SoftHacke

The Big One

2011-08-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

The trip was a bit of a last minute thing. Randy had called and said his buddies were going to do a hike in trip. With the restaurant and all it was a bit up in the air as to weather or not i was going to make it. At the last minute my sister Shari offered to work so that i could go fishing. I had stayed up late the few night before the trip tying up some buggers i new the fish would love. I had called Paul at William Joseph and ordered a 4500 badlands pack to use on the trip. It arrived 45 min before i was to depart to meet the guys. On the way my bronco broke down so my sister had to rescue me again and get me to Green River to rendezvous with the rest of the group. Yep, i will give you that, we were in Wyoming. After all the turmoil i was on my way. The hike in was brutal with the 50 extra pounds in the pack. But what a comfy pack it was. If you need one look no further than the 4500 from badlands. Got up the next morning and hit a lake to catch brookies for lunch. After lunch the decision was made to follow a river that connected to 4 different lakes. It rained on use for a while, but as the sun broke we where all having a great time catching 8-12 inch brookies and cutts as we worked our way from lake to lake. Most were fishing dries but i stuck to my buggers. I was out ahead and approaching a lake. there was a transition area with a nice set of cliffs that looked very fishy. I worked along the wall and then with a bounce off the rock and a quick tug, all my fishing dreams were about to come true. The water erupted. I really thought that i had hit a beaver in the head. A fish cant move that much water. Then my line went tight and up the river comes the biggest fish Ive ever seen in a wild setting. It was half out of the water as i screamed for my friends for help.. There was no way to land this by myself. Was it the refraction in the water or was this fish that big. it was that big. Shane got to me first. I played it gently not to get the fish to wound up. A after a few minutes and a few runs Shane was able to basically tackle the fish.. Before i even got a good look i ran to get my brother. I was screaming that i had caught a 28 inch cutt which i thought was a bit of a stretch. we later taped it at exactly 28 inches. The fish of a lifetime. Thanks to Randy, Shane, Scott, Brent, Jerom, Andrew. Without them its just another fish story, Thanks guys. Enjoy the pics. Ps The fish was proudly released to enjoy another day..

Sweet CRCs

2011-06-13T21:12:00.001-07:00

The selection and the reward.

2011-04-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

Walking is better.

2011-03-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

Been throwning dries on the nicer days. The river really looked like spring the other day. Cant wait for the first major hatches. Being in such a place all by yourself is crazy. You dont often get to experience these great rivers without another soul around. If you only fish when its warm your missing the point.

A Solid Week.

2011-02-15T20:54:00.000-08:00

It was a great week. Paul Swint of Willy Joe and Gary Winterton with Hooked on Utah made it up here to my backyard. I was able to spend a beautiful day on the water with them. Fish hit everything from streamers to size 10 PMX,s, you read it right. Thanks for letting me tag along fellas. All three days this week were amazing. Winter is truely a most excellent time to fish..

The rusty old streamer in the back of the truck...

2011-02-03T20:17:00.000-08:00

I was able to hit the river this past week with a buddy and as we are getting all set to go, he sees this old rusty streamers in the back of my truck. It was a pattern given to me last summer on the tail end of a three day float. Colin over at finpusher.com had been kind enough to let me use it after i had run through all my patterns that trip. It turned out to be the best fly for that trip and the next few i took down the river. So last week my buddy sees it in the bed of the truck all rusty and covered with grease, really, grease. So i tell him how great a pattern it had been back in its hayday. So i throw it in my box, for who knows what reason. So we are floating that day and getting it handed to us. So about 2 miles of river left, and after throwning everthing else, i tie it on. Its missing half its maraboo. The hook has rust all over it and there is the grease. In she goes, strip strip, was that a bump. Second cast, strip, whack, fish on. This fly proceeds to land like ten fish and a thousand chasers, no kidding. So on those days when your convinced that the fish are not hitting, they are, you just havnt found the right fly yet.. Thanks for the fly Finpusher, a gettin after it production..

Burbot Bash Jan 22-29 2011

2010-12-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

Presented by the Chambers of Commerce of Flaming Gorge, Green River and Rock Springs. They are getting serious about the Bash this year with over $10,000 in cash prizes. The basic layout, teams of 2-4 people, tagged fish in the lake ( everyone who catches a tagged fish will have their name put in the pot, one is drawn for $5,000 at sat closing ceremony), lots of giveaways at opening and closing from William Joseph, Sportsmans Warehouse, and Cabelas. Cash prizes for biggest fish ($1,500), most fish ($600), kids big fish, kids small fish ($100).

We have plenty of rooms available here at the Flaming Gorge inn ($40 per night 435-784-3088). We also have the restaurant open serving up the good grub. I also may have a little bit of inside info on where the fish are. The Forest Service will be giving out maps of where the fish were tagged.

Burbot are primarily fished at night for the best bite. They tend to be very abundant on the north end of the lake down to about Horseshoe. The north end of the lake should be all iced over however it is possible that it may be open water toward Horseshoe. They are expecting a lot of people so it should be pretty fun. Heck its the middle of winter, you need something to do.

Bur-Bot Bugger

2010-12-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

Well im willing to bet that not a whole lot of people have ever caught a Burbot on a bugger. Burbot you say, what is that? Burbot are a fresh water Ling Cod that were supposedly illegaly stocked into flaming gorge. Many people are panicing and thinking that they are going to destroy the trout fishing in the gorge. Ive talked to several guys from Wyoming who have said that several of Wyomings best trout lakes have had Burbot in them. I was hoping for a big bow and all i got was this damn Burbot...

