Blogs

Sitting here in the fly shop i've been vicariously fishing through my Dad who is currently harrassing trout in the Patagonia region of Argentina.  He has been sending me reports of excellent weather, fishing, and friends with some awe inspiring photos and stories.  As you can see it is pretty georgous country.

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

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.

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".

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 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:

For the most part, the 2011 guide season has come to a close. This is the time of the year when guides finally get to play and chase those big fall pre-spawn Browns we've been thinking about all summer. I'm here to tell ya, the fishing itch get dang strong after a six month stretch of watching someone else do all the fishing. For me, this fall hasn't gone down like the post seasons of the past. This winter, my wife and I are expecting our first kiddo, and that means my life has been inundated with assembling cribs, buying bibs, and creating a baby's room. So when Mrs.

The Yellowstone is finally spit'n out enough bugs to bring plenty of hungry trout to the surface. During the last week of fishing we've seen good numbers of small beatis and a few hecuba drakes in the afternoons. Load your box with Para Adams, Purple Parachutes, and small Royal Wolfs.

It's fall and the big browns are just now starting to get angry. So look for those cloudy days, chuck some big 'ol streamer, and hang on to your shorts!

Ty Webb

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.