Saturday fishing and a report on things around here

Sometimes investigating is need. Such was the case yesterday
when my friend Matt and I donned Gore-Tex and Wool and
ventured into a bolder-strun piece of local pocket water.
Fishing my usual haunts on the Snake recently has been fun
and productive; lots of eager cutthroat and mountain whitefish
taking dries and nymphs. However, we both were in the mood
to do something different and the pocket water seemed like a
great choice.

Throughout the course of the day, we fished some beautiful
runs and pockets, shared rocky banks with resident moose and
got snowed on pretty good. We also managed to hook some
fish. Short-line nymphing was the name of the game and the
whitefish seem particularly impressed with our tactics.
Additionally, a few stocky golden-yellow cutthroats also played
along and kept things interesting.

While the fishing wasn’t outstanding, it was just what I needed;
solitude, exploration and the occasional tug on the line.

As I alluded to above, fishing on the Snake has been good
lately. Lots of midges, small black stoneflies and the occasional
Skwala have fish looking to the surface. When colder,
nymphing with smaller (#14) dark nymphs (think Hare’s Ear
and Prince variation) are getting the job done. Fish are still
podded up, and with flows low, wade fishing on the Snake is a
very practical option. I suspect that a warming trend this week
will get the Skwala hatch going and make for some fun dry fly
fishing with bigger rubber-leg concoctions.

We’ve gotten quite a bit of moisture the past two weeks or so.
And while kind of bummer for those of us yearning to break
out the Hawaiian shirts, this has boosted snowpack/ water
content to average levels ensuring good water flows for trout
this summer! I suspect we have a few weeks of good river
fishing ahead of us before runoff. Then it’ll be time to focus on
local lakes with slow sinking lines and various streamer and
nymph patterns. Hope folks are taking advantage of early
season fishing……

Spring newsletter

Some of you may have already seen this, but for those
who aren’t on my email list, here’s is a copy of the spring
2013 newsletter I sent out last week.:

A big springtime hello from Jackson Hole! If you’re as
excited as I am for the upcoming fishing season, this
newsletter’s for you. Little black stoneflies were active on the
Snake River today and Jerome took full advantage…

Jeromie with cutthroat

Overall, fishing has been pretty good lately. Spring brings
hungry trout to the surface, actively feeding on hatching
midges and stoneflies. In addition to the small, black stoneflies
we’re seeing on the Snake right now, I expect larger Skwalas
to begin crawling on the banks and fluttering clumsily on the
water in the next week or two. Fishing will probably get
underway a little earlier this year since the mountain
snowpack is slightly below average.

If you’re thinking of coming out to fish with me, I’ve got a
few exciting things to report for the upcoming season. First
off, I have a new Adipose drift boat that’s going to make for
an even better float-fishing experience. This also will let me
take folks fishing on a few glacially carved lakes when rivers
are running high. If you’re looking for a multi-day adventure,
checkout the Dubois overnight option. With the Wind River and
a variety of smaller, wild trout streams to explore, you’ll think
you died and went to fishing Heaven! All this in addition to
fantastic float-fishing on the Snake, Green and Salt rivers.

So there you have it; fish, news and exciting fishing
possibilities! Keep checking the Teton Fly Fishing Blog for
fishing reports and adventurous tales and give a holler if you’re
thinking of coming out this way and want to book a trip.

All the best, Nate

Jamie getting it done…

Landing fish like this, it’s no wonder Jamie out-fished me!

Big spring Brown

Great mayfly pattern or Greatest?

Every fishing season I keep a rough record of fly patterns I
use most, hoping to remind myself to make sure I have a
surplus for the next year. I’d say I have 15 or so patterns that I
rely on pretty heavily, with one in particular, the Sparkle Dun,
being my hands-down favorite for imitating mayflies.

Sparkle Dun

The Sparkle Dun plays off the deer hair wing and dubbing
body that made the comparadun famous, but adds a bit of
zelon to the tail, making the pattern resemble an emerging
mayfly still attached to its nymphal shuck. The beauty of this
pattern is its simplicity. It doesn’t require many materials and
is a quick tie, perfect when you have to crank out a dozen in
the early morning hours before hooking up the boat. Versatility
wise, the Sparkle Dun floats high in the water and can be
fished throughout a mayfly hatch, imitating emergers, cripples,
duns and spinners. Heck, clip the wing and add some lead to
you leader and you have yourself a nymph!

I carry a variety of Sparkle Duns to “match” various
hatches out here in Jackson Hole. When fishing the Snake or
Green rivers, I make sure I have plenty of PMDs, Grey Drakes
and BWOs (baetis for those of you who insist on Latin…) Tying
these patterns only requires changing hook size and body
color.

In the next few days, look for a video showing how to tie
this fantastic pattern.

Springing forward

Spring is coming to Wyoming a bit earlier this year. Recent temperatures have been getting into the high 40s, helping to melt the snow and ice in the backyard and turn our attention toward fishing.

Jamie and I spent a few days last week soaking up the sun in Bisbee, AZ; celebrating my uncle’s retirement in proper fashion with lost of good food, drink and the Bad News Blues Band. After returning from that, and getting a few hours of sleep, I eagerly hopped in my friend Matt’s truck and headed south for Flaming Gorge. There, we spent three days fishing to selective brown and rainbow trout all while enjoying the spectacular scenery that make the Gorge so pretty. The weather was great, crowds small, and sizable trout were caught.

