Well she’s at it again.  Sandy considers herself a fair-weather fisher person.  In other words, she patiently waits in a yoga studio on her days off from teaching, until I arrive home with “big fish” reports.  She then allows me to organize the boat equipment and float her down a fishy stretch as long as the sun is out most of the time and the wind is at a minimum. There is a formula that I have developed over the years “reading into” water levels and weather predictions to satisfy Sandy’s requirements.  Sandy has built this strategy over the years after a few uncomfortable trips spent in gale force winds, downpours, and blizzards.  The dogs appreciate this too, since they lounge in the back of the boat soaking up the rays, sniffing and licking each fish brought to net. I don’t blame her, it’s a brilliant plan and I’m not sure why I insist in fishing through the “Suffer Fest” some days.  I guess I appreciate a warm truck, dry clothes and/or a nip of whiskey much more after fighting through bad weather potentials.  Anyway, Sandy considers herself a bona fide streamer fisherwoman, only targeting large specimens that can’t help themselves from charging out from an overhanging bush or bank establishing territorial boundaries.  Though streamer fishing isn’t considered a delicate and precise approach it is very exciting way to fish.  Even when the fish aren’t actually taking the presentation, they still rush the streamer exposing them just long enough for the angler to receive an explosion of excitement satisfying everybody in the boat lucky enough to catch a glimpse of what might have been.  This is also a great way to target brown trout, since they have school yard bully disposition.

The weather has been mild for the tail end of winter.  Spring like conditions has allowed us to camp and float already.  Bug hatches are already seasoning the water’s surface all over southwest Montana, creating a “buzz” in fair-weather fisherman that are usually spending their time on the slopes charging the last bit of powder skiing available.  In between Sandy’s streamer sessions, I’ve been able to stop the boat and stalk rising trout. This has been one of the better midge hatches that I can remember in the past few years.  Conditions have allowed each pool to present a different challenge.  Some pools have fully exposed trout snouts indicating that they are probably eating midge mating clusters which is my favorite because it actually requires a skating presentation.  Other pools seem vacant at first, until you stare for a bit.  At first you might think you’re just seeing things or you might think it’s just a riffle but when slowed down you notice a bulge accompanied by a dorsal or a tail fin. This indicates that the fish are probably eating emerging midges caught in the surface film.  With limited patience, I like to split the difference, approaching each pod with a dry dropper combination.  Sandy, on the other hand, prefers not to complicate things and crashes her streamer down and rips it directly through the middle of the pod.  I don’t blame her, she usually gets one and it’s usually the dominant fish of the bunch.

All that said its time to head into the attic or gear room and bust out the fly rod.  Summer is just around the corner now and it’s never too early to start building muscle memory in those wrists and forearms.  Practice is the only way to improve distance and accuracy. Trust me the guides will thoroughly appreciate this as well as you will.  Instead of spending our time on the side of the river untying beautiful macramé, we will be netting and hoisting a lot more.  There is only just over a month until the Firehole Ranch season begins so, if you haven’t already, its time to start practicing, making reservations, and booking flights.

Fish On!, Josh Duchateau

With temperatures hovering above freezing, Brady and I planned to take to the water.  Since he was in my neck of the woods in Deer Lodge, a two hour drive from his home in Livingston, I insisted that he chose where we fish.  Without any real dry fly options within close range, a nymphing decision was weighed several times the night before over a couple of beers.  Talking about fishing is one of my favorite things to do besides actually doing it.  There were a few promising options where we could hoist large dripping trout measured in pounds not inches, but Brady chose to fish a colder canyon stretch with smaller on average fish in the Big Hole river.  I was kind of surprised with his decision, but I know I shouldn’t have been.  After all, Brady is the only person that has convinced me that it was a good idea to fish twenty five degree temperatures with thirty mile an hour sustained winds more than once.  We chipped ice away from our guides and rods while watching each other dissect each fishy looking pool.  Conditions were good not great.  The fishing was good not great.  It was still really fun and we didn’t see another fisherman all day.  It was well worth our effort and I would do it all over again.

