The "YUK" Adventure

Have you ever fished with a YUK in the YUCK?  Well, I did recently.  And it was pure joy.  I have had success with midges.  And lately, caddis larvae.  Well, now I have a new friend.  The Yuk Bug.  He is a rubber leg attractor and resembles the stonefly and cranefly nymphs.  Fish LOVE him!!!  And so do I.

Sometimes you have to do it...  Wade in Yuck!

(Yes, all wading gear has been disinfected since)

So, let me tell you what makes a fantastic journey in YUCK...

First, you get three crazy fisher ladies to meet up for a weekend in Montana!

Jeri, RD, and Jessie

Then, RD, the leader of the fly fishing junkies, decides that a snowman should be part of the adventure...
(equipped with a bamboo rod.  ha.)  Well, it was one of the highlights up to that point.

We then appoint Jessie, to get out the Go Pro.  You have to have pictures and vid when going on an adventure like this.  Love it.  She's sitting in Yuck.

And then you start fishing.  Right off the bat, I found my favorite rainbow of the trip.  What a gorgeous girl she was... And she came up through the "Yuck".

Ok.  Someone is just having too much fun!  And it is a balmy 25 degrees outside! The wind starts blowing and the wind chill is...  yeah, nevermind.

But, we are having way too much fun to notice... Well ok,. we noticed.

Jessie proves that she is indeed the "Whitefish Queen".

But, this chica knows how to haul in the brown trout too...

Jeri shows us her skills with Mr. Rainbow.  Oh yeah, baby!  She liked this guy.

So much, that I took two pictures!

The next day it is a tad warmer...in the 40's.  And I'm out to try a new bug.

Can you say "Yuk Bug"?????

Go ahead... say it again, Howard!  "Yuk Bug"!!!

Yes, I even got poor Howard to find his way to "Yuk"ing around too...

Check it out HERE.

What's that in his mouth?  Hahahahaha

By day 3, we had them just grabbing that Yuk and finding their way to the net.  It was so awesome!

Now, to be truthful, I did have my other half of catches on one other fly.  But, that is all I had on my line most of the time.  Two bugs.  The Yuk and the Tailwater Tiny (midgelike with flash) ...  I love this fly too.  I use it everywhere.  Tiny was doing it for me in the rust color.  What a treat it was to see these two just slam it.  The adventure was a success.  Not because we braved the frigid cold and 30 mph winds...  But, because three women set out in the Yuk to share some time on the water.  Thanks, Jeri and Jess, for sharing some Yuk time with me... It was EPIC!

  .

A special thank you to Big Y Fly Co. for sending me the Yuk in time for the trip!

My Favorite Season ~ Sunday Tippets, Damsel Style

Summertime... when all the world is green.  When we fish in a stream or lazily dream on the banks as the clouds go by... Yes, those were the days.  Now we put on the sweater and head out to experience the fall weather and the brilliant color that accompanies it.  Don't miss your chance to see the beauty of Fall.  It's my favorite season.

I had an hour or two before the sun would go down in the canyon above my house.  So, I thought that I would take the 15 min drive and see the newly fallen snow.  To my surprise, the fall colors were still there and it was a beautiful contrast.

As the sun started to fade behind the clouds... I knew that I was limited on time.  And I'm not one that likes to drive down a dark canyon.  So,  I put my caddis back on the water for a last ditch effort.  What I got in return was amazing.  

The most beautiful little Fall brookie.  I was pleased and after releasing him back to his pool, I headed back to the car.  It was an hour and a half well spent.  I had time to unwind  after a hard work week.  I could now go home and relax.

SUNDAY TIPPET :  Never give up on the day's end.  An hour at a beautiful place to meditate and unwind might be just what the doctor ordered.
(OK.. He didn't actually order it, but should he have!)  Lol.  

Have a wonderful week!  

RD

Fly Fishing Sisters and Lil' Bro

10 women... 4 boats... 7 mi. of river...

It started out as a journey of the unknown for me...  Michelle Bryant had this fun idea to invite a group of fly fishing women from her Facebook friend list to join up for a fishing weekend.  In the beginning, I was a little bit hesitant.  I usually journey off by myself or form small groups on fishing trips.  I knew about half of the gals that signed up originally already, so I was good to go.   And I was sure that all of us would have a good time because we had something in common...  Love of fly fishing!!

Now we have incredible memories and probably lifelong friendships.

