New Wading Boots...Got To Test Them Out!!

New Wading Boots...Got To Test Them Out!!

Yesterday was a big day!!! I got my new wading boots, Korkers K-5 Bombers. I just had to give them a test drive and today was the first Tuesday I have had off all summer.  So, I took a quick drive over to Blankenship Bridge.  Blankenship Bridge is the confluence of the North Fork of the Flathead and the Middle Fork of the Flathead rivers.  Ok, I don’t usually give out spots, and you can pretty much be assured that my ‘secret spots’ will not be listed in future blogs, but Blankenship Bridge is a well know place to put rafts in and wade fish.

Heck, there were a half a dozen other fishermen fishing that same half mile stretch.  When I go out fishing, I usually like to fish by myself.  So I started off around the bend at the first big turn river right when no one else was. About a half an hour of catching fish by myself, some guy decided to join me because he saw me catching fish!  I get it, he wanted to catch fish as well.

My Korkers were great fitting boot and super comfortable to walk in!  Love the way the are designed to tighten up around the foot and ankle.  Traditional wading boots are sloppy and loose fitting and are uncomfortable to hike in. I usually wet wade with just wading boots and neoprene socks and move around a lot.  So I was looking for a wading boot that fit snug and was comfortable to walk longer distances in.  The Korkers K-5 Bomber is just the boot I was looking for.  I cannot complain one bit about the boots…or the fishing!

I probably netted a dozen cutthroat trout, or cutties and they are usually referred too.  I don’t catch anything big, nothing bigger than 14 inches, but it was a lot of fun.

I stuck with my usual Purple MoFo Stimmi with a purple Griffith gnat as a trailer.  You cannot find those in a fly shop! Those are flies that I have created and tied myself.  I didn’t switch flies once, the fish loved my Purple MoFo today.  Even a bigger bonus was that I didn’t lose one fly today.  No need to go home and sit at the vise and replace a few flies.  After catching several fish down at the turn below the bridge, I decided to move up and fish under the bridge on the opposite side of the boat ramp. There is a little side channel of the North Fork that flows in just above the bridge.  I probably caught my biggest fish there and hooked and lost one that was even bigger! Yes, the big one got away.

Overall, a great day fishing and a beautiful spot.  Not a bad way to spend my afternoon.

BrewFest and Fishing On The Same Day!

August 27^th, 2016
BrewFest and Fishing On The Same Day!

Thursday night we met some friends of ours for our usually Thursday night beer at the Great Northern Brewery in Whitefish.  The conversation turned to Saturday and what we were all doing.  Laurie was going on a girls hike with friends Friday night but was planning to be back Saturday for the Snow Bus BrewFest in Whitefish.  My wife wanted to go for a hike but Taylor did not want to because she had a Flathead County select soccer team she was trying out for on Sunday.  Ben said he would hike but really didn’t want too. Daniel has Saturday by himself and asked if I was going to go fishing. After little thought on my part, the decision was made that Daniel and I would float the river and fish then hit the BrewFest afterwards. Erin, our friend and bartender at the brewery had to work at 4 Saturday, which worked out perfectly, so she said she would join us for fishing.

Saturday morning I picked up Daniel and we headed to meet Erin at the House of Mystery boat access.  We picked her up and drove up to the Hungry Horse Bridge boat put in. That stretch starts about a mile and a half before the end of the South Fork of the Flathead River and meets the Main Stem of the Flathead River. Then heads west for about another mile or so to the first take out below the bridge. Sure, it is a short float, 2.5 miles I think, and sure the fish in that stretch are usually smaller in size. But, the fishing is always good and you almost always catch fish. The stretch of the South Fork from the Bridge to the Confluence holds a lot of fish and gives you a great chance to catch fish. Further, the confluence is another great piece of water that holds lots of fish and provides excellent opportunities for everyone to get out and do a little wade fishing.

