Monochrome

I shoot with a Sony DSC-H50, a point and shoot, It has many features including the ability to manually set values much like an SLR. Im still learning but im getting much better. Freestone and i got some great fish and shots this week. I used my camera functions to produce these Monochrome shots.

Lost the Big One today

Matt and I headed up to the weber today and got going around 10am. We fiddled around and figured out what they were eating and then headed up to some fresh holes. We had 3 BWO hatches today, the 3rd being the best and longest. It was during the 3rd that i hooked into a big buck. He ripped off line heading up stream and took me just shy of my backing. Matt got a look at him and immediatly started running down river, he knew it was big. It turned and headed into some sticks, after a few moments i was able to free him. He headed down river right to Matt. The net was in the water and the fish was in it briefly. He flopped and spun and it was over, Snap. I lost everything and let out a pretty good scream. That was a tough fish to loose. Well get him another day. We had plenty of others, but the big one that got away stole the show. We love the weber and she always seems to let use know that we are welcome. Sow bugs and Barrs Emergers in olive were the hot bugs of the day.

I hear its all blown out now. Hamms Fork

Well Matt and i got over to the Fork one more time before the water gets crazy. It was slower than it had been but it was still a great trip. We were still fishing the worm and egg but i tried a brown worm and was able to pick up some nice bows in one hole. Weve since heard that the water has come up and the fishing has turned off for now. The fish will settle down and we will hit it in a few weeks. Oh, I also got some new Willy Joe gear, the new mag series, and its pretty sweet.

Winter stonefly hatch

While fishing the weber this winter, sometime around late jan early feb, my brother and i encountered a stonefly hatch. After some research i found out that they are called Taeniopteryx, i call them smokey stones. They are about a half inch long and have black bodies with a smokey grey wing. They hatch on many rivers and are easily recognized as they crawl all over the snow on the banks. I read an article in a mag that said guys had great luck during this hatch on a prince (16). I later was able confirm that as i found myself in the middle of them again in Idaho. I believe that a prince with a grey biot wing and shorter black tail will match even better. Here is a pic of them on my waders, you can click the pic and see more detail. If you see these guys pull out the prince and hold on...

Matts Fish

I was at Matts tonight discussing the finer points of the hairsear and he brought to my attention a pic that i had taken of one of his fish from the Weber a few weeks ago. Its a nice one, he has on his Flicker page ( freestone flyer) so i thought i would post it on my site.

Idahos St. Joe

Well i went to Idaho to take my daughter to spend time with her cousins. It was the wrong time of year for fishing. The season really doesnt start until late May as Idaho closes most of its rivers in winter. However a few stay open like the St. Joe. I however was there at peak spring runoff. The drive to the river was amazing, the landscape was dotted with lakes and it seemed that every river was hugh. The St. Joe sits about 60 miles South east of Cour dalaine, i dont know how to speel it. You want to fish clear up at the head water in the town of Avery, tiny. There the water is smaller and easier to attack. The river is a dry fly mecca in the summer, one of those rivers where you can huck a Maddam X or a size 10 Stimmy to cutts that are feeding with wreckless abandon. For summer reference the local shops recomend a large stimulator with a size 12-14 stonefly nymph dropper and variations thereof. With the water high, there was not much hope of dries working for me. The water was crystal clear dispite runoff conditions. I found pockets along the edge slowed by rocks and other bottom features. I noticed a small stonefly that was hatching like mad. I had read an article that had suggested a small Prince Nymph as a good match and a good match it was. With that and a Larva Worm i landed between 15 and 20 sweet cutts. The big ones all took me into the swift water and got away. The majority of the fish where 10-14 inches. I only got to fish for a few hours but it was well worth it. The beauty of this river is worth the drive alone, I will definantly be back.

WYOMING RULES

We have fished all over the west this year and we have not found a section of river so sweet as the upper section of Hamms Fork. The Rainbows have been beautiful, just as beautiful as can be, they are perfect. They are also fat and feisty. We have had hugh success on Larva Lace worms and egg patterns. We really took some great photos of these fish. I hope you enjoy them.