tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59318802190624513552024-03-13T22:22:57.668-07:00Reel Time with Karl Jones and Sheerwater Guide ServiceBitterroot Skiff on Rock Creek in Late June, sheerwaterguides.comKarl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-52526485139369704592015-06-05T09:48:00.001-07:002015-06-05T09:48:55.814-07:00Thats a wrap!Well the Spring of 2015 is officially over tomorrow. The weather has changed to summer and so have the hatches. We had one of the finest spring fishing seasons ever both from conditions and the customers that made it happen. Thanks again.<br />
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The last month I have been over on the Missouri river mostly and the fishing was fantastic on Nymphs, Dry's, and streamers depending on the day. If you haven't ever fished the Missouri before is a definite bucket list river with a lot of large rainbow's and brown's and some of the prettiest scenery in Montana. June this year is going to be awesome and with Salmon Flies already on most of Missoula area rivers it will be exciting! Since May was a cool wet month this year we are looking pretty normal on water levels and thing's around Missoula should fish really well all summer and into the fall. I still have some good dates open in August and September if you haven't got your dates yet. <br />
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This is going to be a great year to fish Montana so get ahold of me asap. Karl@sheerwaterguides.com<br />
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Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-58045572861885947802015-04-13T08:44:00.001-07:002015-04-13T08:44:55.832-07:00April and the fish are Biting and the rivers levels are great!Hi Folks just want to give you all an update. As you probably know we had a really unseasonable February and March but things have settled out now and cool spring weather has been the norm for the last couple of weeks. We had some runoff already but with the close to freezing nights lately things have stabilized and both the Bitterroot and the Clark Fork are fishing well on Dry's in the afternoons! Western Mt should continue to fish all the way through April and possible on into May this year. We continue to get some snow up in the mountains so summer conditions should be decent when compared to a lot of other places in the west. If you haven't booked year please get ahold of me and lets talk dates! karl@sheerwaterguides.com<br />
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Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-42502340161439052922015-03-17T12:40:00.001-07:002015-03-17T12:40:18.103-07:00New Bitterroot Skiff pic with Nice fish caught on a Skwala Dry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We caught this fish among many others last Wednesday and when this water bump subsides fish like this will again be rising to dry's!<br />
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Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-90147519641968988982015-03-15T09:56:00.001-07:002015-03-15T09:56:19.306-07:00Springtime!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well here it is folks the winters boat work is wrapped up and the new Bitterroot Skiff is awesome! The Rivers in the Missoula area are really starting to fish well both on top and underneath. The Skwala Stone Fly hatch is going and will continue through April. We have a decent snowpack but only in the higher elevations so rivers should stay in reasonable shape all the way through the spring!</div>
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The weather has been great for getting the hatches going. I have guided a few days already but really don't get going until next week. I still have a few prime dates open for the Spring.</div>
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Overall I think we are in good shape around Western Montana for water but we will not be having a huge runoff like most years so things will fish really good in May and June this year! Salmon Flies will be more of a Last week in May through Middle of June. July of course will be awesome and August should fish just fine on Hoppers and Trico's. If you are thinking about coming to Montana this year start planning now! </div>
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Hope to see you all soon! Keep in Touch! Karl@sheerwaterguides.com</div>
<br />Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-81705930137964973262015-02-15T08:35:00.000-08:002015-02-15T08:35:02.089-08:002015 Things are looking good!Well I just realized it has been a really longtime since my last post but this year I will try and be more consistent!<br />
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What has happened since my last post? Lots of things but 2014 was a great water year and fishing was spectacular until early Nov. because of the warm fall days. My wife and I had our first son in November named Flint Travis Jones. He just had his 12 week birthday yesterday and he is growing rapidly and really fun to be around!<br />
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2015<br />
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We have had a decent winter up here although it has been really warm the last three weeks or so. The Snow Pack is still near 100% or more. Spring fishing will be awesome this year since the warm up is happening now instead of in March. We should have good water through the summer but nothing extremely high like in past years.<br />
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I have been working on a New Bitterroot Boatworks skiff for the last couple of months and am almost done. Should have it on the water in the next few weeks! Come fish with me in it!<br />
