And We're Off

July 10, 2010

I’ve been traveling all day but sure haven’t gone far. That’s due to a seven hour layover at the airport here in Minneapolis. I was hoping to visit a college pal that lives here but he is tied up with a softball tournament. All we could do was chat briefly on the phone.

It actually works out good as I was behind on emails and retuning some calls the past few days. Now that’s all done and I am truly ready to rock. Tonight I fly to Amsterdam and then tomorrow afternoon I’ll fly up to Oslo, Norway where Vladi Trzebunia should be waiting. Actually, he may be late because as we speak he and his camper are on a ferry from Poland to Sweden. He gets to Sweden at 6 am Sweden time then has about an 8 to 10 hour drive to Oslo. We will both be exhausted before the trip starts – NOT! We will be so pumped we will roll north into the midnight sun without any problem. I can’t wait!

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3

Believe it or not, I don’t fish every day, but I do think about it. That’s why I did some more camera testing today. Granny and I went on a fantastic hike and ended up on top of Packsaddle Ridge. I practiced my close up shots on wildflowers all along the way and saw a few cool bugs and caterpillars too. The hike was supposed to be a three hour jaunt but it turned into a seven hour climb. It’s good exercise though and there’s no better time to be in the high country than July. Tomorrow we will rest the legs and make few casts.

 
Enjoy the pics and if anyone knows what species of flower, beetle or caterpillar these are I’d love to know. Believe it or not, I don’t fish every day, but I do think about it. That’s why I did some more camera testing today. Granny and I went on a fantastic hike and ended up on top of Packsaddle Ridge. I practiced my close up shots on wildflowers all along the way and saw a few cool bugs and caterpillars too. The hike was supposed to be a three hour jaunt but it turned into a seven hour climb. It’s good exercise though and there’s no better time to be in the high country than July. Tomorrow we will rest the legs and make few casts. Believe it or not, I don’t fish every day, but I do think about it. That’s why I did some more camera testing today. Granny and I went on a fantastic hike and ended up on top of Packsaddle Ridge. I practiced my close up shots on wildflowers all along the way and saw a fewool bugs and caterpillars too.

The hike was supposed to be a three hour jaunt but it turned into a seven hour climb. It’s good exercise though and there’s no bet ter time to be in the high country than July. Tomorrow we will rest the legs and make few casts. Believe it or not, I don’t fish every day, but I do think about it. That’s why I did some more camera testing today. Granny and I went on a fantastic hike and ended up on top of Packsaddle Ridge. I practiced my close up shots on wildflowers all along the way and saw a few cool bugs and caterpillars too. The hike was supposed to be a three hour jaunt but it turned into a seven hour climb. It’s good exercise though and there’s no better time to be in the high country than July. Tomorrow we will rest the legs and make few casts. Believe it or not, I don’t fish every day, but I do thin k about it. That’s why I did some more camera testing today. Granny and I went on a fantastic hike and ended up on top of Packsaddle  better time to be in the high country than July.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Time to Make Fish

June 26, 2010

I took a couple week hiatus from painting when the Henry’s Fork opened up. However, the last few days I’ve been back at it. I worked up this watercolor brown trout for customer Dan Beistel of Florida. He caught the beauty below the Flaming Gorge Dam on the Green River in April. I'll be doing a lot of painting this summer, but today it's off to the Big Hole in Montana . . . .

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Close Call!

Nearly thirty years ago I was fishing with my dad on the Madison River at Reynolds Pass Bridge. When we were done I set my rod on the roof of our van and proceeded to get out of my cold wet jeans because I was freezing from wet wading (I didn’t have waders). Dad told me not to do that and always put my rod away first thing. In fact, he said don’t put anything on the roof of the car because eventually you will forget it’s there. Although I took his advice, I didn’t always follow through and eventually lost some wading shoes. Unfortunately I was on my own by then. It was a time when what little money I had was dedicated entirely to rent, ramen noodles and beer. Purchasing a new pair of wading shoes hurt bad. It never happened to me again.

