Tough Neighbors

FOG DOWN BELOW

Cold & Clear At Home

new snow helps

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.. We traveled over the hill to the lowland Madison River. The morning fog persisted for some time and then turned to light snow.
.. There were very few midges visible but fish noses dimpled the surface near $3 Bridge and took our flies frequently enough to keep us in the water for about three hours.
.. The trout were happy to eat a size 12 soft hackle. When the noses disappeared from the surface we switched to a large, (size 8,) bead head Prince Nymph and continued to have some fun with the local fish.
.. There were mostly Rainbow Trout with a couple of precocious 10" Brown Trout in the mix. Two giant Whitefish, (maybe 16") took the nymph out near the large boulder in a typically "trouty place."
.. The Reynolds Pass fishing access is plowed closed and the early vehicle tracks are not visible under the newly fallen snow. The 6" of snow we just received is a blessing and is keeping the snow water content high for the coming spring.

.. Back up in the Hebgen Basin the neighbors are still visiting the trout on the Madison River.
.. Between The Lakes, the Hebgen Tailwater has been lightly fished after the first rush that came with the first snows a couple of months ago.
.. Just a few neighbors are paying their respects to the trout and the fish are being most accommodating to the few locals that take the time to visit.
.. The kind folks at Campfire Lodge have kept the road to the river nicely plowed and are willing to listen to requests for parking. There is also a nice wide pull-out at the Cabin Creek Scarp Area.
.. The local offerings are the usual mixed bag of nymphs, midge clusters, emergers, and attractor dry flies. There has been a recent abandonment of San Juan Worms in favor of a mashed and drowned Adams dry fly.
.. Drowned dries are in the giant size range, (8 & 10,) and are purposely mangled and rumpled prior to casting. It seems like a waste of good hackle to turn these beauties into a submerged stiff hackle - but then, if it works . . .
..We occasionally get to visit with the local fly fishing guides.
.. They are constantly touting the latest and greatest places, techniques, and flies.
.. They catch scads of fish as testified to by the fish porn on their cell phones and videos from their fancy cameras. Good on 'em.
.. Most of the neighbors that fish in the winter seldom darken the doors of the feather merchants. They drink their suds in quiet corners of local pubs and don't seem to associate much with the elite pros. They catch scads of fish too.
.. They don't usually carry cell phones or cameras. They talk about the weather, the local politics, and mundane topics that fill the life of the working stiff. There is definitely a non-meeting of the minds between these two cultures.
.. Each of the groups could probably learn much from the other. Sadly, we doubt it will happen. On the one hand there's just too many flies to invent and, on the other there's just too much work to be done.

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EEEEEEK !!

FEELING STUDLY ??

Need A Trim ?

east coast suavity

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.. Straight from our favorite music blog, (New Heathens,) comes information of the strangest sort. MONTANA FOR METROSEXUALS ????
.. It seems that Stamford, Connecticut is a genuine hot spot for the "Montana Mystique." Here, (there,) now is a place for men to get a trim, (and many other things if you look at the menu for services in this interesting barber shop.)

.. As we read the post at The New Heathens blog we fell from our saddle and rolled on the floor choking on spittle and parts of the contents of our stomach that got stuck in our nose.
.. It's with real satisfaction that we note that folks from Montana who have migrated to the East Coast still recognize what a barber shop is all about.
.. This barber shop, MONTANA FOR MEN, was opened in 1988 to provide a place for men. If you're feeling manly and studly then stop in and get your hairs cut, or trimmed, or coiffed, or whatever else you like from the menu.

MONEY QUOTE:

Montana for Men was established in 1998. Master Barber, Michael Warde, had a belief that gentlemen needed and deserved a Grooming Center to call their own, where they can relax, kick back and receive all the services offered to women, but in a masculine setting. No fear of running into your best friend’s wife while getting your color. We offer the classic barber shop elements with the most up to date modern techniques.

.. We note, thanks to the extensive New Heathens report that there are some interesting takes on the flavor of Montana. For instance the "The Billings" is a full-boat treatment. You can see some of the other "Packages" below.

.. The things that seems like they would be at home in our fair state are the beer and televisions. Probably placed there to take your mind off of what you're paying for your package.
.. We can not do justice to the post on the New Heathens Blog. Check it out for what real Montana haicuts would be. They probably wouldn't fly too far in Stamford, Connecticut.

For instance:

The Paradise Valley = Where would you like your hair subdivided, I mean cut?
The Missoula = Your hair is knotted into dreadlocks and softened with patchouli oil.
The Bellgrade = Free townhouse by the interstate with every cut.
.. There's a page full of real Montana haircuts if you choose to laugh so hard it will hurt all the way to Stamford, Connecticut. CLICK HERE!

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NATE SINGS

NATE FISHES

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Couch Time

Thanks Ralph & Lisa

THIS IS SPECTACULAR

11 Years, 8 Cameras, 3 Countries

just plain buggy

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.. The midges are thick on these recent sunny and nearly windless days. It's nice. It makes the snow enjoyable. It makes catching pretty simple.

.. As winter thunders back upon us, it may be time for some indoor research. We suggest "BUGS OF THE UNDERWORLD." A spectacular DVD that shows our favorite bugs as never before seen.
.. Ralph and Lisa Cutter have brought us a DVD to change the way we see and understand the critters that fish eat. They do it with style, simplicity, beauty, and insight.
.. There's no overwhelming music. There's no pedantic sermons. There is, however information and images that should keep fishers, fly tiers, and interested parties riveted to their screens.
.. The DVD is available HERE. There are bits and pieces of it on YouTube. There are images stuck in our head that will inform our fishing and hopefully catching for years to come. GET IT!
.. This is not a new DVD. It's been around for a few years and only gets better with time. It continues to garner awards and accolades. We've worn out one monitor just because it's always on.
.. There's some hints about midge fishing and possible midge fly patterns in the clip below. There's some interesting insights in the mayfly clip too.Try it you'll like it. It should be good for more than several winter's evenings.

