Whew, man, what a trip we had to Andros Island for our fifth year of hosting anglers! We spent eight weeks fishing, diving, spearing and exploring. Also on the list: Ricardo Rum, porch sits with Big Al and Hank, tying new shrimp patterns, and lots of general shenanigans in Fresh Creek. We enjoyed seeing 42 hosted anglers, and 15 of our closest friends/guides from Montana. The fishing was pretty dang steady throughout the trip, despite having some spells of inconsistent weather. When that happened, we enjoyed exploring and visiting with old friends. Once again we experienced wonderful island hospitality; Thank you to the great folks in Andros for taking such good care of us and to the guides for many weeks of poling the flats. We are already planning for next season!
We are still dusting off the sand, and switching gears from saltwater to trout fishing. But, we plan to open the fly shop up on April 1 for our eighth season in Divide! The snowpack is looking just OK at this point, and hopefully there will be some wet weather in the coming months. The Jefferson Basin is sitting at 86% snow water equivalent, and the Big Hole basin is slightly higher at 91% SWE. Our biggest worry right now is the dryness in the valley floors and mid-elevations. A late winter/early spring dump of snow and rain will provide much needed moisture down low.
We know many folks, both local and afar are getting pretty jazzed up to return to the Big Hole and Beaverhead Rivers in 2022. Please don’t forget about the new rules that went into place at the end of 2021: Big Hole: – BLM Maiden Rock to Brownes Bridge: closed to fishing until April 1. After April 1, catch and release only for brown trout. – Dickie Bridge down to confluence: Artificial lures and single hooks only, NO BAIT. This means no treble hooks on crank baits (you can replace with single hooks). Articulated streamers, and double nymph rigs are legal. Beaverhead: – Catch and release only for Brown Trout – Entire river, came rules as above for artificial lures.
We look forward to seeing everyone in the coming months. Give us a call, stop in for some coffee, and Rainier Beer is always welcome in our refrigerator.