Most folks think of winter in Jackson Hole as a skier’s paradise. And while this is undeniably true, it also can be a fun place to fly fish. Winter fishing appeals to hardy anglers seeking solitude, sweeping views and the chance to catch some of our native cutthroat trout and mountain whitefish. Unlike summer, most of the fly-fishing is done subsurface with nymphs and small midge patterns. Anglers trudge through snow, finding deep, slow pools holding wintering fish. Dead-drifting nymphs will work best, however some days trout rise sporadically to midges on the surface. While fishing, there is the added possibility of seeing moose and eagles along the river.

I offer anglers a half -day winter walk-in trips on the Snake River as well as overnight trips to fish the Wind River in Dubois. Like my summer trips, I pick folks up at their hotel and provide all fishing gear- rods, reels, flies, waders, etc. as well as snacks, coffee and drinks. Some walking or snowshoeing (up to a mile) is required, so it’s best to be in decent shape.

Half day walk-in Snake river trip (1 or 2 anglers) $325

Overnight trips make for two fun days of fishing the Wind river while staying at a warm, cozy cabin. The Wind provides good nymph fishing for nice Browns and Rainbows. In addition to fly fishing, there is some great cross-country skiing to be had. If you looking for a winter fishing/ski getaway, this may be perfect!

Overnight trip (1 or 2 anglers) $900

If this sounds like fun, give me a call or shoot me an email and let me take you fly-fishing while you’re visiting this winter!

Always on the prowl for good regional fly fishing books, I
thought I’d give folks a heads up on a great book about fly
fishing in Yellowstone, written by fisherman, freelance
journalist and rocker, Nate Schweber. Schweber’s book,
Fly Fishing Yellowstone National Park, an insider’s guide
to the 50 best places, came out a few months back and
I’ve been meaning to mention it, but haven’t found the time
until now.

While there are many good books about fishing in our first
National Park, Nate’s take is a little different; not so much a
how-to book, as much as a personalized account of special-
waters and memorable moments told by a collection of
fisherman such as Tom McGuane, Jimmy Carter, etc. You can
even read a chapter/interview with yours truly about fishing
the Fall River. (who would’ve thought the “Powers that Be”
would allow me to share pages with Dick Cheney…)

Schweber’s book is a great read and deserves to be on
your bookshelf. Plus, Christmas is coming and it’d make a
great gift….. Get it here.

Last Friday, Sage and I drove the 11 hour round trip to
Helena, Montana to pick up my new Adipose driftboat. As
many of you know, for years I have used a raft to float the
local rivers. And while the raft treated me and my clients
great, and allowed us sneak down skinny water and stop
almost anywhere fish were to be found, I finally gave in to
temptation and pulled the trigger on a shinny new drift boat.

The Adipose skiffs are built by fisherman for fisherman;
looking at the design and layout, this couldn’t be clearer. The
boat has lots of room for storage, a walk-around interior and
removable casting braces. Before towing the boat back to
Jackson, I let Sage get in and check it out; making sure she
approved before taking off with it.

All in all, I’m really happy with it and can’t wait to get it on
the water next season! Enjoy a few pictures…

The Snake continues to fish well! Keith got his first taste of western fly fishing, fishing dries all day long!

As some of you may know, I’m a bit of a Flat Creek junkie. I
love the challenge of fishing to selective trout in slow, clear
water. I’ve spent some days over the past few weeks guiding
folks on it, but today was my day. Despite having a long list of
things to take care of on my day off, I managed to fish it this
morning for a few hours and had a blast. Here’s one of the fish
that fell for my fly…