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I have room in Late April, late May, Early June, August, Sept. and Oct. so get a hold of me if you want to get in the books for 2015! See you all on the water! karl@sheerwaterguides.comKarl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-32969769889787052322014-06-02T16:20:00.001-07:002014-06-02T16:20:58.874-07:00Early Summer and the fish are biting!Hi Folks, I have a couple of days off and thought I would give an update about our upcoming summer fishing season. Fishing on the Missouri a(tailwater doesn't get dirty during runoff) the last month has be good to great and currently is on fire! We had a giant snowpack this last winter but because we have had a very dry spring I believe we will have good dry fly fishing soon. The rivers of western MT already seem to be on the drop. I think overall that we will have a really nice summer here in Western Mt so if you haven't booked your fishing trip get ahold of me soon. Tightlines and see you all on the water.Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-50644408347555813232014-05-13T09:40:00.001-07:002014-05-13T09:40:13.657-07:00Summertime!I know I haven't been blogging for a while but here is the pre summertime update! Things are shaping up for an amazing runoff this year. What this means is that since we have more than 140% snowpack in most of our mountain ranges we are going to have awesome water conditions July through Oct. this year! We haven't seen a runoff like this in a few years so if you haven't experienced high water nymph fishing in late May or June give me a call. There are still openings in August, September, and Oct. so get ahold of me soon or follow us on facebook (Sheerwater Guide Service) for all of the latest river reports. <a href="mailto:karl@sheerwaterguides.com">karl@sheerwaterguides.com</a>Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-64422929995897640162014-03-19T10:00:00.001-07:002014-03-19T10:00:20.110-07:00March Madness!I know you all have been awaiting another blog entry but I have been really buisy refinishing guide boats for the upcoming season and skiing really deep powder in the mountains. We have had an awesome winter with upwards of 140% snowpack in some of our mountains! Things are beginning to fish around the Missoula area as we head towards the fabled Skwala Stonefly hatch of March and April. Although not many skwalas are out yet we should see the first good hatch in the next week. The Bitterroot has been fishing well subsurface all day. I still have some openings in April if anyone is interested but as a whole our summer fishing is going to be awesome! August through October should have great water conditions this year as well so come on out. Follow us on facebook for more info. Cheers.Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-79002283991566027132014-01-08T09:20:00.001-08:002014-01-08T09:20:46.882-08:00January in MontanaWell 2014 has been great so far we have a great snowpack in the mountains and this next spring looks like it is going to be great fishing!<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Spring Skwala Stone Fly Fishing in Western Montana.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that fall is gone and winter and the Holidays are here it is time to start thinking about the great fishing options for 2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of you probably have a warm saltwater trip planned or maybe an adventure to Patagonia for Southern Hemisphere trout but there are also some great options in Montana that are just around the corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Skwala Stone Fly hatch on the Bitterroot, Clark Fork, and Blackfoot rivers of Western Montana is definitely some of the finest stone fly/dry fly fishing of the whole year!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Skwala nymphs begin to move and crawl out from under rocks in late February and depending on weather and water temps begin to offer good dry fly opportunities in the Afternoon by mid March.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t your typical cool weather fishing, when the trout get on the dry’s it can be really exciting with lots of eats, they are very aggressive and they really crush the bug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Skwala’s are typically a size 10 or 12 dark colored stone fly, olive or black but with some lighter segments to their under bodies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is so unique about this hatch is the time of year, this hatch happens months earlier than any other aquatic hatch and is prolific and since the fish are just coming out of winter they are ready to feed heavily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>March is generally solely Skwala stone fishing but as you move into April you begin to see other types of small stones as well as March Brown and Grey Drake Mayflies.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The season for fishing this hatch runs from about March 15<sup>th</sup> to April 20<sup>th</sup> with the three best weeks being the last week in March through April 15<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is because this hatch occurs <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pre mountain runoff so the farther you get into April the higher the chance that the snow will begin to melt and the rivers will start to rise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather can be cool in the 40-55 day time temp range but the fish are like clockwork once they get on the bugs they get on them every day whether the days is warm or not. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A day on the water goes something like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meet at your hotel at around 8 or 8:30 am depending on the weather (you guide will pick you up at your hotel).