January 2014 - Ripple Guide Service

Ripple Roundup
V OL 1 0 ,
ISS UE 1
JAN U AR Y ,
2 0 1 4
IN THIS
ISSUE:
Dear Fellow
Anglers 1
Slough
Creek Pack 2
Trip
Winter 3
Steelhead
Toothy
Critters on 3
the Surface
Yellowstone
Dreaming 4
Show
Season 4
Schedule
574-993-7453
[email protected]
www.rippleguides.com
Dear Fellow Anglers,
I hated to see 2013 end. What a great year we had. Our spring run of
steelhead was very good, and the smallmouth fishing this summer saw
much larger fish than our average St. Joe smallmouth. Things really
got interesting in August while we were on a very successful Slough
Creek pack trip. Not only was the pack trip great, but we started to see
a huge push of summer run steelhead showing up into the waters of the
St. Joe. By the time it ended, it was the largest number of summer run
steelhead we had ever seen. This meant the best fall steelhead fishing
I have seen in at least a decade. This great fishing has lasted throughout the winter months as well.
So, what will 2014 look like? The only things I know for sure are that
I will be busy doing seminars in the next two months and that we have
an abundance of steelhead still in the system. These fish will make for
a great spring steelhead season, and we are already getting very
booked up for the spring. If you are hoping to get in on the fun, get
your trip booked sooner rather than later. I have been busy the past
couple of weeks working on our new website which I am very happy
with. I have also been making some new videos from trips from the
past year. Many of the articles in this newsletter will take you to a video on the subject if you click on them!
This issue of the Roundup is filled with news of the goings on in the
world of Ripple Guide Service. I hope you enjoy reading it, and I
hope to see you at one of the many seminars I will be giving this winter. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at
[email protected] or on my cell at 574-993-7453.
Tight lines,
Dustan Harley
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2
2014 Slough Creek Pack Trip
“I have fished a lot
in Montana, and
this was my
favorite trip by
far. The
combination of
great fishing,
exhilarating
horseback rides,
beautiful scenery,
and outstanding
guides made
the week
unforgettable.”
Doug GrissomChicago, IL
Bo
with
his
Fresh off our successful pack trip last summer, we have
once again decided to hit the backcountry of Montana this
summer. Our pack trip last year was the first using our
new outfitters and I could not believe how great they were.
They truly understand that the outfitting business is a
service business and I couldn’t have been happier with the
many changes to the camp and how the trip was run. The
2013 trip was action packed with some of the best dry fly
fishing I have ever seen on Slough Creek. The highlight of
the trip was watching one of the young guys on the trip
hook a cutty in the 25” range! Next summer’s trip will
run from August 4-8. If you are into big wild fish
eating dry flies in scenery that is as beautiful as it is
secluded then this is your kind of trip. The trip starts
at the Slough Creek trailhead in Yellowstone National
Park on the morning of the fourth. From the trailhead,
we will leisurely ride horses thirteen miles through the
breathtaking scenery that only
Yellowstone offers. Our camp is a semi-permanent canvas walled tent
camp complete with a mess tent, three hardy meals a day, a restroom, a
shower, and is right on the
banks of legendary Slough
Creek. The sleeping tents have
Astroturf floors, comfortable
sleeping cots, and wood stoves
for cold nights. The highlight of
the trip, other than the fishing,
is telling fishing stories around
the campfire while listening to
the wolves howl at the moon as it rises over the mountains. Contact
me for more information on this trip of a lifetime or click here to watch a short informational
video on the trip.
“I went on Dustan's Upper Slough Creek
trip two separate years, and these trips have
been the highlight of my fly fishing life so
far. From the scenic ride to camp, great
accommodations, unbelievable fishing for
wild cutthroat trout in Frenchy's Meadow,
this trip will give you memories that will
last a lifetime. Do yourself a favor, and
create some of your own!”
