Our recent hosted trip to the Bahamas was a flying success. The islands of the Bahamas are widely considered to be the bonefishing capital of the world. Fly fishing in the Bahamas has a lot to offer: high fishing counts, LOTS of fishable water and trophy sized fish. Although some permit and tarpon can also be found on the islands, the primary target is bonefish. Large barracuda are also common as well as high numbers of lemon sharks which can be also be targeted on the fly. Because there is so much water to be fished on hotspots like Andros and Abaco Islands the fish are lightly pressured and you don’t have to be too diverse with your fly selection. Bahamas bones like big flies, especially with rubber legs. Size 4 is the standard and in windy weather or deeper flats size 2s are often preferred. We mostly fished mantis shrimp and spawning shrimp patterns about 80% of the time. Both of these patterns have rubber legs and chain eyes. For deeper flats I fished a lead dumbell eye pattern similar to the spawning shrimp. Bahamas bonefish are big so we used 8 weights and 9 weights equally. I preferred the 9 weight on the windy days and the 8 weight on the calmer days. These fish are not leader shy and I mostly fished 16lb flourocarbon on Andros where bonefish get very big and 12lb on Abaco. We fished in March but there is good fishing in the Bahamas from October until July. In the mid summer the water is often too warm in mid day and the fish move off the flats.

Bairs Lodge – South Andros Island

Andros Island is widely considered to be the Mecca of bonefishing and is notorious for regularly producing giant specimens. The island is several bights that prevents road travel from North to South. We fished South Andros which is the most remote part of the island and stayed at Bairs Lodge. Bairs has an ideal location and is directly between Deep Creek and Little Creek. “Creeks” are tidal channels that traverse the island. Sometimes they are narrow and in other locations they open into huge lagoons that resemble very large lakes. The creeks also connect the Ocean side of Andros to the wild West side. Bairs is also close to the wild South end of South Andros which offers a maze of endless flats and keys. The beauty of fishing out of Bairs is that you can target a different set of flats every day that each have their own personalities. It also offers numerous locations that are protected from the wind so even if the weather turns rough you are still in business. Our group of six anglers fished four days out on the flats of South Andros.

On the first day the weather was windy and the ocean swells were large. All of the boats made the short trip to the entrance of Little Creek to get out of the wind and then cut all the way to the West side in the lee of the island. Within an hour of fishing we spotted 2 monster bones that were well over 10 lbs. I was on deck but caught a bad case of bonefish fever and blew a perfect shot at these monsters. After a few more blown opportunities we settled down and hooked up on some great fish. Even though we didn’t land any trophies by South Andros standards several of the fish I caught were the largest bonefish I had ever landed. The beauty of these flats is that 4-5 lb bonefish are very common which are very large fish in most places in the world. 7-8 lb fish are also relatively common which will just about rip your arm off. The only boats we saw on the first day were from our group.

On our second day the wind was still blowing hard so we headed to Deep Creek and spent the entire day working the flats in the middle of the island to stay out of the wind. We had a nice day and spent most of the morning fishing out of the boat while the tide was in and then after lunch I had some awesome wade fishing while our friend Bryan Hunt decided to chase barracude with our guide Gary. I’m not sure who was having more fun because I could hear Bryan and Gary hooting and hollering all afternoon. Bryan hooked one monster cuda that jumped completely out of the water before throwing the hook. The wade fishing was very good and I hooked up on about 5 nice bonefish – there are few things that compare to walking hard sand flats watching big bonefish come motoring in!

On the third day the wind was still blowing but was letting up a bit. Ann and I were fishing with Tee and he took us on a choppy boat ride down to Grassy Creek before tucking in to get out of the wind. We didn’t see another boat all day. Right out of the gates we found some big bonefish on a large flat and I landed a 6lb fish which was my largest to date. The remainder of the morning was slow. After lunch our luck turned and I hooked a monster that ended up weighing 7.5 lbs. I have a new respect for bonefishing after targeting these huge fish on South Andros that come in as singles and doubles. Ann also hooked and landed a 7lb fish. Most of the fish we caught that were over 5 lbs that day.

On our last day at Bairs we headed south to the magical bottom of the island. Most of the flats here are bright white sand flats. This area is truly expansive and even though just about every guide on the island headed this way (there are only about 20) since the wind had finally let up, we didn’t see another boat once we moved into position. Right out of the gates we spotted a HUGE bone that Nat estimated was over 12 lbs. It was truly enormous but was moving away from us and Brian never got a shot at it. Nat is one of the most experienced guides on the island with over 33 years fishing for bonefish. All of our guides were amazing and the most “junior”guide still had 16 years experience guiding the flast. Most of the morning we targeted singles, doubles and small schools which is the ultimate in my opinion. After lunch we went after some numbers for an hour or so and found some massive schools of well over 100 fish and easily pulled a few out of it. This isn’t too challenging but it is still fun and very cool to see. To top the day off we poled across the same expansive sand flat multiple times to intercept some more big bones. Everyone in our group had a great and very memorable final day out of Bairs.

Abaco Lodge – Abaco Island

Before heading back to Montana, Ann and I made a short stop at Abaco Lodge. Abaco is located on the famed Marls which offer 400 square miles of flats. Most of the flats are best fished from the boat because of the softer bottom. The Marls are filled with countless small islands or keys and are considered to have the highest density of bonefish in the world. The bones in the Marls are not as big as on South Andros but are still large compared to those in Mexico and Belize. There are also some ocean side flats that are occasional fished when the tides are right and they are home to some 10lb fish.

On our first day out the weather was very tough and a cold front had produced a lot of wind and cold water. The bonefish were mostly in deeper water and the few we did find on the flats were sluggish and not feeding. Although we got skunked on the bones we had a fun time casting to lemon sharks and had several follows with sharks putting their noses right on the fly.

On our second day our fortunes changed. It was much warmer and there was no wind and high sun – ideal conditions for bonefishing. At our first stop we saw “nervous” water in every direction as schools of bonefish caused disturbances on the water. The fish were in the mood to feed and we saw waves of fish all day. Often we just planted the boat and let fish come to us – sometimes it seemed like we were completely surrounded by feeding bones. We rarely went more than 5 minutes without another shot at a bonefish and the action was fast and furious. At the end of the day we had landed around 20 fish – a great way to end the trip!

Rock Creek is a 52-mile long anglers haven located west of I-90 and just 30 minutes south of Missoula.  On any given day you can hit a “grand slam” by catching beautiful browns, rainbows and west slope cutthroat and even the occasional brookie. The river corridor is surrounded by pristine land of the 2 million acre Lolo National Forest and is widely considered to be one of the most scenic trout rivers in Western Montana and the home waters of our partner the Blue Damsel Lodge.  The smaller size of Rock Creek and ample public land make it a favorite location for wade fisherman.

One of our favorite times to visit Rock Creek is in the colder winter months. You have every hole to yourself and, if you’re lucky, will not see another angler all day.  Western Montana has a milder climate than farther south and it only freezes over during the coldest arctic blasts.  The colder water temps drive trout into easily targeted slow and deep runs.

Fly selection in the winter is fairly easy due to the limited food sources.  The brown trout and whitefish spawn proceed the winter months and and eggs are periodically flushed off the redds helping to nourish trout throughout the entire winter. It is no surprise that egg patterns are effective in the off season.  During the frigid winter months trout’s metabolisms slows down and they become very lethargic. Unless you literally hit them in the face with a small nymph, they will not make the effort. Large offerings such as stone fly nymphs and egg patterns are a go to choice for winter.  A stonefly’s life cycle can last up to three years depending on the species, so there are always stonefly nymphs to be found in the water.  Rock Creek has a robust salmon fly  population (Pteronarcys californica) and these massive insects are a favorite of trout.  Few trout will let such a well placed egg or stonefly nymph go by unscathed.  It is imperative to get your nymph rig down deep enough to where the fish are. The rocks create friction making the current on the bottom of the river the slowest, making a suitable lie for trout.  If your nymphs are not ticking the bottom every once in a while, you are not down deep enough. Split shots are essential in the winter to achieve this.  When nymphing the ever popular “steak and eggs” combination of a stonefly pattern on top trailed by an egg pattern is a good place to start and often all that is needed for an afternoon of fishing.  Fly selection isn’t rocket science in the winter months.

Midge larva and small immature mayflies are also prevalent in Rock Creek.  Midges can be especially important in the later winter months of February-early April when daily hatches can occasionally produce a few snouts on the surface.  Dry fly fishing is a big bonus in the winter and most days nymphing will be the name of the game.  If the steak and eggs combo isn’t producing dropping a midge larva behind one of the larger patterns can sometimes do the trick.

One of the keys to successful winter fishing is to make sure you are fishing where the trout are.  About 95% of the river is devoid of trout in the colder months.  Nearly all of the trout in the river will be jammed into a few slower and deeper runs.  Anglers need to skip all of the gorgeous riffles and swift pocket water that produces in the summer months and seek out slower, deep runs where trout have protection and don’t have to work hard.  These runs can often hold over a hundred trout each and on a good winter afternoon you may only need to string one or two of these productive pools together to rack up a lot of fish.

Unlike the rest of the year, fishing in the morning and evening is less productive than the middle of the day when the sun is on the water. 11:00 to 4:00 is prime time. This allows optimum time for the water temperature to warm up and for you to enjoy a leisurely morning.  Also, this gives you ample opportunity to catch some Trout Slayer beers at a local Missoula brewery after a productive day on Rock Creek.

Rods, leaders and tackle
A five or six weight is perfect for winter fishing.  A longer 9 or 10 foot rod helps to manage a drift which is very important during winter fishing.  We like a longer leader – often a 9’ that is custom built to have a longer tippet area to help flies sink directly below the indicator.  It is important to match the weighting of your rig to the bottom so flies regularly tick off of rocks – trout don’t work hard in cold water and won’t rise high in the water column to take flies.  Since trout don’t move far to take flies and they are in slow water to start with the motion on the strike indicator will be very subtle.  Fishing a yarn indicator in the winter will help to see the delicate flutters that are often a take.  Strike first and ask questions later when fishing slow runs with lethargic trout.  If you expect your indicator to get yanked under expect a slow and unproductive day even though trout are most likely taking and spitting your flies on a regular basis.