That is till Saturday. I overdressed for the Ranch so when I returned to my car, I was sweating and desperate to get out of my waders. Knowing I was breaking a longtime rule, I put my rigged rod and reel on the roof and took off the waders. Man it was great to be out of those waders. I was starved, and sure enough without remembering my rod, I jumped in the car and made the short drive to the famous Grub Steak Grocery and got a sandwich to go.

Highway 20 has a lot of traffic, so in leaving the Grub Steak parking lot you need to be a little aggressive. I sped up to the edge of the highway and there was a car coming. I hit my brakes just hard enough for my complete outfit to slide forward. I heard the funny noise and there poking over my windshield was the tip of my Ross rod attached to my brand new Evolution LT. Make that a lesson folks!

Jeff Currier Global Flyfishing web site

Henry's Fork Day

I rolled into Last Chance on the Henry’s Fork last night just in time for sunset and a visit with some friends at the parking lot after the fun float trip. Then friends Mike Braghini and Sam Clapp got off the river and we headed to Trout Hunter for dinner and beers. After we indulged we slipped up to Box Canyon where these guys and about ten other friends have been camped since the Ranch opened on Tuesday. We sat around the campfire till midnight then I slid in the back of the Explorer for a good night sleep. Tomorrow is Henry’s Fork day.

Henry’s Fork day is a fundraising event and celebration of this great river put on by the Henry’s Fork Foundation (HFF). For over twenty-five years the HFF has protected the watershed keeping the Henry’s Fork the magnificent fishery that it is today. HFF does a lot of great things for the health of the river from simple things like build electric fences to keep cattle off the banks to balancing major water issues between anglers and ranchers. If you’re a fan of the Henry’s Fork than you should definitely be a supporter of this great organization.

We went to bed under a brilliant starry night but woke up to drizzle. Rain was not in the forecast for today so I was surprised when I woke up to it bouncing off the Explorer. With or without rain, I was bound for the Last Chance parking lot where Henry’s Fork Day takes place. This involves a series of events starting with $5 breakfast then raffles, silent auctions, casting competitions and more. I had to be home by 4 pm today because Granny and I have to attend Rob Parkins 40th birthday party tonight. (Rob is fishing buddy and has been featured on this blog several times). With that in mind, I wanted to see as many friends as possible that are here for Henry’s Fork Day over the $5 breakfast and get in a few hours fishing before leaving.

Breakfast was delicious and an enjoyable visit with friends. One friend, an amazing character, “Whitefish Ed”, always fishes in fluorescent clothes and whatever else he can get his hands on that is glowing in color. Most of his gear is even in bright colors including his rods, reels and fly lines. However, Ed’s never been able to nail down a pair of fluorescent waders. So he came up with a clever idea to raise the HFF a few bucks. He purchased a pair of new waders and bought a set of fluorescent paints. Then he charged folks a 1$ to sign the waders. He now has a gaudy pair of waders with several hundred fluorescent signatures on it. I wish I could explain Ed for you but all I can say he’s a great guy and don’t be scared if you see him on  the river.

After breakfast the drizzle stopped but it was cold. I headed into the Ranch wearing layers of clothes. I walked all the way to a place we call Bonefish Flats and got comfortable on the bank to wait for some hatches and rising fish. The walk to Bonefish takes about 45 minutes and during that time the clouds burnt off completely and now I was hot. By the time I reorganized I spotted a huge rainbow rising behind an island. The river was dead calm and I could see this fishes huge head breaking the surface just munching on something. Excited, I stealthily worked my way across the river and into casting range. By now the rainbow had travelled upstream about 100ft from where I spotted him feeding. Occasionally these feeding hawgs will move all over the place while you try to present your fly to them. You think you’re to him and land your fly only to see him rise ten feet further away from you. It ends up that I chased this particular fish up and down Bonefish Flats and around an area of islands while he continued to feed and move. I never got more than a couple casts to him. My unsuccessful chase lasted four hours before the annoying fish finally stopped feeding!

