Posts by Anthony VonRuden

Leave Your Augers at Home For the first time in months we don’t need an auger to fish the Bitterroot! This morning we saw the first late-winter stonefly (capnia) on our window screen, and the 12-seeds are taking it to the 5-seeds — sure signs that spring fishing in Missoula is upon us, and one […]

Now that our hunting seasons have all but wound down, our bird dogs can nurse sore joints and lick their paws while we return to the desk and focus our attention on the 2019 season. It’s hard to believe that we will be hollering at Pat for shuttles and throwing dry flies in a couple […]

  After a very very busy fall, the quiet season of late October seems even quieter this year. The long spell of cloudless days and sixty degree afternoons, coupled with a few hours of rising fish each afternoon, is making for a languid close to the season. We still have a few trips running each […]

  Now that we’ve slipped from Indian Summer into full on fall, the fishing options are pleasantly mind-numbing. Did you wake up with an itch to throw the big junk for a chance at a few big browns? Great. We’ve got the float for you. Maybe you tied tiny BWO cripples all winter and want […]

  We’re looking for a good excuse for the lack of reports, since “we’ve been on the water every day” is becoming a bit of a cliche, but find ourselves at a loss. July, on the other hand, was everyone’s gain: packed with a whirlwind of hatches, one after another that kept us and our […]

  After an extended and eventful high-water visitation in June filled with audibles and long drives to the upper reaches of our rivers and the Missouri, we’ve finally come up for air and are rolling steady in summer mode, with guide boats spread evenly across our diverse and finally fishable watershed. That’s good news. Want […]

  We’re nearing the end of May, and the hydro-graphs have finally begun to tilt downward. Barely, yes, but downward nonetheless!  We’ve had a ton of water, more than in, say, the past 100 years — for a visual, if you’ve ever stayed on the river at the Doubletree, you could make a fairly reasonable […]

Please forgive the lack of posts of late, but starting in late March we got into a nice rhythm of being on the water every day, and the fish have rewarded us for our failed web presence. It’s been awesome to get the regulars back in the boat, and to introduce some new peeps to the […]

  Is it early spring in Western Montana, or late winter?  Can the fish tell the difference? We’re inching our way towards spring, and have been enjoying our days on the water regardless of seasonal distinction. There have been a few adult skwalas sighted on the Bitterroot, and we’ve fooled the first few dry fly fish of […]