Flies for the Winter Months on Rock Creek
Fly selection is about as easy as it gets when waters are cold.  A few stonefly patterns, egg patterns and midge larva or smaller baetis nymphs are all that is needed.  If the trout aren’t eating you are better off waiting until peak midday hours or even better moving until you find fish.  Spending time going through your fly box is generally not needed if you can find the heavily concentrated winter runs.  Here are a few flies that always produce in the winter:

Egg Patterns
Eggs are relatively abundant in river systems throughout the winter following the fall spawn of brook trout, brown trout and whitefish.  Pick your favorite pattern but always have a few in your box.

Stoneflies
golden stones, yellow sallies and salmon flies are all abundant in Rock Creek.  The larger goldens and salmon flies have a longer life cycle and are the top choice for winter trout.  You don’t need to get to fancy on your patterns and goold ol’ rubber legs will work just fine.

Midges
Midges are abundant and become more important in the later winter months of February and March when some early hatches occur on warm days.  Midge larva trailed behind and egg or stonefly sometimes can fool some pickier fish.

 

Our trip to Argentina in 2013 proved to be a diverse adventure that spanned both the southern and northern areas of the country. After flying into Buenos Aires we spent a day in this beautiful European style city enjoying the sites and of course some incredible Argentine steaks. The first leg of the trip was an overnight fly fishing trip on the Chubut River in the center of Patagonia. The second leg of the trip was to the Ibera marsh ecosystem in the Corrientes province in the extreme north of the country in a quest to catch the unique golden dorado.

Chubut River and Carrileufu Valley Lodge
We returned to the Carrileufu Valley Lodge after a successful experience there last year. This a wonderful rustic lodge in the rural Cholila area which borders the beautiful Alceres National Park. Last year we fished the Rivadavia inside of the park along with the Carrileufu river which flows by the lodge. This year we set our sites on the Chubut river. CVL has a great team of guides and Pancho Panzer is a fantastic owner, guide and host. After an incredible meal and great choice of wines on our arrival night we left the next morning for a 3 day 65km float on the Chubut river. The Chubut flows east to the Atlantic and is in a dryer part of Argentina that is reminiscent of parts of Wyoming with expansive vistas, low lying hills with glacier capped peaks in the distance, and miles of pampas flats. The Chubut in the headwaters is a small willow choked river with high fish counts and gin clear waters.

Chubut day 1
The first day of the trip requires a lot of logistics. We arrived with two fishing boats and a gear raft that carried the chef and camp host. Our guides were Pancho and Facundo who are both very seasoned and on par with the best Montana fly fishing guides. For the first hour of the trip we did not fish due to the incredible labyrinth of willow mazes and tunnels. The river literally flows under a complete canopy of willow tunnels at many different locations and stringing a rod up would only result in broken graphite. Randy and I were with Facundo the first day and his display of oarsmanship was very impressive as he navigated tight corners with dangerous consequences. The gear boat had already gone down with a chainsaw just in case new branches had fallen into the water. After an adventurous morning it was time to rig up our five weights with stout leaders and big Montana style rubber legged attractor dry flies. My first choice was a chubby chernobyl and the action proved to be so good there was no need to change. By early afternoon Randy and I had already chalked up 8 doubles and although we didn’t count it was surely in the neighborhood of a 100 fish day. The action was incredible with every good looking piece of water producing a take. These trout rarely see flies and the rainbows average around 15” with larger fish pushing 20”. The aggressive takes were often spectacular as we saw big rainbows streaking towards the flies to smash them a small explosion of water. When trout missed they would often hit the fly again if you were able to recast to the trout as they frantically swam figure eights searching for the missing meal.

After a few hours of amazing dry fly fishing I switched to streamers in hopes of some larger trout. The streamer fishing was almost as fast as the dry fly fishing and although I didn’t hook any of the monster browns in the river we had one huge brown in the 25” class chase after a 12” rainbow that I had hooked on the streamer. At the end of day one we were all glowing in disbelief after enjoying one of the best days of dry fly fishing we had ever had.

Camp on the Chubut is similar to our Montana Angler overnights with great meals prepared over a fire. Our tents were already set up with cots and sleeping pads waiting for us. The first night we enjoyed a traditional lamb asado and the lamb was already cooking over the open fire. Good food and great wine capped a memorable day.

Chubut day 2
A small weather system pushed in on day two and the weather cooled a bit with some intermittent wind and rain followed by intervals of sun. It seemed like we were putting on rain jackets every 30 minutes only to strip them off ten minutes later. The fishing activity waxed and waned with the weather and when the system would stabilize the dry fly action would pick up and when the wind would blow the fishing would taper off a bit. The action wasn’t quite as fast and furious as the first day but it was still an impressive outing and we ended up racking up a lot of trout by the end of the day – probably still over 100 fish between two boats. I fished solo with Pancho on the second day and we did a lot of storytelling and comparing notes on international fishing destinations. Pancho is a very accomplished international angler and has fished Montana, Alaska, Cuba, and Canada in his own fishing travels. I mostly fished streamers on day two and had several awesome takes as big rainbows streaked across the river from over 10 feet away pushing a wake of water ahead of them. The other guys stayed with dries with continued success.

Chubut day 3
On the last day of the float we focused most of our fishing on the morning session where there were still relatively high fish counts. The last stretch of water can get low and warm in drought years and the trout numbers start to drop off. This was our lowest fish count day but still a banner day when compared to any other day of fishing and we still had plenty of action to keep a smile on everyones face. While the rest of our team stuck with the dries I decided to swing for the fences and went with big streamers on 250 grain sinking line. After a few nice 18” rainbows I hit a very heavy fish that ran straight up river without letting up and then hunkered down in weed bed at the bottom of a deep hole. Eventually the fly pulled out and we never got a look at the fish but he felt like the hefty brown I was after to put the icing on an amazing trip. Just before lunch Facundo stopped us across from a large stand of poplars where he had seen some big trout on past years. True to form on my first cast a big 22” brown took a swing and a miss at my streamer in the clear water just 10 feet in front of us. After a third cast a nice 18” bow slammed it and we landed it. A few casts later another nice bow. This run had some nice trout in it! We went around the bend for lunch and I couldn’t resist heading back up to the hole so Anthony and I made the short walk. After working the bottom of the hole where we saw the big brown I pulled out two more bows but never saw the big one. I walked up to the middle of the run and on the first cast a big 21” bow slammed in the streamer in an amazing take! Watching that big trout bolt 10 feet to nail the streamer in clear water was the highlight of the trip for me. After lunch we decided to put down the rods and enjoy the great scenery. The drive back to the lodge was a bumpy but spectacular 2 hour trip on gravel roads across the vast and rugged terrain. The glacier filled peaks near the lodge loomed in the distance while dry and arid crags and cliffs filled with condor towered overhead. We returned to the lodge to enjoy the company of Panch and the guides along with some regular guests from France that came every year. This was New Years Eve and Pancho pulled out a few special bottles of Mendoza’s fine Malbecs while we told fishing stories and enjoyed great company to usher in 2013.

Pira Lodge
Pira lodge is located in the Corrientes province of Argentina which is sandwiched between Brazil and Paraguay. The province is known for its colorful people and traditional music. We took a first class overnight sleeper bus which was surprisingly comfortable with large leather chairs that lay flat into beds along with bar service and meals. After sleeping on the bus all night we arrived refreshed in Mercedes and were greeted by the lodges transfer driver. Pira is located on the edge of the vast Ibera marsh system and the drive is about an hour an half from Mercedes across rutted dirt roads. The lodge itself is spectacular with an array of insects, huge toads and countless colorful birds making a never ending raucous chorus each evening. After settling in we met with Noel and the guides. Noel was the head guide for over 13 years at Pira and then went on to start Tisamane Lodge in Bolivia and is one of the most respected dorado anglers in the world. Unfortunately the news on the fishing front wasn’t good. All of Argentina had just endured an unusual three week stretch of very wet and cold weather. The same system that had helped bring the Chubut up to perfect levels had also brought the marsh system up and also cooled the waters. Dorado are a warm water fish and become lethargic in colder waters and just like trout they don’t love rising flows. Despite the dissappointing news we were determined to give it our all.

Pira Day 1
With the unexpected conditions and higher flows, Noel and the guides felt our best shot at fish was to go down deep in the main Corrientes river channel. Pira is known for its floating line fishing and aggressive surface takes but with the cooler water it was unlikely that the dorado would be very active and certainly not on the surface. At the end of the first day we hit pay dirt and Anthony and I each hooked and landed two nice 5-7lb dorado in the waning hours of the evening before heading back to the lodge. The fish are absolutely amazing and hit like a sledgehammer. The fight is just as impressive as these incredibly strong, trout shaped fish leap over and over and take of on blistering runs. When the dorado are landed their magnificent gold flanks and orange and black tail cap the experience.

Pira Day 2
The fishing at Pira is broken into morning and evening sessions. Each day we headed out in flats boats through a labyrinth of small channels. The marsh ecosystem is spectacular with over 350 species of native birds of all shapes, colors and sizes. The birdlife was absolutely spectacular and I can’t say I have ever been to an equal location in this regard. In addition to the birdlife we regularly saw large crocodile like caymen and huge rodents called capybara. Day two produced some very tough fishing and although we all had a few hits and follows no dorado came to the boat. Noel came along on day two and he and Anthony scouted some of the smaller tributary “creeks”. These are small channels through the marsh with current just like a spring creek and very clear waters. While scanning from the boat they successfully located a lot of large dorado in the system which lifted our spirits to at least know the fish were there. One of the challenges of the high water in the marsh is the fish are spread out and often relocate so finding the fish was a welcome discovery.