Humiliated, I began the long walk back to the car. Along the way a few friends who observed my lengthy unsuccessful battle joked with me about it. We’ve all been there a time or two and it’s trout like that that makes the Ranch of the Henry’s Fork a place we love. There’s no guarantee you’re going to catch a fish no matter how good you are and any given day can be a humbling experience. Personally, I love such a fishing challenge and that’s why I go back over and over.

Just as fast as you get your butt absolutely kicked by a fish you miraculously find a cooperative one. When I was half way back to the parking lot I saw a head. There were no bugs on the water that I could see, but perhaps this fish saw something I didn’t. I watched and sure enough, I had a decent fish rising before me. I knew it was a gift from the fish Gods and got into place to present my fly. It wasn’t a complete gift. I had to change flies and the fish stopped rising for a few minutes. But, I waited him out in a desperate plea to not get skunked. Miraculously I got him to eat a flying ant pattern. He was a burly 18”er that made my morning – you got to love the Fork!

 

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Bass on the Fly Tournament

June 10, 2010

Today Granny and I teamed up for the annual Bass on the Fly tournament at Ririe Reservoir near Idaho Falls, Idaho. This is a really fun fly fishing only contest for smallmouth bass. I have been in all three previous contests with my regular teammate, Weldon Jones. Weldon is out of town so I was glad to bring along the wife who can certainly sling a bass bug as good as anyone.

The weather predictions were less than perfect. We expected heavy rain and strong winds. I’m sure this kept a few teams from showing up. I wouldn’t think of missing the event for weather as all anglers are on the same playing field no matter what. We actually lucked out and it was warm sunny and calm till about 11. Then, overall it was cool not cold and mostly cloudy with only a light rain shower in the afternoon. The wind became an issue at times, but I brought along a deadly lake fishing tool, my windsock, which slowed down our drifts substantially. We also took turns rowing in order to keep within casting range of the rocky banks.

The way this contest works is, each team is allowed to bring in five smallies 12” or over for the end of the day weigh in. They must be alive in and well for weigh in or weight is deducted from your score. To win, you must have the heaviest healthiest five bass. Things started off fantastic for Granny and me. Within ten casts I put a 12”er in the livewell. For those who chase smallies regularly, 12” doesn’t sound like much. But in Ririe, Idaho, the growing season for these non-natives is so short that they rarely pass the 16” mark. It is actually difficult to catch five smallies over 12” for the weigh in.

By noon Granny and I had four fish in the livewell including two that were 13”. Things were looking very good. We were fishing deep throwing my Ross 7-weight and a Rio Deep 7 line. Dredging down deep is often the recipe for catching smallies during cool temps. Smallmouth can be very fly color oriented so I change flies constantly until I find the magic bug. There was no doubt that most the bass we caught were on the streamer called the Screamer. Although we fished Screamers in black, yellow and olive, it was the badger hackled Screamer with a gold cone head in a size 4 that was best.

Fishing got tough in the afternoon because of high winds. I was saving a couple favorite spots for last where I planned to catch a few fish of size, but these places are exactly where the wind was strongest creating the biggest whitecaps. We tried our best to hit the locations but even with the windsock and oars in the water we could not fish the areas effectively.

Exploring new water is not advised in a tournament but that’s exactly what we did the last hour of the contest because the wind drove us from my usual haunts. To our disbelief, Granny and I could not get that fifth12”er even though we had the first four by noon. We ended up releasing three bass of 11½”. We had some excitement turned disappointment four times. We basically had on quality fish that three times ended up being nice cutthroats. I know many of you would love to catch three nice cuttys, but when it’s a bass competition they just don’t make me happy. Our most disappointing moment was when I fought what felt like a huge bass for several minutes down deep only to net a huge sucker that I snagged in the side. Man did he fight and man did I think we had the big fish pot. Normally I’m one of the rare anglers who loves to catch a sucker, but not today.

