whities. I got Brent squared away with his rig and decided to explore downriver a ways. I got a couple whities and a brown on the zebra. When I hooked back up with Brent he had his first fly caught trout, a 12" brown, on his stringer (Brent is catch-and-kill guy, not catch-and-release...yet). We moved up river and were gonna go when I put on a different midge emerger pattern. I hit 4 whities and 2 15 - 17" browns in one hole. We kept them for the frying pan. Brent got a couple more whitefish out of the same hole. I figured we'd keep moving upriver til we got to the truck. We crept up the shore and saw a pod of fish actively feeding in the middle of the water column, all looked to be trout. I got another couple browns right away followed by more whities. By this time I figure it's been a good day and time to leave. I decided to throw some of the big articulated bugs I'd tied up, starting with the brown one. This area was super deep, had a real steep, log choked bank on the far side with a slow current and foam line across the river. My second cast I got nailed, and was hooked up with something big! I yell at Brent to get the camera and then realize I've snagged a f*ckin' whitefish in the dorsal...wishfull thinking! I threw each color of articulated bug I had, had 2 light strikes, but hooked nuttin'. Brent had a little mishap with the camera...I held up a nice brown to get a pic of and apparently Brent didn't push the button hard enough...by the time I'd figured that out I let the fish go. This same thing happened with my buddy Sam on the Beaverhead in Montana...Sam landed the biggest brown of his life and the biggest I'd seen out of the 'Beav ever. As I was scrolling through the digital camera I got the pic of him running down the bank chasing the fish, him fighting the fish after a 70 yard run downriver, and then a pic of his daughter...didn't get the pic of him holding his trophy before releasing it. Now mine wasn't a trophy like Sam's but at least I have a witness. A good day to be on the water and good for Brent on his first fly caught fish(s).

Weber

No pics today. Fished the lower Weber this am. According to my truck the temp was 22 degrees out. The snow in this area was pretty deep as it doesn't get too much sun during the day. When I got there I didn't see any fresh tire tracks and the snow was untouched, so I knew it hadn't been fished. As I got down across the railroad tracks the snow drops off pretty steep into an area heavy with brush. I could see the river and it looked tempting. Once I got down the hill and started into the woods it happened...I went into the snow up the my lower'ds...and I was stuck... So I sat there for a few and started laughing at the thought of having to get rescued..."and in other news, a 300 lb. 38 year old man had to be rescued while fishing on the Weber River this morning. The man is reportedly in fair condition at a local hospital. His name is being withheld until he thinks up a good story to tell to save himself the embarrasement of..." I bought a new pair of Simms boots a couple years ago and was thankful for the ankle support, though I am limping right now from getting the ankle corked on a branch under the snow. So I sat there for about 5 minutes trying to figure stuff out and finally got myself unf#$ed. I figured, to hell with tramping through this crap for another 40 yards and got back up to the railroad tracks. I walked down and found some human tracks and was able to get in the water and fish for a couple hours. I got a few whities on the pink neon gnat trailing a type of yuk bug used for more weight. Switched up to a lil' stoner with a brown zebra midge below and got a couple of dink browns on the midge, the biggest maybe 12inches. I have to say that I stayed pretty warm despite being balls deep. I didn't fish an area I really wanted to...there is an area with a nice steep shelf that drops into deeper water but, in my haste forgot my streamer box and that's really what I wanted to throw in there. I'm feeling the ankle pain right about now...

Boxes...

Caddis flies




Midges and tiny dries.




This is the I have on all trips, has a bit of everything

My favorite of all hatches in Montana, PMD's

Rainbow Warrior.
At some point I will put up all the boxes with favorite dries, attractors, stones, etc.

This is a sexy fly I got out of Frontier Anglers catalog called Allison's Neon Gnat. This is a tiny bastard about size #20. I tie it in olive and a rootbeer color. Last year on the Weber we hit the whities with this one and the 'bows with the olive. Haven't fished the rootbeer ones yet.

Cheesman Emerger. It looks a little too buggy right now but I will trim off some of the extra stuff coming off the thorax. I tie these in the #20=#22 range with black or olive body.

Haven't fished these but just finished a half dozen today. The Psycho Prince tied on #16 or #18. Plan on using these soon as maybe a golden stone, yellow sally imitation.

Purple Psycho Prince. Haven't used this one yet.

This is where the magic happens. The day was too pretty to go out and fish...I stayed home instead and tied up the patterns above and a few more. Still need to fill up some more boxes. After more tying today I need to get to the fly shop and get material for some articulated stuff. Those Sage rods in the corner look pretty sweet, huh. The arsenal includes an SLT 9' 5wt 5pc, Z-Axis 8' 6" 5wt 4pc, and a TCR 9' 8wt that will hopefully get some use in March in Idaho. I recently sold a rod that in my opinion, can't be bear for the money, the St. Croix Legend Ultra 5wt. I traded my 6wt to an ebay store in Idaho for the Fishpond Shooting Star and will soon replace the 6wt to throw those articulated patterns. I love my Z but may trade sell it for an equal valued 6wt without the fighting butt. No work tomorrow so if'n I get more bugs tied up then I will hit the Weber.

Fishing

Been thinking about fishing a lot lately, in between saving lives and dispensing mercy at the hospital. Got the fly tying station back in the bedroom and tied a few the other night. Planning on fishing tomorrow so hopefully I'll have some fish porn to add to this fishless page...the time is comin'...

More paintings...

What's left of Monida Montana

Looking across the Kenai River in AK at the Russian River Ferry.

Rainbow trout face. This one is sold.

Had an awesome time on Saturday at Sterling's place. Hunter did well at the "Ice-breaker" event. The deal was that teams of one adult and one child would compete in a series of events. Also, the kids were supposed to try and get donations that would go to Sterling's business. Hunter made the bracelets shown above and I sold them to co-workers and friends/family for 5 bucks apiece. Hunter made about a hundred and fifty bucks, more than enough to pay our entry into the event. He also collected over two hundred bucks for the donation. At the end Hunter won both grand prizes...for the most in donations Hunter won a Mossberg 12 ga. shotgun. For winning the kids shooting contest (and he got lucky 'cuz there was a couple kids that prolly coulda' outshot most of the adults!) he won a free guided boar hunt! I don't know who was more excited, me or him! Dave was pretty interested in the hog hunt and after discussing it with Ster, will accompany us on the hunt in the next couple months for his own pig. It was funner'n'hell to be out there with everyone and thanks to Sterling, Bruce, and Cody for putting the whole thing together.