Chief and Katie

I enjoyed another day on the stream with my lovely daughter. We have been fishin buddies since she was old enough to stuff into a backpack. We tried to find some open water on Spring Creek but it was very difficult. Found two other local RBF Pro Staffers at the McCoy Dam. Those guys are like fly crap. While we were getting rigged up, Katie said that the fishing would be marginal today because the water was dropping after yesterday's rain. She's knows things.

There were a multitude of caddis on this bright sunny day. We decided to swing some wets in the new run created by the dam removal. Nothing, not a nibble.

We moved downstream hoping for some dry fly action. Katie tried to pound them up with a Caddis and a Beadhead just like her dad. She missed a couple. I bet you guys wish that you could throw a tight loop like Katie. She's a natural. Casting and line control came easy for her. Katie also ties flies and has been tying my RBF AP Emergers.

After a fishless few hours we enjoyed a good Catalan Shore Lunch. Catalan toast, roasted artichoke hearts, anchovies, olives, sheep cheese and some fine Muscato wine.

"Soc un gran pescador y gran cazador de la tortuga!"

Chorizo and Butifarra

The Chief loves to make tasty sausages, especially chorizo and butifarra. Spanish chorizo, not to be confused with the Beaner version frequently sold and served in this country, is simply ungodly tasty. Beaner chirozo will give you the shits. Prepared with copious quantities of garlic, smoked paprika and marjoram, then cold smoked over apple, the Chief's Spanish version is perfect for paellas. This version, not to be confused with the dry-cured type that we use for our Catalan Toast, requires cooking before consumption.

Butifarra, the beloved sausage of the Catalans, is quite similar to Polish Kielbasa. Prepared with garlic, cumin and nutmeg, this sausage is perfect when served with white or fava beans. It does well in paella, too. Venison makes good butifarra, too. You can also add lots of sweet red peppers to make a lovely butifarra. You can even add some hog blood to achieve the highly desirable Catalan Negro Butifarra.

Beautiful butifarra sausage ready for the smoker

The Chief prefers to make his sausages from pork loin and eliminating the pork fat which is almost essential for good chorizo and also essential for clogging up arteries. The Chief prefers lean sausages over another heart surgery.

Chief's Chorizo ready for smoking

Here's how the Chief makes his chorizo...Pork is cut up into 1/2 inches pieces and seasoned with lots of Spanish smoked paprika, granulated garlic, black pepper, marjoram, salt, sucrose and Spanish sweet sherry. Phosphate and Cure #2 must be used if you go to dry-curing. The mixture is then bagged and placed in the refrigerator to let the flavors develop overnight. The next day the Chief stuffs into hog casings and cold smokes his chorizo over applewood from his spring pruning.

Applewood cut on evenly on bandsaw allows for controlled smoking

The Chief loves his Brinkman Cooker, but it is too hot for smoking. Being the genius that he is, he replaces the original electric heating element that produces 250 degree temperatures with a charcoal starter that will generate only around 100 degrees.

Original element on top and low temp element on bottom

The Chief's second-hand Hobart grinder is a real workhorse

The chorizo is now in the smoker, after it is dunked into ice cold water and vacuum bagged, the Chief will head off to Big Fishing Creek on this beautiful overcast day! Two more weeks of Lent and it's back to beer drinking!

Chorizo is great in omeletes, rice and pasta dishes, or just sliced thin and eaten. Butifarra can be eaten with most anything. It is great grilled.

Let's go Fishin!

Yucca Shaker

Bowman taking his turn shaking the Official Cocktail of the RBF Pro Staff

Ah...that's beautiful!

Glen G shortly after consuming his portion of the 2008 Yucca

More Photos for Festus and Ms. Kitty

"There's a storm across the valley, clouds are rolling in"...Hayden Valley, YNP

The Fair Maiden watching the bison in the Lamar Valley near Slough Creek, Yellowstone National Park

Our good friends at Blue Ribbon Flies, West Yellowstone, MT offer the finest elk hair and peacock herl in the world. Craig and John also publish an ungodly newsletter. The Summer 2008 Photo Issue features some great photos of "western trips" including the Fair Maiden fishing her beloved Soda Butte Creek. Check out their summer photos at...

