8/19-8/26 Montana trout fishing

Headed out to Montana with my Dad and brother for the week last Saturday early morning from the Atlanta airport. Arrived in Bozeman, MT and drove down to West Yellowstone along the Gallatin River, where I was immediately submersed in trout country.

Checked into hotel and prepared for next morning's float on the Madison River, just down from Quake and Hebgen lakes. Woke up to a 33 degree morning, a welcome crisp in contrast to the 100+ heat indices I left behind in Charleston. Floated about 10 miles, mostly fishing hoppers and other terrestrials. Big fish of the day was a 17 inch brown that fell for a flying ant thrown tight on the bank.

Next day we headed into Yellowstone National Park and saw a few of the park's attractions before heading up the Lamar Valley and fishing the Soda Butte on the way to Cooke City.




On Tuesday we hiked into Slough Creek's second meadow. Lots of nice cutthroat eating terrestrials along the meadow's undercut banks. A good 4-5 mile hike in and out along some of Yellowstone's most beautiful scenery.
Wednesday we drove back across the park via some more of the major attractions. The plan was to be back in West for the night before another float on the Madison River the following day.

Thursday we floated the Madison again, this time a few miles lower than on Sunday. The fish were more active this day, with more and bigger fish coming up on hoppers and the occasional baetis during sporadic hatches.

On Friday, we got up and started working our way back up to Bozeman along Hwy 191 and the Gallatin River. We stopped every few miles to fish the river and were rewarded at each stop. The highlight was hitting a good stretch of dry fly water at lunch time just as some clouds came in and cooled things off enough for a heavy hatch, much to the enjoyment of ourselves as well as the feeding rainbow trout.

Saturday we were up at 4 am and at the airport for our flight back home. Great trip and great fishing, and back just in time to fish the last few good flood tides before the reds here begin their Fall/Winter patterns.

More pictures can be found in the Freshwater album of the photo gallery on the website. http://www.spottedtailproductions.com/gallery/

8/12-8/13 Late weekend report

Had some friends visiting this weekend, so wanted to get them on some fish. Got up Saturday morning and made it to the boat ramp just as the rain started. After seeing a tail from the ramp before even launching the boat, we decided to not let the rain deter us - despite the looming black clouds appearing to be headed our way. I started poling the flat and we were seeing a good number of tails amidst the rain drops on the flooded grass flat. Most fish would show themselves for a second or two and then disappear when we were in casting range. The water was too murky to see the fish unless its tail or fins were above the surface, or if it was making obvious pushes or boils in the water. Clouds came in and the wind picked up and created rolling waves on the flat, but we were still seeing fish so we stayed on. Ended up staying out for a good 3-4 hours before the tide started to drop and it was time to get back to the ramp. Didn't get any fish to the boat, but it was nice seeing so many tails and having the entire flat to ourselves.

Sunday, got up at daybreak and ran out into the harbor to a mud flat within spitting distance of where the Civil War began over a hundred years ago. Although the temperature was surpisingly cool, the wind was already kicking 25+ before the sun cleared the horizon. So we kicked around a little shell bank hoping it would be a little more pretected. Water was again murky, and we poled over a couple of fish in 6" of water that we had no idea were even there. Saw some fish waking in the skinny water of low tide, pushing a trail of popping shrimp ahead of them, but no decent shots. Eventually we ran back into some more protected water and waited on the tide to get into the grass, entertained by a few dolphin corraling and working some schools of menhaden and mullet into a tasty breakfast. Once the tide rose, we poled the edge of a grass flat and saw 10-15 reds with their tails and backs out of the water, but again were shut down. We did, however get out and wade to many of those fish, and as my friend stalked them with the fly rod, I captured some decent tailing footage with the video camera. I hope to post some of that footage on the site soon.

I've been trying to shift gears back to freshwater mode this week, as I will be traveling to Montana for 6 days starting August 19th. I look forward to fishing some lighter rods and big hoppers along the banks of some of the Yellowstone area's most pristine rivers and creeks - and hope to have a good report and some pictures to share upon my return.

8/8/06 Charleston, SC flood tide

With a hovering storm cell and a severe thunderstorm warning, I opted for wade fishing tonight rather than putting the skiff in the water. Got to my spot a little early and had to wait for the tide to come in. Passed the time by watching a racoon feed on various foods the marsh had to offer, all while the water slowly creeped in. Just as the sun began to set I saw a red working in the grass with its tail tipped up. I waded over and got a good cast at it, but I missed the set when the fish ate. The severe weather never came and it actually turned out to be a nice evening on the water.

The redfish grounds...

8/7/06 Charleston, SC flood tide

Made it out for the flood tide last night up here in Charleston. Tide was big due to the near full moon, around 6.3 feet, so the grass was plenty flooded. I think it might have been a little too flooded, as I could see fish pushing around and creating swirls that would normally be made obvious by their tails breaking the surface in lower water. It was a little windier than forecasted, more like 10-15 mph rather than 5-10. Poled the boat around for a little while before staking out and hopping over the side to wade around. Only saw a few tails once I began wading, but I was able to spot a big tail waving around about 75 yds away. I waded over to it while it continued to break the surface, and eventually was within casting range. The wind was messing with my cast, but I was eventually able to put the fly in front of the fish and strip it by him. He ate with a big boil and gave me quite a few short, strong runs. Got him on the boga at 10 lbs and on the tape at 30 inches. Made for a great one fish night.