Home On The Range

I had the privilege of going on horseback ride yesterday with Matt Buckley, our equestrian guru.

Matt has come up with some amazing rides for us this year and it is an absolute pleasure to ride with him. Due to the time constraints, I was only able to go on a 2 hour ride which was a real bummer as it was a perfect day for a ride. That said, my butt is a little saddle sore so maybe it was for the better. We rode up a drainage to the west of the home ranch and before long we started seeing elk.

Elk calf on the range. Photo by Joel

The elk calf in in the picture got separated from the herd and began to follow us. I guess the horses looked close enough to being its mama so the little guy felt comfortable following us. As soon as we crested the top of the bluff, we encountered the rest of the heard below us and the calf took off running for them. It was pretty cool to have him tag along as long as he did.

Horse Wrangler, cowboy poet and all around great guy, Matt Buckley. Photo by Joel

The vistas from on top of the bluff were simply breath taking. That is Matt in the picture and if you look real hard in the valley below, you can see the herd of elk.

I can't say enough good things about Matt. He is professional, kind, enthusiastic, witty, and just fun to be around. He is als a great cowboy poet and if you take a ride with him, I encourage you all to get him to recite some of it for you! Trust me, you will not be disappointed! Matt has taken our equestrian program to the next level and I encourage everyone to book a ride with us in September.

September is a great month on the ranch. The temperatures are mild and the fall colors are just getting started. Plus the elk are starting to get into the rut so you will likely hear them bulge at all times of the day which is a very cool thing if you have never experienced it before.

We have all level of rides for all level of riders and can do rides from an hour long up to.....well as long as you would like to go for! Come and enjoy the ranch from the back of a horse. You will never regret it!

Feeding Your Addiction,

Joel

Rock Creek Fishing Report

The creek has been fishing pretty good in the evenings lately, but it was a little slow today when I was out with Jill Caruso and Matt Donald. They were in from Seattle and wanted to try their hand at fly fishing so after a little lawn casting lesson, we headed for the creek.Matt Donald and Jill Caruso doing a little lawn casting practice.

The creek has risen about 4 inches overnight which has brought temperature down and probably had fish feeding all night on the behavioral drift of nymphs and larvae and probably lots of terrestrial bugs like ants and beetles being washed in from rising water.

I don't know for certain but I think the rise in water is due to less irrigation water being taken out as hay fields are being cut and very little irrigation is going on at the moment.Jill Caruso with a Rock Creek Brown that took an Elk Hair Caddis Dry

We did get a few rises on elk hair caddis, golden stones, chernobyl ants, beetle and even San Juan Worm dropper.

Matt Donald with a Rock Creek Brown that took the San Juan Worm dropper.

Thanks to Jill and Matt for a great morning on the creek. I really enjoyed sharing it with you. Come back soon!

Sharp Hooks and Tight Lines,

Ron

Creek Fishing Well

Rock Creek has been fishing very well recently!

Cary Patterson with a nice Rock Creek dry fly Brown

The spruce moths are out in force and a good dry fly pattern to use is an elk hair caddis. I'm liking the gray and tan body flies. Size doesn't seem to be really important, within reason. Hoppers are also working pretty danged well. I know Zac has been dropping different nymphs from his dry for his guests and the fish are eating those too.

Paul Hayne and one of Rock Creek's fine dry fly participants!

I fished the Clark Fork with my nephew a couple of evenings ago. Spencer turns 9 years old in a couple of days. This was his first time to fly fish. He landed his first brown trout on a dry fly and to say he is excited about and hooked on fly fishing would be a real understatement. Elk Hair Caddis, PMD's, Parachute Adams, Purple Haze and Rusty Spinners are all working on the Clark Fork at the right time of day.

Mornings and evenings are proving best right now. Middle/heat of the day, not so much unless you have plenty of cloud cover.

We have had several afternoon showers roll through but not enough to muddy the waters. We take a break if there is lightning in the air, otherwise we're fishing!!

Sharp Hooks and Tight Lines,

Ron

Fishing Report

We've been really busy and that's a great thing for everything except the blog.

