For many anglers who are visiting the West for the first time, the Gallatin River typifies their idea of western rivers. This is especially true if they view the river for the first time in the canyon stretch along US 191. The Gallatin River in this section is a brawling, moderate size, freestone, mountain stream. The Gallatin is 120 miles in length from its headwaters in Yellowstone National Park to where it joins with the Madison and Jefferson Rivers at Headwaters State Park near Three Forks, Montana to form the mighty Missouri River.

This fall's Baetis hatch at DePuy Spring Creek (www.depuyspringcreek.com) was indeed a "classroom of fly-fishing"; filled with too many valuable lessons. This whole period kept me on my toes and made me think and rethink every day. Besides the main story covered in the first article, there are a few more topics to share. These are actual occurrences and are relevant to the main story, however putting them all together in one chapter would have been too overwhelming. This does not mean these topics could have been omitted. Rather, if the first article is the general description of the situation, these are more detailed and minute topics that add strong flavors and that every spring-creek enthusiast may be dying to experience!

There are certainly exceptions to every rule; Fly Anglers OnLine (FAOL) is free.

You are welcome to share information you find here, to print out fly patterns, the instructions from various Fly Tying series and have them for your own use – or for your club's newsletter (provided you give us proper credit) and you may also use them for a fly tying or rod building class. However; here's the 'but': if you are doing the classes for profit you can't use the material. As long as it's free, feel free to use it.

The first bug left the water and took off like a lumbering Huey as it bounced and rotated upwards toward the awaiting safe haven of branches. The yellow glow of the fading light gave a brilliant contrast to the mahogany body as it appeared that the sanctuary of the trees was in reach. But obviously I was not the only thing in the ecosystem that was admiring the big mayfly as a swallow suddenly hit it with an agility only nature can provide, ending the small bugs flight and hopes of procreation. I stood there contemplating what had just happened, and in that short span of time the air became filled with swallows that were chasing more rising mayflies. The hatch was on. 

It was a nice day, and it had not rained for a couple of days. The sun was out with some clouds in the sky. My better half asked if I was going to disappear, and it seemed like a good suggestion to follow.

I had received a private message asking me if I was ever going to compare my Tenarka rod to my 1 weight fly rod. I had never thought about it, but seemed like it might be fun to do so grabbed the Tenarka rod, 1 weight graphite and a 5 weight graphite before I left the house. I knew if I took a boo rod the others might not get used. I took a Goldie Jr in gold and silver, fur tailed mohair leeches and two other patterns with me. This way I could have the same patterns on each rod.

Recently I loaded up some of my fly tying material so that I would have what I need to tie a few flies during our winter sojourn in Arizona. As I went through the drawers and boxes where I store my various materials I was reminded of the early years when I was just beginning to tie flies. I soon realized that many of the materials that I needed to tie flies came from birds and animals that lived around my home in Michigan. It seemed logical that I could collect many of my own materials. Thus began several years of hunting and gathering furs and feathers right from the source.

Recently I loaded up some of my fly tying material so that I would have what I need to tie a few flies during our winter sojourn in Arizona. As I went through the drawers and boxes where I store my various materials I was reminded of the early years when I was just beginning to tie flies. I soon realized that many of the materials that I needed to tie flies came from birds and animals that lived around my home in Michigan. It seemed logical that I could collect many of my own materials. Thus began several years of hunting and gathering furs and feathers right from the source.