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TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 21st, 2003, 05:40 AM
Warren
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's

RW showed up to my house on a Wednesday evening. I threw a=20
couple steaks on the grill and we had a few beers as we made=20
plans to fish the Gallatin on Thursday. Thursday morning came=20
all too early and it was pretty windy. After getting a late=20
start due to a few errands I had to run we headed up into "the=20
Canyon" section to try and get out of some of the wind. We=20
found a decent spot and checked the water temps to make sure=20
we were within the upper optimal limit and then rigged up. RW=20
started off with nymphs while I, being a real fly fisherman,=20
started out with a parachute Adams. I caught a few fish on=20
dries, RW caught a few fish on nymphs and then switched to=20
dries when we found some rising fish. That RW=85=85I think he will=20
make a real fly fisherman someday.

Friday morning at zero dark thirty we headed down to the=20
Bighorn to meet up with Willi, Snoop Spongey Bob, and Snoop's=20
friend Kevin for the Micro Clave. Since there were five of us=20
we qualified for Micro Clave status instead of Nano Clave=20
status, which is 2-4 people versus Pico Clave status, which is=20
wayno fishing for 6" brookies by himself. We did a short float=20
after meeting up and caught some fish. There weren't as many=20
fish as I am used to seeing, but there were plenty of bigger=20
fish than I am used to seeing on my trips to the Horn. When=20
fishing was first opened up on the Bighorn to the public the=20
waters were loaded with big fish and with time was over-
fished. Restrictive limits were put in place to help the=20
fishery and it has since bounced back. The good old days of no=20
holds barred slaughter fishing and a total lack of foresight=20
are sadly over.

I sure do miss the good ol' days though. We saw several river=20
pimp boats that were getting their clients into fish by mainly=20
nymphing. They would drift down a nice run and catch a few=20
fish and then pull off to the slow side of the river and row=20
back upstream to make another pass. It was a very interesting=20
technique and looked very effective. This isn't the only way=20
to fish the Horn however and can actually get sort of annoying=20
at times due to the vast amount of overcrowding. Those three=20
guide boats would keep doing this down and up routine while=20
other boats had to try and avoid potential collisions on the=20
very calm water. I also noticed something that I haven't seen=20
before happen. It seemed like in certain areas flocks of=20
fishermen would congregate on a nice run and fan out for some=20
combat fishing. The water would be totally open upstream and=20
downstream for as far as you could see, but people would still=20
group together like that. We would just keep on going and find=20
a nice place to ourselves. I still don't understand why that=20
was happening since there are fish all over the river.

Here's Snoop Spongey Bob fishing an area that was not crowded=20
and with nobody else in sight. =20
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...w/DCP_0876.JPG

A nice shot of the sun setting and "Team Gink."
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...w/DCP_0877.JPG

As I said before the wind was bad at times and this continued=20
on into Saturday and Sunday. It would go from dead calm and=20
partly cloudy to downpours with big hail and enough wind to=20
blow boats back upstream. It was a total battle of extremes=20
in terms of weather but thankfully the snow level didn't drop=20
into the valley. We also saw lots of insects during the calm=20
periods. Everything from a few PMDs to BWOs to clouds of black=20
caddis and so we often would find nice pockets of rising fish=20
to fish dries to.=20

Black caddis swarming RW.
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...w/DCP_0891.JPG

Willi is another real fly fisherman and caught several nice=20
fish on dries and was the only person to catch fish in our=20
group except for everybody else.=20

Willi with fish:
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...w/DCP_0896.JPG
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...w/DCP_0909.JPG

RW with fish:
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...w/DCP_0908.JPG

I wish I would have had a camera with me so I could have=20
gotten pics of Kevin and Snoop with fish.....

All fish caught during this trip were caught using mono=20
because it is biodegradable and we wanted to be ethical fly=20
fishermen. The best part of fly fishing is the casting after=20
all and using fluorocarbon would have interfered with our=20
casting since we would have undoubtedly caught all the fish in=20
the river.

