-20

Well, Christmas has come and gone and we’re close to
welcoming a new year with new fishing possibilities. I’m sorry to
report that I haven’t done any fishing. We’ve been dealing with
some seriously cold temps here in the Hole; minus 20 has been
the norm lately and daytime highs haven’t been high at all.
Needless to say we’ve been hunkered down, only going outside to
take Lulu for walks (who doesn’t seem to mind the cold at all).
Instead of donning the waders and long rod, I’ve been tying flies
for the upcoming season. Right now most of the ties are nymphs;
stoneflys, pheasant tail variations, zebra midges, etc. These are
patterns that I use a lot in the winter months, but also in waters
like the Green and Firehole rivers. The beginning of the new year
is always kind of fun, forcing me to organize fly boxes and order
fly tying supplies. Today Lulu and I are heading to the fishing
cabin. I imagine there’s some snowblowing to do and I’ve got some
woodworking projects to get on.

early  
winter tying

at the cabin

Lulu and I are spending some time at the Teton Fly Fishing
cabin while Jamie’s out of town. Overall it’s been cold and wintery
so fishing hasn’t happened. I think I’ve gotten to a point where
sometimes it’s better to just lay low rather than prove something
by fishing when it’s too cold. It’s not so bad watching movies,
spinning records, hiking and doing some artwork. Lulu  
hiking

Lulu and I took a good hike this morning high above the
Teton Fly Fishing cabin. I was winded, Lulu, not so much.

nate's painting

One of the many painting I’ve been working on

The great southwest

It’s been cold here in Jackson Hole lately. Temperatures have
fallen below zero at night and daytime highs have struggled to get
out of the teens. Looks like that’s gonna change in the next few
days though and I’m hoping to get out on some water and wet a
line. I haven’t done any fishing lately, mainly because of the cold
temperatures and being out of town.

Jamie, Lulu and I took a road trip to the southwest over
thanksgiving, putting 2500 miles on the suburu and covering 4
states. Stops were made in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and
Utah. Some great friends and family put us up along the way, with
the bulk of our time being spent in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Unfortunately I didn’t take any fishing gear, choosing instead to
focus on time with family and friends. I did do some scouting
though and will definately take a rod next time! Below are a few
pics from the journey…

Kit  
Carson's home

Here’s Kit Carson’s home in Taos, NM. After reading a lot
about Carson over the years, it was really cool to stand where he
once spent time. We spent 2 nights in Taos staying with friends Mel
and Charlie; super cool folks who showed us around and made us
feel at home.

Nate and Jamie

Dressed up for a Thanksgiving feast. We went to a
friends house in Santa Fe for Thanksgiving dinner. Really had a nice
time walking around town a bit and then eating with some great
folks. Note the new Stetson… I picked that up in downtown
Albuquerque at the Man’s Hat Shop. If you’re every in the area, I
highly recommend picking up a hat there. The service was
fantastic!

Fred

Couldn’t resist a picture with Fred. Came across this
Flinstone themed campground on the way to the south rim of the
grand canyon.

Lulu keeps an eye out while I paintf

Lulu and I did alittle painting while at the Grand Canyon.
This was the first time I’d been to the GC and it blew my mind! Far
exceded my expectations.

Now back home, my attention is focused on some art teaching
gigs and the Christmas season. We cut down a tree on Tuesday
and plan on decorating it tonight. Today i have to sort out outdoor
lights and replace bulbs….

Sneaking one in

Taking advantage of a break in the weather, Lulu and I jumped
in the truck and headed to the Teton Fly Fishing cabin. The plan
was to stack firewood and fish. My friend Nick came over and
despite a night of good food and beverages, we rallied, getting up
early, attaching the drift boat and hit the road. We arrived at the
river shortly before 9 and found the boat ramp empty.

The first few hours of the float were lacking fish; nothing
feeding on top, chasing streamers or eating our nymphs. The
forecast called for sun and temps in the 50s, but we were in down
jackets getting blown up river. After fishing a few riffles that
usually produce, I suggested we drop anchor and eat lunch, hoping
that by killing time the bugs would hatch. As luck would have it,
the sun came out and it did warm up considerably! Nick started the
post-lunch fishing with two small beachhead nymphs and
immediately hook a decent rainbow and then a BIG brown trout!