Pira Day 3
The morning fishing continued to be frustrating with a lack of success. With each hour of futile casting our team began to lose hope in the prospects of hooking the golden fish. Occasionally our hope would be lifted by a follow or take. I lucked into a hefty 7 pounder at the end of the morning and that was the only action to report. In the evening session I was solo with Noel and we decided to try some of the smaller creeks where they had seen some fish the day before with a floating line. We finally started to see the marsh begin to wake up in terms of fish activity and spotted a few dorado rolling from time to time. Noel explained under normal conditions dorado are frequently rolling and attacking bait fish in explosive disturbances than are easy to spot. This seemed to be a good sign and sure enough the action followed. By the end of the night I had hooked into 5 dorado and landed two along with several large piranha and an interesting fish called a san antonio. This still wasn’t on par with the regular catch rates which average 4-10 dorado per person per day but it was great to get a taste of what the fishing can be like. The takes on the floating line were a huge rush and it was incredible to see the dorado in the clear water producing a wake as they attacked the fly in a huge boil. Unfortunately the other boat didn’t find similar success on the larger river down current.

Pira Day 4
The rains that started the evening before continued into the night and eventually turned into sustained downpours. The amount of rain that fell was unprecedented and a true spectacle of nature. The swimming pool that was 18” from the top the day before was overflowing in the morning. The marsh grew before our eyes and huge lakes formed in all directions around the lodge. We gave up all hope of fishing in the torrent and focused our attention on getting out across the dirt roads early enough to catch our sleeper bus. Our amazing hostess Marcela decided to have the shuttle drive arrive 5 hours early to play it safe. When he was an hour late she loaded us up in her own truck and we started heading out hoping to meet him on the road out. The roads were terrible and just a few minutes from the lodge we were driving across flooded areas. Marcela crept along and stayed ruts to avoid sliding off the slippery clay road. After 30 minutes of progress our hearts sank as we came around a bend and saw the road completely under water as far as the eye could see with a Toyota Hi-lux truck nearly underwater in the ditch. It looked like our stay at the lodge would be extended for several more days. There were some local gauchos around and Marcela went out to talk with them. It turned out that her husband was the one that lost the truck in the flood but he was the manager of several estancias in the area and had guessed we were coming. Our transfer driving was waiting on the other side of the flooded road and the gauchos let Marcela know that they could ferry us across. The next thing we knew we were horseback and praying these horseman were confident in their assessment of the waters. The current was swift across the road and the level came up to the horses bellies. We had to ride at a bit of an angle so the horses could ferry into the current. After the longest 500 yard horse ride of my life we made it safely to the other side where our drive awaited. The gauchos crossed the flood again to retrieve our luggage via horseback and we were off again. Just when we thought we were out of the woods we encountered another flooded section (the water had kept rising since the drive had come from town). It wasn’t as bad as the other stretch but still very intimidating. We all held our breath as the truck headed into the flood with water coming in through the doors. It was a very quiet cab until we finally made it across the last obstacle safely. Nearly five hours later we finally made it to the bus station with only minutes to spare!

All in all our Argentina 2013 was a success and a great adventure even with the poor fishing conditions at Pira. Santiago from Nervous Waters who runs Pira offered our team a credit for a future year after learning of the poor conditions so hopefully we will have a return shot someday to see the Ibera marsh under normal conditions. Even with the unusual events it was an unforgettable trip and the blinding glory of the ravenous dry fly eating rainbows on the Chubut combined with the fleeting glimpses of brilliance of the exotic golden dorado will remain with me for years to come.

Patagonia is one of the great wild trout destinations in the world. This mountainous region of the Southern Andes is vast and varied. The variety of fly fishing opportunities is incredible, even compared with the great diversity that we have here in Montana. Although Patagonia receives less pressure than the Northern Rockies, it still attracts enough international anglers to put some pressure on some of the more famous fisheries. One of the least pressured regions of Patagonia is the central area near Esquel, Argentina and Futaleufu, Chile. I have been fortunate to have travelled to some of the world’s great trout fisheries including Alaska, Kamchatka, Scotland, Ireland and of course the Rockies here in the US. Each destination offers an incredible experience but few can offer as much variety as Central Patagonia.

Where is Patagonia?
Patagonia simply refers to the southern Andes and includes both Chile and Western Argentina. Most of the classic trout fishing that you read about occurs in Northern and Central Patagonia. The far southern reaches of Patagonia are better known for sea run fisheries of huge brown trout like in Tierra del Fuego or the Rio Gallegos in Santa Cruz district. In general the Chilean side of Patagonia is much wetter and is home to some very large volume rivers. Chile looks a lot like the Cascades or Olympics in coastal Washington. Most of Argentine Patagonia is in the rain shadow of the Southern Andes and is much dryer. The scenery in Argentine Patagonia looks a lot like Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. Some of the regions like Los Alerces National Park are densely forested and others offer near desert climate depending on how close to the mountains you are. In general Chile is less developed and more remote, but it also is harder to get from river to river since each valley is essentially in a rugged fjord.

Northern Patagonia on the Argentine side is the most famous for fly fishing. This region is roughly north of Bariloche and south of San Junin de los Andes and includes legendary waters like the Malleo, Traful, Limay and Chimehuin to name a few. When visiting Northern Patagonia you typically stay on one or two of the massive estancias and wade or float fish on the estancia or float one of the local rivers using public access at bridges.

Central Patagonia fishing is centered around the Argentine town of Esquel. Esquel is about a 5 hour drive south of the larger tourist town of Bariloche. The good fishing extends to the north in Los Alerces National Park, to the east with the classic multi day float on the Rio Chubut or the spring creek fishing on Arroya Pescado, The massive Rio Grande and Futaleufu (on the Chilean side) and the remote Rio Pico region about three hours south of Esquel.

Getting to Central Patagonia
If you are planning on fishing the Argentine side of Central Patagonia or the Futaleufu in Chile you should plan on flying to Esquel. Plan on spending one night in Buenos Aires upon arrival. Most flights to the capital city leave the states in the evening and arrive in Argentina in the morning. I sleep well on flights and feel pretty good upon arrival after getting 6 or 7 hours of sleeping on the plane. There is generally only one flight to Esquel each day and they only are offered 4 days a week. There are usually around 7 flights a day into Bariloche every day which is to the north but if you can design your trip around the flight schedule into Esquel it is much more convenient. Although it is sometimes possible to get to Esquel on the same day you arrive in BA I don’t recommend it. The domestic flights are at a different airport and the connections are pretty tight if you are trying to catch a cab across the city. Buenos Aires is an amazing city and is often referred to as the Paris of South America. Enjoying one or two nights in BA is always a very enjoyable part of travelling to Argentina.

If you are fishing Chile (with the exception of the Futaleufu river which is just across the border from Esquel) you generally fly into Santiago and then connect the same day to Puerto Mount. Usually the lodge that you are travelling to arranges a charter flight from that point. There aren’t really many independent guides in this area and fishing on your own isn’t realistic due to the terrain so the lodge you team up with should handle all of your logistics. Farther south in Coyhaique there are independent guides but the public waters in that area also receive more pressure.

I have visited every country from Mexico to Columbia and both Chile and Argentina. In my travels in both Chile and Argentina I have always felt very safe. My level of “safety radar” is about the same as when travelling in Europe which is a nice perk compared to some of the Central American countries that I have travelled in where you have to be much more alert to safety concerns.

DIY, Hiring Independent Guides or Fishing With a Lodge
Some of the best fishing in Patagonia is on private estancias or on larger rivers that are best float fished. I have had friends fly to Patagonia, rent a car and have a great trip fishing on their own but you are limited on what you can access. Fishing on your own is much more difficult in Chile due to the rugged nature of the landscape and the need for boats in many areas. Argentina would be the place to try some DIY fishing but do your homework and look for waters that can be accessed by bridges.

If you base a trip out of Esquel you don’t necessarily need base out of a lodge. There are several good independent guides in the area. You can often rent a room from a hosteria (bed and breakfast) and email them for contact information on good guides (make sure to book these far in advance). Make sure the guide has a license to fish in Los Alerces National Park to increase your options.

The nice thing about fishing out of the lodges in the area is that they often have agreements with private estancias that independent guides don’t have. Of course the added perks of nice accommodations and great food is also a bonus. On my trips south I am always hosting a group of anglers so we exclusively fish with a few of our lodge partners. One of the things I like about Central Patagonia is that we can easily link more than one of our lodge partners together on a trip. Often we fish both Chile and Argentina on the same trip while staying at two or more lodges which is a nice option. If you choose an all inclusive lodge option plan on spending around $4500-$6500 for a full week of guided fishing not including transfers. On the Chilean side it is sometimes more but they often include the transfers so it is about the same. We often like to go down for a bit more than a week since it is so far away and often plan for about 8 or 9 days of fishing which is about perfect. My favorite trip is to combine the Futaleaufu river out of the Futa Lodge in Chile with a sampling of rivers and lakes in Argentina with our friends at Carrileufu Valley Lodge. Another interesting option is to do part of the trip in Patagonia and then head to Northern Argentina to spend a few days fishing for golden dorado at Pira Lodge.

The Fishing
The fishing is very diverse and includes a blend of huge rivers, spring creeks, medium sized floatable freestone rivers, lakes with monster trout and smaller wade fishing streams on private estancias. It is very similar to fishing across Southwest Montana and many of the same flies and techniques are used.

Tackle and Equipment
I generally bring a 9’ 5,6 and 7 weight when fishing central Patagonia. A five weight is nice for fishing the spring creeks and smaller waters or as a dry fly rod on the bigger rivers when the wind isn’t blowing too hard. A six weight is a great all around rod and can punch wind or pull small streamers and a 7 weight is great for throwing sinking heads and big streamers.