I think Bruiser would have enjoyed this place even more than=20
Willi, who seemed to be in total awe at the numbers of big=20
fish rising. The Bighorn can also be highly technical nymph=20
fishing at times with everything from San Juan style midge=20
patterns to scuds and streamers. It can be a problem trying=20
to figure out what the fish are feeding on the most and=20
presentation is a big part of the game. If one fish was=20
feeding only on a certain type of aquatic insect, you could=20
simply move on to another fish and probably catch him or you=20
could change flies and really test your skills against=20
specific fish. Lots of fun. Especially when you can come back=20
to a nice hot meal at the end of the day and listen to Snoop=20
and RW talk about Sponge Bob cartoons....

End of the day on the Bighorn:
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...w/DCP_0905.JPG


On Sunday after Willi, Snoop and Kevin left, RW and I=20
continued fishing. We saw something rather disgusting that I=20
thought I would share. I know this topic has come up in the=20
past and so I thought perhaps I would throw another example of=20
a total ****head out there. There was a big concrete block=20
thing that made a really nice eddy. People would climb up on=20
this block and throw spin gear, haul fish out of the water,=20
handle them with dry hands and then throw them back. That=20
wasn't the most disgusting display we saw however. This guy=20
came down to fish up by RW and caught a very nice rainbow in=20
the 20" range. He lands the fish, drops the fish on the rocks=20
several times, lets the fish thrash around in the rocks and=20
dirt while yelling for his girlfriend. Several minutes later=20
the girlfriend arrives and this guy has just left this big=20
rainbow on the bank flopping around so she can see it. She=20
comes and looks at the fish, picks it up, drops it some more=20
and then they finally release the fish like five minutes=20
later. That combined with the trash left from those types of=20
anglers really has me convinced that something needs to be=20
done to educate anglers.

Fly fishermen seem to be heading in the right direction and=20
the bass fishing crowd seems to be doing their part, but there=20
are huge segments of the fishing community that have firmly=20
lodged their heads up their asses. Looking back on it, I=20
should have said something about the way these people were=20
treating the fish but didn't because I didn't witness much of=20
what went on first hand and was just too disgusted after=20
listening to all of the details that RW had witnessed. Later=20
in our trip, Chas asked if signs at public fishing access=20
sites were a good idea. I totally think putting signs up with=20
the regs, handling techniques, etc is a very good idea and may=20
be the only way anglers like these can be educated on proper=20
techniques and river etiquette. Hopefully Chas's fishing club=20
proceeds with the idea and it catches on.

In the end, the fishing on the Bighorn was a little slower=20
than I have had in the past, but the fish seemed to be bigger=20
on average. I had forgotten just how much I liked this river=20
and it was good to get back over there. But like all trips,=20
they come to an end and RW and I headed back over to my house=20
where I was talked into going over to Chas's place for some=20
salmon fishing. This is real salmon fishing, not that lake=20
crap I hear about elsewhere where those fish come in from a=20
lake and you can't tell the difference between the fish other=20
than their geographical location. We arrived at "The Wade=20
Inn" late at night and got a fair amount of camaraderie in=20
before hitting the rack. Chas is an amazing photographer and=20
we had an opportunity to view several of his pictures that=20
were to be in a show later in the week. Now they could never=20
be considered "true art" since they are digital photos, but=20
they are the closest damn approximation of "true art" that I=20
have ever seen. Chas has pictures all over his house that=20
look ever bit as good as, if not better than, those you see in=20
stores for sale. It was a nice touch to the d=E9cor, especially=20
when you learned that he had taken the pics himself. By 2 am=20
we were ready to hit the hay and get up early to go chase=20
salmon.

When you go to bed at two in the morning, seven A.M. comes way=20
too early, especially after a 700 mile drive. I was wore out=20
and I didn't even do any of the driving so I know RW must have=20
been completely exhausted, but we got up and hit the road to=20
go chase some pinks. Chas seemed like he had been preparing=20
for our arrival by scouting out good places to go and had=20
everything in order. After a stop to get licenses, we were=20
headed to the river where Chas had had some luck a day or two
before our arrival. The fishing used to be much better in the=20
old days, but this year has record numbers of pinks ever since=20
they first started keeping records. While rigging up you could=20
see the discoloration in the water where the salmon were. I=20
was the first one rigged up and on the water and within a few=20
casts was into my first humpy. I think that was the best work=20
out that my 6 wt has ever had and I kept getting this nagging=20
feeling that I was going to break my rod, but I landed the=20
fish and several others. Chas and RW were into fish shortly=20
thereafter. It seems that we had followed the storm out west=20
that had plagued us on the Bighorn as it began to rain and=20
then would clear a little only to rain a little more.