On my way out the door to teach some trap shooting however I wanted to update you quickly on the fishing around here.

The Blackfoot and the Missouri have both been fishing well. The Upper Clark Fork that runs through the ranch is hit or miss. Evening hatches can produce good action some days, and leave you less than satisfied on others.

Rock Creek is fishing great. Mornings good, heat of day not so good, evenings can be great. Stoneflies, Spruce Moth imitations, small Parachute Adams working right now but can be hard to see on the fast water.

You need to be quiet on the creek and watch that you don't cast a shadow on the pools as you approach. Fish from down stream and quietly stalk up toward each pool fishing the entire pool form tail out to falls with most of the bigger fish coming right beside the white water in the head of the pools.

Zac and Joel and I all have plenty of pictures but just finding time to process them all and write a post is challenging. More to come....

Sharp Hooks and Tight Lines,

Ron

Rock Creek Catching Report

Had the pleasure of fishing the creek with Al Stinson recently and the action was good.

Al and I started our adventure down on the Clark Fork and his 2nd or 3rd cast Al was hooked up and in battle. Good size Rocky Mountain Whitefish took the dropper on a dry/dropper rig. I got a photo however it did not turn out well. Reflection glared out the image. We fished there a while longer and decided the action was probably more fast and furious up on Rock Creek so we headed there. We were right/

Al's hopper hit the water and a big brownie inhaled it. Solid 16 on a parachute hopper patter that we carry in the shop. He played the fish perfectly and while he was doing that I was looking for the net. The one that I left up in the Jeep at the trail head. DOH!!

Got the fish up against the bank using a combination of my hands and feet which was, I'm sure, quite comical. Got both hands on the fish and was about to hand it to Al for the picture when it did a quick flip and was gone. I was kicking myself square in the butt for leaving the net in the Jeep. It was a beautiful fish, very healthy and a great fighter. Sorry Al, for not getting that picture for you. Dangit.

We fish on upstream a ways and there were many takes. Just about a fish everyplace one should be. It was a great day of catching.

I'd say we are in the beginnings of hopper season around here. Golden Stoneflies are showing up in greater numbers and a few hoppers are around. When you have the correct flies, with the correct, drag free presentation, the action is very satisfactory.

Sharp Hooks and Tight Lines,

Ron
Post Script: If your guide doesn't have a net with him, ask him why not! I can guarantee you he or she didn't mean to leave it behind.

The Ins and Outs of NuCanoes And A Fishing Report

Hope you had a great Independence Day celebration. We had a great time here with a huge BBQ, libations, music and sparklers!!

It finally, really, feels like summer here in these mountains of Montana and that means it was time for us to move the NuCanoes up to the lake. We have a small fleet of them available for rent during your visit.

They are very easy to paddle, virtually unsinkable and so far, I haven't been able to tip one over. I have fallen out of one, but that's nothing new for me. Ain't the first boat I've fallen out of and I don't think it'll be my last!

Joel decided it might be a good idea to put together a little video demonstration of easy paddle boat entry and exit strategy. I was the camera man on this project and no, you don't have to worry about me quitting my day job.

Heeeerrrrrre's Joel!

Thanks JT, good stuff.

Today's Fishing Report: The creek looks great and the dry fly action is picking up a little each day. Bugs in the air include some caddis, golden stones, yellow sally with a few hoppers showing up.

Though a few fish can be tricked in the morning, the best bite is certainly in the afternoon through dusk. Plenty of mosquitoes on the creek so be prepared. Long sleeve shirts and long pants along with a little repellent will go a long way to making your day much more enjoyable.

Sharp Hooks and Tight Lines,

Ron

Creek Browns and Cutties on Dries.

I get excited about dry fly fishing. We've had three good, really warm days in a row and it's got our creek fish looking up.

Al Stinson and I fished some different sections of the creek yesterday and today. Both days we had fish take the dries. We fished dry flies and some dry dropper combos. Fish ate both.

It's not what I would call red hot action, but it's good action.

Al caught Brownies and Cutthroats both.

Good couple of trips.

Sharp Hooks and Tight Lines,

Ron