The Elk’s Bugle

 
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 anglers busy. Perhaps most notably, we went from fishing a size 6 salmonfly dry on the Blackfoot, directly into Spruce moth madness–within a 24 hour period!

The moths hung steady for nearly three weeks, leading us to some fabulous fish, but have begun to fade. They should be replaced soon on the menu by the Tricos, usually a forgiving hatch on the front end of autumn, if occasionally maddening in October.

We have also seen more and more fish more and more willing to eat the hopper — in fact, some fine afternoons have been had. (But watch those water temps, especially this weekend.) When not matching the hatch, it’s a good time of year to try that old pattern, the R.A.S., aka Random Ass Shit. If it’s in the bottom of the box, it just might be what the doctor ordered.

Aside from pods of fish eating tricos and afternoon hopper fishing, the Hecuba (Fall Green Drakes) are bound to show up in the coming weeks. The nights are cold, and the temp swings big — our favorite season is nearly upon us. Fall in Missoula is the cat’s meow — or, better yet, the elk’s bugle.

We still have some open dates in mid to late Aug and a few in September.  Give us a call….