Im Still Here I Promise

2010-11-28T18:36:00.000-08:00

So i have kind of been off the grid for a while here. Dont give up on me, better things are to come. I had the oppertunity a few months ago to purchase the Flaming Gorge Inn in Manila Utah. I could not pass on the chance to live in such a great place, so close to so much great fishing. It will be very difficult this winter, but so far so good. I will be doing some ice fishing this winter and i have been working on a few lake trout on the fly. The water is cold and the spawn is almost over so i should have some great pics soon. We are right below the Uinta mountains and great brookie and CRC cutt fishing, we are right by the Green River, and then of coarse there is the lake. Hope to see you all up here for some fun.

Dutch John, Utah

2010-09-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

This last trip may have been the last true flip flop excursion of the 2010 summer. The fishing left a lot to be desired but the company did not. We all had a most excellent time and I dont believe we will ever see chicken gorgonzola on a menu without a giggle again. Great trip.

Rain, Rain go away. Alaska 2010

2010-09-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

It rains a little bit in Alaska. The center portion of our trip was a soggy adventure. We did not let it slow us down, we continued working hard and were rewarded from time to time with fish. Keep in mind that on this trip, pink salmon, were not considered fish. We slayed them at all hours and conditions of the day. They are a good eating fish if you cook them up fresh. They do not freeze well, this is why you often see it in the canned food section of your supermarket. I think we probably caught 500 or so between us.
The rain made it hard to take out the camera. Even when i did, i seemed to be in a hurry and didn't get the best setups possible. I got more comfortable as the trip went on and started to shoot much better in the rain. My 7d was a champ, i drenched it multiple times and had zero problems, great piece of equipment.
The following photos are just some random stuff, The serious fish post will be soon to follow, patience. Randy was the fish slayer as usual, but Silvers are hard to find in the rain...

The William Joseph waterproof packs you see below were awsome. They kept my stuff dry as a bone, and it was seriously wet. William joseph is trying to decide if they will enter the waterproof game, from what i experienced, they should absolutely enter the game... Thanks Paul Swint for letting me use the packs.

The tails go with the heads beside them. The first is an Irish Lord, caught in the ocean, cool tail. The second is a pink salmon, The tail of a pink is my favorite. It kind of looks out of place, should be on a tiger trout or something.

Alaska "The Float Plane" Sept 2010

2010-09-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

The first few moments in Alaska are always overwhelming, but this time was even more so. We were in Ketchican and immediatly hopped a float plane to our final destination. Flying in a float plane had always been something i was looking forward too. It did not disappoint, the Beaver we flew in was actually the red one below. They seem to not be going fast enough to even fly, but there you are, lumbering across the sky. Its loud, tight, uncomfy, but there is knowhere else you would rather be.
I will be breaking down our Alaska trip in several post over the next few weeks. Special thank you to Dr. Allen Carter of Star Valley Wyoming for allowing us to join him at his cabin on Prince of Wales Island.

For a good time call!

2010-08-03T18:48:00.001-07:00

Grizz (Chris Andelin) at the South Fork Lodge. Thanks Grizz

2010-07-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

Drake Cripple on Badlands logo

2010-07-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

Im supported in my fishing adventures by William Joseph Gear and love it. The only reason i love it is durability. The stuff lasts forever. William Joseph is the fly fishing side of Badlands packs. Ive been using a Badlands Diablo pack for my fishing pack lately and i love it. Those of you who know Badlands, know what im talking about. Anyway, i thought this was a cool pic of a Drake Cripple on the badlands logo. Thanks to Paul Swint and all the guys at Willy J for helping feed my addiction..

LIFE IN THE RIFFLE

2010-07-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

Green Drakes

2010-07-08T19:35:00.001-07:00

A quick trip to wyoming

2010-07-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

Deep in the heart of Utah.

2010-07-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

Had a great day on the water with Mike (trouttripper) and Matt (localwaters801). The fishing left a little to be desired. We took a few on dries and a few underneath. A really bad storm had rolled through the night before and slowed things down. But you know what they say, a bad day fishing is better than a good one at work..

The Browns are back in town.

2010-06-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

Well the water is finally dropping and the rivers are springing to life. After work last night, Matt and I had a few hours to hit the river. Man were we glad we did. Have a look at this big guy we were lucky enough to get a few shots of. Enjoy.

Colorado River Cutthroat

2010-06-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

High Country Critters

2010-06-11T19:37:00.001-07:00

Salmon fly

2010-05-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Big water action..

2010-05-24T13:06:00.001-07:00

Its late in may so we were hoping for some dries and a little streamer action. What we got was 35 degrees and snow all day, so streamers were the ticket. Many on the river recieved a skunk for there efforts, we worked the streamers hard and were well rewarded..

A few shots from the weekend.

2010-05-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

Days you dont forget!

2010-05-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

You have them once in a while, days you dont forget. This was one of those days. The fish were willing and so was a bird. The bird was unwound and flew away relieved, im sure. All fish also were returned to be caught another day. The weather hovered around freezing and the wind never stopped. We saw the sun and the snow alternate as the day unfolded. We definantly caught a few fish that we will remember in stories for years to come. I believe i have a few shots that will tell the story better than words can express. We are fisherman, all we want are the pictures anyway...

Spring

2010-04-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

Fished a smaller piece of water today. It was nice to get out before runoff takes over. It was snowing for most of the day. We caught a few nice fish but overall it was slow. I was able to get some pics i was very happy with. I have a thing for stonefly cases, after they have molted, from a nymph to an adult stonefly. I got a cool picture of one today, i think its cool. There are really a lot of caddis in the river we were on, should be some great hatches this summer.

A Cutt Above

2010-04-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

Got out and fished a high mountain favorite this weekend, I love going up early in the spring, it usually means water all to yourself. I really didnt do a very good job behind the lens, but i still wanted to post this beautiful Cutt we found chilling in a high mountain pool. Wish i could say i got it on a dry, but i didnt. I believe this is a yellowstone cutt, heavy spots at tail, very few moving forward, very red belly, a yellowish color, and the info we could find on the creek said they were yellowstones, beautiful fish.