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Head out to the river, dry, dry/dropper, or streamer fish until noon and have lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly after lunch the fish will be looking up well and we fish single or double dry’s all afternoon until the hatch quites at 5:30 or 6 pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fish of western Montana are a nice mixture of Rainbows, Westslope Cutthroats, Cutbows, and brown trout and the average size most days is between 16 and 19 inches with the occasional trout going over 20 in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always recommend booking atleast 3 guide days so that you get to see a wide selection of the different types of water and fish we have to offer in Western Montana.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sheerwater Guide Service still has some prime dates open for the spring so if you<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>want to get in on some of the best dry fly fishing of the year please contact me at <a href="mailto:karl@sheerwaterguides.com">karl@sheerwaterguides.com</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Karl Jones<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Sheerwater Guide Service, outfitter #10893<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; punctuation-wrap: simple;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">www.sheerwaterguides.com<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Karl Jones <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-21401554470804643212013-07-04T09:14:00.001-07:002013-07-04T09:14:46.798-07:00Happy Fourth of July!Finally have a day off and what a June and Early July we have had! Fishing has been fantastic! Hope everyone has a wonderful fourth and see you all on the water soon. Here is a nice one we caught on the Smith last month!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73O2YfJ2n9o/UdWfYWoJKUI/AAAAAAAAADw/eB663HKerYA/s480/P6150112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oya="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73O2YfJ2n9o/UdWfYWoJKUI/AAAAAAAAADw/eB663HKerYA/s320/P6150112.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-5591919354649472222013-05-25T10:38:00.001-07:002013-05-25T10:38:56.830-07:00It time for the big bugs!April ended beautifully this year with great dry fly fishing all the way to the end. Now it is Missouri River time and the "Mo" is fishing great! I spent the last week there with a day on the Dearborn as well. We had fantastic fishing on the Mo and a great day on Salmon Flies on the Dearborn. The next couple of weeks should be just as good! The Missoula area will start to fish soon with a salmon flies so summer has finally come. I still have some openings in July and August so if you want to get in on the awesome golden stone or hopper fishing ahead let me know and we will get something lined up. Tightlines!Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-38872415457268967322013-04-08T13:52:00.001-07:002013-04-08T13:52:14.372-07:00AprilApril has been fishing great! Although we did have some high water last week there was a large number of great fishing options. With the cooler weather this week everything will drop into shape nicely for the next 10 days or so and dry fly fishing should be awesome! If you haven't booked a day yet get ahold of me there are still a couple of days open in my April calender. Cheers see you on the water!Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-26628813144448291592013-03-25T09:11:00.001-07:002013-03-25T09:11:25.152-07:00Its on Like Donkey Kong!Well so far March has been great fishing overall with the exception of a couple of days last week where it blizzarded and the skiing was much better than the fishing. Skwalas are out in force and since the weather is warming now and should be nicer through April the bug hatch should only increase to include Grey Drakes, Baetis, and March Browns. This is one of the very best times of year for dry fly fishing! If you haven't grabbed some dates yet you better get on it cause things are going fast. See you on the water!Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-78386997029215058602013-03-12T14:56:00.001-07:002013-03-12T14:56:29.513-07:00Skwalas are here!They are here and fishing has been really heating up on the Bitterroot! Look for thing to only get better as long as the boat crowds don't overrun the river. If you haven't booked anything for the next month get ahold of me soon! this only last until runnoff starts! Cheers. <a href="mailto:karl@sheerwaterguides.com">karl@sheerwaterguides.com</a>Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-8420011235949871392013-03-03T09:17:00.001-08:002013-03-03T09:17:27.276-08:00Springtime is almost Here!Well since my last blog which has been quite a while we have had a bunch of adventures. I finished up my trout season in Late October and man did we have great fishing through to the end the Missouri was on fire with streamers and Baetis. It was really fishing just like the old days! This is a must if you haven't seen mid October fishing in Montana. Then it was time for my personal favorite time of year! and maximum recreation I caught some nice steelhead, shot some pheasants, ducks, and a nice bull elk and that got us into Dec. Steph and I had a great holiday with friends and family and then it was off to Patagonia. Steph and I hosted some of my customers at a lodge in Chile for the first two weeks of January and the fishing was great! Weather was interesting and the overall experience was fantastic! We then traveled to into Argentina and visited friends who own the premier fishing lodge on that side of the border. The plan for Sheerwater Guide Service in the winter is to host fishing trips in Patagonia through the connections I developed over the years I guided down there. All in all we were in Patagonia for exactly one month. February was spent doing boat work and house hold chores in Montana getting ready for the 2013 season up here. We are in good shape on our snow pack and it looks like we will have an average year so plan accordingly or send me an email if you have any questions.<br />