Weigh in took place at 4 pm. There were at least five teams that had their five bass. That knocked Granny and I out of contention immediately. Our four fish weighed 4.98 lbs and the winning team of John Gendall and Curt Hamby had at least 8lbs. Curt also caught the big fish which was over 3lbs – a trophy on Ririe Reservoir.

As expected, the 2010 Bass on Fly Tournament was great fun. Many thanks to the host and originator of the event, Kevin Brazell. Kevin is one of the few hardcore bass anglers from the Yellowstone region. The event was well organized and I look forward to next year. As for the near fishing future - the Ranch section of the Henry’s Fork opens on Tuesday June 15th.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Just One More Whitefish This Year Please

December 26, 2009

Normally, if you suggested floating the South Fork of the Snake River between Christmas and New Years I would respond with, “Ha! No thanks! Snow and ice covered boat ramps, brutal cold, no fun and no way.” I can’t stand when my guides freeze up every cast. However, when friend Rob Parkins, a well know fishing guide and fly tier here in Teton Valley, asked that I join he and another friend , Zack Dalton, of Rio Fly Lines, to fish the day after Christmas, I surprised myself when I answered cautiously, “Maybe.”

Robs offer to me came about a week or so ago. I said if it wasn’t unbearably cold I’d be interested. Assuming that it would be, I never gave much thought to the idea again. But on Christmas Eve Rob was visiting the house and was quick to let me know he and Zack were still going. Since my hunt to Minnesota and Iowa two weeks ago, I’ve spent most my time hunched over art projects waiting for a new excuse to get outdoors. I knew by now that temperatures for the day after Christmas were predicted to be about 12 degrees Fahrenheit along with sunny skies. Surprising to most, 12 degrees isn’t too bad around here as it’s generally a dry cold and with sunshine feels considerably warmer. With all that in mind, my response was, “I’m in.”

Despite being 5 below zero when I woke up this morning, Rob picked me up at 10am and one could already feel the suns warmth. When we met Zack who was arriving from Idaho Falls at the icy boat ramp at the Palisades Dam, it was already about 10 degrees and continuing to rise. While they did our short shuttle, Dam to Husky, I rigged my 6-weight Ross with 10 feet of straight 0X Rio Flouroflex Plus tippet and attached two flies. Usually my streamer rig is about 18 feet of 0X (Shockingly long to most), however, knowing my fly rod guides were going to freeze, the shorter leader would be easier to handle. When the boys returned I offered to row the drift boat across the river to so they could nymph below the dam.


There are huge rainbows and cutthroats taken with regularity directly below the dam on nymphs. If your wondering why I rigged up a streamer it’s because I’m not a big nympher. Despite many years of competing internationally and applying European nymphing tactics to my daily fishing, it’s not my favorite method. My heart is really in dry fly fishing and I’m known to enjoy chucking streamers. I knew Rob and Zack would cover the water well without my help and until it warmed up I’d be content popping some photos and giving moral support.

Fishing was slower than expected. Although Zack nailed a fantastic rainbow on his first drift with a mysis shrimp, they caught only one other trout and a handful of whitefish. Rather than waste a day there we floated down to another favorite run. I struggled to get more than three casts in a row without having to crack ice out of my guides during the drift. That diminished my fly in the water time and I realized my highlight of the day was going to be lunch.

Rob took charge of lunch putting four huge elk burger patties on the boat size charcoal grill. Both Zack and I felt as though we were on a guided trip and indulged on the delicious lunch. Between eating and cooking, they nymphed the run and I dredged, slowly stripping my two streamers. Zack landed a beautiful cutty but then followed with a hand full of whiteys along with Rob and me.

We floated the rest of the short float in an hour hap-hazardly fishing as we drifted along. I avoided a skunk by landing two nice rainbows and Rob nymphed up a good brown and a “mighty whitey”. While spending much of December working on art projects, preparing for the show circuit and gorging around the Holliday table, it was great to hit the river again. The thought of floating the last week of December will never again be considered a “not a chance” deal. In fact, I’ll just bet there will be another fishing report posted here shortly!

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing Web Site