South Fork

2010-04-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

This river has been on my list for a while. It finally was time to hit it. The weather was looking good so we headed out. It was actually much closer than i had ever realized. The drive up took about 3 hours. We got to the fly shop just after dark and we set up the tent. The South Fork Lodge let us set up on the lawn behind the shop. It was a lot colder than we had planned, dropping to 17 degrees the first night. But the tent heater did its job nicely. The river the next morning was cold and windy until late in the afternoon. The wind never let up but the fish didn't care. Whiteys, whiteys, whiteys, with a few trout in between. The trout were hard to find but we managed to hunt them down. The Idaho Fish and Game wants everyone to take the Bows out of the river to help the Cutthroats. The locals don't agree, we had a hard time keeping the fish, and after talking to one of the fly shops, we practiced catch and release. It was hard to see people catching cutts on worms and cheese, no releasing those fish. Found it weird that it was even legal. The second day was much warmer. Fishing was slow until late in the day. Overall we saw some nice fish, The rainbows are beautiful, but the cutts are amazing. They are so golden, with those bright red cutts, amazing fish..

Count em, 2 monsters.

2010-04-06T23:13:00.000-07:00

We had a big storm last night which we new would slow the river down a little. But with the day off, we went fishing anyway. Things were real slow for a while. Snow and sun alternated as we probed each hole expecting, but not receiving, the results of the past few weeks. As the afternoon wore on the BWO finally popped. Even though we were not targeting the BWO hatch, we were throwing stones, the fishing picked up all the way around. I ended up landing 2 Huge male browns. On was 23 and one went 24. They were skinny, but both were well on there way to putting on that summer mass. I also caught a nice Cutt and Rainbow. We ended up having a great day in which we were privileged to see some great fish..

Will it hunt......

2010-04-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

So here is my interpretation of a Skwala. A little green on the belly, Segmented tail, Black wing, green barbed legs, Im hoping it will take a few hungry trout over the next few weeks. I would appreciate some feedback...

I also just recieved a few DeYoung stickers for my new Dry Fly box. Pretty cool art, i wish i could draw this stuff.

Even has a segmented tail....

DeYoung stickers, Cant afford the big prints.

In Search Of.....

2010-03-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

Got up this morning with the intent to hit the river. As i headed out, i new that the area i was going to fish had really been fishing well, so i was stoked. I stopped at the store to get a drink and in walks Collin (finpusher), and Brian (BG1). We all ended up hitting the water together and it was a stellar day. Thanks for letting me roll with you today guys. Bows, Browns, and Cutts were all featured. There is always something to learn on the river if you just pay attention. Today was no exception, I learned a lot. At the end of the day we met up and did some fishing with Paul and his son Nic. It was a great day...

I was at work!!!!!

2010-03-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

So this last week while i was working all of my crew was on the water. Matt (localwaters) and Collin (finpusher) hit a particular stretch that i love. The water is prone to giving up rainbows, browns and cutts. As you will see from there photos all were landed in nonstop fashion. Both Matt and Collin came away with some stellar pics. My brother Randy (RandallT) Hit another of my favorite stretches and it did not disappoint. Randy and his buddy landed a truely scarry number of browns. All the standard everyday patterns seem to be producing. Please enjoy the photography.

Looking for Rainbows

2010-03-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

I was headed out this morning on a solo trip. At the last minute i called my brother, and he was free, so we decided on the Provo river. I hate the crouds the Vo always seems to have, so i dont go there often. This day was no different, crouded. But we seemed to be able to fish right behind others and still take nice fish. We were using a little sow (18), tied on a red gamakatsu hook, and it was deadly. There was a massive BWO hatch and we kept nymphing because the bows were killing sows and haresears (14-16). Randy and i both landed some nice female bows in the 18 inch range. Near the end of the day I hooked a male that riped me off (5x). I decided not to rerig because we were leaving soon. Randy went through a few more times and nailed a buck rainbow that was full of spit and vinegar. The thing put up a hell of a fight for a 17 inch fish. Im thinking the lower Provo may have a special strain of rainbow, they seem so thick and strong compaired to other rainbows we have fished locally. Spring is the best time to fish..

Streamers and Streamer caves.

2010-03-13T20:26:00.000-08:00

So Pat over at 4WTextreme posted an alternative to bugger boxes a few months back, Today while looking for some things for my daughter at a craft store, there it was. A clear version of the bugger Box, They had some foam which i glued together with rubber cement to make thicker. Then i glued it into the box with some Zapp. A few stickers and some art from my daughter, and Bam, Streamer Cave... Box, Rubber cement, Foam $13.50 Sweet.
On another note i have started using a new material for the head on the Streamers and i really like it. Its called EZ Bug. Ive really settled in on the way i like to tye it now, Im hoping that a white version will be a Bull Trout slayer this summer, That is my summer goal, Bull Trout, i guess ill be heading north, no reason to stay in Utah now that it anti-fishing state.

The Mean Green

2010-03-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

Kyle Ballard (kolobflyfishing.blogspot.com) and Mike Anderson(fisheatflies.blogspot.com) met me in Salt Lake at 5am monday morning and we were off to the green. We tore it up for 2 days, day 2 saw really low water flows and tough fishing, but we made it work. We stayed at Trout Creek flies, I really like there rooms, very comfy. Streamers were our big ticket item, we picked up a few on small midge patterns in the deeper holes. On another front, Paul Swint (William Joseph) picked up some Cutts on the girdle bugs i posted a few weeks ago, he was fishing the South Fork of the Snake. Thanks for the call Paul. Enjoy the picks of the Green River, Dutch John, Utah.

