Wyoming, Idaho, Montana Reports



An Idaho fatty



As I suspected the big water in these states are high and off color and there is still alot of snow in the Tetons, Snake range, Greys and Salt range.  Probably wont see any serious fishing on the big water till August.  But there is fishing.  I floated the Salt River in Wyoming with friend and guide Dave Barber.  The Salt was up and a little silty but the spring creeks feeding it were clear to mildly colored, these provided good dry fly action on Cutts.  The first one I landed pushed 18" with the rest in the 12" range.  I did have one BIG fish on for about a minute.  It made three runs pulling line off the reel and fighting me deep.  I never did see it but I'd say was fighting like a brown trout, a BIG brown trout.  Based on my Salmon River experience I'd guess around 5 to 7 lbs.  He spit the fly. 



20+  Idaho Cutthroat

Moving into Victor/Driggs, Idaho basically offered one option.  Pine Creek,  from the summit to Swan Valley, was in great shape and still held post spawn Cutts.  The first outing produced my biggest Cutt, +20".  Through a week of fishing it I managed a pair over 20" and most in the 16" -18" range.  In a typical, "normal", year these fish would have dropped back into the South Fork by this time but with the higher water flows they had stuck around for a little longer, good for me.  As we left Teton Valley for Montana the Teton River was beginning to fish.



Another Post Spawn Cutt

 The Yellowstone in Montana was blown out for fishing which was disappointing cause we'd rented a house on the Yellowstone in Livingston.  But west of Bozeman the Madison was perfect and the fishing was excellent, as was the Henry's Fork and the Buffalo River. The Gallatin from the Yellowstone Park down to Taylor Creek was in perfect condition.  From Taylor down through the canyon it was milky but very fishable.  Through out, the same flies produced well.  Comparadun PMDs and BWOs #18 tied for 1st.  Parachute Adams #12 a close 2nd and in Wyoming I had good success on a Comparadun Green Drake #12



Cedar Strip Kayak



As a side note, they say curiosity has killed a few cats, but sometime it leads to some interesting finds.  While staying in Victor,  I'd heard the neighbor sawing, sanding and pounding away everyday.  Finally curiosity got the best of me and I walked over to see what was going on.  I met Howard Bybee, a young fellow who's garage was a scaled down wood shop full of wooden patterns and two cedar strip kayaks, one finished and one in the assembly stage. Howard is a true craftsman.  His work was meticulous, thought out and looked dang near perfect to me.  If you've ever wanted a hand crafted kayak click on his name and send him a message. 

Snow, lots of water and beautiful scenery



Lamoille Canyon, Ruby Mts., Nevada



We made the trip from California to Idaho with no problems.  Stopped by the Trukee in California and was unfishable.  As with most of the west the snow pack was so deep at the end off winter that it still continues to melt keeping many rivers high and off color.  We stopped in Elko Nevada for 2 days and spent some time in the Ruby Mts, truly a beautiful place on this earth.  I fished Lamoille Canyon one evening and spent more time taking pictures of the scenery than fishing.  I fished through a couple of beaver pond at about 8500 ft and with snow still on the ground it was a little cool.  Managed a few small trout but the water was high and getting close the the main channels through the ponds was difficult.  Still was a nice evening in a beautiful place.

Arriving in Idaho found the Snake in Wyoming and the South Fork high and dirty.  The South fork is running at 22,000+ cfs. They've started floating it 2 days ago with most boats that I've seen running from Conant down through the canyon.  The Tetons still have about 8-9 feet of snow pack above 9000 ft.  Teton River and Fox Creek here in Teton Valley (Victor/ Driggs, Id) are basically blown out.  I did float the upper Salt River in Wyoming this past Wednesday from Grover to Auburn.  It was high and a little off color but we floated up a few spring creeks running into the Salt that were clear and the cutts were rising good to dries.  Managed to land a few  in the 18-20" range and did lose one that was big, my fishermans quess would be 5-7lbs.  Picked up these fish on Green Drake comparaduns and parachute Adams , both #10-12.  There were small yellow stones and yellow sallys hatching all day and even saw a few PMDs and BWO.

We drove up to West Yellowstone Montana Tuesday and the Henry's Fork looks perfect, as did the Madison around Island Park and the Henry's Lake outlet. Gonna head up to the Henry's Fork again and spend some time fishing it. 

The fishing oportunities this year are a little thin but still enjoying the beautiful country here.  We'll be heading to Montana for a few days next week, really looking forward to it.  Will keep posting.

The trip west, Northern California and the Fishing

You ever have the dream were you're running and it's like slow motion or you're running in water, just can't seem to make any progress.  Well getting on the road and out of New York seemed like that.  One delay after another.  Now, however, seems a distant memory.  We made it to California almost a week ago and things are going good.  It's hot here, 100+ the last few days so we are adjusting to this.  We spent a few days in Redding checking out Lake Shasta and the Lassen Volcanic National Park, really beautiful here.



