Ready to Go...
Hello everyone, I'm back in town ready to go!!! I just picked up my main guide boat today and I wanted to send a big thank you to Young boats in Inglis for restoring my 24 Pro-line. While out West, I had the entire exterior re painted to a high gloss black. Also, the interior deck was buffed, detailed and the whole boat looks immaculate. Besides building one of the best custom boats, Young boats does a superior job in restoration and fiberglass work... Let's go Fishing... Capt. Dan
Last Cast of the West..
This sums our fabulous vacation out West and this particular trout, was my last cast of the last day. I for the most part concluded how our Wyoming adventure was in my previous post, but I truly can't say enough how fantastic the fishing is. I generally do not do the float boats down the major rivers, as they are very productive; but I like the solitude of the high mountain streams and wading. The hoppers were just really starting to get going and we were noticing more and more everyday towards the end - August/September should be quite good. Once again, thank you all for following my adventure and I'll see you on the Crystal River/Homomsassa saltwater soon... Capt. Dan
Wrapping up Wyoming...
Well it's sad to say, but it's just about time to wrap up our 2016 Wyoming trip. Another spectacular year and the fishing was truly great. This year we did a great deal more hiking up stream to get off the beaten path of many places and the extra effort was very rewarding. Hiking some close to 2 miles at 9,000ft takes the wind out of you, but 18" cutthroat trout make it all worth while. All but two trout were caught on dry fly's and our best day was a 100 plus fish day. The Rockin' M Ranch accommodations were outstanding and my wife and friends Matt, Gail, Dana and Jim made the trip that much more great. I'll see you all in Florida soon... Capt. Dan
Yellowstone Cutt's...
As of today, we completed the Wyoming cutthroat slam. My wife and I this year have caught the Snake River fine spotted, Bonneville, Colorado and now the Yellowstone cutthroats. We took a trip up North to the edge of Yellowstone National park area and found a stream loaded with aggressive, hungry trout. To be honest, this stream was without a doubt the best trout stream I've ever fished, but there was major signs of bear activity with numerous fresh tracks on the stream bank. We made plenty of noise and had over a hundred fish day. On one particular pool, we caught 11 trout as we all took turns. It was a great day and with a week to go, I hope the great weather and fishing continues... Capt. Dan
Going Upstream...
My good friend Jim from Oregon just came into town and he joined us for a couple days out here in Wyoming. He met us at "my new favorite" stream and we explored the upper reaches. We encountered our first signs of bears in the area and saw fresh tracks and skat; but no visual sightings of one - that's a good thing. Anyway, the fishing was decent in the upper reaches with several brook trout and a couple cutt's, with two being real nice. The ever reliable elk hair caddis is working fantastic and I'll check in soon... Capt. Dan
Colorado Cutt's...
This year out West maybe the best yet! The weather is absolutely fantastic and the fishing is really outstanding. We've ventured out and done some exploring and found a few new streams and viewed some spectacular scenery. Yesterday, we ventured up to the 9,000ft range and caught some beautiful Colorado River cutthroat trout, brook trout and a couple fine spotted cutt's. The Colorado cutthroats are my favorite in color, and the high elevation you have to catch them makes it even more special. I'll check in soon and thank you all for following my reports... Capt. Dan
Wyoming Opener
Hello everyone, well the first couple days out West have been spectacular. Our accommodations at the Rockin’ M Ranch are fantastic and the weather is even a little on the cool side. All surrounding streams are running clear and the water levels are ideal. The trout are eagerly taking dry fly’s and are not to picky about any particular patterns. Just a drag free drift over a likely location will get a rise. I’ll continue to keep some updates every couple of days and here’s my wife Becky with a beauty Snake River fine spotted cutthroat… Capt. Dan
Mango's & Macks...
A beautiful day with Mike and Kathy on board again and today, we were offshore bound. I covered the 20ft to 35ft range throughout the day and we had a respectable catch of snappers and mackerel. The grouper action was good as well, but once again - numerous 22" to 23" gags were all we could come up with. There was plenty of action and I thank you both for the great day... I leave for Wyoming Friday and I'll do my best to be posting updates from the trip and I'll be back in Florida at the end of the month. Good fishing... Capt. Dan
Reds and Rocks...
It was a hot July day today with Mike and Kathy on board and we ran to the rocks for the morning hours, then we tackled some reds. I did make some grouper stops and tried several shallow locations, but they sure did not want to bite today. So, we bent the rods on some grunts with live shrimp and on the afternoon incoming tide; we caught some nice slot red fish. A great day with you both and I thank you... Capt. Dan
Homosassa Reds...
Not the ideal weather day and "wow", was it ever crowed with all the scallopers in town; but the red fish action was good for us today. On this trip, I had Mike and Michael on board and this father and son team had a good one. The weather kept us from going offshore, so we dodged the storms and tackled the inshore red fish. Free lined live shrimp up against the mangroves did the trick for the reds and we totaled about fifteen for our trip. A great time with you both and I hope to see you next time... Capt. Dan