For lines I use floating lines on all three rods and then a 200 grain shooting head on the 7 weight for stripping streamers on the bigger rivers. Shorter 7.5 foot leaders are best for streamers and 9 foot leaders are good for dries. On the spring creeks sometimes the leaders are longer. I mostly fish 2x and 3x on most of the rivers and sometimes go down to 4x on the more technical spring creeks or gin clear rivers like the Rivadavia but these trout aren’t pressured much and are rarely leader shy so matching the leader to your fly size is most important. When throwing streamers 0X or 1X is best.

We fish almost exclusively dry flies or streamers on our trips in Central Patagonia. Nymphs can be productive on some of the fisheries but usually the dry fly fishing is so good there is no need or you are targeting big trout with streamers. The fly selection varies based on time of year and location but an assortment of terrestrials, caddis, attractor dries and streamers is usually all that is needed. On some rivers like the Futaleufu there are also midging trout so some smaller dries in the 18-20 size can be useful but make sure to bring a lot of big foam dry flies too like beetles and chernobyl ants.

Los Alerces National Park
Los Alerces is in Argentina and provides both dramatic scenery and great fishing. The scenery is breathtaking and reminds me of Glacier National Park in Montana with lots of lakes. The rivers drain large lakes and as such they are incredibly clear so sight fishing is spectacular. The Rio Rivadavia is one of the world’s most beautiful fisheries and staring into aquarium clear waters teaming with big trout in the 18-22” class (some bigger but very few small trout) should be on every fly fisherman’s bucket list. Los Alerces is home to many fine lakes and rivers. Generally as each river drains a new lake it changes names but all of these fisheries are part of the same river system that eventually feeds the Rio Grande (later renamed the Futaleufu in Chile and then the Rio Yelcho after leaving Lago Yelcho). You could spend your entire trip fishing the lakes and rivers of Los Alerces but you should plan at least one day of fishing in Los Alerces and the Rivadavia should be high on the list. Carrileufu Valley Lodge is a great base for fishing Los Alceres. The early summer (December and January) probably produces the best fishing in this region.

Rio Grande/Futaleufu
The Rio Grande is near Tevalin and Esquel and is a massive tailwater that drains Los Alerces. When it crosses into Chile it is renamed the Futaleufu. The Rio Grande is reminiscent of the Missouri on the Argentine side and is a great dry fly river. Pods of big rainbows (they all seem to be 19”) are often found midging in large eddies and some big browns can be picked up on streamers. There is some pressure from locals in Esquel on weekends so it is nice to hit this on a weekday. The Futaleufu quickly picks up gradient and is a huge whitewater river on the way to Lago Yelcho. The Futa sees very little pressure (on our last trip we fished it for 5 days and only saw two other fishing boats on one of the days) and has some of the hardest fighting rainbows on the planet. It offers high quality site fishing for big rainbows (average about 19”) and nice streamer fishing for browns in the 18-25” range. The scenery is breathtaking with hanging glaciers and lush forests. Lago Yelcho also has some amazing dry fly fishing that jump completely out of the water for adult dragon flies in December (try you tubing Lago Yelco dragon fly fishing!). I would highly recommend planning at least three days of fishing on the Futa side of the border (we usually stay at the Futa Lodge which is run by my friend Brian McKnight).

Rio Chubut
Another great fishery in the area not to be missed is the Chubut. The Chubut is best fished on a three or four day wilderness float trip. Generally two gear boats go out in advance of the fishing boats each day to set up nice camps. When you roll into camp after a day on the water your tents are ready along with some nice Argentine wines and appetizers! The dry fly fishing on the Chubut is fast and furious with 100 fish days the norm rather than the exception. The fish average smaller than on the Rio Grande/Futaleufu but there are still trout over the 20” mark. These trout see very, very little pressure and act like it. Frequently more than one trout is rushing at your fly at the same time.

Spring Creeks
Argentina has some of the world’s greatest spring creeks. They are similar to our famous spring creeks here in Montana but see a lot less pressure. Fishing large foam beetles and even streamers to 22” rainbows that you spot in advance is always a rush. Arroya Pescado is about an hour from Esquel. There are also some spring creeks on private estancias both near Esquel and in the Rio Pico region farther south. Most of these gems are leased by some of the lodges in the area.

Corcovado and the Rio Pico region
The Rio Pico is about 3 hours south of Esquel in a very remote part of Argentine Patagonia. The Corcovado is about halfway between Esquel and Rio Pico. Often you can drive to Corcovado to float fish for the day and then continue afterwards to the Rico Pico area. The Corcovado is a fun medium sized river with some big browns and spunky rainbows (it is renamed the Palena in Chile where it is also a great fishery) as well as some huge brook trout in April. The Rio Pico area is full of small spring creeks, trophy lakes and of course the Rio Pico. Much of this region is on private estancias and is best fished with one of the local lodges or outfitters that has leased permission in the area. If you are on a longer 9 or 10 day trip I would highly recommend a few days in the Rio Pico area. In addition to some great small stream and medium sized river fishing there are some lakes with HUGE trout that frequently go over 10 pounds.

When to go
Good fishing starts in October (the equivalent to May in the northern hemisphere). November really gets hopping and even though the waters can be higher they are generally clear because so many of them drain large lakes. January and February are probably the most popular time to visit because of the summer weather but March is still very pleasant (like September here). If travelling later in the summer a few of the fisheries like the Rivadavia that have seen a few boats get tougher so plan on spending more time on the remote waters like the Futaleufu or the Rio Pico area where the trout receive very little pressure. April also produces great fishing for fall run browns and brook trout (like fishing Montana in October).

One of the most frequent questions I am asked when visiting anglers are planning their fishing trip to Montana is “when is the best time to come out”. That question is impossible to answer so I generally try to feel out what is most important to someone: nice weather, lots of action, dry fly fishing, big trout, etc. If your top priority is catching big brown trout the answer is easier: October. There is no better time to fish Montana for large trout than October (and even November). Brown trout which tend to make up the majority of the trophy size trout that we see each year spawn in November and early December. Browns are notorious for becoming more aggressive prior to the spawn. The aggressive nature of browns in the fall combined with the fact that they are on the move running up river and sometimes into tributaries can produce some heart stopping action for lucky and persistent anglers. Late fall fishing isn’t just about targeting huge trout, there can also be some great dry fly fishing over the baetis hatch. For most of our guides, however, we get caught up in chasing really big fish in the autumn months. Hunting huge browns in the fall isn’t for everyone and if you are going to play the game there are a few important guidelines worth considering.

Dress for Success
October and November in the Northern Rockies can be notoriously unpredictable. Days can be warm and sunny or the snow can be blowing sideways. Make sure you prepare for any kind of weather from hot and sunny to cold and wet. If you are travelling all the way to Montana to chase big October browns you don’t want to be shut out just because some bad weather blows in. Although October and November are dry months, there will always be some early winter storms that move through and these often produce great conditions for browns that love low light conditions. I still wear gore tex waders but I also have long underwear and fleece pants to layer underneath as well as plenty of layers on top. Don’t forget the gloves and winter hat either.

Arrive at Peak Times
Although big browns begin moving in late September, the best fall run fishing isn’t until after the middle of October and sometimes as late as mid November. The peak fishing on the Madison run above Hebgen in Yellowstone is usually the third week of October while monster browns on the Missouri usually don’t start showing up until November.

Throw Giant Streamers
Most anglers know that big browns are predators and that fishing streamers is a great way to target them. If you are going to throw streamers in the fall don’t underestimate how big of a fly a huge brown will eat. I have seen big browns regularly eat relatively big trout in the 15” range – they often can’t swallow them all at once and spend a day with a big tail sticking out of their mouth. If you want to move fish over 24” make sure you are stripping the biggest streamers that you can find. I usually have to tie my own tandem hook streamers that are around 10” long. These massive flies are best fished on a seven or eight weight. They won’t put you into many small trout but if you throw them long enough you are sure to see some huge fish at some point.

Try Egg Patterns
Whitefish, brown trout and brook trout are all fall spawners which means there are a lot of eggs bouncing around the rivers in October and November. Although huge browns tend to prefer a big meal, eggs are so packed with nutrients that even the largest browns will still eat them. There are days when fishing egg patterns under an indicator will outfish every other method for big browns.

Target Spawning Runs
Although any large river that holds big browns can produce a monster in the fall, targeting fisheries that receive a spawning run of browns from a lake or larger river downstream is a good option in late October and November. Most of these fall run fisheries are no secret. Expect to see some other anglers if you are chasing browns on these fisheries that include the Madison in Yellowstone Park, The Lewis Channel in Yellowstone and the Missouri between the lakes. There are other locations that aren’t as well known that also produce a great run of fall browns if you do some legwork and experimenting. Even on the famous fall run fisheries like the Madison in the park there is always plenty of room and on a weekday with a bit of fall weather you will often see very few other anglers. November fishing is also extremely productive and the fishing pressure dramatically drops off with very few visiting anglers in the state and most of the locals out hunting.

Many avid anglers target September as their preferred month for fly fishing in Montana. Once kids go back to school the amount of tourist traffic visiting the Big Sky state drops off dramatically so the casual anglers sneaking in a guided day of fishing on their Yellowstone Park vacation almost vanishes and the rivers are left to more serious fly fishers. Locals also begin turning their attention to the fall hunting season so the trout see relatively few flies in the Autumn months. September also offers some of the most pleasant weather of the year with dry weather, crisp mornings, and warm days. Fortunately the fishing can be very good in September with a mixed bag of dry fly fishing, streamer fishing and nymph fishing

Where to fish?
All of the favorite classics that fish well in the summer are still a good option in September. Legendary rivers like the Upper Madison, Yellowstone, Gallatin etc. still produce. One of the perks about fishing in September is that several of the lower elevation rivers also become a good option. Waters such as the Lower Madison, Upper Missouri, Jefferson and Lower Gallatin often get too warm in the popular mid summer months to produce good fishing. Once the nights become longer and temperatures begin to drop a bit these fisheries often hit ideal trout temperatures and once again become productive. The lower elevation waters often have lower trout counts per mile but often produce some of the larger brown trout in the region with a ten-pounder a possibility for a very lucky angler. Spring creeks are also an interesting choice for September. By the end of the month the fall baetis hatch is producing steady mid day match the hatch fishing. Earlier in the month terrestrials are the main dry fly staple but nymphing the troughs with midge larva. Usually the famous spring creeks near Livingston only have a few rods a day in September so you can have all of the best runs available without a lot of other anglers around (just be prepared for technical fishing).