Alaska Revisited, and a bit of politicing...

2010-02-28T11:55:00.000-08:00

I was going through my Alaska pics the other day and i realized that Im a little better at processing now and that a few pics may have slid throught the cracks. I may have posted some of them, im just to lazy to go back and look. Plus im seeing a lot more traffic lately so i thought i ought to share them again.

On a more serious note, Here in Utah we have a real bad situation on our hands, Our supreme court gave us back our rivers recently but we have been working, i say we but it really has been all Bryan Gregson http://utahcutthroat.com/ who has fought this fight on many of our behalf. For that we all owe him a huge thank you. But Bryan and many others were working with many parties to work out some ground rules so that access works for all. At the last minute he was blind sided by a lot of money and a bill which totally strips our use rights. This bill has passed the house and now is on to the senate, and from what i gather, it looks bad. I have to wonder why this has not been a larger issue for the whole fishing community as a whole. If our senate can strip these right here, well guess what, It can be done anywhere. If the landowners here can doit, what is to stop it from happeniing all over the west. This ruling seems to me to be something that people who own river in other places are going site and start working for in there states. Scary!!!! It may be too late, It seems to me that this issue should have got more attention from those organizations who could have helped a lot. Yeah we need to save Steelhead,salmon and such but its all pointless if we loose our rivers... This past week was a bad week for all of us...I think there is still time to contact the senate, it doesnt matter where your from, infact it may mean more if you guys from out of state call and let them know that we all care.....and we are all in this together...... I went to the rallys and sent some emails and talked to representatives, But i was in no way as involved as many where. They deserve all the credit for what was done, they fought tirelessly. I should have done more. I dont get up on the box often, ill jump off now...

Stones and Streamers.

2010-02-18T15:01:00.000-08:00

I spent a lot of time on the river yesterday turning rocks and looking at bugs. I found some golden stones, sowbugs and mayfly nymphs which your #16hares ear would have duplicated perfectly. The sow bugs that i found were surprisingly large. Some reaching lengths of up to an inch. Size 10 sow bugs are going to be in the works at the bench. I got some great macro shots of the stoneflies as well. Oh yeah, I also caught a few fish. I landed three in the 20 inch range, but the big one followed script, and got away. I felt the tug, set the hook, and he turned and spit the streamer straight at me. Ive got his address, i will visit him again.... Bottom 2 photos by Matt Guymon...

Articulated Sculpin

2010-02-11T19:33:00.000-08:00

Hit the bench tonight and tied up some Sculpin patterns, they have been fishing very well this winter.

Streamer Express

2010-02-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

Got up early saturday, after deciding at 10pm the night before, to go fishing. It was snowing and foggy when we left town. As soon as we hit the mountain valley containing our river, the skies cleared. We hit the water at 8am and never had to clear our eyeletts once. The day had streamers on the menu and we stuck to them all day. Matt was on white, and i was on green. We both turned some great fish and caught our fair share too. Hear are a few picks of one of the better fish of the day. The photo with the net by Matt Guymon.

2010-02-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

Well we hit the capital today in support of HB80. It looks a little shaky, the bill seeks to spell out some rulers for the Conaster ruling so that the law works better for all. There still seems to be a long way to go. I even met a fellow flyer who actually reads the crap i write here, thanks, and shoot me an email and we can go fishin sometime. I found a skull in the river this week so i took a few shots with it. enjoy..

Spring Fever.

2010-02-02T19:36:00.001-08:00

It seems like things are happening in the river a little sooner than last year. At least some bugs are working earlier. I tied up a mess of rubber leg girdle bugs today. Yesterday on one section of the home water, i had some nice fish taking them. I guess the stone nymphs must be moving and the hungry browns are in no mood to wait. I really like these bugs, its probably because of there size. They are big like a streamer, and as we all know, streamers rule. The prince nymph has really heated up lately as well. There is no way to say for sure, but it sure seems like a lot of new fish are in the rivers, having moved up from the lakes. They say that they are going to start putting those triploid or diploid, cant remember which, into echo. These fish should also grow quick and take on some good girth. Cant wait to see that come about.

Fur n Fire

2010-01-31T21:14:00.001-08:00

Fur n Fire, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

Late January on the Green.

2010-01-31T10:27:00.000-08:00

We added a new addition to our fishing line up. Its a 14 ft raft all set up for the river. We couldnt wait to test it out on the green. So we packed up and headed out in the midddle of a storm. The weather broke as we got closer to the river, temps were cold, but we were ready for it. We did a little nymphing, but the primary method was streamers. At one point we were stopped and Randy tied on a small, light bodied, soft hack and swung it to a riser. The fish was a fairly large brown. The first time through he came up and ripped it right off. Didnt even have a chance to set and it was gone. Pounding the shore with streamers paid off big time. In total we probbably took 20-25 fish a day on the meat. Matt had a monster chasing but called the set too early and missed him. We had some other big boys on but for this or that reason we failed to complete the transaction. 16-19 inchers were the average take for this trip. Saw some Elk, plenty of Deer, overall a fun trip.

Sow and a Midge

2010-01-07T16:57:00.001-08:00

Sow and a Midge, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

Amunition for tomorrows trip to the river. I tied my sows last season with purple crystal flash on the back bone, i tied these with the standard peacock stuff. I Usually fish the Black Angus midge, but ive tied a new one using black dubbing and some very small vinyl rib. There is a rumor that someone had a rainbow on yesterday on a stretch we have never seen one on, ill need to try and confirm that. I need to say congrats to all the gang who seem to be getting a lot of national recognition, BG1, Cory, Luke C, And Localwaters801, good work guys...