Me hooking into my first humpy:
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...s/DSC_0016.JPG
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...s/DSC_0017.JPG
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...s/DSC_0023.JPG

RW with his first humpy:
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...s/DSC_0030.JPG
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...s/DSC_0033.JPG
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...s/DSC_0028.JPG

RW's 8.5 lb humpy:
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...s/DSC_0035.JPG

Another shot of RW's biggun' with me way off in the background=20
unhooking another fish:
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...s/DSC_0037.JPG

A nice shot of the river we were fishing with Chas:
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...s/DSC_0039.JPG

After catching several fish from this one spot, we decided to=20
drive upriver to another spot that Chas had gotten some info=20
on. We found the area after a brief scouting expedition and=20
hit the river again. You could see several pinks from the=20
bank and so we spread out and began casting. RW and Chas=20
seemed to be having more luck than I was so I went upstream to=20
a nice looking piece of water. I wasn't prepared for what I=20
saw when I got there. The river looked almost black from the=20
vast numbers of pinks there and I realized that this was THE=20
spot to be. I quickly caught 9 fish and then lost track. I=20
eventually got Chas and RW to come up and the three of us had=20
several doubles and triples and each landed at least 50 fish=20
apiece. We fished in this area until dark and then headed back=20
to the Wade Inn completely worn out from what RW and I decided=20
was fof (freakin' obscene fishing). RW and I were completely=20
in awe of this type of fishing and I think we are now hooked,=20
at least I am.

The flies we used:
http://www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt4/tools.html
http://www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt..._good_fly.html

Wednesday found us on another section of the river. Somehow we=20
had forgotten some gear and Chas and his son were without=20
waders. Chas and Glen went down to where we had slayed the=20
fish the day before while RW and I explored a new section of=20
river. Chas let me borrow his 8 wt rod since I still had this=20
nagging feeling that my 6 wt was going to break. RW and I hit=20
the river and started working our way downstream hoping for a=20
day like the day before. The fishing wasn't as good, but I was=20
into fish before we even hit the good spot. On my third fish,=20
Chas's rod broke in two places and I was basically done. It=20
seems that instead of trusting my instinct to switch rods, I=20
should have ignored it and stuck with my 6 wt. Thank God for=20
those marketing ploy/warranties! I did manage to land a couple=20
more fish using the broken rod, but RW was gracious enough to=20
let me take turns using his 9 wt.=20

The fishing was much slower than the day before despite the=20
vast numbers of fish around. Chas had fluorocarbon tippet=20
material rigged up on the reel I was using and so that must=20
have been why I was catching fish while RW wasn't. Or perhaps=20
we were far enough upstream that the fish were more concerned=20
with spawning than eating the tasty morsels that Chas had=20
tied. RW did end up catching a nice Dolly Varden using an=20
orange streamer. Imagine how many he could have caught had he=20
been using fluorocarbon?!?!?! Since we didn't want to be=20
elitist, snob fly fishermen, RW and I decided to keep about 30=20
lbs of salmon since they were going to die after spawning=20
anyway. We made it totally clear by keeping fish that even=20
though our gear said Simms or Sage on it that we were not=20
snobs or asshole C&R fishermen.

Some more fish shots:
http://www.ruralnetwork.net/%7Etrout...s/DSC_0055.JPG

I can't begin to explain how fun this trip was. The Wades are=20
awesome hosts and I am very grateful for their hospitality.=20
The fishing was secondary and only made the trip that much=20
better but I am already thinking about another visit in the=20
near future. Unfortunately now begins the hard part, smoking=20
all this salmon and catching up on all the lost sleep=85=85
--=20
Warren
(use troutbum_mt (at) yahoo to reply via email)
  #2  
Old September 21st, 2003, 08:20 AM
Chas Wade
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's

Warren wrote:

.... Awsome, if huge, TR snipped ...

Great report Warren. I wish I'd been at the Bighorn, and I'm delighted
that you came out for the pinks. Too bad more folks didn't show up.
That run is still going, but the Coho are showing up now and stealing
the thunder of the pinks.