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs029/1101259169490/archive/1102210044606.html

Renovations Continue for BWS

Preparations continue for the annual BWS. The inside is slowly taking shape. As you can see we are currently working on a new bar for the youngin's. Stream flows have been rather high this spring unlike the Central part of the state. At this rate the brookie fishing will be outstanding.
For those that did not make the baetis summit, the BWS will take place from May 26th – 31st. Stay tuned for more details

Here is a shot of the construction supervisor. Smokey has approved all work.

Here’s yours truly enjoying the first beer at the new bar.

Finally a parting shot from the front door. The chair is sitting where the old bar was located, and the uncarpeted area is where the old kitchen was located.

Montana's Gallatin River

From the small, spring fed tributaries where the Gallatin is born up in the sub alpine basins of Yellowstone Park , through the scenic canyon stretches, to it's confluence with the Madison and Jefferson Rivers on the sage covered flats where John Colter made his famous marathon run to escape the Blackfeet, the Gallatin is a model of a near perfect Western trout stream.

Combining Blue Ribbon quality with blue collar appeal and some of the best access of any river of it's size in Montana, the Gallatin offers a terrific variety of fishing from native cutthroat trout in it's upper reaches to rainbows and browns down in the canyon. Best of all, these are all wild fish and it's been that way for years now.

Some of the best fishing in the entire river is in the upper reaches where it flows through large meadows that are replete with fast runs, undercut banks, riffles and braids. Even a few slower moving pools. This is a great place to take a neophyte fly fishermen because the beautiful rainbows and rainbow/cutthroat hybrids are bountiful and stupid.

If you enjoy fishing dry flies, a Royal Wulff, elk hair caddis or Schroeder's Hopper pattern is all you need. But don't neglect the nymph fishing either. The spunky brown trout in the above photo was taken on a size #8 stonefly nymph provided to me one morning over breakfast by Matthew Long of Long Outfitting in Livingston, Montana. And please, do yourself a favor and use barbless hooks because if you happen accidentally sink the barb of a large stonefly nymph into your thumb (this actually happened to one unfortunate Pro Staffer) you'll be a long way from help here on the upper river.

This section of river holds a good population of wild rainbows and browns as well as native cutthroats. Fifteen inch fish are not all that uncommon and I've taken rainbows up to 18 inches here -especially when there is good hatch coming off, or later in the season when the fish are keyed into hoppers. This is easy water to wade and in most spots the banks are wide open with little brush to interfere with your backcast.

Public access is outstanding along the entire length and it's just a short walk to anywhere on the river. Elk, moose and bears frequently graze in the willows and bogs along the stream early in the morning or later in the evening. They pose little problem if you keep your distance.

One important point to remember is that the Gallatin, with it's high sub alpine source(s) and it's cool canyon sections, provides excellent fishing right through the heat of summer when the Firehole, Madison or the Yellowstone can be slow. River temperatures will drop fast in late September and from then on your best fishing will be found on the lower river.

Don't forget those tributaries like Taylor Fork, Bacon Rind, Specimen and Fan Creek. They can provide some terrific small stream fishing for cutthroats, rainbows and hybrids and they receive very little fishing pressure.

A short hike of one and a half to two miles will take you to some beautiful meadows and lots of willing fish...

Caveat: The above photo was taken back before I became extremely fat and I actually use to do stuff like this. These days I consider myself lucky if I walk more than 50 feet from a paved pullout in the Lamar.

...Like this beautiful cutthroat trout from one of the Gallatin's remote high mountain tributaries.

Whatever section you decide to fish, from Snowflake Spring to the Spanish Peaks to Squaw Creek, the Gallatin will be a memorable experience in the heart of some of the most scenic mountains in Big Sky Country.

Remember, only you can prevent tourist tires in Montana!

Goodbye (RBF) Girl

Did You See That?

Some of the Pro Staffers steal one final slack-jawed glance as Carrie, the RBF Girl, walks across the Stackhouse lawn in her hip boot waders for the last time. Best of luck RBF Girl! And always remember the good times we had up at the Rossiter Lodge, Cherry Springs and Ole Bull.

Hello Carrie?