Browns in the sun

2010-01-06T18:53:00.001-08:00

, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

This was a great day. I took a break and snapped a few shots of Matt and this one turned out best. Since purchasing the canon 17-85 is, ive been frustrated, havnt really got the feel for it yet, ive taken very few good pics with it. I've stuck to it and i may get it figured out yet. In fact, i think this shot was with my 18-55, i had given up on this day.

December Tigers...

2009-12-26T18:25:00.000-08:00

Private water can be just what the doc ordered when its 15 deg outside. We have a place close to home that we have become quite fond of. Its not your tipical pelet fed pond. The water is derived from a natural spring that holds constant year round. Even on the coldest of days the water does not freeze. The water has been stocked by the owners with Tiger and Cuttbow trout. I brought in a tree branch that i was snagged on the other day, which gets meto the best part of the place by far. Scuds, scuds, and more scuds, This place is loaded with them. They do not ever feed the fish. Judging from the tree branch and the size of the fish, they dont go hungry. We fished streamers, and found that a very slow presentation was the ticket. I actually switched to a floating line and a long leader because my sinking line required me to move to fast.

24 inches of ogden

2009-11-27T20:55:00.001-08:00

, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

Check out this little treasure we took off the ogden thanksgiving morning. He was hold up in the bottom of a deep run, probably suckin up bugs when we spotted him. It did not take long for him to accept our offering.

Weber river: Hot

2009-11-18T20:42:00.001-08:00

, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

We had one of the funnest days of the year. The fish where taking Red cpr johns, sow bugs, and egg patterns. There is still a lot of spawning going on, but there are plenty of fish that seem to be done and ready to feed.

2009-11-10T20:18:00.001-08:00

, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

Chasing that fall spawn

2009-11-02T20:47:00.001-08:00

, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

We had a good day on the Weber. Nothing huge, but it was nice to throw standard patterns and pick up nice rainbows. I also caught a real nice Cutt today. Matt (Localwaters) has a good picture of it.

Streamers and Ice

2009-10-28T18:48:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

It was cold today on the weber. The large streamers turned fish, but the smaller standard stuff like a natural muddler hooked up very well.

Boulder Mountain Bad Boy

2009-10-27T16:40:00.001-07:00

BoulderMtns, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

Brook Trout, Boulder Mountains, and BS

2009-10-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

This past week i enjoyed a few days of fishing with my brother (Randy) and Matt Guymon from Localwaters website as well as Paul Swint from William Joseph. While we had an absolute perfect fishing trip I find myself wondering if it will be possible to enjoy these things in the future. Im not an the activist type, im just a fisherman, thats it. While on our trip our host Steve Stoner told us about the forest services efforts to start draining lakes and removing trout, specifically Brookies. Supposedly they want to return everything to how it used to be and reintroduce more native fish in place of brookies. Let me just note that my oppinions are my own and that those who were with me may or may not share them. These lakes are beautiful and just fine how they are, they provide some awsome fishing oppertunities. enviros have taken our 4 wheeler trails, our oil, our water for crops in california, and apparently now they are going to get our fish. I love our Cutts but i dont want to catch them everywhere i go. The Uintahs and Boulders could have many of the thousands of species of trout. It could be one of the coolest places to fish ever. We should be looking to make the fishing more interesting in these Lakes where fish are locked in. Now if there are brook trout that are stunted or that are harming something else im good with fixing the problem. But brookies in high lakes that are trapped are not hurting anything and they provide us with the oppertunty to catch a beautiful fish. The lake we were catching 20 brookies in the forest service is about ready to drain. I think its a big lose if this all happens. Im not looking forward to catching Cutts everywhere. I want variety. Meanwhile here are a few pics of what we may lose. Huge thanks to Steve Stoner, Boulder Mountain Guide, he made this the perfect trip. Also please let me know what im doing right and wrong with the photos, im trying to get better but i need feedback.

More Brookies

2009-10-25T09:37:00.001-07:00

Localwaters Box (hand tied)

2009-10-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

Localwaters Box (hand tied), originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

Matt whipped up a box full for our run down to the Boulders.

Flygirl

2009-10-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

I had the oppertunity to go to the Trout Ranch in Wyoming this weekend to take some pics for a flyer they are doing. I took my daughter with me and we were able to do some fishing after the shoot. It was so fun to watch her learn to cast and fight and even land some really nice fish. She wanted to do it all on her own and she did a great job. I dont think there are to many 7 year olds as interested in, and as good at fly fishing as she is.

Trifecta on the Weber

2009-10-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

So you will have to forgive the photos today, i was fishing alone. I was able to catch a Cutt, a Bow, and a Brown on streamers this evening. I was only out for about 4 hours and i must have turned at least a dozen fish. I was able to land only 4 of them. The river was high today for whatever reason and it really pulled the streamer along. I think this caused a few of the fish to wiff and miss the business end of my streamer. I am really looking forward to the next few weeks.

Randy and Matt Doubles

2009-10-05T20:33:00.001-07:00

Browns, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

A Matt Guymon pattern in the mouth

2009-10-05T20:31:00.001-07:00

What did he eat???, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

One Last Chance

2009-09-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

With a winter storm set to come in on wednesday we knew Tuesday was our last chance to have a stellar dry fly day. Matt and I set out for our favorite little stream equiped with hoppers and the Purple Haze. The water was perfect and the Kokanee salmon were finishing their spawn. We even had a few of them slurp up our dry offerings. The hoppers turned out to be a little too much, but the Purple Haze had their attention and ours. I will let the photos tell the rest of the story, a day on the water i will not soon forget. http://www.flickr.com/photos/flynphotos/ .

William Joseph

2009-09-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Just thought this pic was seriously cool. My truck full of William Joseph gear.