Dry fly fishing
September offers ample opportunities for anglers that enjoy surface action. In the beginning of the month the terrestrial fishing with ants, hoppers and beetles is often the most productive. Although everyone starts to get really excited about hopper fishing as early as late July, some years the hopper fishing doesn’t hit its prime until September. Terrestrial fishing is generally good the entire month, especially on the warmer sunny days which make up the bulk of the days during this dry and mild time of the year. By the middle of September we begin to see some of the mayfly hatches in the region that can get the trout very excited. Tricos are still on some of the waters in early September but by mid September we begin to see baetis mayflies, mahogoany duns, grey drakes and ephrons. Even sparse hatches in September can provide some nice dry fly opportunities.

September streamer fishing
Brown trout are just beginning to get colored up but are not really on the move yet prior to spawning and will get more aggressive moving into October. Streamer fishing can still be a good option in September. Since the mornings are arriving later with the longer days it is easier to get to the rivers at first light which is often the window to get nice streamer action on a sunny day. Of course if you have cloud cover or a front pushes in streamers can be effective throughout the day. Generally September sees a few cold fronts that come in and produce a bit of precipitation for a day or two which can really turn some big fish when stripping bunny fur.

Nymph fishing
Its no secret that trout take the majority of their food subsurface so nymph fishing will always produce regardless of the season. In September we often try to find dry fly opportunities but we still do a lot of nymph fishing. On some of the lower elevation rivers mentioned earlier there are some really big trout and even if a few trout are rising we often still nymph big sculpins and crayfish patterns with a smaller baetis nymph dropper to try to entice some of the trophy trout in these waters.

September is certainly high on the list as a great time to visit Montana. If you are looking for a time of year that produces dry and mild weather with fewer anglers on the water then it should be high on the list. The diversity of opportunities that can experienced in the early fall is also a bonus to traveling during September.

We just returned from our annual spring guides trip. This year we went back to Cody, WY after visiting last season when we got rained out on the Bighorn. The rivers were blown out last year in May but we enjoyed the area so decided to give it another shot. Half of the fun of fly fishing is trying to figure out how to unlock the code on a given river and for a specific time of year. We rented out a great ranch on Rock Creek at the edge of the Beartooth front about 30 minutes from Cody and just 10 miles from the Montana border. Fishing is only part of the experience on a trip like this and our crew of 8 guys thoroughly enjoyed fishing by day followed by great food back at the ranch and some heated rounds of “Kubb” on the lawn followed by pool in the game room once the sun went down. Our fishing was a mix bagged of blinding brilliance and “should have been here yesterday”. We are slowly getting the Cody area dialed in and are already looking forward to 2013. No other location matches Montana fishing for diversity and quality of wild trout fisheries, but it is always fun to explore some new waters!

Day 1: North Fork Shoshone
We targeted the North Fork of the Shoshone on our first day of fishing to intercept the lake run rainbows out of Buffalo Bill Reservoir. The lower part of the river is closed until Newton Creek. The fish were already above the closure and we hit numerous rainbows in the 15-20” class. The top fly was a small brown size 10 stone that imitates the Skwala stonefly that was hatching. Worms, egg patterns and princes were also productive. The trout were definitely hold up and were in surprisingly fast water for April. The most productive water was the medium speed riffles at the head of deeper pools with about 3 feet of depth. When you found fish we often pulled out 4-8 trout out of each run. Sometimes an hour or so went between nice pools. After lunch the fishing really heated up and we managed some big bows and a few nice cuts. The scenery was outstanding and many of the wildlife were along the river corridor including some giant bighorn rams, bison and lots of mule deer.

Day 2: Shoshone tailwater
The Shoshone had been fishing lights out for several weeks over midges and baetis hatches. About 2 days before we arrived they bumped flows from the dam which reduced clarity a bit and released a lot of moss. The river was still green so we gave it a shot. We had some great action right out of the gates near the put in with a nice midge hatch bringing up a about a dozen trout along a grassy bank. When we went back to drifting we had action every 5 minutes pulling light colored streamers for the first hour after the put in. Lots of chases and a few hookups on browns and cutthroats. As we continued our float the moss became more problematic and the fishing dropped off after lunch and became pretty slow. We learned from the guys at Tim Wade’s shop that they tend to bump flows around the 15th of april each year due to calls for irrigation. We decided to time our trip a week early for 2013 to try to catch this fun little tailwater that can offer great dry fly fishing over spring hatches.

Day 3: Newton Lakes
Our plan A on the third day was to hike up into the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone canyon and do some more wade fishing. Unfortunately the warm weather had bumped the flows overnight so we opted to fish the Newton Lakes trophy stillwater. Newton produced our only good fishing from 2012 when we arrived in late May during run off. The midge hatch was on when we arrived and we managed to produce some nice hookups on 20” browns sipping midges while cruising the banks. Matt and Adam did some deep nymphing by slow twitching scuds and chironomids and had steady action and even a few doubles. Our boat opted to continue sight fishing and patrolled the banks looking for more cruisers. Once the midge hatch stopped the fish weren’t as shallow and the sight fishing wasn’t as good as last year. The callibaetis were just beginning to hatch but not in enough abundance to really turn things on. Many of the rainbows were in the “false spawn” and were chasing each other along gravel patches but not interested in feeding. We weren’t interested in nymphing and managed a few more eats in the shallows but nothing spectacular.

Summary
After our second spring trip to the Cody, WY area we are slowly beginning to figure out the timing and access areas. We nailed our timing for the North Fork rainbow run but were just a few days late to catch the good dry fly fishing on the Shoshone. Next year we have decided to arrive one week early to get there before they calls for irrigation cause bumps on the flows of the Shoshone. Part of the fun of fly fishing is figuring out new rivers and streams and we will keep going back until we get this new location dialed in!

Patagonia Trip Report: Chile and Argentina Fly Fishing 2012

Overview:
After much research coordinating we set out for Patagonia on March 9th. We had some hectic last minute changes to our trip in the final weeks. Our first hiccup was an unexpected airport closure in Esquel which is just across the border from the Futa lodge in Chile. A volcanic eruption near Bariloche had rerouted jet traffic to this smaller airport and had generated wear and tear on the runways so when the Bariloche airport reopened the Argentine government closed Esquel for repair. After some deliberation with our team we decided to spend our entire trip in Patagonia and forgo the Goldern Dorado fishing in northern Argentina at the Pira Lodge. Just before we set out for our venture we got word that there had been seven straight days of hard rain in Chile and the Futaleufu had risen to flood stage after a season of low water conditions. Our partners at Nervous Waters did a great job at setting up an option for fishing at the Carrileufu lodge in Argentina as a fall back which we opted for on the last 3 nights of our trip just in case. On March 9th most of our group set out which included Anthony Rosini from Denver, Bryan Hunt from Fresno and Randy Buckley from Houston. I had a 4 hour delay on my international flight and missed my connection to Bariloche which resulted in missing the first day of fishing. The rest of the guys flew in a day early and spent the night in BA to enjoy this great city that is often described as the Paris of South America. Our concerns of unfishable waters were quickly dispelled as our crew experience great weather which allowed the waters on the Futaleufu to drop quickly and bring back good clarity to the river.

The Futa lodge is located in the spectacular Las Escalas valley along the Futaleufu river which. The Futaleufu is a massive river that runs between about 10,000 – 25,000 cfs during its fishable flows and goes much larger when it is at flood stage. The river originates in Argentina and most of the upper drainage is found within the spectacular Los Alerces National Park. Previous glacial activity has resulted in a chain of large lakes interconnected by rivers. The lakes filter out all sediments resulting in aquarium clear waters with a magical turquoise coloration. I estimated clarity to be 15-20 feet once the river had dropped at the end of the week. The Futa lodge is located in a magical remote valley. The small estancia includes an old restored ranch house that serves as the main lodge along with three newer and well appointed cabins with picture windows overlooking the windows. Two of the cabins have twin king size beds and the third has two queen size beds. Horses graze the property as well as a healthy flock of sheep. There is a massive garden of roses, lupine and other flowers as well as a large green house where all of the vegetables are grown. Most of our meals came right from the estancia including the fabulous lamb asado. Each morning coffee was delivered to our rooms and a fire lit in the wood burning stoves in each cabin. When we returned from fishing we were always greeted with a local cocktail and a blazing fire in the fire pit.

The lodge was originally developed as a destination location by the legendary Jim Repine who was a famous alaskan fly fisherman. Well known anglers including Joan Wulff, Lefty Kreh and Mel Krieger have all made frequent trips to stay at Futa and it was a pleasure to visit such a fabled location. Nervous Waters took over the lodge in the mid 2000s and brought their trademark outstanding service to an already great lodge. Each day our host Brian McKnight and guide Royce Olney took us fishing on the many great floats near the lodge. This region of Chile receives very light fishing pressure and on all but one day of our trip we saw no other fly fishing boats and just the occasional local Chilean fishing from a bridge with their coffee can hand reels.

Day 1:
On the first day of fishing (the one I missed) Randy went with Brian McKnight to the Ramansco Poson de los Reias (the pool of kings). This massive eddy is about the size of three or four football fields and is in a spectacular setting where a tight canyon ends in a massive rapid that empties into this huge tranquil pool. Fishing the Poson is like floating on a lake with subtle currents. Trout magically seem to appear out of nowhere cruising just below the surface while sipping on midges and terrestrials. All of the rainbows in the Futaleufu seem to run between 17-19” with a few in the 20-24” class. Randy had a great day sight casting on the Poson which was a great place to be while the river was still very high and up in the willows along the banks.