On the first day, I met up with a new fly fishing sister, Brittany.  She came from pretty far away to be with us. (Lewiston, ID)  But, her excitement about fishing new water made me smile.  I love sharing places to fish with others and share my nymphing techniques with those that pretty much dry fly fish.  And she was that.

We met up on the Madison In The Park and ended the day on the Gallatin.  

The Maddy and Me... Yes, in the fog.

My favorite picture of the trip... Bent rod on the Maddy in the Park.

Britt and I fished two different sections on the Madison in Yellowstone.  Then it was time to head out and show Britt another piece of water...

The Gallatin...

Britt and her cutthroat which took her by surprise...

Then, it was time to meet up with the others.  Sorry, but the photographer proof is all I have right now to share...

Sis's.. Heidi, Rachel, Patti, Shelly, Michelle, Aileen, Brittany, Holly, & Tara.

Idaho, Utah, and Montana represented!

We rented out a spacious cabin... Here's Rachel getting ready to head out.

My first day with the girls, drifting down the Henry's Fork.

All aboard!

And off we went for a full day float... Many screams of delight as rods bent to rainbows and browns as we floated down the river

 (after my WHOOHOO!!!! to start us off... ) 

Let's call it beginner's luck... Really.  

I was shocked.  Happy.  Ok.  Ecstactic!!

This guy's tail rocked!!  

But, you can't dwell on the past.  You have to live in the present...

So, we journeyed on.

Here's a double catch by Britt and Heidi with Shelly giving a helping hand.

And of course lunch on the run...

We soon had a great day on the water end.  It was back to TroutHunter for socializing and looking at our pictures of the day!

  (Looks like a few fly fishing sisters/bloggers to me... 

And some FB posting going on...  Ha! )

The next day brought the "Sisters" to Harriman Ranch on the Henry's Fork.  This is a very technical stretch of water that gives the dry fly fisherman an absolute challenge!  And for me?  Well, let's say that I was a good sport.  = )

A beautiful stretch of water that requires skill and patience.  

From Harriman Ranch, we would caravan up to the Box Canyon above the Henry's Fork of the Snake River.   Some of us would float and others wade.

I caught a few smaller rainbows, although there are some very nice size fish in this stretch of water.

   

It is not uncommon to see an eagle or an occasional osprey.  And then there's wildlife throughout the Island Park area...

Marley Moose was hanging around our cabin too.  = )

Another fun day on the water with my fly fishing "sisters".

I had two more days to fish after we said our goodbyes.  And with so many options in such a beautiful place, it was hard to choose.  How about back to the Yellowstone National Park...

The Madison

Soda Butte

The Yellowstone

Yes, I had plenty of fishing, enough catching, and great "sisters" to hang out with.

Now, you must be wondering who is the Lil' Bro in the title???...

After four years or so in blogging, my dream came true!  I met an elusive fly fishing blogger that has gone to Yellowstone every year but at different times... On the second morning, one of my "sisters" came up to me outside of TroutHunter and had me follow her inside.  I had heard that this Lil' Bro was in the area, but didn't know if we would meet up.  There he was, standing at the cash register.  I came up behind him and gave him one of those big ol' bearhugs that I am famous for when meeting online friends!  He turned his head a bit and exclaimed, "The River Damsel!!"  A few short stories in a five minute conversation pursued as the "Firehole Rangers" lurked looked on...

My blog buddy, the Unaccomplished Angler, Kirk Werner.

Ok... He didn't want me scrunching...  Haha.

So, what was the highlight of my trip?  Truly a toss up.  I will just say that having "sisters" for a few days, meeting someone "unaccomplished", and hooking an over 20" brownie made this trip unforgettable.

Special thanks to Michelle Bryant, Shelly Ehmer, JB McCollum, Tim and Chris. (Guys with special photography skills)  

And the girls pictures that were shared with me for this post and the yummy meals that were prepared each day!  Teamwork...  = )

O

Gone Fishin'... Idaho Style

10 Fly-Sisters, 5 Adipose Boats, 5 Rowers, 1 awesome photographer, 2 days on the Idaho's Henry's Fork...  Sound amazing?

This is the big week for the TroutChicks.  10 of us are meeting up on the Henry's Fork in Island Park, ID.  Aileen Lane, Rachel Morgan, Michelle Bryant, Patti Bantam, Tara Olson, Brittany Davenport, Heidi Lewis, Holly Dixon, and ME!  Emily Blankenship aka:  The River Damsel.

Look out Island Park... We are comin' at ya!!  Full report by next Thursday!  (I'm doing a few side trips)  I got new treads and I'm heading down the road, toad.