Cast and Blast 2009

2009-09-20T22:37:00.001-07:00

This weekend we were in Star Valley Wyoming for the 2009 Cast and Blast Challenge. It was a weekend of trophy trout fishing, horse back riding, skeet shooting, and a great bird hunt. The event was organized by Justin and Cody Hyde and it went off without a hitch. Five star dinning, first class service and a heck of a lot of story telling all made this an awsome event. The keynote speach was delivered by Mark Eaton, former Utah Jazz All Star Center. Mark spoke of the value of noticing and appreciating those around us and the team concept. Mark was a captivating speaker, his website is http://www.7ft4.com/ . Thanks to the Hyde brothers for inviting me to participate in the activities. Sponsers included Browning fire arms, Hyde drift boats, and William Joseph fly fishing gear. Also a huge shout out has to go to the Trout Resort, they know there trout and there food. If you would like copies of any of the pics let me know at softhacke@yahoo.com . Additional photos of the event can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/flynphotos/sets/72157622414238084/.

William Joseph W2O Wade Boots

2009-09-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

In full disclosure i must first say that William Joseph sponsors my fly fishing habit. They provide me with gear to test and wear out on the river. All that aside, this is the most comfortable boot i have found yet. I had been wearing the simms that i had reviewed earlier on my site. These are more comfortable and have a much better fit. I do put an additional insert into all the boots i wear for comfort. The W2O have a wide lace area which allows you to really crank them down for a snug fit. Im also really liking the Drynamics waders. They have been very durable as well as comfortable.

American Fork Canyon

2009-09-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to hit this piece of water for some time now, today was the day. I had heard it held brookies, but they were not to be found. Rainbows and browns however were quick to take a dry in every pocket found. Matt was throwing a big turks tarantula thingamajig and i was working a Rainys Hopper. The thing that really stood out to both Matt and I was how pretty the browns were. The browns had such a deep dark chocolate like color. American Fork creek has to be one of the prettiest creeks in the state. The scenery was amazing. However it was a very challenging creek to wade.

More Alaska Photos

2009-08-30T23:19:00.000-07:00

While in Alaska we fished the Kenai, Russian, and the Quartz rivers. The Quartz is primarily a varden river. The river itself is about the size of the ogden river i would say. It flows into Kenai lake, which is the upper lake on the Kenai river. The russian dumps into the Kenai below kenai lake and above Scilak lake. The section is known as the upper Kenai river. The russian is about the size of the weber. However it is much shallower, i would say that 80 percent of the river is only 12 inches deep, with deep pockets running at 3 ft. Crystal clear water and plenty of bears make it very memorable to fish. Sockeye and silver salmon run in the russian but it was the resident rainbows and dollies we were after. We bought all kinds of beads to get ready for Alaska. Before we hit the river we stopped at the hardware store in soldatna and i bought a small pack of caramel 6mm beads and they turned out to be virtually all we used the entire trip. Troutfitters is right on the Kenai in coopers landing and they were very helpful. If you ever go up dont worry about taking a lot of tackle. They have everything you need up there and the prices were even better than here anyway. Even the Fred Meyer has a whole isle with many useful items. Kenai is not remote Alaska, But we found it to be a good starting point for our future Alaska adventures. We ate most dinners at 24hr dinners and felt no different than hitting the Weber. I cant wait to go back and search out some more remote flows. Next year. See all of my alaska photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/flynphotos/sets/72157622170953410/.

Silver Salmon of the Kenai

2009-08-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Randy got into a groove with the silvers after a while. When we headed to alaska we thought we would be able to catch silvers in the same streams as trout. The silvers hadnt hit hard yet so that didnt happen until our last few days. If you were fishing a hole or run it would be obvious if the silvers were there, They looked like hugh trout underwater. The last few days were by far the best days of the trip. Between the bears, the silvers, the trout and the sunsets we were in heaven. See my entire set of alaska photos at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flynphotos/sets/72157622170953410/.

Wild Alaskan Dolly Varden

2009-08-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

The trip to Alaska was amazing. I will try to give a little of the story every day for a while. Today its Dolly day. I truely loved fishing for these fish. They are viracious eaters and were never shy about taking the offerings. We found them in almost all waters we fished. The farther in land and the colder the water seemed to bring out their colors more and more. Here are a few beautiful pics which really show off these fish.

Uintah Brookies

2009-08-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

Ive always known they were there, speaking of brook trout in the high country. I have even fished them as a younger man on spinning gear. But this past week i really feel in love with these little fish. They are so beautiful, and yet chasing a big one can be very illusive. Searching and exploring the lakes can take a lifetime to find the best ones. I cant think of any better way to spend time with my kids than chasing brookies in the Uintahs and the Boulder mountains. Finding my love for photography has made my love of fishing even more rewarding. This is where i tell you all of my secret brookie lakes, only i dont have any yet.

High Uintahs

2009-08-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hit the Uintahs yesterday. We started fishing the upper provo but it was slow. So we headed up higher and took a dirt road hoping to find something good. We went quit a ways, infact the road got pretty bad. We found a lake and a good size stream eventually, i belive we were in the Duchesne drainage system. The first small pool i saw a threw a dry into and whack, a small brookie to hand. We found a deep pool and decided to throw some leaches, that would turn out to be the move of the day. The fish just killed it. We missed a few big brookies, probably in the 15 inch range. We caught a few rainbows and even saw an albino. The fish took those leaches everywhere we threw them the rest of the day. Cant wait to return.

Solid Week

2009-07-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

We were able to hit theWeber a few times this week, We were also able to get out once with Paul from William Joseph and try out the new WST wader. Matt jumped right in and pulled the cord. Water was cold and it really took him by surprise. The waders have a built in life jacket essentially. They worked flawlessly and Matt was very impressed. We were worried that they may be to bulky or clumbsy but that was not the case at all. They are no different than any other wader other than that will keep your from drowning instead of drowning you. Paul even caught a Bass on a sow.