Bryan and Anthony spent the day on the Limite float that begins at the Argentine border and terminates at the furious Inferno canyon class V whitewater run. The waters were very high and most of the fishing was limited to the eddies and backwaters where trout were cruising and sipping on dries. Even with the tough conditions the guys managed to boat about ten nice rainbows while sight fishing in the Aquarium and other large eddies.

Day 2:
This was my first day of fishing and I was excited to get out on this legendary river that I had heard so much about. I was encouraged by the clear waters, only a few days before the river was running milky white and was above the banks. I teamed up with Randy and Brian McKight to try our luck on the Limite float. The waters were already dropping but still very high. It reminded me of the Yellowstone at about 10,000 cfs when we first start fishing it (although it was probably closer to about 20,000cfs). We started in a wide riffle on the Argentine border. The guys dropped me off for some wade fishing which felt great after a few days of sitting on airplanes. This was one of the few places on the river where it allowed wading at these high flows and I was wading in waist deep water that just a week before was a high and dry gravel bar. I had several good hookups and managed to land 4 or 5 trout all on a large black beetle. Even in the faster water the rises were slow and deliberate. The ferocity of these trout on the reel was amazing – they are some of the hardest fighting trout in the world and even a 17” rainbow will make blistering runs on 3x tippet across the river.

Before lunch we floated down to the “aquarium” which is a large eddy/backwater where a smaller channel joins the main river. The big rainbows in the Futaleufu love this kind of water. It is hard to describe this type of habitat if you haven’t fished a really big volume trout river. The only other places I have seen trout behave this way is on the Yellowstone and Missouri in Montana and the Tongariro in New Zealand. These holes are often 15-30 feet deep and the fish are completely interacting exclusively with currents and not the bottom or shore. These current features pulsate and change and fish suddenly disappear and then show up 30 seconds later in a different location. They produce site fishing at its best and you must first get a visual on a trout and then make an accurate cast to lead the fish. The calmer the water the farther you need to lead the trout. In nervous water leading by 4 or 5 feet is enough but in glassy currents leading by 10 or more feet may be necessary. These trout seldom get hooked but the gin clear water results in spooky trout that are picky about presentation. If there is any drag they will nose the fly but not take which adds to the drama and excitement. When the fly is properly presented they almost always eat it even if it is a large terrestrial pattern. My favorite fly of the day was the gaucho which is a black beetle style attractor with an elk hair down wing for visibility. After lunch we hit one or two more productive eddies to site cast and then pulled streamers in the bigger water below. The river was still up so the water between the big eddies was tough to fish and mostly unproductive. By the end of the day Randy and I had netted about 15 trout between 15-20” – mostly high quality hookups on dries while sight fishing!

Bryan and Anthony stayed with Royce for day two. After a long night of strumming the guitar and enjoying the local brew “Escudo”, Bryan opted for a few extra zz’s in the morning while Anthony and Royce explored the upper reaches of the home waters. This float is completely isolated and the Futa guides have the only access. You start in front of the lodge and slowly eddy hop for about a mile up the river. Anthony had a great morning stripping streamers and site casting dries in had about ten trout to the net by lunch. Bryan joined in after lunch for the float down to the McKnights house on the other side of the river for the takeout. The lower waters were still high and produced slower fishing both guys got a few more fish into the net.

Day 3
All four of our Montana Angler team headed for the lower Futaleufu just above Lago Yelcho on day three for the “McCall” float. This is big water with big scenery. The climate quickly changes and the forests are lush temperate rain forests with towering mountains filled with hanging glaciers. Magical is the best word that comes to mind when attempting to describe the scenery. Most of the day our heads were on a swivel as we tried to take in the overwhelming beauty of our surroundings.

I teamed with Anthony and Royce and Bryan and Randy fished with Brian McKnight. This is streamer water at its best and we pulled out the seven weights with T-250 sink tips and lead eyed rubber legged streamers to go after the big boys. In the gin clear water you can see your fly to depths of 10 or 15 feet. I opted for a white version of my home cooked “Home Wrecker” which is a big rabbit fur concoction with lots lead and rubber legs. The white color helps to see the fly which allows you to guide it over logs and into troughs. The amazing facet of stripping streamers on the Futa is that you see the trout rocketing toward your fly from up to ten feet away. Sometimes they do figure eights around the fly then chase it and leave just to come back from 15 feet for a big eat. We had some hookups where the trout followed the fly for at least 25 feet before eating! On some instances they would grab and not get hooked and we would recast and seal the deal. After warming up on some nice 17” bows Anthony connected with a reel testing 20” brown that finally made its way to the net. Just before lunch I connected on something huge that schooled me in some big currents…exciting stuff!

Randy had the hot hand of the day and seemingly every time we looked over at our friends in the other boat his rod had a deep bend in it. Bryan and Randy stopped at a few inside corners on riffles to put a lot of fish in the net. After lunch we spent a half hour or so in our boat fishing a giant eddy where the El Malito joins the Futaleufu. We spotted about a dozen rainbows cruising in the foam and managed a few hookups on dries sight casting. Anthony also tagged a nice 15” colorful brook trout just above the confluence that probably came from the Malito. All in all a great day with some very nice trout to the net.

Day 4
This was Randy and Bryan’s day for the home waters in front of the lodge. Randy spent the morning solo and repeated Anthony’s success from the previous day with Royce on the upper waters eddy hopping. After lunch Bryan jumped on board and they floated the lower section of the home waters which produced a few more fish on streamers.

Anthony and I fished the very special Poson de los Reias on this day. The water had been dropping and the river was gin clear when we fished it. The drive in is worth the price of admission as we travelled overland across a private estancia across open fields. After dropping over a steep hill the river appears and you feel like you have been transported into a secret fly fishing haven. The massive rapid thunders at the head of the pool. This is by far the largest eddy that I have every seen in my angling career. The fishing was good from the beginning and we had a blue bird day which made locating the trout easier. Fishing the Poson is like a combination of bone fishing and stalking trout in New Zealand. The complicated currents slowly shift and trout suddenly appear moving just below the surface. In some ways it reminds me of fishing the gulpers at Hebgen lake except at in Montana you usually just see rises and not the hole trout. The waters are so clear on the Futa that it seems like these big rainbows are levitating in air. The midge hatch was on shortly after arriving and we were rewarded when we made long and accurate casts with a delicate presentation. The key was to get enough lead time so the fish didn’t spook and still have enough of a drag free drift when the trout arrived at the fly. Because of the subtle currents the trajectory of the trout was easier to predict than on a lake where cruising fish are more random. These fish are just like wild trout in New Zealand in that they are not too picky on the fly pattern as long as there is zero drag. They are also spooky like New Zealand trout and I had several big fish scurry off when they saw my bright green fly line in the air while false casting – I wished I had my drab olive spring creek lines for our day on the Poson. Even with the challenges we had plenty of hookups and average one or two eats per lap around the massive lake like backwater. We also had plenty of moments where are targeted fish moved for our fly just in time for ever so subtle drag to set in which produces a casual refusal at the last second. The great thing about these wild trout that rarely if ever see flies is that they seem to always give you another chance. Even if at trout eats and doesn’t feel the sting of the hook you can almost always get them to eat again by making a better cast or changing a fly. What an amazing place! By the end of the day we put about 15-20 trout in the net – each a very high quality fish that was targeted in advance; by far the ultimate fly fishing experience in my book.

Day 5
Since the Limite float was so high the first two days we decided to try it again on our last day in Chile. We were also transferring to Carrileufu Valley Lodge in Argentina at the end of the day so logistically being close to the border made sense. It was amazing how much the waters receded over the course of 5 days and this seemed like a completely different float. Still high by March standards, but the river had dropped about 4 to 5 feet. One of the channels that was deep and swift on our first day was now a small shallow trickle. We had a great time in the morning sight casting to some fish in the aquarium and wading some riffles. Shortly after pulling in for lunch we heard a shout and turned in time to see Bryan with a deep bend in his rod and a huge trout tail walking across the surface. I collected some great photos of the fight as the drifted by a 200 foot waterfall before pulling up in front of us to net the monster. We didn’t tape the big rainbow but I would safely put it at 23 or 24 inches – the biggest landed at Futa lodge for the season – nice work Bryan!

The afternoon float was great and the fun faster water with giant boulders that was too high to fish on day one had dropped to fishable levels for pulling streamers and I had some great action on some nice browns on the last hour of the float. After pulling out Carlos and the crew at the lodge were waiting at the takeout with our luggage to transport us to the border where we met Jorge Miglias. Jorge is the spitting image of the “Most Interesting Man in the World” from the Dos Equis commercials and even more interesting! We drove the the spectacular Los Alceres National Park before arriving at the Carrileufu Valley Lodge where we were greated by our new host Pancho Panzer and a terrific dinner.

Day 6

We fished the legendary Rio Rividavia on day six. The rivers in this region all begin and end in lakes and are gin clear. They are smaller waters than the giant Futaleufu (where they later drain into). Prime time on the Rividavia is in December and the fish were exceptionally spooky. This might be the most beautiful river I have ever seen – on par with some of the smaller wade fishing waters in New Zealand that I fished but with more trout and larger. The water is emerald green and very clear. You have to be careful jumping out of the rafts because what seems like ankle deep water is often 3 or 4 feet deep. We spent the first hour or two at the exit of the lake site casting to big cruising rainbows. I had 2 hookups and one 19” bow to the net along with lots of refusals and spooked trout. The Rividavia sees more pressure than the Chilean waters and the trout were very selective. This was definitely the hardest day of “catching” with only a few eats. All in all it was well worth it to see this famed river and I hope to return some year when the dragon flies are hatching in December to see it when the trout are more willing. The highlight of the trip was watching our Argentine guide Facu hucking bread at lunch to giant 20” rainbows that bull rushed the bread but ignored our flies…talk about adding injury to insult. Our lunch on the Rivadavia was amazing as we sat under the shade of a large tree along the banks of the gorgeous river enjoying empanadas and some great Argentine wine.

