A Fall Not Lost

Well I wish that I was sitting down to hammer this one out after having hung a couple of 28" browns on the ol notch for the fall season, but seemingly the bigger browns have been elusive on streamers so far this fall. Had a few swats, one crawl all the way up and onto the bank to try and eat the fly literally nearly beaching itself on a gravel bar and just a handful of streamer chasers in the 16-19" range so far. I'll chalk that up to the fact that I don't fish as much as I used to and that I've forgotten everything that I used to know, ha ha... (that's for you Andrea I don't spend half as much time on the river in the fall as I used to, so no complaining!)


Well we introduced a few more folks to the addiction this past weekend and needless to say we set the proverbial hook in a few of them - including Molly who hooked up with her first brown on a streamer, a not too shabby 21" fish from the Yellowstone.


On a sour note, I took out and threw my 9 weight Xi3 for an entire afternoon and although I love the rod I have a few caveats - it's not a great wade fishing stick, it's great out of the boat, and you have to be careful apparently as mine blew up in the butt section the first day out. Imagine that, a 9 weight that couldn't handle the flies and line, wow what will I have to use next, a 12 weight tarpon rod for trout, don't get any ideas Matney it's too much even for you.




To Tie the Rapala Knot Visit This Link
http://animatedknots.com/rapala/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Been using a new knot these last few years and I figured I would share it with those of you who enjoy the chucking and ducking - it's the Rapala loop knot and is perfect for streamer fishing since it has tested out by Field and Stream as the strongest loop knot on the planet. Here's a link to how to tie the knot (note - I prefer my loop to be about a 1/4" diameter, it keeps the loop from kinking and creating a hinge point, on the smaller loops the fly actually swims more than hinges.



For Proof that the Rapala Knot is the Strongest Loop Knot Check This Link
http://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/fishing/bass/where-fish/2009/02/strongest-fishing-knots?photo=3


I'll be hitting the river this Thursday in seek of some revenge, well at least that's probably what it's going to feel like for whatever I manage to stick this 3/0 hook into... This poor little fella decided that this fly was just too close to his home and so he smacked it only to find out that it smacks back, didn't leave much of him intact, a 6" minnow on a 6 inch long fly, go figure.

Fall in Montana though is great even if the fishing isn't red hot, with views like these, it's hard to find a reason not to love being out in the fall.