Later in the week we hit the river a little lower, Cutts and browns on nymphs and streamers. The streamers are slow but they will still pick up the bigger boys. The Cutts are loving the nymphs. Sows, black midges and softhacke hairs ears seem to be our top dogs. Randy really killed it on a sow without picking up a single white fish. Freakin Amazing!!!!

Natural Stinger

2009-07-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

The fish seem to be more interested in the naturals now. Here is my poison. Ill check it out on monday.

Fish and Frogs

2009-07-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

UPDATE, The streamer caught a 14 inch brown in the first 5 minutes, it did its job. Then i lost it. We had a slow morning but managed to prode a few out. I tossed a streamer up under a tree and a sweet cutt followed and hit it in the middle of the river, but it shook me. It was a real nice fish, Darnit.. A few turns later i took a nice 21 inch male brown out of the boulders accross river from me, he inhaled the streamer. The photo below is him and the pic was shoot by Matt Guymon. There were frogs everywhere, i cant help but think that the fish are hitting our green stuff with froggs on the brain. I rolled an ankle today so im going to have to take a few days off. I had a hard time getting off the river.

Stinger Style

2009-07-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

Streamer season is here. I have always felt that it was streamer fishing that brought me to fly fishing. However it has not been until this year that i have become comfortable with them. You must have confidence in your streamer. Its one thing to go out and chuck a bugger, and quite another to go out and intend to catch fish. Streamer fishing, as i have learned, is in large part more about the water you choose to fish than it is about what streamer you throw. However, if you want big fish, you need more than a tired and worn out Wollybugger. Big fish want a big easy meal, A well placed streamer is simply irresistable to a hungry trout. It is built into a big fish to hit and hit hard. A fat streamer will trigger some massive hits. When this happens the fish is not the only one who is hooked. I tied some patterns the past few days and cant wait for my alarm to ring at 4am to go and test my creations. Tight Lines!!!

Green Waste

2009-07-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

I hit the Green this saturday with my brother and we hit the B section. I really believe that fly shops are worthless unless you pay them to take you out. Ive never got any solid info and most of the time its flat lies. We specifically asked at the shop if you just keep going down the same road Little Hole is on to get to browns park. They said "oh yeah just keep going", well if you been there you know thats a lie. We got that figured out and hit the river about 730. It started off hot. we caught fish fast and furious for the first hour or so. Then we hit the big rapid and my brothers pontoon boat broke in half, the welds failed. The rest of the day was a wash, we made it out on my boat with his pontoons hooked to it. We later found out that the flows had been going up and down. We had actually done better than most. The second half of B did not seem to be all that good for streamers, a lot of slow water. The first half was awsome. We are thinking that next time we will float the A and B at the same time and huck streamers and move fast.

A serious hike

2009-07-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

A remote stretch of river was exactly what we needed to chase browns with some big ol streamers. Many cutts fell prey along the way, which is always a bonus. Matt ties these huge articulated streamers, at first it was hard to get use to throwing something that large. I mean these things are 6 inches long. But they only bring the big boys. I guess we were surprised at the size of some smaller cutts that hit it, but browns that hit it are all big 18+. We lost some serious pigs, one fish hit my streamer so hard it bent the hook. We tie these things with the best hooks possible, so the fact that a fish bent it, well ,wow. We are determined to take a massive pig this summer, stay tuned its going to happen, 10 pound wild brown ????

The man, the myth, the legend

2009-07-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

So Matt and i decided to hit the weber today. We really wanted to hit a particuler stretch for a while now. Matt was hoping to throw Meat. Meat we did throw. I was witness today to the master at work. Matt is a genius with a streamer. His patterns just seem to bring the fish to life. He landed five browns today that would be the fish of a lifetime for many people. We lost two that were bigger, including a rainbow i got into that was easily 22 inches. It decided to get in one last jump before we netted him, and that was the one that set him free. Heartbreak and disappointment insued. What a day, i really enjoy being on the river. But today was better, it was a pleasure to witness the master at work. Nice job Matt, all that hard work has made you streamer royalty, no longer the myth and truely a legend...

Trifecta

2009-07-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

I wanted to fish today but didnt want to deal with crouds. I chose a section of the weber i figured no one would be on and i was right. I had the whole section to myself. Started a little slow but i soon found my rythm. The go to bug ended up being the good old Prince Nymph. I was able to pick up Rainbow, Cutts, and one brown. Usually this section is Brown central, so to pick up more of the others was awsome. There were some hugh Stonefly sheds on the rocks so i tried several large stone pattern. I didnt pick a fish up all day on the Stone patterns, kind of strange.

Simms Headwater Sz 14

2009-07-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

I finally had to give in and buy something i swore i never would. I dont believe you have to spend tons of money to be a Flier. I feel there is an elitism out there that i want nothing to do with. I feel that some companies brands represent that to an extent. However, i believe that the most important piece of equipment you need as a flier are comfy boots, which translates to comfy feet. You cant even get to a good hole if you are in misery walking there. Ive been told that these Simms boots are the real deal. I will be putting them to the test. We are going to Alaska next month and if my feet are not happy, im not happy. Check back and ill give an honest review of there performance. They have the new Vibram rubber sole and look to be very wellbuilt.

2009-07-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

I got a new toy today. I busted it out to shoot my kids riding bikes. Sigma 10-20 wide angle lens. Im going to love this for my Fly Fishing shots. I gave it the Holga treatment.

