attack of the hoppers!
river reports
blogs on a roll
the ecological society
<- Happy Tom, (not Happy Camp,) & Trophy!
.. The kind folks, (read - Tom,) at Trout Underground have garnered the coveted #1 spot in the race for the best fly fishing blog. We congratulate them.
.. In his spare time Tom organizes bike rides, and dabbles in a bit of marketing, and blogs about that. The computers must heat to the point that the USFS & BLM are constantly chasing the smoke plume. We've heard that he even fishes on occasion. From barkeep to WebCeleb: keep up the good work.
.. The "TOP TEN SOURCES" site looks like fun. Topics we're considering include: right-hand-drive military jeeps, left handed fly rods, fishing knots, vanity license plates, fire plug stains. If you want your own Top Ten Sources Site, you can sign up HERE.
.. The invasion of the hoppers is beginning in earnest. There will be a rapid build to a final crescendo in a few weeks, and the little critters will color your windshield with yellow guts.
.. We suppose that Trout think of them as roasted peanuts. The flies we use are simple and effective...The "oldie but goodie Hornberg" brings 'em in fin over fin; and so does the Rainey's (sp?,) Hopper. In our neighborhood the Hornberg in sizes 6 - 10 is the most popular, & sizes 8 - 14 for the Rainey's Hopper. We tie the former & buy the latter.
.. There are no secrets to fishing these things. Splat 'em down in the water and hold on. Occasionally a dead drift in a very slow foam line will produce the fish you are looking for.
.. Gallatin River: still very good - see last Sunday's report... Duck Creek: beginning to get some fishing pressure but the Brookies are still eager and are taking things on the surface all day long. Moths, Trico's, & Caddis will all work in sizes 12 - 18.
.. Grayling Creek: the first mile inside the park can still produce action, with fish to 12" if you are a sneaky sort. Try small Caddis, (size 14 - 18,) in the evening just as the sun leaves the water.
.. Of course we'd be remiss if we neglected the Upper Sac "Grand Slam" reported in TroutUnderground. Karma must be as thick as winter honey in NorCal. A Madison River Grand Slam, if possible, would include: Brookie, Brown, Rainbow, West Slope Cutt, Cutbow, Grayling, Mountain Whitefish - oops, that's too many bases.
.. Fishing just a bit out of the neighborhood sounds like it's going good. Check bigholeTROUT.com for some of the reports.
.. The Winemaking Home Page has it's priorities straight. Piles of exceptional links to the fly fishing world AND some buttons to the wine making sections - good resource.
.. Ass Hooked Whitey has directed us to a note by Ursus at Drake.com that presents the sad state of affairs in "PC FF." Just wait until Madonna & MS. Derrick see what Jack Nicklaus is up to.
.. On a lighter note; Jeff Bright has recently posted some new pictures of his steelhead adventures to the holy waters of giant sea-run trout. It gives us chills each time we see the rewards - we're kind'a jealous too.
.. And, that reminds us that the Southern California Steelhead Recovery Coalition continues it's lonely task of pursuing a dream - with some success.
.. Maggie Merriman is getting some well deserved press play in the ocregister.com. She continues to bring a bit of style, grace, and knowledge to the neighborhood.
.. You can Contact Maggie directly at (714) 969-5829 winter months, and in West Yellowstone at (406)646-7824 May - October.
.. The article notes that "next week" there will be a piece on "West Yellowstone, MT. - The Mecca of fly fishing" . . . We can hardly wait.
.. We know when the fishing is about to heat up for the Fall Feeding Frenzy. The event is announced by the appearance of drift boats and cars from far flung places we've only heard of. Fly shop owners are taking the covers off of their personal boats and some 'Willie's' are for sale. It kind'a looks like the front yards in the Ozarks.
.. The neighborhood is becoming crowded with the craft. Happily there is no drifting allowed within Yellowstone National Park - though some are lobbying to make it so. Jeeze, can you see it? Million Dollar motor homes to the left of you and Million Dollar 'sports' to the right of you!
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.. P.S. "DIDJABRINGDACHABLIS?
.. blogfish tells us, again - sadly, of the giant "DEAD ZONE" off of the Oregon Coast. The Seattle Times has the print version.
.. Protect Your Waters tells us about the Ecological Society of America's 91st Annual Meeting. You can read the full article HERE. Can things really be so bleak? Are these the end of "The Good Ol' Days?"
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