 | Afternoon Grazing - December 6, 2010
In the bowels of a wintery canyon, great boulders channel flowing water into deep trenches. Finding the resident trout is a matter of stalking along the seams, and finding the deepest holes. Stalk carefully because some deep holes may contain a dozen nice fish.
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 | Strip Set - November 22, 2010
Morning sunlight creeps into the narrow valley, bringing an early dose of afternoon warmth. The trail gradually slides downhill, but the river remains hidden behind a thicket of aspen. “The fly shop says we’re looking at a solid five kilometer hike,” Jim reports.
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 | Tying the Sparkle Dun - November 8, 2010
Each season a different pattern seems to rise from the ranks of my fly box, establishing itself as my new top producer. From a neglected corner, this pattern suddenly transforms into my “confidence fly.” Confidence makes all the difference in the world.
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 | Secrets of Visibility - October 11, 2010
About the time Justin O’Hair fires up the tractor, the first Blue-Winged Olives start coming to the surface. I watch patiently as the first wave takes flight into the grey morning sky.
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 | Stacking the Drift - September 27, 2010
Many years ago, I sat in a crowded university lecture hall listening to my professor describe the bridge as one of the greatest indicators of an advanced society. Forgetting about the symbolism of progress, we fly fishers now span water and distance wondering only about what swims below.
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 | Skinny Water - September 25, 2010
With aspen groves turning golden yellow along the shoreline, major changes are also happening beneath the surface. Most importantly, water temperatures are dropping from the uncomfortable warmth of summer.
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 | Autumn Migrations - September 13, 2010
She has been a seasonal resident for a couple of seasons now. She arrives in the early spring and disappears shortly after the first dusting of snow. Today she pokes around the cattails, scanning the shallows for movement. Territorial in nature, she is not the best company when fly fishing.
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 | Autumn Terrestrials - August 30, 2010
After speeding down the smooth open flats of Montana’s Highway 287, the rough gravel road comes as a welcome surprise. We are now very close to the Madison River.
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 | Clean Pick Ups - August 16, 2010
Deep in the Rocky Mountains, gin clear water rushes over a shallow riffle and then drops into an emerald green pool. Westslope cutthroat watch the choppy water. They are waiting for Green Drakes to wash into the slower water.
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 | When Spinners Fall - August 2, 2010
August . . . the word brings images of warm afternoons and tougher fly fishing. A good western wind can put terrestrials on the water, but the month is better suited to exploring the mountain streams. Of course, there is another good option for addicts of the dry fly.
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 | Mastering the Evening Rise - July 19, 2010
Well after the sun is chased from the sky, moonlight dances across Three Dollar Bridge in southern Montana. Spanning some of the greatest pocket water on the planet, the bridge stands as a glimmering monument to western fly fishing.
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 | Upstream From the Side - July 5, 2010
July is a wonderful month in Yellowstone Country. Yellowstone National Park has so much top quality water that a visiting fly fisher can explore for weeks.
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 | Rapid Fire Stoneflies - June 21, 2010
I have often wondered about the magical attraction of fly fishing. Why do we chase western trout with such passion? Why does casting bring such joy? Why does the sight of a trout stream bring such inner peace?
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 | High Water: On Top - June 7, 2010
Like potato chips slowly disappearing from a bowl, snow is retreating from the tallest mountain peak. Already there is early season talk about the outdoor club hiking into the alpine meadows. On the valley floor the streams are running high.
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 | High Water: Down Deep - May 24, 2010
The waterfall is occasionally seen on the cover of backcountry hiking magazines, but it is unknown to the greater fly fishing world. Only the brave venture into the darkness of its canyon.
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 | A Spring Baetis Secret - May 10, 2010
The weather was perfect for a good hatch of spring Blue-Winged Olives, known as Baetis across the western states.
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 | Knowing the Speed - April 26, 2010
The car slows to a stop. From beneath comes the sound of broken gravel crushing into the dust. With a turn of the key, air conditioning becomes a thing of the past. The sun slopes down onto the western horizon, but it still packs a warm summer punch.
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 | Knowing the Water - April 12, 2010
The smell of burning firewood comes slowly into the valley, its smoke competing with the sweetness of sagebrush and juniper. From the towering rimrock cliffs, coyotes survey the distant campfires glowing in the darkness.
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 | The Ten-Degree Rule - March 29, 2010
The whole thing was unexpected, and maybe that was the magic. Surrounded by an epic series of snow-capped mountains and big western sky, such a small event almost goes unnoticed.