Wyoming Sky

Had the chance to stop in at The Fly Shop in Redding. Nice place and the sales person I talked to was full of info.  These guys seem to take alot of pride in their outfit.  I was pointed to the upper Sacramento River, above Shasta Lake.  As with most of the west this spring the water levels here are high and finding fishable water has been a challenge.  The lower Sac was high but the upper was in good shape.  Spent an evening on the upper Sac at Soda Creek.  Indi fished and picked up a few rainbows, nothing spectacular but it was good to finally get the fly rod out.  I would like to have tried the McCloud up there but just no time.





Lassen Volcano, Northern CA



We are in Vacaville, CA with some friends right now and will be heading to the Truckee tomorrow.  We'll be there for a couple days and then it's on to Idaho.  Tonight though, when the temps drop a bit I am planning to check out the Putah Creek, about 20 minutes from here.  It's a tailwater fishery so should be some good fishing.  Would like to hit a caddis hatch or PMD's, we'll see. 

I'll be posting regularly now as we are getting better adjusted here.  Once we get to Idaho we are set up in a house for a few weeks and things should settle down with alot more time on the water.

Hope you enjoy these pictures.  I'm going to try to put a slide show together here. 







Atlantic Salmon, Spey Claves and local ramblings

The water levels in the local streams, Fish Creek and Mad River have dropped conciderably in the past week and a half.  Runs that were just above my knee are now at  the top of my wading boots, more normal for this time of the year.  Mostly all fish are stocked browns with the occasional brookie.  The primary fly I have been using is a BWO comparadun with a sparkle tail  #18.  There were some stones hatching on Fish Creek the other evening and a dark brown hairwing caddis with a sparkle tail worked good in the fast water.  I was wishing I had a few Stimulators with me but they're packed and ready for the trip west.  Time flies, we're leaving a week from Tuesday.

I have landed two Atlantic Salmon in the last week, one on the west branch of Fish Creek and one on the Mad River, just outside Camden.  These were only 6-7" still wearing par marks, probably from the 2010 stockings by the local club.  These fish were explosive for their size, going airborne a few times.  They were slender, silvery fish and no mistaking their ID with their forked tail.  The local Atlantic Salmon Club are trying to re-introduce Atlantics back into Fish Creek as they were native to this area.  They have made strong efforts towards this, even building a small local hatchery to do this.  Pretty cool.

They get good support from the Spey Nation, a group set up to advance spey fishing.  On June 25,2011 they will be holding their 4th annual clave at the Pineville Bridge parking lot on the Salmon River.  I will miss it as I'll be in California by then.  They have tremendous support by the spey industry and their claves are well attended.  The proceeds from their raffle go to the Atlantic Salmon Club .  If you can spend a day with these guys, you'll have a good time, make good friends and learn alot.



Amazing camo

 As a final note.  The experience of fishing sometimes has nothing to do with the fish.  Twice in the past week as I fished locally I had the experience of coming face to face, actually almost stepping on, fawns of this spring.  My daughter's Boston Terriers are bigger than these little guys.  It's an added bonus to see things like this, actually it's like being rewarded for the time you put into the out of doors.   Did manage a picture of one

I'll try to post once more before we head west.

Shoving Off

From the Rowing Seat is going to take you on a journey down the river of my world.  Since September of 1988, when I guided my first clients for the famous Salmon River (New York's) salmon, I have seen, touched, smelled, heard and yes, even tasted, the life of a fishing and hunting guide.  Things began to happen that refined and defined who I am today.  My veiw of fishing has changed, broadened in some ways and narrowed in other ways.  Veiwing a resource like our fishery here on the Salmon River daily as a guide, has helped me to better appreciate the importance of caring for and conserving the very thing that has brought me to this, the first post to my blog.  And whether it is the fishery here on this beautiful river or on the pristene trout streams and rivers of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana that I've enjoyed so much over the last few years, it is a resource that needs good stewards, I hope I'm one of them.


Good friend and client John Fields with a Salmon River Steelhead


Many will recognize the name of this blog as it is also the title of the newsletter for my guide service.  For many years now I have kept in touch with my clients through a quarterly news letter.  Nothing fancy, just a 'hello, I'm still here and look forward to our visit this coming season'.  The news letters will still go out but this blog will help fill in the gaps in the mean time.

My wife Pattina and I are making the final preparations for our annual trip west.  We leave in just 3 short weeks.  I've been putting our fly gear together and she has been setting the agenda for us.  We're heading to California first, fish the Trukee in Ca and Nevada, it's beautiful there, and then it's up to Wyoming and Idaho for the better part of 3 weeks.  We set up in Driggs, ID and from there can fish most any of the famous streams (and some not so famous) in a day trip.  Then it's up to Montana for the first part of August and then home.  It always looks like alot of time out there but it goes by so fast.  I'll keep you posted as to how the trip unfolds this year.

Client Alexis Surovov with a HUGE Salmon River Brown.

Well that's enough for now (blah, blah, blah).  Here are a few pictures of some Salmon River trophys.  I look forward to sharing my view of life, from the rowing seat.