Day 7
Both boats hit the Rio Carrileufu on our last day. This reminded me of a big version of the East Gallatin or Beaverhead with more down timber. It was also gin clear and we spent most of the day stripping big streamers on sink tips. The morning fishing was productive and I managed a few nice 17” bows and with a lot of chases from bigger fish and a lots of small fish chasing and tugging at the rubber legs. The streamer fishing turned off after lunch but we found some fish eating fat alberts and small parachute adams. It wasn’t a huge numbers day but a great float all in all and nice to put some more fish in the net after our tougher day on the Rivadavia. We never got to see some of the trophy streamer eating browns that the river is known for, but that will have to be for another trip!

Summary
What a great trip to Patagonia. The Futa lodge was definitely the highlight of our stay. There are larger and more opulent lodges in the world but Futa had a special charm that is hard to describe. There is something special about being in a valley that is so pristine and untouched by the modern world. The fishing on the Futaleufu is very special and of the highest quality. We were fortunate to experience nearly perfect weather during our trip and enjoyed the best of company with our motley crew. A big thanks to Bryan, Anthony and Randy for joining me on this adventure as well as to our great guides and hosts at both lodges. And a very big thanks to my beautiful wife Ann that gave me the green light to spend 12 days away from home while she tended to our lovely but energetic three children!

Excellent dry fly fishing on Armstrong’s spring creek started this week with thick hatches of both baetis and midges.  Fish are taking anything parachute, such as a parachute adams, parachute BWO, and even parachute ants!  The fish are looking up productively all day too providing non stop surface action.  Anglers can also pick fish up just below the surface by hanging a small midge emerger or larvae a few inches below a dry fly.

-Miles

Matt Morris, his girl Laura, and I took a drive over to the Missouri below Halter today. We were let down by the weatherman, who called for 68 degrees and sunshine. Instead we encountered fog and low clouds with temperatures barely breaking the high 40′s. Our attitudes weren’t glum for long though; fortunately our day was warmed up by hot beads, the choice fly for countless rainbows (several pushing 21″).  We soon lost count regarding the fish in hand, not that we were counting anyway.  Productive runs offered as many fish as a person could catch.  The fish were hot too, fighting, jumping, and putting on a show.

-Miles

I took my wife to the Lower Madison to fish on a partly sunny 50 degree afternoon.  It was certainly nice to be on the water again this spring, which has produced high quality spring fishing.  We parked the truck and took a short walk before fishing a deep bucket (depression).  I immediately hooked and landed a spunky 14″ rainbow on the first cast.  Before spoiling the pool, I had my wife replace me and make the second cast.  Another slightly larger rainbow agreeably received her baetis nymph offering.  Our first child received her first assist, at the spry age of 8 months and still in utero!  We pulled another 7 fish from this hole before wandering a little farther upstream.  Before long we had our fill of fun with great action from the pods of fish stacked up in the deeper runs.

Baetis were not observed on the water that day but are conceivably beginning to move more frequently subsurface as the long awaited spring baetis hatch looms ever closer.  Midges were hatching productively all day.  Trout aggressively began rising on the midges around 3pm once a large cloud came overhead and began spitting light sleet, hail, and large snowflakes.  I took advantage and rigged up my new dry fly rod, a Winston B-IIT 9′ 4-weight.  Numerous rainbows quickly cooperated in selecting my midge cluster dry fly patterns, ultimately highlighting pure pleasure with the new rod.  I always remember and appreciate the details of the first trout on a new rod!  Time will tell if our in-utero baby girl has the same romantic memory of her first trout assist.

Miles

My good buddy Dan visited Bozeman this weekend for a short late winter vacation get-a-way.  Dan and I grew up in grade school together, later became college roommates, and more recently served in each other’s weddings.  We awoke Friday morning to the delightful surprise of 11″ of cold smoke powder skiing at Bridger Bowl, located just a few minutes outside of town.  The new snow was in addition to the five feet of snow that fell within the last three weeks at Bridger.  Skiing conditions were more than amazing to say the least.

 

On Saturday morning, we enjoyed another welcome surprise, 7″ of new snow at Big Sky ski area.  Dan and I hooted and hollered as we descended nearly 3000 vertical feet on a tram run in knee deep fresh powder.

 

I dragged Dan out fishing on the third day, although I sensed a reluctant attitude as he hinted how we should go skiing again given the perfect conditions on the mountain.  It didn’t take long for the warm sunny weather and excellent fishing to change his opinion.  We sampled a few of the local rivers, wade fishing here or there for an hour or two at a time.  We enjoyed great fishing at every stop.  Rainbow and Brown trout were enthusiastically greeting us by moving aggressively for olive midge nymphs and the occasional egg pattern.  The Ruby River had at least one aggressive Brown trout waiting in every hole, while the Madison provided pockets of schooled rainbows in each of the deeper runs.  Dan commented frequently about the great fishing fun and expressed surprise because he is used to slow marginal winter trout fishing around his local trout rivers in Oregon.  I think he must have been pretty impressed by the size of the Ruby River Brown Trout he was catching because on the fourth day he elected to decline a free ski pass in order to get one more day of fishing in before his evening flight home.  I chuckled as I thought to myself, “Another Montana angling convert”.

 

-Miles

 

July fly fishing in Montana produces some of the most diverse angling conditions of the year. July is hand’s down the busiest time of the year for fishing the blue ribbon rivers of the Big Sky state. The popularity is due in part to the fact that July is often when a lot of people like to plan their summer vacation combined with the fact that many anglers target the month for the great fishing that it can produce. The beginning of July produces and entirely different set of fly fishing conditions than the end of July. To complicate matters, water levels and hatch timing in July can very greatly from year to another depending on the snow pack.

Early July: the peak of the hatches
Fishing in early July is completely driven by the hatch cycles of the many aquatic insects that make their home Montana rivers. Food supply is completely driven by these hatch cycles and trout become fairly selective during prolific hatches. Fishing can be terrific during these hatches if an angler is dialed into the correct insect cycles and have patterns that match the natural insects. This is often the best time to visit Montana’s legendary spring creeks where the pale morning dun produces prolific daily hatches and actively rising trout. Other important early July hatches include the salmon fly, golden stone, yellow sally and a variety of different caddis species. The timing of these hatches is different from one river to the next and from year to year but the sequence is always the same. Generally the hatch cycles begin with the salmon fly and end with the caddis species. Hatches often produce exciting sight fishing to rising trout but other times they can frustrate anglers when trout have filled up on larger insects like salmon flies or when there are so many naturals hatching that your imitation is a needle in a haystack.

Mid July: attractor dry fly time
As the early July hatches begin to wind down trout become more opportunistic. Water levels are also on the drop and trout are more and more interested in looking to the surface. Usually there is some caddis activity in the morning, but later in the day trout will readily snack on a variety of different food sources since there is no single insect or food supply dominating their diet. While a variety of techniques can be productive that include nymphs and streamers, this is a great time to fish attractor dry flies like pmx’s and royal wulffs. The feeding cycle of the trout is often spread over the course of the day and good fishing from morning to late afternoon can often be experienced. This is a great time to target Montana since many fisheries can be targeted.

Late July: terrestrial season
Late July marks the beginning of terrestrial season which is eagerly awaited by both locals and visiting anglers alike. Once the hoppers mature and grow their wings the terrestrial fishing begins to take over. By late July many of the aquatic hatches have run their course and trout begin to rely on the insects falling into the river from above. Grasshoppers, beetles and ants become a very important component of a trout’s diet during this time of the summer and great dry fly fishing can often be experienced. Anglers hunting for large trout shouldn’t ignore the subsurface opportunities. With the absence of hatching insects the larger fish are more willing to chase streamers and sculpin patterns from farther away and slow twitched bait imitations produce some of the largest fish of the month.

Winter fly fishing in Montana isn’t rocket science. The fish have left the shallow riffles and heavy pocket water in favor of the slower and deeper pools. Once you find a good wintertime run there will probably be dozens if not hundreds of trout in it. The trout are going to do 95% of their feeding between noon and 4pm and you with some exceptions you will be nymph fishing. Trout are also receiving very little pressure during the winter months and are not very picky on fly selection so an elaborate fly box is not essential. The following list of flies are all you need to catch fish on every stream and river in Montana during the winter months including big freestone rivers, tail waters and spring creeks. There are certainly other patterns that will also catch fish, but you don’t need to get too complicated and don’t waste time changing out lots of flies. If you aren’t hooking up in the winter it probably is because you haven’t found good holding water or you aren’t getting down to the fish. Make sure you have enough weight to put flies directly on the bottom and use an indicator that detects subtle strikes such as poly yarn.

Girdle Bug
Stoneflies are important on every boulder strewn freestone river in Montana and trout are looking for stonefly nymphs even in the colder months. Although there is a plethora of different stonefly nymph patterns there is really no reason to get more complicated than a girdle bug (aka rubber legs). A black or brown size 6 or girdle bug trailed with something smaller is a good bet for freestoners.

Pheasant Tail
Pheasant tails catch fish year round and on every trout river in the world. It should be no surprise that it is also a great winter pattern. Try a smaller size in the colder months like an 18 or 20. Any variation of the pheasant tail will work. They are best fished behind a girdle bug or san juan worm.

San Juan Worm
It might not be glamorous but sometimes you just want to catch a trout in the middle of February and san juan worms are often the magic ticket. Fished in different sizes from 10 to 6 and in colors including red, pink, wine and orange they are almost always productive in the winter. Wire worms are a nice option for deeper runs where getting to the bottom isn’t a trivial process.

Eggs
Browns spawn in late winter and rainbows spawn in the early spring so it should be no wonder that egg patterns are effective all winter (especially late winter). Smaller eggs are often more productive than large patterns and roe orange, chartreuse, and cream are the most productive.

Pink Ray Charles
I don’t think there are a whole lot of pink sow bugs out there but this bug definitely hooks up, even on rivers without sow bugs. There is something about the color pink in the winter that just produces: pink worms, eggs, and attractor nymphs are all effective. My guess is they eat the pink Ray as an egg. I like them with beads for freestone rivers and beadless for spring creeks.

