south

We have found ourselves in the keys for the winter. I was never really a big fan of the MT winter in the first place. We are booking for the 2011 season so give us a call. In the meantime I will be casing permit in paradise. Tight lines

Say Mayfly buffet 10 times fast

Well the wait is over and the weather and the bugs have decended upon all our local streams. We've got your BWOs, mahoganies, hecubas and some great streamer fishing to boot. This truly is a Magical time to be in Montana. The crowds have thinned, the air is crisp, and the fishing is stellar. Seeing the cottonwoods change, hearing griz stadium come alive, and watching big trout sip mayflies just does it for me. What about you? come see us at http://www.fivevalleysfishing.com/

Oh how the time flies when you're having fun

It's been awhile since the last post. I would apologize but I have been having the time of my life. What an adventure it has been, to say the least. Great clients, long days, huge fish, two flat tires, and a freshly cracked windshield. This is the height of the busy season and it has lived up to it in a big way. The hopper fishing has been good and the Missouri is on fire. Some mornings I have felt a tinge of fall in the air. Fall fishing here is incredible, and my favorite time to be out there. We still have some dates open so give us a call. After all come November my mind will be on flats boats, flats fish and warm weather. Tight Lines, Brandon http://www.fivevalleysfishing.com/

Missoula Fly Fishing Hopper Style

Well the good news is they have arrived. Big explosive eats on big foamy lines with big foamy flies. It was just a matter of time and it went off last week. What a thrill to see a crushing take, or my personal favorite the big toilet flush take. When your foam says goodbye cruel world it's hello big trout. This is the time of year we look forward to the most. Big fish and big flies. Don't get me wrong I took clients this week to the MO for huge fish on little drys. After all, that is the fishing that lies nearest and dearest to my heart. Seeing a two foot brown sip a pmd is nothing short of nirvana. On the other hand Hopper fishing is fun! I'm talking cold bud and horse shoes listening to Lynard Skynard fun. If you can fit hopper fishing and the above all in one day, well I guess you got it figured out. Come see us at www.fivevalleysfishing.com or 406.544.2135 Tight lines, Brandon

Turning the corner

Well the news is good for Missoula fly fishing as of late. The summer temps are here, the rivers have dropped into shape and the fish are looking up in a big way. So we can finally say see ya to the strike indicator till next years run off. Its off to the races in a big way. We still have some openings so give us a call at 406-544-2135 or visit http://www.fivevalleysfishing.com/

What a week

Well the Five Valleys crew cleaned up this week with more 20 inch plus fish landed in quite a while. I am going to enjoy this rare day off and get ready for the next run Tight Lines and Big Browns Brandon visit www.fivevalleysfishing.com

THERE HERE!

I have been guiding recently and a familiar site has finally shown it's face. Giant stoneflies as in salmonflies and goldens. These are the big bugs we have been waiting for. The only thing I can compare it to is a flight of drunk mini helicopter pilots crashing in to a trout stream. If you have never seen a wild trout come up and eat something that resembles a small hummingbird you haven't lived yet. We still have some openings so give us a call at 406-544-2135 or visit www.fivevalleysfishing.com Now go get your trout on. Brandon

Banner Hopper Year!

So ladies and gentlemen the predictions are in. They are forecasting what could be the worst hopper infestation in nearly thirty years. At the very least it will be the biggest hopper year in over a decade. The numbers are shaping up to 15 hoppers per square yard!!! For those of you who fished with us last year you know how great that was. Imagine it twice that good. Big chunks of foam tight to the bank, or mid river from mid July to October. Sounds like heaven to me. Give us a call and inquire about our great new packages including river front lodging and meals. Tight lines Brandon 406-544-2135

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That moisture we were looking for.........

I am as closed to a drowned rat as a fly fishing guide can get. Thank God I wasn't alone. All week I have been saying the Mantra. " Every day like this will give us another awesome day in August " Repeat. Everyone has been freaking about moisture and apparently someone was listening. Times like these you just push through it and fish. That we did and the fishing was good. Now I have a date with a Hot shower and a Cold beverage. Will write more when my hands unthaw. Tight lines, Brandon Come see us at www.fivevalleysfishing.com P.s Nolte this buds for you.