A solid day on the Weeb

2009-07-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

My brother always seems to miss the really good days on the river by just a day or two. Matt and i killed it on the 4th so i took Rand on the 6th. On the 4th the fish just seemed to be hugh. All the bug life has them eating everything in sight It really makes you wonder where they all go when the late summer months set in. We were seeing 20+ inch browns all over on the 4th. Rand and i didnt seem to see as many the 6th, but we still had our chances. Rand hooked a real nice 25ish brown early on , it schooled us. We were throwing many different stonefly immys and they all worked. We noticed on the 4th a mouth full of small sow bugs in a 22 incher we landed. On the 6th i threw a small sow and it was well recieved. We didnt get into as many big boys the 6th, but we had our chances. The biggest fish came late in the day and went 20. The next month should prove to be some great fishing.

What a day!

2009-07-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

We hit the Weber today. We noticed that the flows have been dropping and we thought it may be low enough to hit. We were right. The fish were big and hungry, we were seeing 20 plus inch fish just feeding in the shallows, it was intense. Fish would take your bug and come all the way out of the water with it. Cool! Stonefly immys and Softhacks were killers. We tried streamers and they would follow and play with them, but they just werent ready to hit them hard. We lost 2 fish, that we saw and had in the net for a moment, that would have gone 25 plus. The day was amazing, what can i say more, Awsome.

Cool shots from the South Fork

2009-07-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

We went on a marathon fishing trip this last week. The only part worth mentioning was the second half of the day. We ended up at the South Fork (ogden) and the fishing was good. We really got into the fish on the Twenty Inchers, size 8-10. Anyway i got some of my best shots to date, enjoy.

Ogden Canyon

2009-06-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

Today was awsome! I went up ogden canyon to a spot ive had my eye on. I tried some stonefly nymphs to start off with and never looked back. I had on of the funnest days ever. I was broke off by 4 different fish, 2 from the same hole, on back to back casts. I was hoping to see some cutts, ive heard they are there, but today was all browns. In the morning we are going to a reservoir to try our hand at some tiger trout. The stream flowing in has cutts, so we will hit those too.

High water Blues

2009-06-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

Localwaters and i went upto the southfork for an afternoon session. We left to a report of water flows around 140-50. What we did not know was that the watermaster turned the flow up to 250 while we were in route. We fished a section we were not as firmilliar with so we did not have a good reference to guage flows by. Needless to say the river kicked our butts, we were so worn out. I snapped a few shots at the end, that turned out nice, of Local hitting the bridge.

Monochrome

2009-05-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

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.

Caddis Season Approaching!!!!

2009-04-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

With Caddis season right around the corner ive been in search of some of the best patterns out there. Im hearing and seeing good results from a Caddis by Mike Lawson that im really excited to fish soon. Its called the "Electric Caddis". Ive tied it up in a light olive in sizes 16 and 18. I would love to hear from others on color. Im sure that a tan color is going to work similar to a "Chamois Caddis" and i have had success in the past with my Brother on a rust colored caddis. Here are some photos, It sure is a good looking bug. Im one of those guys who cant fish a bug with confidence if it first doesnt look good to me. This Caddis had been doing it for Lawson on the Henrys Fork of the Snake for years. Its got to be good enough for me.

RL Softhacke

2009-04-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

Hook: 8-14 gold bead

Thread: Olive or Natural

Wire: Gold

Dubbing: Olive or natural

Hackle: Partridge

Rubber Legs: Brown or Green

I have pretty much gotten to where all i fish are SoftHackes, Especially big ones in late winter and spring. Our last trip out Matt Guymon hooked me up with a rubber leg natural Hairsear and it worked great. So i decided to come up with a pettern that would incorporate the rubber legs and the SoftHacke. Hear it is, im sure it will be hookup special.

SoftHacke Goden Stone

2009-04-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hook #8-10, gold bead

black 6/0 thread

Body: 1/2 hairs ear, 12 golden dubbing mix together

Thin skin natural for back

wire: sm gold

Partridge hackle, Dark

Ive worked a lot of fish on this fly this season and have had great success with it, its seems to be just as effective without the thin skin back. Definantly a spring special. The fly works great in just the hairs ear color as well.

"Montana" need i say more!

2009-04-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

Early april would not be the first choice of many for a fishing trip to montana. However we are not most people. In this instance we were well rewarded for our sacrifices. The first day we fished the Madison below Ennis, this area is known as the bear trap. As drove in the snow was coming down pretty good and the temp was about 27 big ones. The raod going in was covered with snow and a nice step drop into the river was all that would greet you to the left, so we stayed right. The fishing was hot immediatly with bows and brown taking black angus midges, just a black midge with tinsel wraped with the wire. Randy, my brother, landed what the locals have said is a real trophy of a rainbow for that section, it went 20-20 inches. The second day was much different. We showed up just below Hebgen dam at about 10am, The temp was 17 degrees, cold. We entered the river and immediatly we were hooking up. The first fish landed was mine, a beautful bow on the San Juan. That turned out to be the king of the day. All told im sure we landed better than 50 bows, 90% on the San Juan, many of which were as beautiful as you will ever see. The trip was a great one. It was Matts first to Montana. Matt is our Fly Fishing mentor so it was a great honor to take him on his first Montana trip. The Madison is a beautiful river, but we are lucky here in Utah to have some excellent waters that on any given day will produce with the best of them.

Fighting Fatties on the Fork

2009-04-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

We hit the South Fork of the Ogden today and it was excellent. From San Juan Worms to Natural Hairs Ears the trout were loving both. The snow was falling and it was chilly so there wasnt much of a hatch to speak of, a few bwos and midge. I was able to take an 18 inch brown which is a nice fish on that river. We have allready lost most of our rivers to run off, I hope we can get out a few more times before all is lost. Check out the Stonefly Nymph on the back of that brown and that bwo wiggled out of his nymph case right below as i was taking a break. The orange and red colors on these fish were awsome, there must be something in the water because even the whitteys are orange, pretty cool. Check out those cutts.