Next chapter...

I woke up this morning feeling pretty good about life! Yesterday I finished up on my favorite river and spent the day with great friend and client, Scott Ritchie - Ace gentleman. His wonderful family was out here fishing with us all weekend.
As my run as a fishing guide winds down, I understand what athletes must go through when trying to finally give it up. It is hard to walk away from doing something you love and are passionate about. The last decade has been amazing for me!
CK Outfitters will continue with a few new twists. I am stepping into the role of manager of operations as strictly the Outfitter and no longer guide. Wow, that was hard to write. There you have it. What's next for me? I have always said that when I finally give it up, I'm going to write a book about my experience as a fishing guide. I have alot to write about. I will save it for the book.
I want to end this Blog by saying thanks to all the wonderful people I have met and that have supported CK Outfitters. I look forward to turning the page. Tight lines & bent rods always! On to the next chapter.

Sincerely,

Craig Kalpinski
CK Outfitters Fly Fishing

Transition time...

The damn dam in Ennis which has affected fishing slightly on the Lower stretch is on the mend and should be finished very soon. As most of you know, a bus sized boulder broke away from the mountains nearby Ennis Dam. The boulder fell on top of the dam causing quite a bit of damage. Repairs continue and things should be full tilt shortly!
It happens every year. The hot Summer days shorten, nights become cooler, it's called transitioning into Fall. While most of us in Montana look forward to the pleasant weather associated with September, the fish don't always see it that way. Two weeks ago, the fish were looking up for their food. Now, most are just a little confused.
I have spent years telling my clients about this. People finally got it right this year and held off booking their trips until later in September. Awesome - I get a much needed break and the fishing turns over and gains momentum as we head into Fall.
While things on the Lower Madison - a favorite Fall destination and those big browns begin to stage up on other rivers, this fall should live up to legendary Montana Fall fishing! The baetis are ready to pop and the humpback Yellowstone R. browns need to bulk up for Winter so be sure to give us a call if in the area.

At Last September...

Pictured here is my man, Scott Ritchie with a recently caught 50lb Tarpon. Fish was wrestled down in the middle Florida Keys. Miss the Keys!
Day 8 on the Facebook and as far as I know, I have only offended 1 person. They haven't defriended me yet but I'm sure once she thinks about it over a bottle of white zinfandel - I'm history.
Thanks GOD it's September. It has been a HOT Summer here in Southwestern Montana. It's all or nothing in this state. The only happy medium is September, but it's early and remains to be seen. The fishing however and that is what were here to talk about is good right now! I predict a banner September considering we have water and the weather has cooled off. Keep in touch and give us a call if migrating towards Montana.

Fishbook & Porn

Alright there you have it, the first fish porn of the season. It's September 1 and I made it this far - pretty good! I know the zoro/vader hat is a little freaky but I will let it slide because Dan is a great mo fo.
I will start by ranting about the fishing first. Despite some unsettled weather and falling rock, the fishing is solid! Upper Madison continues to surprise. Lower is up and down due to problems at the dam but once stabilizes, look out cookout! Yellowstone, who cares. It's Baetis September. We'll get over there in October for those humpback spawners.
Now, down to brass tax. I have been a Facebook holdout for a long time. Last Friday evening I had a couple of scotches and got Facebroken. Over the years I have joined, dejoined, deactivated, stopped mid post asking WTF am I doing?
It's been five long and hard trying days as a member of Facebook. I'm going to ride it out at least for awhile. While at times I think it's really stupid, other times I have connected with friend I haven't heard from in ages. That's really cool and what it's all about.
The idea of Facebook sometimes creaps me out. I have never been an open door kind of guy - that's why I hide out in Montana. I like my privacy but am learning to share bit's and pieces of it with my new found friends. More on the Fishbook at a later time. Until a later time, we will keep fishing and facebooking (at least for now). Tight lines and Have a great Labor day!

