This could have been really bad..
For you rookie oarsmen,, let me shed some light on Drift boat 101. I'm a self taught fly fisherman as well as for the most par self taught fishing guide. I shadowed behind some of the best guides in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana but never had anyone teach me drift boat basics. I learned a lot sitting around drinking beer with the old boys.
What you want to do is put your clients on fish not sink your skiff and hope your clients can swim to shore. Rule #1 make sure the plugs are in! Sounds elementary but believe it or not, It happens where a guide hit the sauce a little too hard the night before, shows up the next day a little fuzzy and forgetful and forgets to put his plugs in the boat.
Rule #2 Don't release to much anchor rope in high water as this will cause your boat to sway uncontrollably side to side. We call this lolli rockin', extremely dangerous as you could take on water over the gunnels. If it's just a little bit of water, make sure you have a sponge in the boat. Also, don't let your anchor drag as it may snag a boulder, pull the stern down and swamp last seasons profits. We call the laying cable.
Thirdly and most importantly, DO NOT TIE A KNOT IN THE ANCHOR ROPE! This is referred to as a "suicide knot" for good reason. If something goes wrong, you spaced something or forgot to take your guide mends that morning you can always kiss the inexpensive anchor roe and 35#lbs of lead goodbye - easier to stomach than kissing $7,000 buh bye.
Gotta run for now... until the next bit of foolishness, tight lines and remember to always kiss the anchor goodbye.
Unexpected break on the Yellowstone
Two footers
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| A Missouri river Montana two footer |
Realistically, dry fly fishing and streamer fishing are visually similar. It's all about the rise to the dry or the chase after the meat. I don't know which I prefer? One thing is for certain, It beats staring at a strike indicator all day long. When I was still guiding I had nightmares that stupid little fluorescent bobber was making my life Hell. I have spent so much time drift nymph fishing the buckets of the Lower Madison, I would call a strike even before the indicator twitched.
Now when it come down to dry fly fishing, and fishing it is. Timing the strike is so important. Too early, you yank the fly out of the fishes mouth. Too late and the fish inhales your fly, swims to the bottom and shits it out. Neither scenario is very rewarding.
Streamer fishing and fishing it really is requires the same patience as dry fly fishing, timing the strike can be downright visually stimulating. We all have been guilty of the premature hook set but in guide circles we call it premature ejerculation or shittin' the bed. Either way you look at it, it's my personal opinion that dry fly or strpping streamers is really what fly fishing is all about!
Lake trout, serious threat for Yellowstone Lake
A Yellowstone cutthroat—coppery in color, back peppered with spots, a blush of pink by the gills—is a thing of beauty. But it is outmatched in size and outlived by the lake trout, which weighs in at over 50 pounds (23 kilograms) and can reach the ripe old age of 20-plus years, about twice the span of cutthroats. More to the point, lake trout eat cutthroats.
Why the fuss? Isn't variety the spice of trout fishing? Not at all, said Bigelow. The cutthroat fishery provides an estimated 34 million dollars in economic benefit to the area. Lake trout—not as easy to catch—are no substitute for their native cousins. More important, Yellowstone cutthroats, and their genetic well-being, need protecting. Two of fourteen cutthroat species—the Alvord and yellowfin—are already extinct. (Related interview: Invasive fish species in the Great Lakes.)
There are other factors that speak to the wisdom of weeding out non-natives. Lake trout are deepwater dwellers and inaccessible to the otters, ospreys, bears, and eagles that prey on easily caught, shallow-water-dwelling cutthroats. Ten years ago, Koel pointed out, there were 50 nesting pairs of ospreys in the lake system area. Today there are only three or four.
Once the alien species was discovered, the Park Service was quick to respond. It started netting the intruders and in the past ten years has hired commercial fishermen to accelerate the process with large deepwater entrapment nets. Last year, more than 300,000 lake trout were removed from the lake, pushing the ten-year total take to about a million.
But lake trout aren't going away any time soon. Netting has slowed down, but not completely solved, the problem. "The war isn't won yet," said Koel. "It's a matter of keeping ahead of the curve."
The evolution of CK Outfitters
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What started as a summer job in 1998 has evolved into a full blown way of life for me. I had never planned on guiding fly fishermen for thirteen years, it is just how it happened. A poor economy, A low employment rate in Southwestern Montana coupled with low paying jobs and living the seasonal life are the biggest contributing factors.
Since the beginning of this so called summer job, I have found myself guiding in Wisconsin. Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park and most recently Montana. While each of the following states have excellent fly fishing, Montana is where I have chosen to spend the better part of the last decade and start CK Outfitters Fly Fishing.
Fly fishermen are a one of a kind breed. 99% are fun loving adventurous souls.. If it were not for the people that love this sport, I would not have lasted this long. The .1% do exist. They may have things happening in their life which derails them from enjoying the simple mind numbing joy of fly fishing. This is really unfortunate.
Through all of this, I have found myself as the Guide, Instructor, Doctor, Therapist, Teacher, Preacher, Legal council, Historian, Bartender, Banker, Boss, Parent, Disciplinarian and the list goes on. One thing is for sure, I have thoroughly enjoyed playing all these roles.
While my time as a fishing guide winds down, I still continue to Outfit anglers and find myself with a new set of rules. After thirteen years, I have a few stories to tell. This book is not intended to bruise the reputation of fly fishing, rather enlighten anglers on the client/guide dynamic. I have clients that I have been fishing with for along time and appreciate the advice they have given me but most importantly, cherish the lifelong friendships I have developed over the years.