I know that I don’t have to remind you but it’s only half way through winter….technically.  Even though another year is already whizzing by we still have another two months of sub zero temperatures and blowing snow which make some days stall almost to a complete stop.  On that note, as for Montana winters, this has been a mild one.  It is actually raining, melting snow rapidly in the lower elevations as I’m posting this blog.  The state’s overall snowpack is well below normal and the temperatures have kept most of our surrounding rivers virtually ice free. That said, I haven’t heard anybody even whisper a complaint after last years pummeling.  Considering the overall water content and the carryover in all of our western reservoirs, I have a very optimistic outlook for the upcoming Firehole Ranch fishing season.  With a few good to great water years in a row the fish should be very “healthy”, otherwise known as fat and spunky.  The insect activity should finally be consistent with our historic hatch charts.  I look forward to the Firehole and Henry’s Fork fisahing predictably well the first week we are open, unlike last season.  The rest of the rivers should follow suit as we post it in our Firehole Ranch week-by-week fishing forecast.  I can’t wait!

Best Wishes,

Josh Duchateau

Head Guide

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Over the hump?

I found myself looking out the window at the snow capped peaks above Livingston this morning watching the treetops swaying in the breeze. Inevitably my thoughts turned quickly to the day’s weather, that daily ritual of checking local forecasts and even maybe a quick look just to see what some fellow fisherman is waking up to on the other side of a mountain pass or two. Maybe I’ll just check out temps on the coast:

Forks, WA. High 45, not bad. Friends chasing steelhead out there soon.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. 81, tropical.
Nelson, South island NZ. 75 and sunny, some lucky angler is stalking back country browns in shorts with big dries and applying liberal amounts of sunscreen.

Sunscreen? I don’t think I need to worry about that today. Small chance of sunburn through fleece long johns and 5 layers of Gore-tex. Windburn, now that is a distinct possibility. Neck gaiters and wool caps are tucked in my backpack and vest pockets. Somewhere in the bottom of a dusty boat bag there is a long abandoned tube of the stuff. Fear not friend, for the days are already getting longer by minutes a day. Soon you will be reclaimed from your wintry slumber and find yourself once again in a prime vest pocket easily at hand. After all we are over the hump. The Yellowstone National Park fishing season opens in a short four months and a few days, with plenty of fantastic spring angling leading up to that. Not to mention today, windburn and all. Hopefully a few generous winter trout will come to hand and I will rest easy tonight, thoughts of the upcoming season in my head. Dreaming of sunny summer days spent with friends and getting the chance to lace up the hiking boots and share a bit of the beauty and thrill that abound in our big backyard and it’s amazing waters.

I can hardly wait,
Brady Hughes
Firehole Ranch Guide

Good Fall Firehole Fanatics,
We are now officially into winter and the reality fall is over has sunk in. All good things must end I guess. I reflect while I sit here sipping a cup of piping hot coffee as it gently snows outside. It was another good one as I recall. Just enough warm weather to be able to squeeze in a couple of camping trips and just enough snowy and cold weather to bring the elk down out of the high country into my freezer. It was a fall of many firsts. It was Lamar’s (my lab/springer mix) first hunting season, my dad’s first bull elk, and my first time getting my truck really stuck in the mountains. Failure is always an option when it comes to first times. All events went well even though they didn’t happen as I might have imagined them.
Since it was my first fall in Deer Lodge, I spent a lot of my time on Google Earth and studying many other maps. This is one of my favorite things about fall. A chance to ride new roads, climb new hills, and fish new streams. New inspiration is on top of every mountain and around every bend of the river. This is a chance to have another first time. After all you never know where your next first time will take you.
Fall is a great time to be a fishing guide, especially if we’re not guiding. Even if we are guiding, at least the water is much less crowded. It gives us a chance to explore and expand our resume. It gives us a chance to hopper fish that one bank, streamer fish that back eddy where “Walter” lives, or knock the dust off the spey rod and swing brightly colored flies through that particular run that haunted our thoughts all summer long. Chasing our sporting dogs through golden fields chuck full with coveys of birds is always an option. As a guide, fall is also a great time to visit our neglected families and reconnect with reality. These are just a few reasons why fall is my favorite season of the year.
If it wasn’t for summer and winter, we wouldn’t have fall. The leaves are all but gone now. The days are very short, hardly nine hours long. Old man winter is on our doorstep. This is a great time of year to refill fly boxes, replace old fly line, or plug holes in our waders. Still it isn’t an excuse not to go outside. Even though winter fishing isn’t nearly as romantic as it is the rest of the year, I’m still passionate enough to get out at least once a week. I can’t believe it’s the middle of December already. My holiday shopping sprees are basically over…I hope everybody gets what they want. I know I already got what I want, a winter full of memories made this past fall.

Happy Holidays,
Josh Duchateau