Captain Tom Kuieck and I spent the evening fishing streamers and dry flies, this brown fell to a isonychia dry.

Capt. Don Graham

Every now and again a special opportunity comes about, and last night was one of those. Dick Pobst–fly fishing legend, renowned entomologist, author, and friend joined me for an evening on the the Mo’. I have known Dick since I was a little boy and our aquiantance has grown from a casual “store owner/customer” relationship to a “business advisor/mentor” and ultimately friend. Those of you who know Dick can certainly appreciate the opportunity to spend time with him on the river–I know I certainly do! Fishing last night wasn’t particularialy easy, an abundance of spent-wing drakes and trout that have become incrediably selective made for a trying but hightly rewarding evening on the river. Pictured is Dick working a selective riser.

Capt. Steven Kuieck

Sometimes, they’re just camera shy.  This brown TUer Tom took a couple of evenings ago on a grey drake spinner just wouldn’t hold still.

Just so you can get some sense, too, of the blizzard of grey drakes the MO is producing of late, here’s a shot that could have been repeated countless times up and down the river.  Simply amazing!

Captain Tom Kuieck

It was bound to happen, night after night, heavy gray drake spinner falls left the trout last night seemingly full. Despite our quest to make up for several short-comings from the previous night, we were left with only a few opportunities at some very snooty trout. Regardless, the crew from Elliott Donnely TU were a ton of fun to spend a few days on the water with. Pictured is Mike Lavin with a very entertaining rainbow from last night.

Capt. Steven Kuieck

It’s not often I have the privilege of guiding an 85 year old fly fisherman so an afternoon and evening on the MO with TUers Bill and his friend Tom from Chicago was a real joy.  Bill has fly fished storied waters worldwide and loves our sport to the max, as is evidenced by his expression as he holds the 18″ brown he met via a grey drake spinner he cast and presented well.  Caddis and grey drakes continue to draw trout to the top along with sulphers, Cahills, and a few Isonychias that soon should take center stage. Bill and Tom took browns and rainbows on caddis dry flies and emergers as well as drake spinners.  In all, a great evening with the guys who are back at it with us tomorrow.  Here’s hoping the wonderful fly fishing we’re currently enjoying continues.  It’s truly that good.

Captain Tom Kuieck

After nearly 18 years on the river I continue to be suprised from time-to-time. Last night for instance, we set up in an area that I purposely hadn’t fished for a few days. This area a few days prior produced some very nice browns fairly early in the day after a morning spinner fall. Upon return to this area we found several nice fish rising and managed one 16″ brown right away. Now here’s the suprise, nealry every fish we took after that brown were all fat and sassy rainbows. To you, this might might not seem odd, but to me, I rarely catch bow’s in this particuliar spot, infrequently–if at all. Why rainbows last night? Well, I guess its pluasable to think that after the browns were out of those feeding lanes the rainbows moved in–hence my suprise.

Dr. Brandon and his dad relished the tremendous dry fly fishing the last two days on the Mo’. The combination of reliable hatches and great trout have them hooked. We can’t wait for their return visit. Pictured is one of many sassy bow’s from last night.

Capt. Steven Kuieck

Fishing was hard today….hard if you think casting dries to rising trout while being bombarded with solar rays is a chore! Throw in a steak topped w/ blue cheese compound butter, charred onion-tomato-basil-balsamic salad, fresh herbed bread and you’re really suffering. Caddis activity was decent this afternoon but a barrage of suckers spawning put a few of the bigger fish off of the bugs. Activity continued throughout the afternoon and hit the zenith when the sky went dark with drakes…Biblical proportions. Picked our way down the river during the dusk hours casting at targets until the light faded and seeing the fly became tough. A beautiful day!

Jay Allen, Riverquest guide

a well presented floating
caddis pupa took this consistent riser

drake crusher!

Dr. Brandon and his father Gary joined me last night to try their hands at dry fly fishing. Niether guys had ever experienced the true roots of fly fishing prior to last night. That said, both have logged many hours behind a fly rod chasing a variety of other fish. The day started out a little slow but after dinner we were rewarded with some tremendous dry fly fishing and both guys scored some really nice browns on their first dry fly fishing experience. Pretty cool, lets see what tonight has in store for us.

Capt. Steven Kuieck

Went out tonight expecting drakes…ended up catching some nice fish on caddis instead. Not all bad, just different than expected. Hudson and I have been meaning to get out together for a while and finally made it happen. I told him how the drakes have been heavy but when we arrived at our first spot few drakes were to be seen. We started fishing caddis emergers and were quickly into fish. Hudson literally made one cast over a riser and he came up and sucked down the floating pupa. The fight was on. When the fish hit the net Hudson was ecstatic. There are few rivers I’ve fished that have good fish eating caddis pupa in rhythm during mid-day. Always a sight to see. The night ended fishing to brownies sippn’ spent caddis. Top the night off with a round of Ben and Jerry’s and you’ve got a night to remember!

Jay Allen, Riverquest guide

Hudson nailed this pupa eater in broad daylight..nice job!

a closer look

Hudson even let me catch a few

SWEEEEET!

Sitting in the boat waiting for drakes is an interesting activity. The anticipation is palatable and silence refreshing. One moment you feel they aren’t going to show up and the next thing you know there is a host of drakes all around.   Like star cruisers coming out of hyperspace they materialize. It’s as though they have been watching from the bushes at a distance waiting for the right moment to strike and it would probably be eerie if they were coming to bite us. But alas they are coming to feed the trout we so admire.

Jay Allen, Riverquest guide

buggy bliss

cast…rise…set!