If you are already counting the days 'til next summer, there is something you should know. Some of Yellowstone Country's best fishing is in March, April and May. Why wait? Come to Livingston and experience some of the season's hottest fishing while others are sitting at home, singing their "Got No Fishing" blues.

Whether you enjoy fishing the river, the spring creeks or private lakes, there is great early season fishing to be had. Many of you already know about our early season Baetis mayfly hatches that occur on the spring creeks and on the Yellowstone River in April. What you might not know is that the hottest dry fly fishing on the Spring Creeks often comes in March! These small blue wing olive mayflies start hatching in early March, and in the latter part of March we almost always see some very heavy hatches, especially on Armstrong's and DePuy's Spring Creeks. In addition to the Beatis, we typically see heavy midge hatches on the yellowstone at the same time. The Baetis hatches come a little later on the Yellowstone, mainly in April, and as the river temperature warms up closer to fifty degrees (in late April we begin seeing the early season caddis hatches. A lot of us refer to this as the "Mother's Day" caddis hatch. The Yellowstone river typically has its best caddis fishing in this time period from the last week in April through the first week or two of May, just before the runoff occurs. If you hit this right, you'll see the river literally carpeted with caddis, and every big fish will be up slurping them in. This is often the best dry fly fishing of the whole year! With the creeks and river providing some great dry fly fishing, big trout living in our local lakes are feeding like "pigs", trying to fill up after the long winter. These lakes in Montana's low country ice out quite early, often as early as March and April.

Coming to Montana in the early season gives one the unique opportunity to get on water that has had very little or no fishing pressure for several months. The trout are naturally a lot easier to catch than they will be after getting pounded all summer! This affords a better chance at catching a trophy from one of our local fisheries like McCoy's spring creeks or Buckingham Lake.

Although McCoy's Spring Creek near Dillon is a two hour drive, many of our guides get excited about taking clients there in the spring. The large rainbows, and several huge browns that inhabit McCoy's would get anyone excited! The opportunity to catch totally wild trout in the three to five pound class gets all of us excited. Some of those big browns in McCoy's are in the twenty five to thirty inch class! They don't get that big by being stupid though. The good news is that if you do hook one, the chances of landing it are good with the weed growth at a minimum in this early season.

Another spot we are all anxious to fish next spring is Buckingham Lake (pictured above). If you are looking for really big wild trout, this is the place. This beautiful mountain lake, located near White Sulphur Springs, holds some of the biggest rainbows we have seen this side of Alaska. These fish get up to nearly ten pounds feeding voraciously on scuds and leeches that abound in the lake. In addition to the stocked Kamloops' rainbows, there are numerous wild brook trout. These aren't your typical small Montana brookies. These are big boys, right up to three pounds.

While we have spent a lot of time talking about March, April, and May we don't want to forget the fly fishing opportunities in December, January and February! Obviously most of us are thinking about heading to warmer climates like the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Argentina, or even New Zealand. Check out our travel section on hosted trips. We'd love to have you join us! Right here in Montana there is some decent fishing even in these winter months. Surprisingly, we get little snow on the ground here in Livingston during the winter and there are lots of days when the temperature is above freezing making it possible to fish both the spring creeks and even the Yellowstone. Combining fishing with skiing is a lot of fun too. We ski on the colder inclement days, and fish on the nice ones. Bridger Bowl and Big Sky ski areas are just 25-75 miles away and there is some wonderful cross-country skiing to be had up in Yellowstone Park with the roads open all the way to Cooke City during the winter months.

If you can't make it out to Montana until next summer or fall, that's okay. The best time to come to Montana is whenever you can! Follow the link below to learn about other times to visit Yellowstone Country.

by Marshall Cutchin, Editor of Midcurrent Fly Fishing News

Author: Chico Fern‡ndez (Stackpole Books; 1st edition August 1, 2004; 192 pages, hardcover) Available Now, $49.95

When you consider that the bonefish was the first saltwater game fish to rise in status from curiosity to addiction among fly fishers, it's not hard to understand the fascination shared by authors. The study - around 50 years in the making - includes the anecdotal and the scientific and the closely held secrets of folks who've never read a fishing magazine or experienced the episodic rhapsody of fishing television.

We are happy to welcome Adrian Massey to our core guide staff. The Yellowstone Angler core guide staff is a very select group of individuals, all respected experts with an intimate knowledge of our area's fishing opportunities. Adrian is replaced Jason Elkins, who recently rejoined us here in the shop as the Yellowstone Angler's new reservations manager.

Although Adrian is the newest member of our core guide staff, he is certainly not lacking in experience. As a matter of fact, some of you may have fished with him before, either around here or most likely on the Bighorn River. Adrian has been one of the Bighorn's finest and most popular guides for almost ten years now. We are delighted to have him guiding here in the Livingston area for us next summer. If you want to learn more about Adrian, or any of our guides, follow the link at the end of this article.

Adrian's schedule will fill quickly with many of his "Bighorn Clients" anxious to fish with him in the Paradise Valley area, so if you would like to book a day or more with him, contact us soon and we will handle all of the arrangements.

We don't always follow the company line around here. Although we carry a wide selection of some of the best fly rods available on the market, sometimes we disagree on which one is best. Recently, George Anderson and Jim Brungardt sat down and stated their case for which is the best trout rod in existence. Jim, is completely sold on the new Winston BIIx rods, while George is touting the superior performance of the Loomis StreamDance GLX rods that he helped design. Regardless of which argument you find most persuasive, you may find it heartening to know that sometimes even the experts disagree.