Pink soft hackle lightning bug
Notice the pink theme. There is a reason that the bins with pink lightning bugs and pink soft hackles are always empty at the shops from February to April. Trust me, just try it.

Zebra midge
Not much hatches in the winter (except some midges) and there are often more midges than just about anything else in a whole lot of fisheries (especially spring creeks and tail waters). A small zebra is almost always my point fly on spring creeks and tail waters and also a good option on freestone rivers in the winter. Go small – 22 and 20.

Palomino midge dry
Although dry fly fishing dries up in the winter months, some tail waters and spring creeks produce predictable dry fly fishing over late winter midge hatches. A small palomino dry is all that you need.

Griffiths Gnat
The Griffith’s gnat imitates a cluster of midges and on some tail waters like the Bighorn winter midge hatches can get pretty thick. When midges are clustering they become a target for trout that enjoy the benefit of taking in multiple insects in one gulp.

Sculpin
Don’t be afraid to fish some meat in the winter months, especially on freestone rivers where sculpins are common. The best way to fish these in the winter is just to dead drift them with maybe a few twitch mends mixed in. Fish your favorite rabbit fur sculpin pattern with a smaller worm, pheasant tail or egg pattern behind it and swing for the fences. Although the catch rates usually go down you just might fool that monster trout that hasn’t seen flies in months.

If you ask most avid fly fisherman to recount some of their most memorable days on the water, many will tell tales of dry fly loving trout on their favorite waters. Watching a wild trout suck down a dainty mayfly spinner is exciting. Keeping your cool when a monster brown crushes your foam hopper in an explosion of water and adipose spots is not even an option! We frequently field questions that have to do with finding great dry fly fishing. The challenge of dry fly fishing in Montana and elsewhere is that most trout take less than 10% of their diet from the surface. Most days on most rivers anglers will have much more success “catching” when fishing subsurface with nymph patterns which best imitate the a trout’s dominant natural food source. There are times and places, however, where trout become surface oriented and feed almost exclusively on top. Although nearly every fishery in Montana has periods of times when the dry fly fishing heats up, here are a few of of our favorite fisheries and “events” that produce great surface action year in and year out.

Later Winter Midge Hatches on the Ruby
The Ruby River is a small wade fishery near Sheridan, MT. Below the Ruby Dam the river receives daily hatches of chironomids (aka midges). In February, March and April anglers hungry for surface action can find some consistent late morning dry fly action during the hatch. The surface action usually lasts for about 2-3 hours but anglers can still bend rods before and after by nymph fishing. In late April the midge hatch overlaps with the blue winged olive as an added bonus. The Bighorn River near Ft. Smith is another consistent producer of midge eating trout in the late winter.

Skwalas on the Western rivers
At the end of March and early April fisherman in the Western half of the state get excited about the Skwala stonefly. This smaller size 12 stone is olive in color and hatches in just enough abundance to encourage trout to look up. The dry action is often just in the afternoon when the water warms and it isn’t as explosive as post run off hatches of golden stones and salmonflies, but it sure is nice when there is still snow on the ground and you are yearning to see a good eat on the surface!

The baetis hatch on the Gallatin
The baetis (aka blue winged olive) can produce outstanding dry fly fishing on local rivers in April and May (and then again in October). The Gallatin is one of my favorite rivers to target the spring baetis hatch. The caveat with the baetis hatch on the Gallatin is that conditions need to be just right. If the weather is too warm early snow melt can temporarily bring the river up and spoil the dry fly fishing. Sunny days aren’t the best for catching the hatch either, even though you can usually find a few risers. If you catch the Gallatin when it is still low before snowmelt on a cloudy overcast day in early May you can experience some of the best match the hatch fishing around. The river seems to come alive with rising trout that are furiously attacking the small size 18 insects. Fortunately similar fishing can occur on the Madison, Yellowstone, Boulder and Missouri during this prolific hatch.

Spring creek baetis action in April and May
Spring creeks nearly show up a lot in the “best dry fly fishing” discussions. The first consistently good dry fly fishing on the spring creeks arrives with the spring baetis. As is to be expected on these fertile ground water fed fisheries the hatch is thick and abundant. Late April and May baetis fishing can produce several hours of consistent surface action on legendary waters like Armstrong, Depuy, Nelson, and McCoy spring creeks.

Early May Mother’s Day Caddis on the Lower Madison and Yellowstone
One of the most prolific hatches of the year is the explosive Mother’s Day Caddis hatch on the Lower Madison and Yellowstone Rivers. The hatch starts at the end of April but really picks up steam in early May. The hatch on the Yellowstone often occurs just before run off and on big water years or when there is an early warm spell the melting snow can spoil the action. On days when you catch the Yellowstone just right it is some of the most amazing dry fly fishing in the world. Waves of fluttering caddis pop at the rives surface as trout feed with reckless abandon. Back eddies are sometimes completely covered with mats of mating insects. The Lower Madison also has a terrific Mother’s Day hatch. The Lower Madison is protected by some of the dams on the river which makes is a more reliable river for the hatch on years when the Yellowstone gets dirty early. This is a “must fish” event for all locals and many visiting anglers.

Spring Creek PMD fishing in June and early July
Although spring creeks are always a great place to find “heads” and can produce great surface action during spring and fall baetis hatches as well as late summer terrestrials, nothing rivals the pale morning dun. The “PMD” is a medium sized goldilocks mayfly. The insect is just big enough to interest larger trout but small enough that trout are not easily filled up by the insect. The hatch occurs in thick abundance daily from mid June to mid July on legendary spring creeks like McCoy, Nelson, DePuy, Armstrong, Benhart and Thompson. Getting rods on these private ranches during the hatch can be difficult since some dates book out nearly a year in advance. Spring creek trout are always smart and spooky and require technical fly patterns and careful casting presentations. These wily trout drop their guard a few notches during the PMD hatch as they become intoxicated with the tasty little arthropods. “Spooked” trout that normally go down for the day after a bad cast sometimes get back into a feeding rhythm just 10 minutes later when the hatch picks up in intensity.

Madison River Salmonfly Fishing in later June/early July
The salmonfly is the largest aquatic insect in North America. This massive stonefly reaches 3 inches in length and provides enough nutrition to lure even the largest trout in the river to the surface. The salmonfly represents the best opportunity to catch a monster trout over 25” on the surface. Catching big trout on the big bug is far from garuanteed and frustration is experienced just as often (or more often!) than success. Once you hook a monster brown that blows up a size 4 rouge stone you will be forever changed! The chance at reliving that experience is enough to keep throwing the big bug when the hatch is on the water. Salmonflies are notoriously hard to catch since they only occur for a few days a year on any single stretch of water. The Madison River is one of the most consistent places to find the big bug because it is clear when the hatch arrives. Other rivers like the Yellowstone also produce a great hatch but sometimes it occurs during run off.

Attractor Dry Fishing In July
About a week after the big freestone rivers first clear, big attractor dry flies begin to lure hungry trout to the surface. The Yellowstone, Boulder, Stillwater, Gallatin and a few others are a few of our favorites for lights out fishing with giant wulffs, pmxs and faom attractors. Casting big bushy dries on stout tippet in run and gun pocket water is simply a riot! The rivers are usually still on the high side even though they are clear so we usually either fish out of drift boats or small rafts during this great window since wading is still a challenge.

Yellowstone River Hopper Fishing
Montana is famous for its great grasshopper fishing. The state is filled with broad flat valleys filled with irrigated alfalfa that provided a perfect home for the succulent insects. Trout simply can’t resist hoppers and anglers eagerly await the late summer season when the grasshoppers become mature, grow wings and begin flying. The Yellowstone river offers some of the best hopper fishing in the state. The perk of fishing big foam hoppers on the “Stone” is that you are always in the game for a trophy size trout on a dry. The best hopper fishing is often shortly after they first get their wings which is usually late July or early August depending on the year. After a few weeks of seeing different flavors of artificial presentations they slowly get a bit wiser and short strikes can become more common. On years when we receive a long Indian summer great hopper fishing can be experienced well into September.

The “Flying Ant” on the Upper Madison
If you spend enough time in the spectacular Upper Madison valley wade fishing you will begin to notice giant ant hills along the banks. In late August, usually around August 22nd or 23rd winged ants leave their homes to mate and establish new colonies. The “ant hatch” can fill the skies with large black and red two toned winged insects that trout absolutely love. This is a short lived event and only lasts a day or two each year but when you catch it just right the action can be rewarding. Fortunately, this is also hopper time so there will always be some fish looking up even if you miss the ants.

Small Stream Hopper Fishing in Late Summer
In late August and early September some of the trout on the larger and easily accessed rivers become a little wise to big foam hopper patterns you get less confident takes and more trout chewing on the rubber legs. This is the time of year when the some of the smaller fisheries really turn on. We don’t want to name names to give away some of these little gems. Some of them are access from public points like bridges and others are on private ranches that we have permission on. Terrestrial fishing on the “off the beaten” path waters around Montana can be absolutely awesome in the late summer!

October baetis hatches on the Yellowstone, Madison, Gallatin, Missouri and Spring Creeks
The last hurrah of really good dry fly fishing is the fall baetis hatch. The “blue winged olives” show back up in late September but really get going again in October and early November. The baetis occurs on most fisheries in Montana and the rivers named above are just a sampling of the locations that can receive a good hatch. As in the spring, the intensity of the hatch increases logarithmically with cloudy and overcast conditions. Even on sunny days fish are often looking up even when the hatch is sparse. A size 18 or 20 parachute adams can perform wonders this time of year on the big rivers. On the spring creeks more technical cripples and emerges often do the trick. There is often a smattering of grey drakes and mahogany duns that coincide with the baetis. These larger mayflies are always sparse but the trout often prefer them and a larger size 12 grey wulff can be a productive pattern on the larger waters in the fall.