The 2010 Season Comes To A Close

The streamsides are now crimson and gold and the flows are slick and cold. Bighorn rams are butting heads and guides without trips booked are bow hunting those rutting bull elk.. And the Blue Damsel check in file for 2010 is now empty, meaning the last of our guests for this season have come and gone. It has been a great season for us all, staff and guests alike. Some great meals, fellowship, fishing and memories for everyone! And we had quite a few "firsts". We saw some guests catch their first trout and some catch their biggest trout. We had some folks play music along with us at the campfire for their first time and we took our friends from France to their first rodeo.
Fishing has been good and the weather has been great. It is supposed to be overcast, rainy and cool next week so good dry fly fishing should return then. We enjoyed the fall weather last weekend for the staff and family blowout end of season party. Keith is doing a little more fishing and some grouse hunting before he heads back to Texas for the winter. Thanks to everyone for a great season. Over and out for 2010!

Fall Fishing at its Finest

Pictured are angler Dawn Olson and guide Mark Elliott with Dawn's Big ol' Big Blackfoot cutt-bow. Dawn's husband, Chris, says their 3 days provided some of the best fishing they have ever had. Hoppers are still out but fall is in the air and water temps, mayfly hatches, and trout are responding.

It is hard to believe we are already into this final fall phase of our season. Like most of this season's guests, our good friends from France, Rene-Louis and Marc have come and gone. Josh continues to amaze with his meals and presentation and the fishing has really, all in all, been great all season. The lodge is full for the next two weeks with two back to back repeat groups and then there is availability from September 21 through Oct 3. We are looking forward to about one more month of great fishing and fun before we shut down for 2010. What a great year, thanks to all of you who have come out to fish and stay with us.

Great Fishing on the Last Day of Summer?

Pictured here are Greg Saltzman and guide, Adam Spenner, with Greg's 21 inch Blackfoot River Cutthroat. Keith and Greg fished the Blackfoot with Adam on what was the hottest day of the year. The mercury finally reached 100 for the first, and it looks like, only time this year. Fish steadily took hoppers all day long. Mid morning, a trico hatch started coming off and small mayfly patterns were catching larger trout, until this big boy ate Greg's hopper. The Blackfoot has been producing some incredibly healthy, thick, hard fighting cutthroats this season; an apparent benefit of the tributary restoration work and removal of Milltown dam.

We are looking forward to more great fishing on all our rivers as fall moves in on us. Just two days after this hot day, we are looking at a high of 58 today with misty rain, overcast, and tricos, PMDs, and Mahogany Duns having fish looking up all day. Fall is in the air, and there are a few slots remaining in September and early October. If you are interested, get in touch right away and ask about getting a free Helios rod.

Blue Damsel Staff Deputized

Police Chief Mike presented the Blue Damsel crew with caps, and the warning that they would carry no weight if stopped in his town! But they should come in mighty handy around the campfire in a few weeks. Pictured from left to right are Jamie, Chief Mike, Ariel, Barley, Josh, Keith, and Colin. If you are curious, you will need to e-mail or call to find out why Chef Josh is wearing that orthopedic boot? He is out of it now and able to limp around on his own power, somewhat. And he proved that he can keep wowing guests with his fantastic meals, even with "one leg tied behind his back". Anyway, thanks to Mike and Kay for the caps, the good times, and the repeat trip to the lodge.

Mid Season Report:

It seems like the season just started and we are already half way through this summer season! Overall, the fishing has been very good, weather has been quite nice, and plenty of good food and fun at the lodge. High flows and salmon flies have come and gone. All the rain in May and June has kept flows and water temperatures very good and there has been enough cool weather in July to keep the weather and fishing good. July provided some very good golden stone, yellow sallie, PMD, and Green Drake hatches. Flows are dropping, and the August pattern of some mayfly hatches early and good afternoon hopper/dropper action has taken hold. But the days are already growing shorter and it won't be long until fall is in the air.

Stay tuned for some photo postings from our guests.

The Early Bird Gets The Worm!

Jordan Needham, along with his guide, Chase Robeson, logged the first trout over 20 inches at Blue Damsel this summer season with this nice 21 inch Blackfoot Cuttbow. Jordan is here with his brother, Shawn Michael and his mom and dad, Janet and Shawn.

The summer season opened very smoothly and a little early this year. Runoff from snowmelt is long gone, but it has rained for several weeks straight and everything is running high and off color. It has been a little challenging, but our Blackfoot River Outfitter guides have been getting it done. It has involved a lot of scouting on their part, ranging farther than we would like to, and some still water fishing, but, as Jordan has proved, folks are coming back with reports of good fishing.

Salmon flies are starting to buzz around on the lower creek and, as things clear up, the hatch should accelerate it’s way up the creek as flows and clarity get better and better. There should be a lot of very good water very soon, and we are looking forward to some great fly fishing from then on.

Although the lodge is booked for much of the season already, there is still some availability for now through the planned end of season in mid October.

The 2010 Season Is Upon Us

Here we are again, ready for another great summer season at Blue Damsel Lodge. We had fantastic weather and fishing this spring, which has now come and gone.

Steve had some good fish stories, but no back up photos, so, as you can see, Keith doesn't seem to be buying this without photo proof!

With a light snowpack, we are getting things started earlier this year and our early June anglers have an excellent chance of hitting that magic salmon fly hatch without much risk of significant runoff. As is usually the case by now, we have very few dates left when the whole lodge is available for a large group, but for smaller groups, we still have availability in all phases of our season-June through early October. We are currently having typical May weather-some cool weather with some precipitation, followed by warm days and some spring runoff. It is looking like the rivers will be in good shape by very early June and Jamie says he saw salmon flies this week already. Things are shaping up for a great season and we are ready. Hope to see you soon.

At Last, Spring Is Here!

Well, after a long winter, life stirs up Rock Creek. Josh and Colin have been working hard re-opening the lodge for the past several weeks, and in just two days the first guests of the 2010 season will finally arrive.

And the fishing? Well, it's been nothing short of fantastic. Though double nymph rigs and indicators might be the ticket in the morning, afternoons have been all-you-can-eat dry fly buffets with trout looking for skwalas, march browns, nemouras, and/ or blue-winged olives. We've been fishing the length of the Clark Fork, the length of the Bitterroot, and several spots on the Blackfoot (it's a little colder, a little slower to get going), and are happy to report good to superb fishing just about everywhere.

So it's time to dust off the rod tube, unearth the vest, and take that old fishing cap out of the trunk. Let's go fishing! We can't wait to see you.