Eric Wroblewski-south Bend, IN
www.rippleguides.com
Slough
Pack Trip
WinterCreek
Steelhead
Bo with
There comes a point each winter when we just have to get out of the
house and enjoy the outdoors. Most winters that means putting in the
effort to chase down a hook up or two on the steelhead streams. This
winter though the fishing has been fantastic! It is no secret that we had
a record number of summer run steelhead pour into the Joe during
the late summer and early fall. These fish are still in the system and
have been making the winter trips a real joy so far. If you want to get
out and see what winter steelhead fishing is all about, this is a great
year to give it a try. The techniques typically consist of nymphing with small nymphs and eggs, but
don’t be afraid to swing a streamer too. For optimal results during the winter months, keep an eye
on the weather. That doesn’t mean the fishing can’t be great on a cold nasty day though. If you see
a warm up on the horizon though that is the day to get to the river! The water temperatures don’t
have to come up much for the fishing to really turn on. A jump of just a few degrees can make the
difference between a couple of fish hooked and a truly banner day of chasing steelhead. During
the winter months we run rate specials until March 1. For even more information click here to
read a feature article on winter steelheading.
Toothy Critters on the Surface
Bo with
I have always been partial to the toothy critters that swim the rivers of northern Indiana. Pike
fishing these rivers has been a family tradition long before I came to be. In fact, my great
grandfather Harley passed away while pike fishing the Tippecanoe River when a storm fallen tree
hit his overturned boat. Living in this area, I am able to fill my year with exciting fishing trips from
steelhead and salmon to trout and smallmouth bass. None
of these fish though get the adrenaline running like a pike’s
ferocious take on a popper. Our popper fishing is done
with eight weight rods and floating lines on small rivers.
The casts are short and the strikes are very close. So close
in fact there are times you will get splashed when the fish
eats! An added bonus to popper fishing for pike is that we
see some monster smallmouth come up on these enormous poppers. There are times though that the popper is
too much commotion, so make sure to have some subsurface flies or sliders along as well. Look for log jams and back eddies to cast your offerings into.
Pike are one of the best ambush predators found in any water. They will sit and wait and when
ready, go from zero to thirty miles per hour in the length of their own body. If you have been
wanting to try some adrenaline inducing fishing, but have been reluctant to brave some to the
weather that steelhead fishermen have to endure give some pike fishing a try. For more
information click here to watch a short video on our pike fishing trips.
Find us on Facebook
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I will once again be spending part of August in Big Sky country guiding on
the Yellowstone River and the surrounding area. The Yellowstone is
etched in fly fishing lore and continues to be one of the country’s premiere
fly fishing destinations. I have been fortunate to spend countless days on
the Yellowstone and look forward to showing you why I think it is an
absolutely perfect trout stream. The Yellowstone has some great match the
hatch dry fly fishing, some of the best streamer fishing anywhere, and
breathtaking scenery the likes are found few places on Earth. The
Yellowstone isn’t
the only game in town though. I also guide numerous
small streams such as the Gallatin River and some
private lakes which hold some very large trout. If
you are looking for a getaway this summer this is the
perfect place to fulfill your fly fishing fantasies.
Click here to watch a short video of our
Montana fishing opportunities.
Check out our fly tying and fishing videos on YouTube.
They make for a great way to spend a cold, winter day!
2014 Winter Show and Seminar Schedule
January 13
January 18
January 23-26
February 6
February 8
February 15-17
February 20
February 22
Miami Valley Fly Fishers
Flymasters of Indianapolis
Chicagoland Fishing, Travel,
and Outdoor Expo
Northern Kentucky Fly Fishers
Ohio Valley Fly Rod Club
Indianapolis Boat, Sport
and Travel Show
Lee Wulff Trout Unlimited
Chicago Fly Fishing Outfitters
Dayton, OH
Indianapolis, IN
Schaumburg, IL
Hebron, KY
Evansville, IN
Indianapolis, IN
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
Check www.rippleguides.com for specific show information
and appearances that will be added throughout the winter months.