Yeah, this is Bunyan....... I think I may have left some of my aftershaft feathers over at your place...

Baetis Summit 2009

The Chief made a late arrival at the Summit and had to leave early. Even missed the esteemed Midger. Forgot the camera and drank too much spring tonic. Those Elk County apples and Clinton County honey sure do pack a punch when you go to fermenting. Wade provides an ungodly review of this ungodly event over here...

http://pennsylvaniaflyfishing.blogspot.com/2009/03/baetis-summit-09.html

Bunyan, Chief, Wise Guy Elliot, Big Boy and Glen G.

Slough Creek Cutthroat

On Thin Ice

There isn't much open water in northern North Dakota during January and February. That's why you see structures like this on the lakes in that area. This is a fish house me and my best friend from the next farm over built one winter more than 30 years ago. Don't know where we got the paint but at least you could always spot the shack in a hurry! We would put it on Lake Metigoshe, which is on the North Dakota-Manitoba border. We caught tons of yellow perch, a few nice northerns, and drank a few beers in these shacks.

This photo is for Bowhunter, Wade, and JohnW. Any guesses as to who this future uber trout guide is? He was too young for earrings at that time.

Chief and Uncle Joe

I caught my first fish in the Juniata River in Bedford Co. while fishing with my great uncle. My great uncle was a great outdoorsman. One of his favorite pastimes was hunting snowshoe hares in Elk County. I was lucky to inherit most of his fly fishing tackle. Amongst this inheritance, were some peculiar dry flies. The wings were constructed of hair obtained from the feet of those hares bagged in Elk County. I suspect that these flies were fashioned long before those made popular by Fran Betters.

Many years after spending summer days at my great uncle’s riverside cabin, it was me who would take him fishing in his waning years. His favorite stream was Spring Creek. We would make the drive from Johnstown to Bellefonte in my ’68 Mustang. I recall one such trip. We arrived at the Paradise early in the morning. Uncle Joe could not get out of the car. He probably was 82, a bit overweight with many fused joints. I was patient, I tried lifting his legs out, tried pulling him out from his shoulders, nothing seemed to work. I didn’t know what to do next. Then I realized that he still had on his seatbelt.

Uncle Joe was rather pissed and he didn’t say much until he hooked a rather large brown under the foot bridge. “Go get my goddamn net in car you moron!” he shouted. He didn’t say much more the rest of the day as I recall.

Uncle Joe is sadly missed. I recall his stories every time I reach for a new leader. I carry his aluminum leader tin. His flies remain unused, especially the “Unusuals”.

Old Fish

Actually an old photo of a fish from long ago. This was a northern pike I somehow managed to catch in the Knife River near Beulah, North Dakota with my brother-in-law and his kids about 28 years ago. Those little kids now have kids of their own.

I finally got a photo scanner last week and have been slowly archiving old photos, slides, and negatives. Gotta have something to do during this interminable winter.

Paella Haiku

Rice peas and saffron

Intermingle with mussells

Heavenly morsels

Baetis Haiku

The rise ring expands

outward from a brown trout slurp

Baetis disappears

Baetis Summit

Appears that the majority wishes to rid themselves of cabin fever on March 14. I suppose it's time to make a few preparations. I am looking foward to the unique fellowship, food and beverage that these gatherings bring.

Cougar Hollow

Painter Run - Centre/Mifflin County Line

Folks come up to me when I'm in camp in Cougar Hollow and say, "You know how this hollow got it's name?"
"Tell me," I say.
And they explain, "They call it Cougar Hollow because the loggers found a big mountain lion up here -used to call them "painters"- and they tracked him in the snow with dogs and hunted him down and shot him and skinned him out and wore the hides for jackets."
"Is that a fact," I say.
"Yessir, that's the real story behind Cougar Hollow," the fellow tells me.
"It sure is interesting," I say.

I don't tell people the truth about the hollow, because I don't think they would ever believe me. It would spoil their weekend if I did, anyway. These outsiders who come up here might not always go back to Philadelphia or New Jersey with a turkey or a buck or a string of trout, but they bring home their stories of local lore and tell all their neighbors about the wild places they visited up in Clinton County. So I just let it alone.

