Spring fishing is definitely here. Dries, streamers, nymphs, or whatever.  A veriety of tactics will work on most rivers.  The Root, Clark Fork, & Mo will offer the most consistant dry fly fishing.  Not much snow in the hills so flows should remain stable through April.  The Root gets most of the attention this time of year so picking a float can be tricky if you want to avoid the floatilla. We are already looking at 10 -15 boats per stretch. The lower and upper C-fork and Blackfoot can be a good way to avoid the parade but are not always as consistent with the dry fly.

Streamer brown from the Bitterrfork of the Jefferfoot 3/2/10

If you’re not out fishing this spring you should be.  With our current snow conditions it’s going to be a great spring & early summer so get out and enjoy.

Not much happening around Bigfork right now. No new snow to ski and still a little cold to fish. There are some people catching a few on the Flathead and Swan but I like it about 50 before I get excited. I took a 2 week break from winter with the fam and went to Belize and San Diego. The fishing was fun and the surf was great.  

Permit Tails

Newport Jetties

 As for the shop, we have a bunch of new bugs on the way in April, a couple new light weight 2 handers to play with, and a few new Simms items. I will be in the shop more often starting April 1st. I picked up a new Sotar Raft with a frame from Custom Street up Rock Creek. It is hands down the best fishing setup available. Took it out for the first float of the season on the Root and enjoyed lots of sun but not many fish.  

The Bigfork Brewfest is happening this Sat so check it out.

Every guide has one or two or three………..It’s the button you push when you get the questions you’ve answered 1000 times over the course of your guiding career. Not all of them are stupid questions. So, you push the button and out comes the spiel. You can spiel for over an hour while you take a nap and drink your coffee on the way to the ramp.

How did you get into guiding? How did you end up in Montana? How did you get into fly fishing? What do you do in the off season? Has anyone ever fallen out of your boat? How deep is it here? How did your truck get here? Did we go in a circle (not kidding)? Are we using the right fly? When do the deer turn to elk (not kidding)? Have you ever tipped your boat over? Are you going to row the boat back up to get the truck?

So here is the spiel:
How did you get into guiding?
- I grew up fly fishing. When I moved to MT I got a job at a fly shop and the owner turned me into a guide.
How did you end up in Montana?
- I travelled to MT a bunch as a kid with my grandparents and  my mom graduated from the U, so I moved here after high school.
How did you get into fly fishing?
- My dad taught me when I was a kid. (Thanks Dad)
What do you do in the off season?
- Before I started the shop I would ski, tie flies, and hunt in the off season. Now that I have a shop there is no off season. Logs, reports, permits, preseason orders, inventory, web updates, online store management, taxes, daddy daycare, etc……………
Has anyone ever fallen out of your boat?
- The last person who ask me if anyone had ever fallen out of my boat, fell out of the boat. Yup, Navy Seal style, ass over teakettle, right out of the front of the boat.
How deep is it here?
- Don’t know why but a lot of people want to know how deep it is in various spots throughout the day. Your guess is probably as good as mine.�
 How did your truck get here?
- The truck arrived at our take out via the shuttle service that we paid $30 to move it. This seems very magical to a lot of people.
Did we go in a circle (not kidding)?
- Usually questions like this are answered by the significant other in the boat.
Are we using the right fly?
- Believe it or not, all guides want you to catch fish. The fly on the end of the line was chosen based on its proven ability to catch fish and the ability of the angler to fish it.
When do the deer turn to elk (not kidding)?
- Usually questions like this are answered by the significant other in the boat.
Have you ever tipped your boat over?
- I know a few people who have tipped their boat over with clients.  So far I’ve managed to avoid it. Knock on wood because it could happen to anyone. Water does some funny stuff and when your eyes are stuck staring at the fly it’s possible to make a mistake.
- Are you going to row the boat back up to get the truck?
I don’t think it’s possible for any one person to get a boat up 6+ miles on any of the rivers we guide.

Like I said, not all are stupid questions and as a guide we encourage questions so keep’m coming because it’s all part of the fun.