Guiding on the Snake in January

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Well, the 2016 Teton Fly Fishing guiding season is underway.
This past week I took two eager anglers from upstate New York fly
fishing on the Snake. Tyler and Carlos were in town on a ski trip
and wanted to do a little fishing. After breaking trail for a bit and
getting our blood pumping, we got on the water a little after 11am.
Tyler had considerable experience with a fly rod, fishing back home
for steelhead, while Carlos was new to it. After fishing a run or two
without luck, Tyler manage to connect with a nice cutthroat trout;
a fine intro to western fly fishing! Carlos continued to work on his
casting, which paid off when he landed his first fish on a fly rod.
These guys ended up with quite a few fish under their belts, not
bad for a cold day in January!

Tyler showing off his first western trout, a nice snake
river cutthroat trout!

Winter fly fishing on the Snake river

Trudging, casting and freezing

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Seeing as the thermometer said 33 degrees outside, I couldn’t resist wetting a line. Taking down the christmas lights could wait! I headed to the Snake to scout some side channels. I walked, no trudged up river, following one braid after another hoping to find a pod of cutthroat trout sipping on midges. Unfortunately my fishing turned into more of a hike. A lot of the water I thought might be productive was frozen over, save a thin ribbon of current here and there. I ended up walking a giant loop in the river bottom, casting a few times here and there but really not coming across any water that excited me. Eventually I got back to the bridge and nymphed a seam/ shelf that I’ve hooked a few fish at before. It wasn’t long before I stumbled into a decent cutthroat (who came off before a picture could be taken) and a few whitefish. I rambled on down river and hit a few more pieces of water but never saw another fish. I did come across some mountain lion tracks though….

It never hurts to get out and I did enjoy the quiet. At least I can cross that area off my map and focus on other areas this winter with the fly rod.

Below are a few pics from fishing the wind last week. Finally got around to downloading them…

rainbow meet zebra midge

Gotta respect the zebra midge; a great pattern for winter fly fishing in Wyoming!

bow, 1st of year

Not the biggest rainbow, but a pretty one. 

Trout of the new year

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At last, I got back in the saddle and waved around the long rod. It’s been a while since I fished. Much of this had to do with the below zero temperatures we had for a few weeks in Jackson Hole. Add to it the holiday season and some various teaching gigs, and I went on a bit of a hiatus. All this changed yesterday when I threw my gear in the truck and fished a stretch of water not too far from the Teton Fly Fishing cabin.Conditions couldn’t have been much better; no wind, overcast and warm enough that gloves weren’t needed and rod guides didn’t freeze. It was downright pleasant! The water I settled on is a good choice for winter fly fishing; easily wadeable with a beaver cache to foster emerging midges. I ended up fishing for about an hour and managed a few rainbows. It felt great to be back on the water.

was hoping to have pics to post from the day, but i’m experiencing some tech problems loading them so you’ll just have to take my word and use your imagination….

Not too much else to report from Teton Fly Fishing headquarters. We had a nice, mellow christmas and new years. As I mentioned, it was really cold, meaning we spent too much time inside eating, drinking and getting fat. Lulu’s doing great, definitely coming into her own and gaining independence. Training continues and, save some backyard barking, we’re proud of how she’s coming along. Looks like the next week or so should be a bit warmer (high 20s- mid 30s) so hopefully some more fishing will occur. I’ve got a walk- in trip on the books for next week and folks are starting to book summer/fall days too.