It’s BWO time here in Montana. Right now. Due to unseasonally warm early weather the rivers are cloudy. But not blown out. And the flies don’t care. They’re hatching. The fish and swallows are eating them too. The most effective rig is a BWO dry fly (of some kind) that floats well, with a 12-18" tippet tied to the bend of the dry fly hook, trailing a tiny soft hackle wet fly of some kind. You’ll catch fish on both flies. But mostly on the wet fly. I tied this one with a gray wing because that’s what the naturals have. But in practice I like to use a whiter wing so it’s easier to see. Rocky Mountain Baetis are tiny mayflies. Size 18 at the very biggest. Most are a lot smaller than that. This one’s tied on a #22 DaiRiki 135. Three materials: CDC, duck flank and Zelon. 14/0 thread.
RE> “Does the z-lon represent the legs? Nice tie.”
Yes. Keeps it afloat too. Blue Winged Olives on our tailwater rivers are a mainstay around here. Some of the best fishing of the year. Spring and Falll. The flies (our Baetis) are small. Tiny actually. But the fish do like them.
I posted a complex, hard-to-tie fantasy mayfly a few days ago. This one is about as simple as it gets. Small is difficult no matter what. Keeping it simple (computer programmers like to say KISS–keep it simple stupid) helps a lot.
Your BWO spinner falls are in the evening to dark, correct? I was out your way 3 years ago and I think we fished them until we couldn’t see anymore on the Lamar. It was a blast.
Bruce
Yes to what you said, lastchance. Alas the Lamar is no longer good fishing. The wolves ate all the cutthroats. It’s been three seasons now since anyone actually caught a fish there. For out of state readers who want to fish the Rocky Mountains, I recommend the South Platte in Wyoming. Or the Frying Pan in Colorado. Anywhere but the Lamar. Slough Creek is awful too. As is Soda Butte.
…it’s never a good idea to speak well of your favorite fishing holes publicly. Yes? …or do I mean no?[/QUOTE]
I think the word is out on xxx yyy. When finding a place to park along the stream is like Christmas at the mall, I think it’s been “discovered”; not going to say it can’t get much worse there, because I guess it can, but that’s a place I avoid now except for photo ops.
Pittendrigh, Ha! Ha! Every tourist in the world knows of your secret fishing holes. Someday I wish I could go out there and fish some places of which only the locals know.
Bruce
I don’t mention small, short creeks that can’t handle much pressure or could be trashed by people not fully respectful of the backcountry by name.
But naming the South Fork of the Snake, the Henry’s Fork, the Bitterroot, Rock Creek, the Yellowstone, the Madison, etc. is pretty much like saying they are in the U.S. :roll:
It’s up to the listener / reader to figure out where the good water in the system is and then to properly read the water.
And, generally, I don’t mind fishing behind anyone except really poor anglers who tend to screw things up. Just makes it more of a challenge, and generally I do just fine in that situation.
John
P.S. Sandy - you would have enjoyed the BWO hatch on the Lochsa yesterday. Outstanding. For several hours. But with the river ripping the way it was, not likely any fly would get any fish up !!
Last time you were out here, we didn’t make connections. But if you come back to Western Montana, I’ll treat you to a couple places that I don’t mention by name.
Hey John. My plans fell through for this year, but next year I’ll be out even if I have to come alone. I’ll be in touch, that’s for sure.
The Best,
Bruce
Just makes it more of a challenge, and generally I do just fine in that situation.