Opportunities Abound

GULPERS ON THE LAKE

Hoppers On The Wing

oinkers in the weeds

WALLPAPER:  HEBGEN RESERVOIR SANS WATER

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.. On those rare mornings when the clouds are sparse and the wind forgot to wake up, Hebgen Reservoir is alive with sipping and slurping sounds of trout inhaling callibaetis on the surface.

MY WHAT BIG EYES YOU HAVE

.. Just munching along like Pac-Man, are the gulpers of the still and quiet mornings on the lake.
.. Although not necessary, a long and precise cast will bring more fish to net.
.. Some folks park their tube, (or boat, or raft,) right amongst them and do fairy well too. Of course the gulping always stops too soon - damn the caprice of the bugs.
.. Folks usually head to shore for an early lunch when the surface action stops.
.. There are, despite rumors to the contrary, still fish to be had. They are in the same places. In the same weed beds that gave birth to the callibaetis so recently departed.
.. These are not the "good fish" from the pods so recently dispersed. These are the behemoths of the deep. They may have joined in the recent surface feeding but, they have returned to their dark holes in the weeds.
.. We've been given permission to show the fly that will entice and take these fish. Thanks go to Francisco "Paco" Valenti, an avid fisher and varmint hunter, for the permission to photograph the fly and present it here.

DANGLE THESE FOR "GOOD FISH"

.. Paco calls it the "VIXEN BUNNY,"  [zorro femenina conejito.]
.. It's a fairly standard fur strip streamer. It's made from the urine stained, soft, inner thigh fur on a female red fox.
.. It's tied on a hook with a spring-form weed guard. It has a stiff looped tail support. It probably imitates a leech - who knows?
.. Fish the fly in the dark holes in the weeds. Fish right where the gulper action was and weeds are the thickest.
.. Let it sink for a few seconds, (or more.) Get it in the weeds. Strip it in slowly, (figure 8 style,) all the way back to your boots. Move the low rod tip very slowly from side to side as you strip it in. You will take some "Hero Fish." You won't have to take an early lunch.
.. You'll have to tie your own. The guides, feather merchants, visiting sports, and counter help don't have them. They are only interested in "good fish," not the resident monster fish. Besides that, an early lunch and a cold one are always on their agenda.

WALLPAPER:  VIXEN BUNNY

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.. Further up the road along the Gallatin River, (and it's seldom fished tributaries,) the hoppers are very active: so too the ants.

SOME ARE IN THE WATER

.. Ants on the ground; ants in the air; ants everywhere. At least they are, when it warms up and the clouds part and the cool showers abate for long enough to warm them up.
.. The fish seem to be in a most willing mood near the park line.
.. Afternoon caddis are popping even on overcast days and even in the wind.
.. The mantra for this part of the Gallatin River is "Walk a little; catch a lot." We walk a lot and catch a little - it's our curse.

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WALLPAPER:  OCCHI DI SANTA LUCIA [with semolina]