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We'll Miss Ya

AS GOOD AS IT GETS

Kind, Gentle, Competent

caught fish & built rods too

 

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.. We can't say much more than has already been said. Ralph Moon has passed on after 85 years on this earth. He enriched us all with his charm, wit, insight, and joy for life and fly fishing.
.. About 18 years ago we became enamored with Ralph's personal rod. A unique taper that allowed us to fish big water with a short rod. It just fit us. At that time it was a 7 1/2', one tip, six weight that seemed to cast itself.
.. During an afternoon session in the basement rod shop I opined that the rod was nearly perfect. Ralph asked what it needed to be better.
.. "The same thing in a 5 weight would knock the socks of all the little fish in the lonely stretches of small waters that we liked to fish," burst from our lips.
.. About a year later the rod was ours, a surprise gift from Ralph. It was now fitted with two tips and cradled in a soft corduroy sleeve that was lovingly hand made by Pat Moon.
.. The rod now casts both tips with the same precision, delicacy, and ease. That's the kind of guy that Ralph was. Thanks again, more than a bunch, Ralph.
.. You can read his newspaper remembrance in the Island Park News. It does barely scratch the surface of this once fine fellow. He lives in our memory and that of may others. We're enriched for having known him.

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Wonderfully Deep

WARMER NOW THAN THEN

Not Quite As Deep

but deep enough

(WALLPAPERS BELOW IF YOU CHOOSE)
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.. The neighborhood is looking clean. Snow always does that. This winter is certainly not as cold or deep as just a decade ago.
.. There's only been a couple of days below -30° F, and we've not been the coldest place in the nation as was common in the recent past. We've not seen more than a single blizzard. We've not seen a "2-foot dump." And we've not seen much of the sun.

.. The Gulf Of Alaska Low has been fairly weak, the arctic air has stayed to the north and east of us, and despite the considerable grayness, it's been a salubrious winter by historical standards. Those low, gray clouds are mom's comforter.
.. Time was when there were tunnels to front doors and thermometers broke in the week-long cold spells. Now there's barely 4' of snow on the ground and it's ablating rapidly in the warm dry air. Roofs are being kept clean and not a single one has collapsed in the last 3 years.
.. The snowpack in the mountains is holding it's own and the rivers have only a very few small icebergs. Fish are leaping after midges, twigs, and bits of flotsam just like it was early spring. In fact there have been spring days colder than today: and there will be again.
.. Starting tomorrow we will return to a brief encounter with a real winter: 7" - 10" of snow and temps falling briefly to about -20° F.
.. It's been so nice lately that we took a moment to visit the neighborhood shops in town. It's novel to chat with the neighbors in a setting other than the post office, or the grocery store, or the hardware store.
.. Yes, it's deep: wonderfully so!

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Just Like Falling Dominoes

IT'S A SIMPLE EXAMPLE

With A Complex Result

see the ecological transformation of

flathead lake

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.. By now, it would seem, that interested and informed fly fishers are aware of the Lake Trout situation in Yellowstone Lake. They are probably aware of the rapidly vanishing native species in Yellowstone National Park, as well.
.. Sadly many of our neighbors, (guides and feather merchants as well,) have poo-pooed the need to do anything about the conservation of native species. They say, sadly: "A trout is a trout, is a trout. I just want to catch them."

Opossum Shrimp

.. Many of our influential neighbors and famous fishers have remained silent on the matter; avoiding the scoping meetings and public comment forums that the NPS has held on the current EA for the Native Fish Conservation Plan, (LINK #1, LINK #2.)
.. We read with great interest the recent article in NEW WEST. The story is about the complex interaction of species in Flathead Lake.
.. A recent paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences details how the introduction of a small non-native crustacean, (the Opossum Shrimp - Mysis diluviana,) has totally altered the ecology of a large lake.
.. It has changed algae production, nearly eliminated Kokanee Salmon, enabled Lake Trout population explosion, and endangered the native Bull Trout.
.. The paper details a classic example of a trophic cascade that has been well documented since it's inception in 1968.

LAKE TROUT

.. The excellent summary in New West informs us that the introduction of the shrimp to were to provide food for Kokanee Salmon which were planted in the 20's. As it turns out the shrimp devoured the Kokanee's food and proliferated.
.. Their population explosion provided an abundant food source for the introduced Lake Trout and allowed the Lake Trout population to grow to the point where the Kokanee Salmon and the Bull Trout are now being eaten at a rapid clip by the Lakers.
.. Another by product of the trophic cascade is the increased growth of algae.

MONEY QUOTE:

"After the mysis explosion kokanee disappeared, bull trout declined, and lake trout came to be the dominant top predator, according to the study. This led to an increase in algal production because the shrimp ate up larger zooplankton, decreasing their levels and allowing smaller types of zooplankton to proliferate, Stanford explains. He says this changed the way the zooplankton “mow the lawn,” or consume algae: smaller zooplankton are less efficient consumers and allow algae room to grow."

.. We note that "simple" is seldom a concept that can be applied to ecological change. Both Yellowstone National Park and Flathead Lake, (as well as many other areas around the country and the world,) have suffered the consequences of actions in the past.
.. "While the future might hold unexpected outcomes, for now fisheries managers have their hands full dealing with the legacy of shrimp and a misinformed decision from the past."

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LINK

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