Nick  
with a nice November brown trout

Nick shows off a beautiful fall brown trout! 

Now we were feeling good! He caught another big rainbow and
then handed the rod to me. I got a few more nice rainbows and
this is how the rest of our day went; fishing riffles with both
nymphs and small BWO dry flies. In the end, it turned out to be a
fantastic day with some beautiful fish being brought to the boat.
After the long drive home (we snuck in just ahead of a fast moving
snow storm) we celebrated with beer, whiskey and steaks on the
grill. Lulu got a few extra treats herself for being a great
companion.

Netting  
a rainbow

Netting a nice rainbow while Lulu tries to contain
herself

fall  
brown head

I don’t know if they come any prettier… a nice big male!

Lulu  
likes Nick's fish

Nick is all smiles in the Wyoming late-day sunshine.
Lulu’s impressed

Winter’s arrived

Over the past week or so winter’s arrived in Jackson Hole. We had
are first snow of the season in town and off season is in full swing.
I’ve been taking advantage of the cold, shorter days; catching up
on any number of things that got neglected over the past months.
I’ve dusted off the paint brushes and begun working on some new
pieces.

Lulu continues to do well, getting walks everyday and plenty of
time hanging out with Jamie and I. We’re over in Dubois at the
fishing cabin stacking firewood and doing chores in preparation for
the winter season. Temperatures are decent here and my friend
Nick and I are planning on floating the Big Horn over in
Thermopolis tomorrow. We’re hoping to catch some of the nice
browns and rainbows the Big Horn’s known for. Hopefully I’ll have a
report later in the week.

Late October brown trout fishing

Now that guiding season has slowed, I get to do some fishing.
It should come as no surprise that October here in the Wyoming
Rockies means Brown trout. Shorter days get brown moving up
and down river gearing up for spawning. It’s a great time to target
large, aggressive fish with streamers.

I hit the road yesterday morning with Lulus in hopes of finding
some nice fish with streamers. After a slow drive thanks to icy
roads, we hit the water amidst some early season snow. I choose
to fish my Winston BIIIX 6 wt; a great all purpose rod for out here.
Fish, both browns and rainbows were receptive to my white wooly
bugger-type streamers. By mid afternoon, after catching 8 or 9
nice fish we retreated back to the truck to warm up and head
home.

slogging down the road to fish

Roads were slow going thanks to an early season
dusting of snow. Fortunately we made it to the river.

colored up brown trout

A little artsy; nice to capture this colored-up fall run
brown trout in the net.

Streamer fishing for wyoming brown trout

One of many fish that fell for my white streamer. It’s
always nice to hook some sizeable fish late in the season. While
the weather might be less than desireable, late fall here in
Jackskon Hole and surronding areas is a great time to hunt for
trophy trout!

Looks to be a wrap

It looks like I’ve guided my last trip of the season (unless the phone rings of course…), wrapping up what proved to be another great year on the water. Dave and I spent two days float fishing this past week; first on the Snake and then on the Salt. The weather couldn’t have been better and it was great to catch up with Dave and his wife Celeste after not seeing them since last year. Fish were caught both days and it was nice to end the season with such nice folks.

Dave's October cutt

Dave’s all smiles as we show off one of his snake river cutthroat trout from our float the other day. Warm weather has made float fishing on the Snake a great late season option- good fishing and an empty river!

Thanks to all of you who fished with me the past months. It’s always fun taking both return and new anglers out and I’m already looking forward to more of it! I’m planning on getting in some more fishing of my own in the weeks to come. Days continue to get shorter but that won’t stop Lulu and I from hitting the water. Also, I think Jamie and I are going to go float the Bighorn in the near future. And while the seasons are changing, I’ll continue to offer guided fly fishing trips in and around Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Half day winter walk-in trips can be a blast!

Reunion tour

I spent the past week fishing with my friend Kurt. Kurt and I
grew up together and spent lots of time fly fishing the streams
and rivers of central PA while in college. Every year we try to get
together to fish (usually Kurt comes out here once my guiding
season slows). We fished hard for 6 days straight and shared some
good times on various waters here in the greater Yellowstone
region. Rather than give a play by play, I’ll let the pictures speak
for themselves…

Kurt's  
Bighorn rainbow

Kurt shows off a nice rainbow from the Bighorn. Fishing
was fun, but challenging as fish were sipping tiny spinners all day
long.

