6 Weight Fly Rod Review Series - Part One, Head to Head Lawn Casting
No fly rod is the perfect rod on every river, on every given day. I have often fallen in love with a rod on one river, fishing in one style; only to curse it later under different circumstances. I have also found that over and over again that the rod I enjoyed most behind the fly shop is not the one...
Alaska September Fly Fishing Trip Report; The Bristol Bay Region at Intricate Bay Lodge
Everything seems to be a little bigger in Alaska; rivers, mountains, fish and bears all seem to be supersized. When it comes to exploring Alaska’s famed fly fishing, the renowned waters of the Bristol Bay area offer the highest density of salmon and trophy rainbow trout rivers in the world. This...
Steelhead Scouting Mission to Southeast Alaska
Wild fresh run Pacific steelhead are considered by many to be the ultimate gamefish on a fly rod. These electric sea run brethren of the rainbow trout grow large in the prolific waters of the North Pacific before entering coastal rivers prior to spawning. One of the most remote and least explored...
5 Tips for Twitching Hoppers
Many of Montana’s most famous trout rivers flow through agricultural valleys flanked by towering mountains. These fertile valleys provide an ideal habitat for large populations of grasshoppers. The bulk of aquatic insect hatches take a pause in mid summer (with a few exceptions like tricos). Once...
Spring Creek Fishing Styles
After fishing some of the bigger rivers and catching some “easy” trout there comes a time when it is fun to try something different or a more challenging endeavor. Spring creeks can also make a better angler by focusing on smaller intricacies that might not be noticed on larger rivers, like small...
Montana Fly of the Month: April
Fly of the Month: April 2018El Camino, Skwala Stonefly tied by Andrew GrillosApril fly fishing in Southwest Montana brings a wide variety of options, a favorite option is trying to hit the skwala stonefly hatch on one of our Montana Rivers. Certain rivers have larger populations of these small...
A Seasonal Guide to Fly Fishing Montana's Smith River
The Smith River is the crown jewel of Montana’s off-the-beaten path fisheries. The Smith is a small but float able river that winds its way through a limestone canyon that effectively divides the Big and Little Belt mountain ranges. Scenery is spectacular with a blend of lush meadows, towering...
How You Can Help Maintain Access For All on the Madison River
The Madison River has long been an iconic fishery in the world of wild trout rivers. The fish counts, size of the fish, and spectacular scenery have attracted anglers from far and wide for many decades. The popularity of the sport of fly fishing as well as population growth in Western Montana has...
Jurassic Lake Lodge Argentina Fishing Trip Report
The quantity of amazing fly fishing destinations around the globe can keep the venturing angler busy for a lifetime. In the world of cold water salmonid fishing there are a handful of locations that are so uniquely different that they have no equal. Locations such as the Rio Grande sea run brown...
Patagonia Baker Lodge, Chile Trip Report
Here I am, sitting in Montana, “The Last Best Place” - working on a computer and watching the snow flurry through frosty window panes. According to my smart phone, it’s currently a balmy 34⁰F – the wintry weather is a drastic contrast to the climate I experienced during my recent travels to the...