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 | Spring Showers - March 15, 2010
After several days of sunny weather, the forecast was calling for a period of spring showers throughout the weekend. As a fly fisher, you understand that a forecast calling for spring showers is really a code message, sent from your friends at the weather department.
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 | The Long Walk - March 1, 2010
Word is spreading like wildfire. In the back corner of a fly shop in Montana, we listen patiently to whisperings about the famous Henry’s Fork. “Brown Drakes . . . . massive mayflies . . . evenings,” comes quietly into the conversation.
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 | Finding Winter Trout - February 15, 2010
We had not fished together in many months, so it came as a surprise when William called early Monday morning. “I’m thinking about getting the waders wet pretty soon,” he said. “What are your plans for the weekend?” “What’s the forecast?” I asked.
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 | Midges & Putty - February 1, 2010
Grey overcast clouds darken the countryside, threatening yet another storm. In the hayfields, snow clings to the shadow of split rail fences, where mice scamper for protection. Above, the red-tailed hawk remains watchful.
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 | Loop Knot Magic - January 18, 2010
It just might be the worst collection of slime-covered rock in the western world, and years ago that was part of its glory. Like many world famous steelhead destinations, the fishing here was supposed to be tough.
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 | Midge Clusters - January 4, 2010
The hatch was big. We were parked a couple hundred yards away from the spring creek, and already my car was covered with adult midges. Looking towards the towering snow-capped Absaroka Mountain Range, tiny midges disappeared into the deep blue Montana sky.
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 | The Whole Picture - December 21, 2009
Like a runner trying to reach home plate in the World Series, my truck swung into the gravel parking lot. Dust billowed from underneath the slowing tires, and disappeared into the windswept desert wilderness.
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 | Streamer Strategy - December 7, 2009
We call the spot the “Picket Fence Run,” but there is no picket fence within twenty miles. Still, the name seems fitting because when the river drops in the winter, submerged boulders are exposed midcurrent. Just like a picket fence, these rocks guard a deep trough of slow water.
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 | Triggering A Strike - November 23, 2009
The stream was a thing of beauty, a silky collection of prime seams and deep troughs. And in a world covered with the pale glimmer of fallen snow, it was a dark slash, gently running through the frozen landscape.
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 | Slip Set - November 9, 2009
Rain showers drift into the valley, nestling onto the steep mountain slopes. The warm summer sun disappears into the coming darkness. Wind gusts race down the valley floor, bending the towering aspens like softened spaghetti. Soon the crystal clear tributary will turn dirty.
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 | Concept of Vulnerability - October 26, 2009
It was a typical evening during the bitter month of January. I was watching a television series about the introduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park. While the beauty of the park was a nice break from the bleak winter landscape, it was the feeding pattern of the wolf pack that caught my interest.
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 | Keeping a Journal - October 12, 2009
We were sliding the pram into the crystal clear water, when something suddenly approached from behind. Smack in the middle of grizzly bear country, there was a prolonged moment of gut-wrenching terror.
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 | Tying Pheasant Tails - September 28, 2009
Morning comes slowly in the Gallatin Range of the Rocky Mountains. Dew clings to the damp meadow grass, and spider webs shimmer like diamond necklaces in the willow thickets. It’s a natural art show!
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 | Streamers & Droppers - September 14, 2009
My decision to swing a streamer was a bit of a gamble. These winter trout were used to grabbing small nymphs, drifting naturally along the bottom. They might not be willing to chase my streamer. "Ah yes, but there is a method to my madness," I mumbled to myself.
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 | Swinging Soft Hackles - August 31, 2009
It’s the sort of place that seeps into your soul, like rain seeping into a wool sweater. Marching along the meadow paths, you’re walking in the footsteps of fly fishing legends in the vein of Jack Hemingway. This is the Silver Creek Preserve in Blaine County, Idaho.
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 | Tying Soft Hackles - August 17, 2009
As the sun drops into the Gravelly Range, dusk wanders into the Madison River Valley. Summer warmth quickly retreats into the fading twilight. There’s a slight chill in the air, and storm clouds threaten yet another thunder shower.
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 | Movement Equals Life - August 3, 2009
The freight train raced into a rolling sea of sagebrush. It seemed lost, almost lonely as it chased the twisting tracks down the length of the river. A small flock of pigeons, addicted to the corn and grain stored in its cargo containers, fluttered in its wake.
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 | Turning the Tide - July 20, 2009
There is something magical about watching a mountain stream come to life! With a moon still hanging in the morning sky, summer warmth slowly creeps into the valley, and the stream responds.
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