I’ve spent the past few weeks guiding some great folks on a variety of waters here in the greater Jackson Hole area. The fly fishing’s been pretty good overall despite the big runoff we’re having. Yellowstone National Park has been the primary destination with folks. Thankfully the Firehole has been in great shape and allowed us to target fish with dries and nymphs. Additionally, I’ve also fished folks on area lakes and the upper Green river.

The upper Green is dropping and should start fishing well. The other day down there was tough despite tons of grey drakes, PMDs and stoneflies hatching. I think the slow fishing might have had to do with a big weather change; air pressure changes can really shut fish down and I have a feeling that the big thunderstorms and cooling temps conspired against us. In any event, it’s nice to be getting out and showing folks our great fisheries.

One of several nice fish Chuck caught on the Firehole. Clouds rolled in and the PMDs started emerging, Dry fly fishing got GOOD!

Kirk and Tasha’s first day of fly fishing included everything- Brown trout, Rainbows and a wandering herd of Bison in Yellowstone National Park. (don’t worry, we gave these guys plenty of space…)

Mark cast along the Firehole river as a small geyser goes off across the way. The fish made us work, but in the end, Mark landed some nice browns and rainbows making for a fun day.

Lakes can be fun but tough. If you’re only gonna catch a couple fish, a big Brook trout like this is the way to go! Fun day with Jamie, Neal and their ladies!

Haven’t been doing too much fishing lately. Waters haven’t been in the greatest shape and work continues on the Teton Fly Fishing cabin. I’m happy to report that things are coming together nicely and I’m hoping to finish up in the next week or two. I snuck down to the water yesterday to wet a line. The Wind is running high and dirty so I had low expectations. Fortunately a feisty whitefish took my fly and put up a fight making the outing a success.

I’m sad to report that my Grandfather, Don Goldstrom, passed away a few weeks back. My grandad and I were really close and he’s the reason my life revolves around fly fishing. As many of you know I was fortunate enough to start fly fishing when I was little under his tutelage, joining him on many of the Wyoming waters I fish today. He set a fine example for me, encouraging me to pursue my passions and I think he was pretty proud to know his grandson was actually making a living in Jackson guiding and making art. The last time we fished together, I floated him, Jamie and Lulu down the Salt river, and despite being 88 he caught a ton of fish on dry flies. I was hoping to see him out here again this summer for another day on the water and cocktails afterword, but he decided it was time to move on. Fortunately I have a lot of great memories with him, both fishing and otherwise and I know that anytime I step into a trout stream or tie a fly, I’ll think of him. You can read his obit here

He left some big boots to fill.

Here in Jackson Hole, the first few weeks of 2017 have been cold and snowy. Temperatures dipping to around 30 below and several feet of snow have have meant a lot of time indoors. I’ve been staying busy tying flies, building some cigar box guitars and opting to capture trout with watercolors rather than more conventional fly fishing tackle.

A new watercolor- “Fall River rainbow” 16×24. While subbing HS art class, I was able to work on several new paintings including this one.

That said, last Saturday I took three crazies from Michigan wade fishing on the Snake. Despite the fact that temperatures barely got above 0 during the day, Sean, Tim and Sean wanted to say they fished the Snake while visiting Jackson. We found a little water that was open and free of ice and worked it until feet and fingers were cold. The fish didn’t eat our nymphs though and after about an hour, fly rods were traded for pulls of whiskey and we retreated back to the truck. Never have i guided in such cold weather and I don’t plan on doing it again…. In the weeks to come, as days start getting longer (and a bit warmer), I’ll continue the winter fishing, both for fun and with clients. 

Having returned from a two week trip to the Bahamas, I thought I’d post a few pics. Jamie and I enjoyed our low key vacation, spending the days fishing, drinking and relaxing. Our friends, Winter and Amy joined us for part of the trip, adding to the fun. Needless to say I fished everyday, opting to wander the flats and beaches,8 wt in hand. The bonefish were there and reminded me why i love fishing for them so much. Hope you like the pictures…

Reunited and it felt so good… not the biggest of the trip, but a nice little bone; a good way to kick off the trip!

This is a shot of Jamie kayaking out in front of our place. Despite the drizzle, the water was as flat as can be, making sight fishing possible despite the lack of sunshine. Overall the weather was great and the island fared the recent hurricane ok.

After fishing all day, some BBQ ribs seemed like a fine idea and if you have to man a grill, I can’t think of many better places.

One of the many bonefish i hooked into. Spawning shirmp and Avalons worked well. Sometimes I had to fish lighter flies when the fish were super spooky in the shallow water. Note the white sand bottom. This meant barefoot wading all the time!

High tide brough in the Stingrays; such cool animals. Often times a few big bonefish would be feeding around the Stringrays on the beach where we stayed, picking off critters that the rays kicked up.

Back in Jackson, the snow is falling and winter is here after a mostly warm November. We’re catching up on things and Lulu is glad to have her pack back.