Back here in Wyoming, I’m readying fishing gear in anticipation of some great early season fishing. In the coming week, I’ll be doing a little guiding on the Snake and tying more flies.

Ps. the Fly Fishing Film tour is stopping in Jackson tonight, beginning at 7 at the Center for the Arts theater in downtown Jackson Hole. Hope to see you there!

Tying a Trude

The Royal Trude is a great attractor dry fly to have in your
box. It fools trout across the country and is one of my go-to fly
patterns for fishing backcountry trout streams and pocket waters.
Here in Wyoming, I carry several sizes of Trudes including #10-
16. The Royal Trude works great on bigger freestone rivers like
the Snake too, and can be fished wet in addition to dry. Here’s a
short video on how to tie a Royal Trude. Let me know if you have
any questions.

Midges, Rising trout

For those that wonder what our local cutthroat trout do in
the winter, Sage will show you….

As you can see, the trout yesterday were very active. Not
every day in February is like this on the Snake, but most
days, provided the wind isn’t blowing too hard, fish can be
found sipping midges along various stretches of river. Activity
can last anywhere from a brief 20 minute fury, to several
hours like yesterday. On the Snake and Wind rivers, as well
as other waters around here, surface action is usually found in
slower water. Depth doesn’t matter as much. I found fish
yesterday in both deep, back-eddys, and also in a foot or less
of slow, gin-clear water. Now through April is primetime for
midge fishing around here. Grab your 6x tippet, tiny flies and
patience, and see about fooling a few early season trout!

Overnight in Dubois, a two day fly fishing adventure

I strive to give fishing clients the best experience possible,
whether it be a float trip or wade-fishing adventure. Two years
ago, Jamie and I were able to purchase a cool A-frame cabin
over in Dubois, Wyoming. Dubois has been a favorite spot of
ours for quite some time and now I am able to offer it to my
guests as a great fishing option for those who wish to do some
serious fly-fishing away from the hustle and bustle of Jackson
Hole.

Dubois is an authentic Wyoming cowboy town that has
remained much the same as it was 100 years ago. In addition
to the beautiful landscape, Dubois offers miles and miles of
trout water. The upper Wind River is the primary drainage
flowing through town and has plenty of browns and rainbows
in it, some of which are quite large. Additionally, many of the
smaller tributaries offer adventurous angling too for browns,
rainbows, cutthroat, brook trout and mountain whitefish.
Anglers can expect to fish both dry flies and nymphs.

My overnight trips typically begin with me picking guests
up at their hotel in Jackson around 8 am. We then drive over
Togwotee Pass, a beautiful drive that crosses the continental
divide and puts us at my cabin, where we drop off supplies, in
a little over an hour. Then we fish; driving to whatever water
is fishing best at the time. After fishing all day, we head back
to the cabin to relax for the evening with cocktails, dinner and
tunes on the record player. Guest can do a little evening fishing
on their own, as the Wind river is just a stones throw away.
 The following day starts with breakfast and is followed by
another great day of fly fishing. Guest will arrive back in
Jackson in time for dinner. Three day trips are also possible
too. Contact me if you’re interested in this trip option or have
further questions. Check out the pictures below…

Mike casting to rising trout on the Wind River…

Fishing the Upper Wind River

This cuttbow rose eagerly to a hopper on a remote
tributary…

The upper Wind close to the cabin…

The  
upper Wind

A beautiful native cutthroat trout…

Teton Fly Fishing wade-fish trip

River in the cottonwoods; spectacular scenery where
forests meet high desert badlands…

A  
tributary

View from my the deck; a great place to tell a fish story…

view  
from cabin's deck

a few days out

Yesterday, when I began casting in the sunshine, I thought
I was in for a nice day in Wyoming. I figured I had payed my
dues the previous days; fishing in temperatures that never got
out of the 20s. Temperatures that kept my waders and fly line
frozen pretty much nonstop. Yes, it was going to be glorious!
However, shortly after hooking the first of several brown
trout, the sun disappeared behind a constant flow of clouds
coming over the mountains to the west.

Oh well, that’s fishing in Wyoming in February.
Fortunately my layers of Gor-tex, wool and fleece kept me
warm and dry.Overall the past few days on the water were
just what was needed despite the weather. At some point I
found some fish rising to midges in the shallows, fooled a few
acrobatic fish with nymphs and got to spend time with Sage,
my old lab who likes to fish nearly as much as me. Not bad
for the third week of February, not bad at all.

Some watchers on the hill….

watchers

He loved the nymph….

caught in  
the cold

Wyoming water in February…

wyoming trout water

The fishing and catching was pretty good

Given that it’s February and temperatures have been hovering in the thirties lately, it seemed as good a time as any to go fishing. Typically, winter fishing begins to pick up this time of year and continues to be good well into the spring. Today was no exception. We located fish holding in some nice, deep-green water. After giving Jeremy a crash course in short-line nymphing, he was able to land 8-10 fish during our outing. In addition to picking up fish subsurface, there was also quite a few heads breaking the surface, sipping midges. This was great to see and has got me fired up for the 2013 fishing season!

working the water….

winter fishing in Jackson Hole

Success! Jeremy meet Mr. Whitefish, Mr. Whitefish meet Jeremy

first fish of the new year

An occassional tangle is part of the game….

sorting out a tangle