A short while ago, I fished my way into the middle of a manhunt. Today, I have another story to share in conjunction with my fishing report. This report features a banana. Not a day goes by in the shop without someone asking me what the deal with bananas is. Here’s my report. You be the judge regarding the deal with foul, insidious, ill tempered, evil, and sinister monkey pickles. I prefer not to call them by name. If you're wondering about the manhunt, check out Fred's tale here The Bad Omen I recently pulled my big Willie boat out of the weeds. Sadly, he’s been dormant for a while. I really don’t need a 20’ aluminum monster for the typical 2 person trip on the Missouri River, but when I get a request for a three angler trip, it’s time to put him to work. I met my three fly fishing ladies up in Craig. One was holding a banana....

The weather called for blue skies, no wind and temperatures in the 70s. What a beautiful day to hit the Kootenai River, and fish for gorgeous rainbows and cutthroat. The plan was to float from Troy to Yaak in hopes of possibly hooking a couple big rainbows. The water was gin clear, and flows were at 6,500cfs. With every weight rod imaginable in the boat, we were prepared for any situation that may arise. Fishing started off slow for the most part. We stopped to swing streamers through a couple incredible seams off islands with very little luck. Without a doubt, our best stretch was just below the Highway 2 bridge on the residential side of the river. Here, we actually found a series of rising trout that seemed interested in the small PMD hatch. After several drifts and many fly patterns later, I got a couple eats on a #16 PMD Cripple. No...

So I have a bit of a fish story from this week... On Wednesday, I got a fly box in the mail from a customer up in Calgary. He sent me a nice batch of carp flies and a request for some information. I figured I better hit the river at lunch and give him an up-to-date conditions report. Wednesday was partly cloudy, breezy, 72 degrees and the carp were up. I opened up the box and recognized a Carpin Crunch. It’s nice to see that someone watches my videos. If you haven’t been watching Fred’s videos on the Carpin Crunch, here is your chance. It's worth it. Not Your Average Encounter I tied on the Crunch and picked out a chubby tailer. It took a few casts before he saw the fly, but when he saw it, he ate it. I found my way to the water’s edge and was locked up with the beast when I heard from behind me... "Police Officers." "Is it not o...

With only a couple of weeks left to fish the Methow River, I was able to get out for a few hours and check out some of my favorite runs. I got started a little later then I want to, but that was okay. It was a nice sunny, early fall day. I was surprised at the number of anglers I saw on the river, being that it was mid week. The first two spots were occupied, but the next spot I wanted to hit was wide open. Curious how the river is doing? Check out current river flows here My 5wt switch and 6wt glass were my go to set ups for the day. Like always, I swung the run first with a Mini BDL. I had a number of tugs and a few wannabe rainbows before I hooked into a nice bow that went air born and put on a nice show for me. I switched over to the TFP Stinging Smolt and hooked a few more smaller bows and cutties. I ended fishing the run with my #6...

FlyMen Fishing Company recently introduced Double Barrel Popper & Slider Bodies to the fly tying world. No longer will you have to waste time gluing, waiting, painting, more waiting, then finally tying your bug. These soft foam bodies are remarkably easy to use. All you need is a lighter and bodkin to create a channel through the body. Tie a thread base on one of the Surface Seducer Popper Hooks, add a little Zap-A-Gap to the thread base, then slide the body onto the hook. Easy peasy poppers! At this point, you can get creative by using paint, markers, or keep it simple by leaving the body plain. The recessed eye slots make it easy to attach the Surface Seducer® Dragon Eyes with a little UV resin. Finish the fly with a marabou, hackle, flash, and rubber legs. But how do they work in the water? They float like a cork and move a lot...

Shelling out a few hundred dollars for a new pair of waders is never a fun event. I am the kind of person that will wear my leaky waders until the holes are visibly noticeable. Although this may sound bad, I have heard of fisherman worse than me: I heard of one man who had holes in his waders so bad he actually cut bigger holes in the waders, with a knife, while on the river. The thinking behind this was, with the bigger holes, that the water would at least cycle through the waders easier. This way, he wasn't carrying around extra water weight. Although I don't recommend doing this in early spring like this gentleman, I feel his pain, and see his logic. For all those outdoor enthusiasts that are always buying new waders, here are seven steps that will help prolong the life of your waders. Have holes in your waders from a hook? Stick? K...

On Thursday, I had a fun afternoon outing on the Big Twin Lake in the beautiful Methow Valley. Light pressure, mid 70s, light winds, just a gorgeous, beautiful day. I had a few small fish right off the bat by casting a waterboatman pattern something I like to use in the fall. I managed a few stronger grabs that didn’t stick - and then I saw a large fish that looked 20" follow it to the surface but did not commit. Other anglers that I interviewed reported the same: lots of small fish, no heavies. I was very happy with my setup: an Echo rod/reel combo throwing a RIO Clear 'Camo Lux’ intermediate line with 5 foot 3X level tippet. I wonder though-.those bigger fish can be wily, perhaps I should have tapered it down to 4X? Hmmm. Looking for a new setup? Pick and choose your gear here So, I put on a dragon nymph pattern on the same set...

Two weeks. That is the amount of time that has gone by since our kids showed at the local fair. 4-H is definitely one of the better things I can think of to have your kids doing, but sometimes, it's not always a walk in the park. All summer the kids looked forward to showing. We had big plans for them to attend their first clip & show clinic to help them learn how to properly prepare their heifers for the fair. But like most things, it conflicted with the farm schedule. Not only did it fall on Father's Day weekend but we were putting up silage. Wanna read how this whole thing started? Checkout the first installment where we meet these good looking kids... and cows. For a moment we had planned on putting a small event on the farm for the local kids to help prepare them for the fair, but once again, we were too busy with farm work. Th...

August on the Missouri River is a complicated time for dry flies- well for any type of fly fishing really. We’re in-between seasons, some days it’s still summer temps that hover around 80, some days it’s fall-esque and rainy. There’s still weeds in the water, the hatches are off and the days are long. But still, you ask, the fish are there- how can I make them eat? It’s a game of give and go in August on the Mo, but we’ve gathered up the best insights from decades of experience to get you a road map that you can use to get the most of the mid-season month of August. Battling Weeds in August on the Mo As the temperatures start to shift to true fall, the weeds begin to clear- a little. Streamer fishing by Craig Is still almost always out of the picture unless you are dredging for weeds on purpose. ...