Tarpon Update....
Hello everyone, well with this passing cold front on Wednesday and Thursday, it brought rain, very high winds and dropping temperatures. Unfortunately, all these conditions are a disaster for tarpon fishing. Fridays trip was pretty much a ghost town with very, very few fish being seen. Yesterday however, was a bit better as we saw a more fish and my good luck Tarpon charm Mishel sent one in the air. Stable weather is what's on the forecast and I believe this will be a much better week. Stay tuned and good fishing everyone... 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
Big Poon...
What a great day with Tim and his wife Jeanne and Tim set the record for big fish on my boat. Tim was loaded with my G-Loomis 12wt crosscurrent fly rod and presented the fly to a string of cruising tarpon and the big fish of the school, took the fly. Tim set the hook and an absolute monster tarpon fight was on. The fish put on a great show and we had the leader in the rod guides several times throughout the over hour and a half fight. Unfortunately, the fish got tail wrapped and wore through the tippet. We may have not put our hands on her, but a great achievement and congratulations on a spectacular fish... Capt. Dan
Tarpon Boatside...
It's been pretty good out there in tarpon land this week and we've been jumping fish just about every day. Today I had JC on board and we brought a beautiful tarpon boat side. We saw several schools of fish and after several refusals; we presented the right fly to the right fish and connected. A fine tarpon around 90lbs came to the boat, took some great pictures and set her free. A great day and great job JC... Capt. Dan
In The Air...
The tarpon action continues to be quite good for the morning hours, but slowing a bit during the day. The last couple of trips we've seen some good fish, had some eaters and jumped a few. Dark colored flies are still whats working best and here's a recent shot of a big tarpon giving us a dance.... Capt. Dan