By the time we dropped the boat in the water Daniel and I figured we had 3 hours to fish before we had to head back to pick up our wives to head to the BrewFest that evening.

Right off the bat Daniel missed a fish, then another.  Then we pulled over to fish a nice stretch of water and Daniel and Erin both landed fish.  We jumped back in the boat and headed to the confluence where I thought we each had a good chance to catch fish wading.  At the confluence Erin caught a nice fish and I missed a decent size fish.  Time to switch who was on the oars and for me to throw a fly for a bit while floating. Erin took over the oars and we fished along the railroad tracks on the way downstream. I think Daniel and I each landed a fish or two.  The wind picked up though and made it difficult to cast. Daniel decided to take a turn on the oars and allow me to continue to fish.  I boated a few more fish on the last stretch making it a great couple hours of fishing.

Now, pull the boat out, run home and clean up and on to the BrewFest! The BrewFest is for a good cause, the Snow Bus that provides free shuttles for people back and forth to Whitefish Mountain Ski Resort from downtown Whitefish during the ski season. A good cause plus any day you combine a good day fishing with a chance to sample dozens of beers afterwards is a great day!

We sampled beers from all over Montana and a few from Oregon. Some of my favorite breweries were there as well.  Blacksmith, Burn, H.A. Brewing and Madison River all had IPA’s on tap that I had drank before and loved and ‘sampled’ again.  One of my favorite beers that I had not had and sampled was Deschutes Brewery’s Sage Fight Imperial IPA.  At first I was not sure about it, a beer infused with sage and juniper berries sounded odd, but I still sampled it and, it turn out, I loved it.  It is a beer I will look for again in stores around Whitefish.

I know, no one reads these for the info, they want to see pictures!  Still a newby and will do better in the future! But, today I was focused on beer and fishing!

Middle Fork of Flathead River Float Trip

August 20^th, 2016

Middle Fork of Flathead River Float Trip

Today I took a few friends out today for a float trip on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.  It is always great to have two other guys in my boat that know what they are doing.  Let’s face it, rowing two people all day is not as fun as fishing. Even better is when those other guys in the boat know what they are doing with a fly rod and both know how to read water.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I love teaching new anglers how to fly fish.  I love taking people on my raft and watching them catch fish.  There are few things that give you a sense of pride as taking a couple newer fly fishermen out and getting them on fish.  But, once in a while I have to feed the ‘beast’ so to speak and feel a tug or two. To me, ‘the tug is the drug’!  Anyone that has held a fly rod in their hand and tossed a fly to a rising fish to see that fish come up and grab your fly knows that feeling. To me the experience and just being outdoors why I do it…but don’t let anyone lie to you about it, catching is still fun.

But today was about floating with two friends that were good fishermen as well. We split the rowing chores in thirds so that everyone got to catch fish.  And catch fish we did.

We put in at Blankenship Bridge and floated the Middle Fork down to the House of Mystery take out.  Roughly 11 miles of good fishing water.  Even better, not to windy. I have fished that section when it was nearly impossible to cast because the wind was to strong.  Today, calm winds, sunny skies and lots of fish.

I tied on my standard Stimmi, Rubber Legged Purple MoFo with a Purple Griffith Gnat trailer. Before we were a half mile downstream I boated three or four fish.  The fishing stayed productive all afternoon.  

Sometimes though it is not about catching as much as enjoying.  Ross said ‘You just missed a nice fish’.  My reply was I wasn’t really paying attention just enjoying the day.  He replied, ‘like this spring when you were commenting about all the colors along the bank while you had a fish on?’  A little back story about enjoying.  I was floating the Main Stem of the Flathead earlier in the season with Ross and another friend. I was commenting about how bring and bold the colors of the plants were along the river banks when Ross yelled out, “SET THE HOOK!”  Sometimes the experience is more important than the catch.  Today, we boated several fish each but the experience of just being out and enjoying was far more rewarding than the number of fish caught.