On like Donkey Kong

So runoff has begun, and we are up on the Missouri for at least a couple of weeks. All I can say is its off the hook. We had 7 doubles today! 3 in the first the first half hour. The entire river is fishing well even in the sun. Caddis, mayflies, and the usual tailwater buffet. The MO has smart trout by anyones standards, but this time of year they have forgotten last years lessons. We make them pay for these mistakes. For a while you can whack em on dries on heavier tippets and get away with things that will get you killed 6 weeks from now. If you have never been here, you need to come, it can be life changing. Good to see old friends, fish in familiar waters, and to put the hurt on some truly huge trout. What else is there? Tight lines and good times, Brandon

Come see it for yourself at www.fivevalleysfishing.com or call (406) 544-2135

A bump in the system

So we had 3 eighty degree days in a row last week. YES in April in Montana... UNBELIEVABLE is the one word summary. So it through all our rivers off kilter, and to guide we headed off to the MO. (twist my arm right.) Half of the state was there, the rainbows are off spawning, and the wind sucked, or blew I should say. Beginner clients + big wind = no bueno. That being said we fished hard and got it done. One kid landed a stud brown over 20 (his first trout ever) and everyone caught fish. The moral of the story is rivers bump, wind blows, and our guides deal with it. Git Er Done..............come and see it for yourself www.fivevalleysfishing.com

Friends

I had a chance to fish with some old buddies this weekend on the other side of the mountains while attending the Simms Ice Out. It's so nice to see old friends and get the rods bent. I think certain people just click and its always fun to fish in those situations. My friend I fished with and I share the same mind set. We pick the same patterns, we row and guide alike and most importantly we fish with the same level of intensity. A good fishing buddy is a great thing and it's always good to see them. Don't get me wrong the quiet sport is a ton of fun by yourself, but sometimes its nice to share the silence with a friend and a couple cold ones. tight lines, Brandon

http://www.fivevalleysfishing.com/

Why we fish.

I got to thinking the other day, call it an early mid life crisis. Why do I do this? Why have you chosen this path? After all its long days, financially unstable, hard on your body, and on the wrong day hard on your spirit. Not to mention the toll this lifestyle can take on relationships... I wonder sometimes if my ex girlfriends have their own testimonials web page floating around out there. I recently went to the Keys and landed a beautiful permit. It was incredible and classic, there are those moments. There are also the moments like the time my client had on this awesome bull trout in high water. I dropped anchor jumped out of the boat and netted it, only to come up victorious hearing the reel scream as my clients continued down the Blackfoot without me. The fish was "landed" but not "boated" because the boat was 75 yds downstream.....I caught up with them and the day was saved, but I almost died of a heart attack right there on the side of the river. My point is whether you are running across the flats or in your backyard, the Blackfoot, you never know whats going to happen. One thing I do know is, It's all good, and that's what keeps me coming back for more.......Tight Lines, Brandon

Book your Montana fly fishing vacation today at www.fivevalleysfishing.com or 1-877-783-0218

Why Missoula?

I thought it was finally time to tackle the subject. So you are booking your dream trip finally coming out west. Where do you go? There is the so called (golden triangle) around southwestern Montana. What you have here is Yellowstone, Famous Rivers and awesome nymphing if that's your game. I have guided and fished here extensively. If you wanna bang triple digit whitefish in a day , this is THE place. Don't get me wrong I have caught huge Browns here and on dries, But outside of hopper season its just not a consistent thing on top. The scenery is awesome, the dry fly fishing isn't. plain and simple. When I was guiding on the Madison and the Yellowstone, I was in a core group of people who pushed dries....but its just not the place to do it. Throw in all the Mcmansions, wanna-be cowboys, and tourist traps and it isn't my scene. Oh I forgot the absolute traffic jam on these "pristine" streams. I have pulled in to boat ramps on the upper Madison and saw 60 boat trailers....around here I go elsewhere if i see five. Not exactly what I would call solitude. I'm not saying I don't fish in these places, but it all seems just a little to hectic and fake. I prefer my backyard. We have awesome scenery, big fish, solitude, and most importantly we whack em on dries. Nymphing to me is like going home with that kinda ugly girl at the bar at 2 am. We've all done it , but we'd prefer not to. Which is why Missoula was and still is the Mecca for headhunters. I have fished all over the west, south America and Canada and this is hands down the best dry fly fishery there is. For the majority of the year you can reasonably expect to catch fish on dries. For five months if you can't you may need to go see a doctor. When you throw in the laid back college town atmosphere and friendly people its hard to beat. At this junction I am not so sure it can be. So if you get a chance come out and see what you have been missing. Big trout,big dries and one of the coolest places on the planet. There is a reason it's called misSOULa. Tight lines. www.fivevalleysfishing.com

Fly Selection... Nature vs. New Age Kinda?

