Big Cutty!

So, just as I posted last week that water temps were a concern a nice cool front passed through over the weekend and cooled everything off for several days and nights. Now we are looking very good through August unless it soars into the 90's sometime soon... our long range forecast actually looks cool so that is great. Fishing this week has been near epic everyday with great numbers and plenty of trout in the 15-18" range... and a few over 20", that is great on the Snake. Honest guides that do not stretch our sizes agree we see only a handful of trout over 20" each season on this river... my thoughts are that there are not that many in that category and we fish way to many dryflies to catch those fish on a regular basis. But every once in a while you find one and it makes you think should I give up my 3wt. and dryflies and start chunkn' lead and bunny fur in every deep hole you find... my answer is no!  Good dryfly fishing is the pinnacle of our sport and is aesthetically more enjoyable overall... big fish are always special but they are not everything!

Here is Skip Hildebrand with a nice 20" cutty taken on a #16 pink pmd dry... the best part is that we were able to sight fish to this guy. Then later the same day, while Skip and Eddie were taking a break, I tied on a minnow jig  and toss it out for a few swings through a deep trough. Hooked and landed this hefty 23 1/2" cutty!... feel free to comment what you would have rather caught... they were both equally fun and posed different challenges- Great Day!

Hoppers are heating up and also seeing clissinia stoneflies in Teton park.