But just between you and me, here's the real truth of it. This hollow was first settled by a Civil War veteran named Charles Kuglar. He was a trapper, and I have seen his 1862 Colt revolver. He moved up here after the war was over. He was from Enola, down by Harrisburg. After he died the state bought up his land. That was in 1928. They paid three dollars a square acre for it. This was the Twenty-eighth District and it was called Kuglar Hollow until some young forester came around. He must have been given the job of naming every stream and hollow. His name was Lawrence, and he decided that Kuglar wasn't a good enough name, so he changed it to Cougar Hollow. Ever since then, every flatlander who comes up here has been telling cougar stories about the place.


Snake Bite, Lives and Legends of Central Pennsylvania
James York Glimm
University of Pittsburgh Press

Trout Too Big

Two friends were walkin' along Pine Creek and one said to the other, "Yesterday I caught a trout that was a yard long. "Oh yeah, " said his friend, "Yesterday I saw a lantern at the bottom of the creek, and it was lit." "Aw, come on, now, I just can't believe that kind of trash," said the friend. "Well, I'll tell you what I'll do then," said the other man. "I'll blow out that lantern if you'll take a couple of feet off that trout."

Flatlanders and Ridgerunners
James York Glimm
University of Pittsburgh Press

Where Am I?

A change of pace for the mid-winter willies. This bridge is in a damp city that inspires lots of sighs from awe-struck visitors. Don’t be a prisoner in your cozy palace of snow and ice. Try to guess where I am:

1. High Street Bridge, Bellefonte
2. Bridgida, Gena Lola
3. Rio di Palazzo, Venezia
4. The Trestle footbridge, Coburn
5. Rio de la Rossitere, Etats Unis
6. Puente de Humberto, Andulasia, Espana

The first one to correctly identify the name of the bridge and its location will share in a recent $20 million windfall from my new friend Arundo Donax in Nigeria. Arundo’s family was recently ousted in a coup and he chose me to safe guard their funds in a PNC branch bank in Lagos. Just send me your SSN, bank account, and routing information and you will be set for life! Second prize is 100,000 shares in Bernie Madoff’s new hedge fund “Sing-Sing Growth and Income.” I hear it’s really secure.

Got Buffalo?

Any Questions?

The head alone weighed in at 96.5 lbs.

In Spite of Ourselves

The Chief and the Fair Maiden in the Third Meadow

She don't like her eggs all runny

She thinks fishin with bait is funny

She looks down her nose at money

She gets it on like the Easter Bunny

She's my baby

I'm her honey

I'm never gonna let her go

He gets laid every night and twice on Sundays

I like it when he buys me sexy undies

He’s real slow but he gets things done

Drinks his beer like it's oxygen

He's my baby and I'm his honey

Never gonna let him go

In spite of ourselves

We'll end up a'sittin' on a rainbow

Against all odds

Honey, we're the big door prize

We're gonna spite our noses

Right off of our faces

There won't be nothin' but big old hearts

Dancin' in our eyes.

She thinks all my jokes are corny

Vampire movies make her horny

She likes bourbon on her scrambled eggs

Swears like a sailor when she shaves her legs

She takes a lickin'

And keeps on tickin'

I'm never gonna let her go.

He's got more balls than a big brass monkey

He's a whacked out weirdo and a fly fishin junkie

Sly as a fox and crazy as a loon

Sulphurs come and he's howlin' at the moon

He's my baby

I don't mean maybe

Never gonna let him go

In spite of ourselves

We'll end up a sittin' on a rainbow

Against all odds

Honey, we're the big door prize

We're gonna spite our noses

Right off of our faces

There won't be nothin' but big old hearts

Dancin' in our eyes.

There won't be nothin' but big old hearts

Dancin' in our eyes.

She's Gonna Kill Me

This is the chick that I took fishin many, many years ago. Now you see why I call her the "Fair Maiden". She really liked Opening Day, but I preferred to take her night fishin.

Happy New Year!

I wish to thank the Pro Staffers for their fellowship, entertainment and dedication over this past year. It has been a very enjoyable time. It has been great gathering with such notable and interesting characters. Thank you for sharing your ungodly talents on this blog. It has been a great pleasure for me to be in your association. Thank you and may God bless you and your families in the coming year.