Join me for a mid winter getaway to mild and beautiful Belize.?This trip will have a limited number of spots and I expect to fill up quickly.?If you have been thinking about trying a saltwater fly fishing trip, or if you are a saltwater veteran, this trip should be a lot of fun.?Turneffe Flats is the premier fly fishing resort in Belize and offers a wide variety of fishing opportunities sure to satisfy the beginner to the pro.?

Jason Elkins

New Zealand's South Island is Brown Trout Heaven. If the idea of catching 3-8 lb. brown trout sounds good, if the idea of spending a couple of weeks in one of the most beautiful places in the world sounds good, and if you like to have fun then you should make this trip. If I had to pick one fishing destination in the world, New Zealand would be at the top of the list. This trip mixes world class fishing with enough time off to relax and enjoy all the South Island has to offer.

Many of you already know that this is a trip I have been taking the last couple of years. It is a great trip and I am looking for a few more fun individuals to join our group in February.

If you have ever thought about a trip to New Zealand, this is one you should seriously consider. It is not going to be like the other trips you have taken. I have set this up to allow the members of the group to do what they want, when they want to do it. Follow the link below for more specifics or call me and I will be glad to tell you all about the trip. Hurry though, I only have a few spots left for this trip.

Jim Brungardt

Join me and some of my friends at Alaska's Enchanted Lake Lodge, September 18-25, 2005. This is a trip I have been organizing for 15 years and plan to do for another 15 years. There are many options for fishing Alaska. We have found the best and hope to share it with you next fall. Although September seems far away right now, this trip always fills early so it is time to start thinking about it.

Join us if you can! I am sure you will have a great time. Follow the link to read all about this trip. Just pick up the phone or send me an email if you would like to know more.

George Anderson

With Christmas just around the corner, we put our minds together to come up with some of our own suggestions for holiday gift giving. If you are interested in purchasing any of the items mentioned, please give us a call or simply reply to this email and we'll be glad to help you get it in time for your holiday celebration.

George's ideal gift -- This is a great looking, functional fishing top with trick features, like X-Static odor resistant mesh in the armpits, 4 way stretch Power Dry fabric in the shoulders, and the best part for anglers - a polypropylene/Lycra cuff. Now, when you stick your hands in the water to land a fish, your cuffs will dry right out quickly and remain comfortable all day!ÊÊÊ We knew this garment was a good one, when it WON the APEX 2004 Polartec Excellence award! Both colors are sharp looking but the Coal/Red is the hot one.Ê

Jim's ideal gift -- I have always felt that the best gift is something that someone would not likely buy for themselves. My pick is the new Simms G3 waders. This is the top of the line wader and anyone who spends time in the water will appreciate a pair of these comfortable, durable and well thought out waders. Yes, they are more expensive than other waders on the market. They are, however, the best waders we have used and I think they are well worth the money.

Jamie's ideal gift -- Sometimes it is the little things that add up. Here are some inexpensive items that I use all the time on the stream, as well as a few goodies that will knock their socks off: Grand Max Flourocarbon tippet- Expensive, but well worth the fish that make it to your net. This is a great gift, as many people won't buy it for themselves, but they would love using it. Frog's Fanny- a hydrophobic powder that you brush onto your fly to help it float again. George Anderson's Hand tied leaders- sometimes a tangled mess is easier to cut and re-tie, as long as you have a few more backups in your vest. These leaders will help you tighten up you loops and cast more accurately than knotless leaders turn due to the use of stiff Amnesia or Maxima butt sections. A box of flies- I love Rene Harrop's spring creek patterns, and they are hard to find. Imagine the fly you bought your friend caught them a 20 inch fish. They will be sure to thank you! Maui Jim Titanium Sport Polarized glasses- We're talking top of the line here. They are like wearing the wind, as they only weigh 8 paper clips and their optics are as sharp as can be. I like the HCL Bronze color lens the most for fishing. Oakley Polarized M Frames- Finally a polarized version of the best sport glasses in the world. The way these interchangeable lenses hover over your eyes, you'd never guess you were wearing them. Gold Iridium lenses are without a doubt the way to go, I like the strike shape best myself.

Jason's ideal gift -- I hope that when I wake up on Christmas morning I will have a Yellowstone Angler Gift Certificate in my stocking. That way, I can use it to get what I want and don't have to worry about getting the wrong size or something that I already have. Gift certificates can also be purchased for guided fishing trips. I can use a guide trip gift certificate just like cash when arranging for a guide trip on any of the waters in the Yellowstone Angler's area. Additionally, this is a gift I can share with someone else, maybe even the person who purchased it for me. (hint, hint)

You'll find lots of other great gift ideas by visiting our website. Take a look at our Online Catalog, Deep Deals and the Hot New Products pages for more ideas. We are always happy to help you select just the right gift for your angling friends, we will make sure that it is there on time.

In case we don't get the chance to speak to you soon; we hope that you have a wonderfull holiday season with the company of friends and family. Your friends at the Yellowstone Angler thank you for helping us continue to do what WE love and we hope to keep helping you do what YOU love!

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah and our best for a prosperous New Year.