This sport is largely why I am who I’ve become today and for that I am grateful. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this book. My first attempt at writing a book has been a wonderful journey. Enjoy
Craig CK Kalpinski.
The Greenest Presidents
The "greenest" president of all time? You're looking at him. A totally unscientific report in Scientific American reports that Republican Teddy Roosevelt takes top spot over fellow green weenie Richard Nixon.
"Rounding out the top three was Jimmy Carter, who gained points for actions like putting solar panels on the White House."
Roosevelt also wins props for best quotes, such as this one:
If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.
Saltwater on our minds
It's getting to be that time of year again where we switch from freshwater to warm saltwater destinations. My friend, Capt. Brandon Henley of Epic Tide Charters 305*340*9863 now makes Cudjoe Key his home where he guides the Lower Key's. Caroline and I love it there and still have friends living the dream Key's style. Might be a trip to the Key's in our future? "Tighten that shir up" I like that and would have used it and very true when it comes to line control
River Code Part II.
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| Simply give me a 90 foot cast at 10:30 |
You see, my wife and I escaped the cold and snow of Montana n the Winter of 2005 and headed South to the Florida Key's. Awesome Winter but that's another chapter. I had never caught a bonefish before and my goal that Winter was a bone and if I had just a little more time,, a permit. I hired my first key's guide with a little hesitation of course. I had heard to horror stories and had my ego intact and wanted to keep it that way. Now you have to remember something. I'm a streamer junkie from Montana, really good with a short line while ripping a fly fast. Similar to saltwater, I thought.
I met the guide at Bud n Mary's marina in Islamorada the morning of our trip. We met, exchanged handshakes and I caught a wiff of last nights booze session with a whiskey bottle. I was warned about these Key's fellas. So far, my guide was right on course. Serious raccoon eyes, sunburned, crows feet, leather for skin and reeked of cigarettes and booze. Sweet, this will be fun since I had found the right guy for my first bonefish. He said he had recently spent a lot of time in the backcountry and new where we could find some bones. We started out bayside poling and searching for bones. It was my first time on a skiff and first time in the backcountry of the Florida Key's, I was psyched! At last he spotted a school tailing in some sea grass. I couldn't see them but I took his word for it, until... Guide: "Give me a 90ft cast at 10:30 and work your clouser slow". Me: "OK, it won't be pretty but I'll do just that" I double hauled 90 feet of terrible looking fly line that hit the water so hard I think it spooked every fish between the Keys and Cuba. Guide: "I know where some cobia live and all you have to do is cast a short line and strip fast - you'll do great". Was this really my first bought and payed for bonefish experience?
So I returned to Montana bonefishless and a little better of a guide, sort of. Rather than kicking the cooler, spitting on my boat floor or dropping a mega loud F bomb, I would dig deep and think about Woods and my Key's guide.
River Code Part I.
As a fishing guide, you are eyes and and an ear. Eyes to point out fishy lies and an ear to listen to your client. One thing is for certain, you are not a mouth. They don't want to know about you unless they ask. He or she may be on that fishing trip to escape the stresses of everyday life or escape the pressure of living a life not exactly molding to its design.
I have a client who would often show up early for the fishing and more often late. He was easy to read. "Early" meant a long adventurous day on the river and probably some exploring new territory. Most likely it would be a shot way up high on the Yellowstone, down low on the stone for whatever the river felt like dishing up or over to the Missouri R. Headwaters for the ultra sporty carp. Maybe even a hit or miss jaunt to the Jeff?
If it was getting late, we were sure to be behind the boat traffic and my client probably really just wanted to drink a beer or two, smoke a cigar and slam of few angry browns. On those days when we were on a mission to "Get the job done", it was guaranteed that I would hear some stories and fish were to be caught. I learned a lot about this guy, his business, family, extra curricular activity and the rest will have wait for Part II.
River Nunya
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| Jane Blow fishing River Nunya |
I pulled up to East End on the Yellowstone with two of my longtime clients and began rigging rods for the day. We were the first at the launch and were surprised when another guide rig pulled up and even more surprised when he pulled in front of me and launched his boat. There is a thing known as "guide etiquette". I was absolutely shocked as well as my clients. Did this Jack ass really just jump in front of me?
He pulled his rig up and out of the launch and drove away to park his rig for the shuttle people. My team was rigged and ready to go so they walked to the launch while I backed my rig in and unloaded my boat. I backed in and realized this guy wasn't even ready to go yet. I decided to play it cool, kill the D Bag with kindness and make small talk. I had been fishing this stretch a lot lately and been killin' it with streamers for some ginormous Yellowstone pre spawn browns,. "I asked the guide (who's name shall remaain not mentioned) where he had been fishing recently" He replied, "River Nunya". I asked, "where"? He replied, "None ya fucking business". Ok, so much for networking with this asshole.
Later that afternoon we met up again on the river when D Bag's client asked what we were using because everytime we passed them, my boat was doubled up with rods bent. I smiled and graciously said "nunya fucking buiness". This is a true story in the new book, Montana Hold 'Em ready to be published after a little refinement. As the Montana fishing season begins to wind down, I've had the great pleasure of connecting with some of my former guides and listening to stories worthy of a place in their own book.
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