Fallen Boulder Damages Madison Dam Near Ennis

A bus sized boulder fell off the cliffs along the west side of Madison Dam Monday morning putting a 30 ft. divot in the top of the dam where it remains lodged. It also took out the hydraulics that control several of the flood gates. The leaking lines also apparently leaked “15 or 20 gallons” of hydraulic fluid into the river but no fish kills have been reported. Water is apparently seeping out around the boulders impact area however, PPL officials assured the public that “the facility is in a stable condition and there is no need for public action”. I bet BP wish they could have pulled that statement off.

The really good news is that it’s not spring runoff and judging from the location it might be prudent to consider some kind of preventative measures for future rock (large boulder) falls. Its unclear so far what river flows will be like once draw down and repairs are underway.

Summer?

I have been meaning to post these photos for quite some time and apologies to Casey - Samuel's father. I'll take this cold, rainy, nasty and wet Montana Summer? day to post this long overdue blog.
Samuel was my first ever nine year old client. He is a tenacious angler in the making. Great listener, patient, courteous and thankful. Just about everything you would ever want in a client.
We had a fantastic day on the Yellowstone. There was a healthy competition between Father & Son. If I remember correctly, I think Casey had to dish out some dough for dinner. I'm looking forward to fishing with Casey and Samuel in the future but for now, plans are on hold until we can replace Samuel's Auburn shirt with an Alabama Crimson Tide tee. Until we fish again. Tight Lines.

0 > 60 in a day!

Thursday we nearly broke 100 degrees. Today we were lucky to make it to 65 degrees. Be sure to pack the fleece and rain gear this week if heading this way for the week.
The Hopper fishing got a late start this season but now is in full effect! Had a couple of boats on the Lower Madison this past week with excellent results. PPL spiked the lower river this week for reasons unknown? This was actually a good thing and helped the conditions greatly. When there is a big water push like this it sends tasty morsels of crawdads, sculpins, stoneflies, etc. down the river. This also flushed out a lot of the moss.
The best part of our season is almost here. September is hands down the best time to fish in Montana. Cool night time temps and pleasant days provide prime conditions. We have some prime days still available in September so if in the area give us a call to reserve a great day on the river!

Those Damn Hippie Kids!

I wanna give you a peak into my life as a fly fishing guide! All glory - I don't think so.
Got this question a couple day's ago. Q: Do trout prefer light or dark rocks? A: My best answer was neither. Trout don't like rocks, they get in the way of aquatic habits like sleeping, eating, nesting and just about everything that humans like to do.
I recently got thrown this curve ball. After dropping my boat in the river, getting the clients dialed in and catching fish, my client asked "now at the end of the day, how do we get back to the truck?". I have several answers for this popular question but in all seriousness I said that all rivers in Southwestern Montana flow in a circle. He was content with that answer and fished on!
A few years ago I was asked what would happen if we kept a fish? I sternly said that if they really wanted to keep a fish that would be fine with me but Montana Fish & Game would have record of that on their forest service surveillance cameras and they probably would not be welcomed back to Montana. They quivered, put the fish back in the river belly up and we fished on!
Years ago, twelve to be exact, I had my first fly fishing brush with fame. I was working in a fly shop when the unnamed super hero pranced in. I thought I recognized him but could not put my finger on his mug. He asked me how to get to Yellowstone, where he could find some fish, kill one for dinner, another for the taxidermist - where is the nearest taxidermist?, and how many he could keep? A#1. I said to continue on Hwy 191 South until he either hits West Yellowstone or an elk. B#2 any river, pick a river - your in Yellowstone. America's first national park! C#3 Sorry, YNP is catch & release only (at that time). D#4 Do you really need a fish mount? Buy a frickin' plastic replica after you spend some time with your brand new, never payed attention to - Cannon camera. Enough of that douche bag, you get the point.
I will never disclose the name of this Hollywood celeb. Don't really need to because most locals know who he is and that Montana is just a nice place to sink his dough. Thanks. I guess.
I see and hear some really pretty idiotic things on the water. Thank GOD 99% of people/clients are in tune with Montana - I would not last long if they were not.
We are still fishing and Holy Shit! - It's good. Real good. Hatches are a couple weeks behind schedule but things are rockin' right now. Give us a call if in the area!

