Dedicated to the relentless pursuit of fish on the fly. Welcome to the obsession, I hope you enjoy the pics and ramblings. If you like what you see (or really don't), feel free to drop me an email at fishindog.net@gmail.com. And when you're done, get your waders on and get out there, cause the only way to catch 'em is with your bug in the water.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Ririe Bass Tournament and The Ranch


Idaho again, this time it was the Ririe Bass Tournament. Andrew D. and I met up with Mark Bromley to lay the hurt on some smallmouth. 13 teams showed up in what must be the silliest looking bass tournament ever. Did I mention it's fly only? So picture a bunch of drifboats with little outboards on them buzzing from place to place on a lake, then stopping and rowing around casting at smallies. The "real" bass guys would probably just scratch their heads and wonder what's wrong with us.



The fishing wasn't exactly on fire all day, but we did pull several smallfaces and had a good time of it. Of course, true to form, none of our fish met the minimum length requirement for submission and the Pinedale boys sat out another weigh in.



All in all, there was great weather, cold beer, and plenty of laughs. After weigh-in, most folks packed up and headed north to the Trouthunter at Last Chance on the Henry's Fork. The Ranch was set to open the next morning and the Trouthunter held its annual opener bash. A veritable who's who of rogues and ruffians of the WY/ID/MT fishing community showed up for live music, a big 'ol pig roast, and a party that lasted well into the morning hours.



Opening morning brought people staggering zombie-like out of their trucks and into the trouthunter for a killer breakfast before wandering down the banks of the fabled Harriman Ranch. Bluebird skies and plenty of bug activity greeted us as we walked downstream, vigilantly watching the water for any sign of a feeding fish. For those unfamiliar, the Ranch is the epitome of technical dry fly fishing. You spot a feeding fish, stalk up to within position, and make the best presentation you've got. And most of the time you're going to get shut down. But if you do manage to make a perfect presentation and achieve a perfect drift with just the right fly, you may just have that tank rainbow come up and slurp it in. This was not the case on this day. The wind steadily increased all day, knocking the bugs down and making casting difficult at best. After watching water for most of the day without seeing more than a couple rises, we finally decided to pack it in. Prime time it's not, and so once again, we have to wait.


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