I went back to our hot spot this afternoon, and caught fish on several
different flies. The biggest was 7 pounds, well shy of RW's, but a
good fish. I did try a WOG, a floating pink fly, today and had a
couple followers and one half hearted strike. For some reason I had
the entire run to myself on a Saturday afternoon.

Thanks again for coming out, you guys are welcome anytime.

Chas
http://home.comcast.net/~chas.wade/w...ome.html-.html

  #3  
Old September 21st, 2003, 08:25 AM
daytripper
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's

On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 22:40:40 -0600, Warren wrote:

[snipped]
I can't begin to explain how fun this trip was. The Wades are
awesome hosts and I am very grateful for their hospitality.
The fishing was secondary and only made the trip that much
better but I am already thinking about another visit in the
near future. Unfortunately now begins the hard part, smoking
all this salmon and catching up on all the lost sleep


Man, that sounds like you had one hell of a great time. But you really should
know, you guys are twisting the knife in us office-bound types...

/daytripper (my time will come....later, apparently ;-)
  #4  
Old September 21st, 2003, 08:26 AM
Clark Reid
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's

Great TR!

--
Clark Reid
http://www.dryflynz.com
Umpqua Designer Flytier


  #5  
Old September 21st, 2003, 08:48 AM
Chas Wade
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's

daytripper wrote:

Man, that sounds like you had one hell of a great time. But you really
should
know, you guys are twisting the knife in us office-bound types...


Work is overrated.

Chas
http://home.comcast.net/~chas.wade/w...ome.html-.html

  #6  
Old September 21st, 2003, 09:42 AM
Clark Reid
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's


"Chas Wade" wrote Work is overrated.

Chas
http://home.comcast.net/~chas.wade/w...ome.html-.html



Oh, I don't know about that....

--
Clark Reid
http://www.dryflynz.com
Umpqua Designer Flytier


  #7  
Old September 21st, 2003, 12:00 PM
Frank Reid
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's

Work is overrated.

Oh, I don't know about that....
Clark Reid


Work, that is not fly fishing and guiding in a fly fishermans paradise for a
living, whilst hanging out in a lodge with 12,000 bottles of wine and
designing huge, radioactive cicada flies for Umpqua, is over rated.

--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply


  #8  
Old September 21st, 2003, 12:01 PM
Frank Reid
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's

RW showed up to my house on a Wednesday evening. snippage
--
Warren

Great report Warren.
Frank


  #9  
Old September 21st, 2003, 05:56 PM
B J Conner
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's

"Offie Bound" ??
You may have the work virus.

There is a new virus. The code name is "WORK". If you receive WORK from
your colleagues, your boss, via e-mail, or from anyone else-do not touch
WORK under any circumstances. This virus wipes out your private life
completely.
If you should happen to come in contact with this virus, take two friends &
go straight to the nearest bar. Order drinks & after three rounds, you
will find that WORK has been completely deleted from your brain.
Forward this virus warning immediately to at least 5 friends.
should you realize you do not have five friends, this means you are already
infected by this virus & WORK already controls your whole life. If this is
the case, go to the bar & stay until you make at least 5 friends.



"daytripper" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 22:40:40 -0600, Warren wrote:

[snipped]
I can't begin to explain how fun this trip was. The Wades are
awesome hosts and I am very grateful for their hospitality.
The fishing was secondary and only made the trip that much
better but I am already thinking about another visit in the
near future. Unfortunately now begins the hard part, smoking
all this salmon and catching up on all the lost sleep


Man, that sounds like you had one hell of a great time. But you really

should
know, you guys are twisting the knife in us office-bound types...

/daytripper (my time will come....later, apparently ;-)



  #10  
Old September 21st, 2003, 06:26 PM
Marshall Krasser
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's


Warren, horrible TR - totally unwarranted!!! Shame on you!!!
I'm now green with envy and will be depressed the rest of the day.
Thanks A LOT!!!

All kidding aside. Looks like ya'll had a great time . . . I can't get away
for a few weeks, so I might drive over to the casting pools just to feel
good about myself.

Interesting, I had to switch over to Google to read your posting - the
Pacbell/Yahoo server did not seem to pick it up and then I cannot
follow the links to your pic's. Can you email your main link to me?

Cheers, Marshall

p.s. don't forget to remove MY_WADERS

--
NOTE: Please remove "MY_WADERS" from my return Email address
if you wish to reply directly. Thanks, M


 




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