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Here is what you and I have been waiting for.........<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yjs8xR8bKsc/UTOFU7PFayI/AAAAAAAAADY/R_ecCBIoTb8/s1600/Patogonia+2013+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yjs8xR8bKsc/UTOFU7PFayI/AAAAAAAAADY/R_ecCBIoTb8/s320/Patogonia+2013+040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> My first guide day was yesterday March 2nd and we were out on the Bitterroot. Although it is a bit early in the month for dry flies we has some excellent nymph fishing and you can tell that the Skwala Hatch will be here soon. Plan on fishing getting good by late March and holding up through April. Let me know if you want to fish one of the best dry fly hatches of the year. Cheers and Tightlines! <a href="mailto:karl@sheerwaterguides.com">karl</a>@sheerwaterguides.comKarl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-51455142832899209062012-10-29T15:53:00.001-07:002012-10-29T15:53:36.877-07:00Another Season is done!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RgHo-MOZyeo/UI8I4o65KLI/AAAAAAAAADE/Ial6rdnUJvY/s1600/salmon+steel2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RgHo-MOZyeo/UI8I4o65KLI/AAAAAAAAADE/Ial6rdnUJvY/s320/salmon+steel2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Well as another great trout season wraps up here in Montana I can't help but think that it was all of the great customers that came out this year that made it all worth while. We had great trout fishing right through the third week of Oct. both in the Missoula area and on the Missouri. The last couple of weeks I have been traveling between steelhead spots in Idaho and bird hunting spots in Montana and thinking about next trout season. Tomorrow we are headed to far eastern Montana to chase roosters for a couple of weeks and then back to the Missoula area to hunt elk until I get one or the season closes. My wife and I will be taking customers down to a lodge in Chile in January to fish for trout (hopefully huge ones) on the other side of the world. Spring comes early in Montana and fishing is great by early March so let me know if you are interested. Here is a steelhead I caught the other day that went about 7 or 8 lbs. Cheers and be well. Tightlines!Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-27235002371591965452012-09-09T20:25:00.001-07:002012-09-09T20:25:54.533-07:00Fall is here! Well fall is finally here and with the cooler weather the fish have really turned on in the last week. Our summer was a pretty hot one this year and although hopper fishing was decent it just never had a chance to get rolling since afternoon air temps were so high. With the cooler air temps of the last week we are seeing great hatches of tricos every day and are waiting expectantly for the Mahogany's and Baetis to get rolling soon. I still have some openings in the first two weeks of Oct. if anyone wants to get a couple of days of fantastic fishing in before the snow flies. Let me know.Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-75536758562217432712012-08-04T10:49:00.001-07:002012-08-04T10:49:32.332-07:00Hopper Season is Here!Well July is over and with it most of the stoneflies. Even thought we had a hot month the fishing over all was great on all three rivers and my customers where fantastic! Thanks again. We are now in the transition to big terrestrial stuff, hoppers mostly and Tricos should arrive soon as well. We are still in great shape water wise so the next two and half months should have great fishing opportunities for those of you who haven't yet gotten to Montana this year. I still have some openings in August, Sept., and Oct. so give me a call or shoot me an email. I am taking the next week off to hangout with the wife and do a little steelhead fishing in Washington with my dad and when I get back we are going to be pushing grasshoppers for Montana's finest trout. Talk to you all soon and see you on the water. <a href="mailto:karl@sheerwaterguides.com">karl@sheerwaterguides.com</a>Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-53278866165974661022012-06-27T18:39:00.001-07:002012-06-27T18:39:48.479-07:00Bugs are here!I will keep this short and sweet. Summer is here for real the number of different bug species on our rivers currently is simply amazing! Goldens, PMD, 2 types of Drakes, Yellow Sallies it all here and fish are eating them. It is going to be an awesome next couple of weeks! Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-54809214787653231202012-06-19T17:42:00.001-07:002012-06-19T17:42:09.238-07:00June and the bugs are here!Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-86181040662315920842012-06-03T12:51:00.001-07:002012-06-03T12:51:38.024-07:00<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheerwater-Guide-Service/107798949303398">Sheerwater Guide Service Facebook Page</a>Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-50351980241562483532012-06-03T12:16:00.001-07:002012-06-03T12:16:13.540-07:00The "Old Bait and Switch"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vwSS4CicrLY/T8u335D7VOI/AAAAAAAAACs/MVjsi3sBOLQ/s1600/Big+bull+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vwSS4CicrLY/T8u335D7VOI/AAAAAAAAACs/MVjsi3sBOLQ/s1600/Big+bull+2012.JPG" /></a></div>Things in the last week have really started to fish well, With Salmon Flies on Rock Creek and the West Fork and soon to be on other area rivers things are really looking good for June/July. We have recently had some awesome fishing on the Blackfoot for trophy trout and here is the story of two different situations in the same day. We were fishing the lower Blackfoot with slop rigs when one of my customers picked up a nice 16 plus inch rainbow a second or two later a big bully came up and tried to eat the 16 inch rainbow. Since the rainbow was to large to eat easily my customer pulled his trout away from the Bully. Mean while, while all this was happenin no one noticed my customer in the back of the boat winding up for the cast. He slammed his streamer inches from the Bully and since it was an easier meal than the rainbow the bully tooked it a promptly ripped us out into the backing. After a rather exciting 15 min. battle we landed a beautiful 28 inch bull trout without a single mark on him. The day was a success but wasn't over yet. After a couple of hours and countless large brown trout hookups my customer in the front of the boat hooked what has to be the smallest trout ever hooked on the Blackfoot. While we were laughing and giggling about how small it was, out of nowhere a huge bully came up and ate the tiny trout like a dry fly. When my customer automaticly set the hook the tiny fish came flying out of the water and smacked my other customer in the face in the back of the boat. While we were all laughing about what had just happened we had forgotten that there was still a streamer in the water and all of the sudden the customer in the back of the boat yells I have a fish on! We all look over the side of the boat to realize that in the absence of the tiny fish the bull trout wanted to eat he had found that other streamer and hooked himself when we were not looking. The big bully shook his head and spit the fly and sunk below the surface but now we have proved that the "old bait and switch really does work. The most interesting thing about fishing in late May and Early June is that you just never know what kind of experiences are out there. Can't wait to get back out there tomorrow and see what lays in store! <a href="mailto:karl@sheerwaterguides.com">karl@sheerwaterguides.com</a>Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-55760470101785593082012-05-21T10:18:00.001-07:002012-05-21T10:18:03.239-07:00May and Summer is almost here.This 2012 spring has been one of my favorite springs of all time! After a great spring Skwala Stonefly season, my wife and I headed south to Moab, Utah with our Airstream trailer and two faithful yellow labs for ten days of mountain biking and hanging around in the desert of Southern Utah. I got back to Missoula fished a couple of days and then headed to the Florida Keys to fish for Tarpon for four days. Although the Tarpon catching wasn't all that great I jumped a couple, feed some more, and had a huge number of shots at big ones. It just wasn't meant to be since the weather and wind wouldn't give us a break. Even though we had a really good snow pack this year in Western Montana, it seems tha the temperate spring has the snowpack coming off earlier than the last couple of year and our Salmon Fly fishing should be off the hook this year! I would look for them to start as soon a the 1st of June and last until late June. Things are really shaping up quickly around here so if you haven't booked any days yet get ahold of me and let me or one of my guides show you just how good fishing can be in the Missoula area.Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-38641218723891779862012-05-01T08:44:00.001-07:002012-05-01T08:44:26.524-07:00Summertime!First off just want to say thanks to my customers who made this one of the best springs ever. Even though the water conditions were tough at times you all stuck with me and we had great fishing. The bug hatches were excellent right up to April 20th so get on board for next year.<br />
Summertime. We are headed into the primetime of the year. It starts on the Missouri this month with caddis and baetis and then by the first week of June we should have great Salmon fly fishing around Missoula. We have a great snow pack this year contrary to everywhere else in the West and conditions look like they are shaping up for a great season. I believe this is going to behave like a normal summer season with awesome dry fly fishing all the way through. I still have some dates available personally and can always set you up with a great guide so give me a call or check out the website or like us on facebook. Thanks again and tightlines!Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931880219062451355.post-7980882786328134042012-04-06T15:48:00.001-07:002012-04-06T15:48:11.739-07:00April and the bugs are all over the place!Well March was great fishig! As always everyone has cabin fever and the Bitterroot is clogged on the weekends by anyone that can find a floatable craft. Didn't seem to hurt the fishing however as long as you had a trick or two up you sleeve to avoid the traffic. Skwalas were again out in force this year by the 20th and fish have been looking up in the afternoons consistently on most days. With last weekends blowout (the root nearly doubled in size) the crowds have thinned out and the river is up at a level that really fishes well if you know where to look. We are seeing good numbers of May Fly's as well as Skwalas' now so come on out and get some. We should have solid fishing until April 20th or so and if you can 't make before runnoff starts in Western Montana there is always the Missouri river and all of the fine fishing that can be found there in the spring. Get ahold of me at <a href="mailto:karl@sheerwaterguides.com">karl@sheerwaterguides.com</a>. Tightlines.Karl Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14446316474121369120noreply@blogger.com0