Page 221 - Blog

  • Where is Kris Keller?

    Where is Kris Keller?

    I started working in the Big R Fly Shop in Great Falls, MT in late October. I've known Kris for several years and was not surprised when he took off across the globe to Thailand in January. For weeks, I'd have to answer the question' 'Where is Kris?' Well I just checked my fly fishing media links today and found that MidCurrent has the answer. We knew Kris was working with Montana Fly Company, but here is the rest of the story in his words.... Thanks to Midcurrent....   Kris Keller: Thailand fly fishing is by far the biggest experience I have had yet. Like most Thailand stories it starts out in Bangkok. From there it’s only a one-hour plane ride and three-hour car ride that ends in a fairly primitive jungle. Fishing in gin-clear water for Masheer. Chiang Mai Fly Fishing has a pretty sweet thing going to restore the Mahseer fisher...

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    5 Min
  • North 40 Life

    1. Bucket List: Ponoi River

      Bucket List: Ponoi River

      Chalk up another one on the bucket list for me. I have always wanted to go to the Ponoi River. After talking with my good friend Barrett, who is a guide over there, I became even more excited. Here is a video on the Ponoi with some action from Barrett! The Incomparable Ponoi from Gin Clear Media on Vimeo.

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      5 Min
    2. Inside the mind of Paul Bloch

      Inside the mind of Paul Bloch

      Do you ever feel the urge to do something different with your life? Are you unhappy because your hard work and dedication only lead you to inherit a time constricting lifestyle? Did too many river days keep you from graduating college in the amount of time it takes a rainbow trout to go from its alevin stage to its death of old age? (Tell me how old I think a rainbows maximum average age is, and you win this weeks trivia.) Both of these routes lead down paths filled with ups and downs. I am one to think that happiness is the most telling measure of wealth, thus I enjoy being one of those 'too many river days’ people. It’s often because of the 'hard work and dedication’ people or the HWADP, that the 'too many river days’ people or the TMRDP have jobs. If it weren’t for the HWADP I would not be selling as many high end rods, wade...

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      5 Min
    3. Ling Hole! Ling Hole!

      Ling Hole!

      For the past few years, I tried relentlessly to catch Mr. Burbot & Lota lota, the Ling, Lingcod, Eelpout, Cusk, Lawyer fish, Gudgeon, Lush, Maria, Mud Blowers ~ the list goes on and on. Whatever you decide to call this awesome creature, don’t overlook him. With similar resemblance to an eel or snake, the Burbot is often thought of as a fish of low significance ~Wrong. After many, many outings, I was finally able to catch one earlier this year. Fishing for Burbot can be difficult due to the fact that they are most active at night and when they spawn, which happens to be in the middle of winter when conditions are sometimes at their worst. They group up in deep holes in large rivers, and under the ice in lakes and reservoirs. When Burbot spawn, they form what appears as a big mass of snakey fish, wiggling and squirming around in the f...

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      5 Min
    4. Quality over Quantity

      Quality over Quantity

      What does a fish head do when he has a few days off work starting on February 3rd? Tom Isaacs and Justin Carroll prefer to drive up to the world famous Missouri River. They know this river is especially productive during the winter, and only a few other waters in the Rockies can produce as many fish as the Mo. Last week, fish were still nipping big bugs and randomly slurping dries. Nymphs put up outstanding numbers then, and fishing, when the wind wasn't tearing down billboards, was excellent. The past week has been bi-polar weather wise. We have seen huge wind gusts, frigid temps, warm spells, dead calm periods, and everything in between. With the water temps in the mid-thirties, fish can still be found herded up on the slow side, and often times somewhere around the edge of the channel. This usually means 20 feet off the bank in 4-9 fe...

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      5 Min
    5. What's the Best Fly Tying Vise? --Regal Review

      What's the Best Fly Tying Vise? --Regal Review

      Regal Vise Review: First View from the Bench New England-made Regal vises are simple, durable, well made products. It’s amazing how well they work in tying your favorite flies and holding a variety of hooks. When I started working at the shop, I got to tie on all different kinds of vises. After getting in a Regal Medallion with the swivel insert, I was hooked! We've got the Regal Vise and other options online here. I believe the Medallion to be the best vise for central Montana tiers, tying bugs for freestone creeks and tail water madness! At the base of the head/jaws is a swivel point so you can rotate the vise 360 degrees... and for me having that feature really made a difference in the way my JJs came out. by Erik Haugen Regal Vise Review: Second View from the Bench... errr Table Regal Engineering knows how to make fly tying vises...

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      5 Min
    6. F3T: The Arctic

      F3T: The Arctic

      "THE ARCTIC" trailer - by Beattie Outdoor Productions | Fly Fishing Movie from The Fly Fishing Film Tour on Vimeo. The F3T website has released yet another film for the upcoming tour this year. The film, The Arctic is the newest adventure brought to us by Beattie Outdoor Productions. As with all of RA's films, the areas fished are captured well on film and always tend to excite the viewer. Be sure you don't miss this one the night of the tour in which you attend!

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      5 Min
    7. DO YOUR THING RIGHT DO YOUR THING RIGHT

      DO YOUR THING RIGHT

      If you don't already know this, I love fishing drag free drifts under bobbers (indicators for the snobby reader.) I have been criticized for this hundreds of times, and even corked out of my drifts on several occasions in spite of my tactics (TODAY). Growing up, I learned the importance of knowing what your lure looks like under water. It's obvious that many people don't think this way when they are fishing. I couldn't count the times I have seen people lose it because they are not catching fish when using "the exact same thing" as a fisherman that is producing big numbers right next to them. In most cases, the fisher person locking up in the right water, though it may only be one microcurrent away from the unproductive wrecking ball angler. CLASSIC MO' RIVER BOWS NYMPHED UP TODAY Learning the water you need to be fishing at the right ti...

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      5 Min
    8. Geofish: A Mayan Prophecy

      Geofish: A Mayan Prophecy

      The Fly Fishing Film Tour website just released a new teaser today by Motiv Fishing, formerly known as AEG Media - the creators of the Trout Bum Diaries series. This film, Geofish: A Mayan Prophecy documents a trip deep into the jungles of Belize. The mission: to find undisclosed fishing areas on the other side of the deepest and most rugged jungles. It is the second film in the series, the first was Geofish: Mexico. If you liked this film or any of the Trout Bum Diaries series, I'm sure this film will not fall short in great film, adventure and fly fishing. "Geofish: A Mayan Prophecy" trailer - by MOTIV Fishing | Fly Fishing Movie from The Fly Fishing Film Tour on Vimeo. MOTIV Fishing cuts their own path through some of the most rugged jungles of Belize in hopes of finding out-of-the-way locations with fish, and escaping with captured m...

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      5 Min
    9. Crew Profile: Megan Johnson

      Crew Profile: Megan Johnson

      Sandpoint, Idaho native Megan Johnson grew up spending six months out of the year in Alaska’s backcountry. "I was raised on a family-owned hunting and fly-fishing lodge in Alaska. While most little girls were playing with Barbies, I was playing with fly tying material." Megan says, "I thought salmon-flavored tap water, daily griz sightings and 30" rainbows on the first cast were normal. I’m fairly certain I didn’t even know what a spinning rod was until I was a teenager." While most kids her age were complaining about taking out the garbage, Megan was hard at work at the lodge. Though it was difficult for Megan to leave her friends in Sandpoint every year, she remembers secretly loving her months in Alaska. Her dad was the bush pilot and guide, her mom was the chef and she and her sister were the waitresses and housekeeping. Not a b...

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      5 Min
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