Mullets, Metal fingers, Miller Lite & Mayhem In Montana!

First and foremost, I apologize to all the sunburned, tattooed, Montanians who have made the annual pilgrimage to Three Forks for this years "Rockin' The Rivers". I don't know how I let this most important event slip my mind?
Here is or was this weekends lineup. It's a dandy - sorry to miss the fun.

Friday

Bret Michaels
Dokken
Commander Cody
The Winters Brothers Band
The Clintons Band
Jamelution
MIP, Airstream Safari, The Mighty Flick

Saturday

Collective Soul
Cracker
Too Slim & the Tail Draggers
Jared Stewart Band
Randy Hansen Band
Kenny James Miller Band
Crash Baxter, Jamelution


Sunday

Doobie Brothers
Legends of Southern Rock
Dave Walker Band
Blue Jack
Pinky and the Floyd
House of Quist
The Sands of Time Reunion, The Arrhythmias, Comstock Lode

I have to admit, It would of been great to see Bret Michaels on Friday. I am sort of a cheeseball for those hairspray rockers. Actually think it's cool he won celebrity apprentice! OK, I've gotten too personal.
On a more serious note, on the other side of the tracks is a noteworthy power trio rockin' the Ruby valley. Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormans are headlining all weekend at Banditos in Virginia City. I won't be going due my wife's persistent flashback of an episode with too many vodka tonics last March. I'll save the gory details for another Blog. She gets a little queezy when she hears JJJ now.
Were taking that mid-summer rest we take every year. Can't beleive it's almost September! We will resume Blog updates and get our shit together and get serious later in the week.

Ace In The Hole!

Tiger Woods is sportin' one of those cool and trendy mesh ventilated brims today. Hope it helps his game. At least he's not modeling the latest straw western wear. I'll ease up on the straw hat rant this time around. A big thanks to my sister Kristin and her boyfriend, Ben for not hitting the river last week with one of those goofy fish dis tractors!
We got whacked by quite a storm on the Upper Madison last Sunday. Fortunately the wind uprooted our ass and pushed us from river left to right in 1.3 seconds. I say fortunately because as we were being blown over to East Jabib, we looked back to where we once anchored and saw numerous trees and limbs get blown in the river. As for the fishing - eh, not that good at all but Ben got a good workout while dragging my boat around Cameron Flats. Thanks!
The weather has finally cooled off. Yeah for now! Our week and a half of Summer sure was beautiful. Let's move on to Fall before we jump into Winter like last year.
The weather is perfect, we have a new moon, fly boxes are stocked, broken rods are repaired and I just got a good dose of what's good for me. Let's fish on!

Last Few In Review...

Almost choked to death after inhaling a caddis fly, restored faith for the Upper Madison, HOT streamer action on the Jeff, Great clients, Dog days, Yellowstone R. algae bloom, my first nine year old client, Hoppers? behind schedule hatches, No broken rods this week! Long greasy leaders, tricos, weeds, smoke em' if you got em', the straw hat curse, valley road, MRSRP bureaucracy, tables turned, Gallatin R. dry fly extravaganza, Damn Caesar Soto!
Not a whole lot to report except for that the fishing this Summer has been great! Hatches this year are a couple weeks behind due to the abundance of rain this Spring (I think). The Jeff is the Jeff but if you can make those fish eat a streamer or twitch a Hopper like it's convulsing, it has payed big dividends. The Yellowstone R. - probably the most consistent. Upper Madison R. - downright good this season. Be sure to choose a beat that hasn't seen a lot of pressure (something in the middle). Gallatin R. - a gem! The dry fly fishing in the canyon is what Montana fly fishing is all about. We have some prime dates available in September so if you are looking to experience some of the finest fishing Montana has to offer be sure to give us a call. Until the next post, tight lines & bent rods!

Looking Ahead...

Will be there soon...