Another Season is done!

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!

Fall 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.

Hopper 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.  karl@sheerwaterguides.com

Bugs 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! 

June and the bugs are here!

Sheerwater Guide Service Facebook Page

The "Old Bait and Switch"

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!  karl@sheerwaterguides.com