I was thinking the other day about what makes people select certain flies. Even more importantly, why? I will apologize in advance for some slightly hippy sounding ramblings that may follow.......(I must admit I once owned more Dead records than fly rods.) I am a firm believer in what works and if you find it by all means use it. I do however like to experiment. There is something about certain flies that just screams bugginess. Which is kinda misleading I think because some of my favorites don't look much like any particular bug at all. This is where it gets kinda metaphysical, but all those flies have one thing in common. They have Mojo. Its almost as if they could catch a fish all by themselves. That silhouette, that wing, that wierd yarn you ganked from your ex girlfriends sweater makes it everything a trout could want in a meal. Oh, if it has CDC it gets an instant Mojo boost. (CDC is like a spiritual trek to the Himilayas for flies.) The point is somethings can't be explained, they just are. When you find them hold on for dear life.

mo-jo any object, as an amulet or charm, that is believed to carry a magic spell

Tight Lines, Brandon

www.fivevalleysfishing.com

alarm clock

The season is almost on us. You can hear spring creaking its way through the door. Clean the fly lines, organize the boxes, get the oil changed, take the snow tires off. In this yearly ritual I find my sanity, finally it IS all going to be ok again. Sure there will be snow storms but they will not linger. Nymphs and streamers will be thrown but only in the morning. Gods great order will be restored to all its glory (at least in the trout world.) They will eat a dry and they will eat it with a reckless abandon not seen since hopper season. I think of the winter, and it wasnt all bad I managed to land the biggest Redfish of my life on a fly, caught up with the famdamily, and generally escaped northern latitudes unless it was necessary. It wasnt so terrible after all, but come March its on like donkey kong.............www.fivevalleysfishing.com

Tying.......

It always seems I never tie enough bugs. Take an average of 120 days x 2 clients per day, for the math impaired thats 240. Take that 240 and multiply that by 20 flies a day that comes out to be 4800 bugs! I may not need this many but you can't be too prepared. Then throw in the other 100 or so days I fish for fun, and dont forget those tarpon and permit flies, and you see where Im going with this. Thats a ton of flies. Those of you who have fished with me know I prefer certain styles of flies. I like to think outside the box and so far its treated me very well. There is a favorite fly of mine that is commercially available that just says bugginess, with a capitol B. When i run out of my own I am sometimes forced to buy them and I know of only one fly shop in the area that has them. The first couple of seasons the owner would comment "you're the only person that ever buys those things. Do they work?" I just smiled and said "they make a great strike indicator for your second fly." What they don't know won't hurt them..........Tight Lines, Brandon

Be sure to check out our specials at www.fivevalleysfishing.com

Spring Fishing only weeks away

When you hear the term "spring fishing" in most places out west it means it's finally warm enough to dunk nymphs or dredge streamers, without spending the majority of your fishing time chipping ice out of the guides. This is not the case in the Missoula area. This means Big Fat dry flies and the biggest fish in the river on the hunt for them. I have seen 2 ft. + browns absolutely crush a skwala dry. I am in the business of selling fly fishing trips, but I can honestly say if you want huge trout on dry flies there may be no better time than mid March to May 1st. It must be the fish waking up after just hanging on all winter. In most places its a Bwo hatch and we get that too. Here its a different critter, a big protein packed stonefly, and the fish go absolutely ape shit for them. Throw in March browns, grey drakes and bwo's and what you have is a buffet they simply can't turn down. When the fish Gods are smiling I have heard its "Stupid" "Sick" "Ridiculous" and a thousand other adjectives. I have always liked "epic." That my friends says it all...................

Booking

This is the time of year when the phone starts to ring again. It always turns my thoughts to the upcoming season. Its hard to believe that were only 6 wks out from pushing dries again! There is something truly special about spring fishing around missoula. Big fish on big dries while the rest of the rockies are still in the grips of winter. It doesnt get much better than that... We still have spring dates open so give us a call. Once you experience a true skwala day you won't forget it.................