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Posts by Peter

Fly Fishing Snow Report

Been pretty mild as winters in Montana go this year, even with the last couple days of snow and winter storm advisories. What does this mean for trout fishing? Been looking at the actual snow pack facts around the state and we may be better off than you'd think. Here is the most recent recording:

GALLATIN RIVER BASIN-82% of average

MADISON RIVER BASIN-78% of average

UPPER YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN-88% of average

Clothing Sale and Fly Tying Classes

Having our after X-mas sale on all the clothing from Patagonia, Simms, and Ex-Officio. Pretty much 25% OFF across the board with afew sweeter deals mixed in. Most should be available at the online store in the Blowout page or if your in the area swing by the shop on main street. Also getting excited for fly tying classes to start next week. So you have untill tuesday January 17th to sign up for the beginner session.

2011 Fly Fishing year in review

It's nice when you can look back at the year and get all nostalgic reminscing about the last year before the ball drops. 2011 was a year of extremes for the Montana fly fisherman from the crazy run-off and flooding to incredible summer hatches continuing through september. We said goodbye to local legends like Syl Nemes and Tex Tucker while we also welcomed new faces like Ty and Sara's baby "Jameson" and my black lab "Trutta".

Patagonia's New Wading Boots

Got a chance to demo the new Patagonia aluminum bar wading boots yesterday to see if they really live up to the hype. I figured what better place to put them to the challenge than the moss and slush covered river rocks of the Lower Madison. At first I was definately skeptical of a boot that closely resembles tap dancing shoes but since Patagonia has been field testing them for about a year now they must have something right. The benefits are noticed immediately upon entering the water as your feet are secured to the bottom with no side slip whatsoever.

Patagonia Rock Grip Aluminum Bar Boot and River Crampon

Patagonia has been working on a breakthrough wading boot design over the past few months and will have their new Rock Grip Boot and river crampon available Jan 1, 2012. The Press release:

Two Fly

Guided my friends Dudley and Sue for the Two Fly Event yesterday and it totally rocked. This is the Two Fly's first year as an event and fundraiser for the museum of the rockies and went off like a bang with an all-star group of guides and fly fisher folks. The guides competed in a casting contest to choose which floats they would do which was interesting considering the rod used for the competition was a 7' 000wt. The winner of the casting competition none other than my father Rod King.

Missouri River Sept. 13th-14th

Spent the last two days fishing the giant spring creek tailwater of the Missouri with my Dad and had a blast. The mornings had some good trico action mostly closer to Holter dam and the afternoons still had some good fish eating tiny caddis, psuedos, and baetis. Got nothing on the hopper but by that point in the day we had pretty much commited to throwing streamers. Had a decent number of good sized trout eat sculpin and baitfish imitations and down low you had to fight through the floating weeds but once you broke through it was game on.

Pink Hoppers

Had the one day this whole Summer that both my Dad and I actually didn't have to work so we did some tough R&D work. Pretty relaxin day of throwing streamers and hoppers, pink ones to be exact. I have heard for years from guides and fisherman coming into the shop with that crazy look in their eyes asking if we have any pink hoppers left. For whatever reason they just have never produced for me....until this summer. Now they have become one of my go-to patterns anywhere there are grasshoppers. How much longer till we start using purple and blue hoppers?

Yellowstone River Sept.2nd & 3rd

The stone is fishing awesome still with a lot of good heads coming up to hoppers, mayflies, and attractors. The cold nights seem to slow things down in the morning but things get steady by 2pm and just get better and better til dark. Had a blast yesterday with clients Nick and Shelby bringing in three of Nick's biggest trout to date. The weather was perfect and saw one other boat on the water. Hot fly was the More-or-less Hopper yellow belly, the day before it was the pink hopper.

Peter

Sept. 1st bring the Streamers

Some real nice cloud cover and cool weather today around bozeman just screaming for big streamers to be thrown at big fish. The hopper bite is still going strong and a spent imitation would be good in this low light condition. I think the best bet for today would be to pick your favorite sculpin pattern tied off a piece of 12lb test and swing it, strip it, or dead drift it through river structures. Had to put up some interesting pics of good clients from the season which really makes it all worth while and for that we thank you for going fishing with us.

Bozeman, MT