Big Hole, Maddie and the Green

Well folks I am blessed.  I do a trip with 12-16 guys every June to Montana.  Great friends, guides and fishing.  This is the 3rd year for me and probably the best.  We mixed in the Green below Flaming Gorge this year for a 8 day fishing orgy in the West.

This always makes for a nice little reprieve as the Texas summer shows her mettle.  The Big Hole flow was up and weather in the upper 60's, perfect summer God's Country weather.

Here are a couple of pics from the Big Hole inhabitants. 

It was then on to Ennis, a great little fly fishing town on the banks of the Madison.  Great weather, views of the Madison Range and fishing on this famous river, " The 40 Mile Riffle".  Stone fly nymphs, streamers and big princes ruled these waters.  We are just going to miss the salmon and stone fly hatches that are soon to come.

Check out this bug Chris Conner found under a rock at lunch !

Really great times with Jim Morrison, Chris Conner and Mike Stack as well as Chris Knott.  Great guides and damn good friends.

Views were plentiful and here is a taste.

Last but not least the Green River below Flaming Gorge.  The canyon is something that every fly fisher should take in.  A great brown trout population with rainbows and cutbows.  Lots of dry fly action and fish on the dropper.  New guides who were great, but this same old river that produces 20-30 fish days.

Great times again with a great group of guys.  Thanks to Al May, The Maxeys, Bidells, Sparkmans and Herrings.  Father and son combos which was very cool.  Brian Robertson, Bill Hardin, Mark Haney, Tim Taylor, Mike Jones and Wayne Nail as well.

Just a blast in the High Country. 
Until 2011.

Cheers Everyone,

Merc

For link to the entire slide show of photos click below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/troutbum_merc/sets/72157624407959120/

Blue River C&R- Banner Year in Pictures

Plentiful water this year !

 

  

  

The People 

 

  

To Charley, Ryan, Barry, Matt Gamble, Eric, Byron and his buds and the others I met on the River.  Wish I had more pics of all of you.

And of Course the Fish !!

 

  

  

A great year to celebrate friends and fishing!

Cheers Everyone,

Merc

The Fork at her Finest

It was a well planned mid week escape.  A plan for for the C&R at the Blue.  A day trip that no one would notice.  Got the phone at the river to do a little biz and a LOT of fishing.  Funny how plans change.

Weather had did us in with a murky moody Blue.  My buddy Eric and I needed a fix.  Yes a mid week fix.  No one twisted anybody's arm.  We headed for the Lower Mountain Fork.

My arm felt fine.  It was ready for casting.  Boy did my arm get a workout from setting the hook..

Yes everyone, tugs were ever present and they were numerous.  Here was a hungry one waiting for Eric's nymph.

We had found a nice run there in the Bluffs and the foam wing emerger I tied up was the ticket.  Olive and Gray, did not matter.  Pheasant Tail? Yes.   Hare's Ear?  Yes.   Hit the foam lines or soft current and the indicator dived.

 

  

After a delish Junction Burger we hit the Spillway.  Not as silly as the morning but still more fish caught.  Eric and I had landed at least 40 with another dozen or so lost.  One big " HEN "  that I am sure Eric has had dreams about just averted the net.  That one was sweet but the best thing about it, she is still in there.  Just on the other side of the river.  

Here is a pic of the Bluffs with Icicles.  Very pretty.  A cold day with HOT fishing.  This was the FORK at her finest.

Cheers and good fishing everyone,

See ya at the One Fly,

Merc

                        

Fishing with Charlie

One of the beauty's of fly fishing is spending time outdoors with friends.  The BRFF Group on Yahoo has been good to me as I have made several friends over the years that I enjoy fishing with.  Charlie Wright from Sulphur is one of these guys who is really fun to fish with.  Charlie and I spend a couple of days a year meeting on the river, usually up in the C&R area.  We both love the place and the fact that the area requires a little work to get to makes it that much more special.  That is the beauty of this section of the Blue.  This past Tuesday afternoon, Charlie and I met  to rip some lips on the Rainbows of the Blue.  A blue bird day it was with sunshine, light breezes and tugs from the fish.  Here is a great pic of Charlie getting his rig ready for battle.

Charlie had a good day on the river Tuesday but as we all found out, our time on this earth is precious and we all should learn to appreciate our time here.  Charlie just wasn't right all day he later told me.  We had a great time on the river and he was kind for giving me the BRFF discount to stay at his Inn in Sulphur.  Those who want to do an overnight, must take Charlie's kind offer to stay at his place.  We went to a great dinner at Roma Italia in Sulphur and we parted ways until coffee in the morning.  As most of now know, Charlie had a mild heart attack after dinner that night.  He is doing well and resting after being flown to OKC Heart Hospital Tuesday night.  Thanks again Sheri for emailing me the next morning so I could share this with our forum members for thoughts and prayers.  Good luck Charlie, get to feeling better and God Speed my friend.

I headed to the C&R Wednesday and the fishing was just off the charts.  Fish were eating midge larvae early in the slack water with a red larvae I tie doing most of the damage.  Around 11am, this hits stopped and I tied on a mayfly rig with a olive hare's ear with a soft hackle dropper picking up fish and gray foam wing emergers taking fish as well.  Here is a beauty from one of the side channels in the C&R and a cool photo of the area.

 

 

All in all another great day and a half on the Blue.  This trip was outstanding for fishing and friendshp.  Lots of big fish this go round and another chance to fish with a good friend.  The Good Lord blessed Charlie and I this week and thank goodness we will have a chance to fish again together hopefully soon.  One last pic of a new friend from the water of the Blue as well.  This piggy was a pleasure to find in my net.

Good fishing everyone and make sure to spend time with friends and family in the great outdoors.

Cheers,

Merc

 

San Juan Freeze

I love winter fishing.  As a matter of fact, the gear nowadays is so good that winter fishing is usually very pleasant and has become my favorite time of year to fish.  You can hike for miles with no sweat and mosquitoes.  This is when I tend to fish the most.  Especially when you live in Texas summers.

Well this was cold.  And this was not winter fishing.  I found myself in Navajo Dam NM at the San Juan and it felt like Arctic fishing.  Thank the Lord above that the first two days had no wind.  This was clear sky Northern NM frigid nights.  Like 6 degrees at 8:30 in the morning.  Yuck.

Looks like my 8 hours fishing days just turned to 5.  Keep the coffee going brother, I am staying in for another cup.  My bud and guide friend Chip got to the cabin a little late on Sunday morning and I gave him grief but two hours later, I was kind of relieved.  Cold out there on the boat.  But the inhabitants of the San Juan don't care if it's cold.  A leech, a larvae, and they will help warm you up.

This Juan trip was short and sweet and the leech was the go to rig.  Leech to the red or in the PM a foam wing emerger and as always on the Juan, the right depth would be rewarding.  The C&R area on Tuesday AM before my trip to ABQ and Texas would be more of the same along with my four friends.

Well everyone, Happy New Year for 2010.  I ventured into my birthplace of Durango this week and all I can say is " Happiness is in your rear view mirror ".  Looks like I have taken that to heart.

Cheers everyone and GOOD fishing !

Merc