Kurt  
casting

Kurt works a rugged piece of water in the greater
yellowstone region; cutthroat, whitefish and brook trout all were
caught during our day.

Lulu and Kurt on the Bighorn

Lulu Keeps an eye on me while kurt sheds a layer in the
warm October sun.

Teton  
Fly Fishing fall cutthroat trout

a nice October cutthroat trout.

shadow casting on the Henry's Fork

Kurt shadow-casting (ok, high-stick nymphing) on the
Henry’s Fork. High-sticking with black stonefly nymphs was the key
to too many rainbows to count.’

Brown trout in Wyoming

Doesn’t get much better than this… This big brown
couldn’t refuse Kurt’s dead-drifted nymph. 


Looks like this week will be my last week of guiding for the
season (unless someone else lines a trip up). I’m excited to take
out a long time return client of mine for a few fun days on the
water. More to come on that…

October

Fishing the Firehole Canyon

Here’s a shot from the Firehole Canyon in Yellowstone National Park. Anglers Craig, Mark and Bob spent a day with me on the Firehole. Fishing was tough due to blue-bird skies and warm temps (the bugs never hatched). Despite this though we had a great day in the park!

I’ve been busy around here, finishing up the guiding season with a bang. Some great return clients mixed in with some new folks have made the past few weeks really fun. Overall the weather round here in Jackson Hole has been fantastic- lots of sun and warm temperatures. Fishing trips have had us headed in all directions; south to the Salt, West to Snake, North to Yellowstone National Park and east to Dubois. I’ll be honest, while I enjoy the sunshine, I do think it has made the fishing a little more challenging. Clients have had good days on the water but have definitely had to work for their fish. Some clouds would surely get some hatches swinging.

Lydia's catch

Lydia is all smiles after catching some fish on the the Snake river. Not bad for a first timer!

Craig's cutty

Craig and Wyn spent their final day floating the Snake. We had a great day on the water with this catch being the highlight. Craig worked this guy with various patterns before fooling him with a size 6 chernobyl ant.

Today begins a bit of fishing vacation for me. My friend Kurt arrives this afternoon and we’ll be fishing together for the next week or so. Plans include some time at the cabin, a float on the Bighorn, South Fork and Salt, throw in some wade fishing on the Henry’s Fork and we’ve got some fine fishing ahead of us.

road jam; buffalo on the move

The buffalo were on the move the other night. When the herd moves across the highway, traffic stops. Not a bad way to spend part of the work commute

Wyoming’s super September fishing

September is by far my favorite month to fish in and around
Jackson Hole. Cottonwood and Aspen trees respond to cooler
temperatures, changing their leaves from green to yellows and fish
rise to various dry flies. Most of our days are sunny and warm, but
the first snow of the season often falls in September; albeit briefly.

Jack showing off a nice brown trout

Jack shows off a nice brown trout from Coyote creek.

I kicked off the fantastic September fishing by guiding and
hosting Jack and Paul from CT for the better part of a week. These
guys join me every year for some great fall fishing, staying at the
Teton Fly Fishing cabin in Dubois, Wyoming and fishing local
waters nearby. We spent a couple days there fishing remote
waters, catching plenty of cutthroat, brown, rainbows and brook
trout. Most fish were in the 8-14″ range, but there were a few
surprises! Successful fly patterns varied, but I’d say my top pics
were the Purple Haze, Parachute hare’s ear, and grey drake
emerger. Dry Dropper combos also worked well, particularly on
the colored-up brook trout. After some great days at the cabin, we
returned to Jackson, ending the trip with a float trip on the Snake.
Jack had fished the Snake before with me, but this was Paul’s first
trip on Jackson Hole’s main river. The Snake didn’t disappoint; the
dry fly fishing was good and the weather perfect!

Paul  
working the river

Paul fishes an evening hatch. Coyote creek treated us
well. We rounded out another fine day of fishing with grilled steaks
at the cabin. Always fun fishing these guys; can’t wait till next
year!