fly fishing – Green Lake Chronicles

Travel Review: Big Sky Country

September 26, 2016September 26, 2016 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Montana is unreal, let’s just start with that. My wife and I just returned from a great trip to our good friend “Bearman’s” house in Southwestern, MT, where the Bitterroot Valley abuts two mountain ranges. It’s been a few years since I was out there and since then, Bearman has been telling me unbelievable stories of his outdoor adventures (some of which you may have previously read about). September is an awesome time of the the year to visit the mountains. The temperature is brisk in the morning, then typically warms up to a comfortable mid-70s.

What to do in September?

Fishing- Traditionally the Bitterroot river is most well known for it’s rainbows and once the water calms down after ice-out (later May/early June) the action heats up. In September, fishing can fire up with larger trout hitting trico hatches. The pressure from tourists is limited and you can have exclusivity on certain parts of the river. During our trip, I fished the west fork a few times, but enjoyed non-stop action on some of the local mountain lakes. I primarily used elk hair caddis drys, but the cutties in those mountain lakes would have probably crushed anything.

mt-lakepano — Epic Scenery and non-stop cutthroat action

Hunting- If you are from the Northeast, the time September comes around, the hunting itch becomes almost unbearable. Montana and many other western states, can be your remedy to get back into the woods early. The more popular species for the 2016 Montana archery season shown below:

Elk- September 3rd – October 16th
Whitetail- Same as elk
Black Bear- September 3rd – September 14th
Mulies- Same as elk
Antelope- September 3rd – October 7th

mt-elk2016 — Bearman’s father with his first Archery Elk harvest

Hiking- Aside from the hunting and fishing options Montana offers for the outdoor enthusiast, the Bitterroot Mountain ranges provides excellent hiking terrain for beginner to expert trailblazers. Click this link to learn more.

Next year, I hope to get back out to Montana and fill an Archery Elk tag. The Big Sky Country is beautiful and I highly recommend a trip out there. If you have any questions about the information in this article or would like to be pointed to the right direction in planning a hunt, please feel free to contact me. Be sure to check out more stories and pictures on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Thank you for reading!

-Michael

mt-sheacoors — My wife and I, enjoying a nice Coors after a long hike

Fall/Fishing/hunting

Browns Campground-Altmar, NY

October 13, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

This past weekend, the Chronicles crew ventured west to Pulaski, NY eager to get a fat Chinnok on the line on the Oswego and Salmon river. Fishing was tough, we only hooked up a few times and were not able to cross the deep parts of the Oswego river to our hot spot by the dam. The water levels were high and extremely dangerous. The salmon river was chalk full of people, but we were able to land a few fresh Chinook salmon.

The Green Lake Chronicles Crew has been making this annual trip since October 2010. We pitch our tents at Brown’s Campground located in Altmar, NY right off route 13. Browns campground is owned by Sonja Brown and operated by Pete and Monica Garner. Monica is Sonja’s daughter and has grown up watching thousands of fishermen/women enjoy the Salmon river bounty. We always arrive late, find a vacant tent site and set up shop. Even at 2AM, the campground is full of excited fishermen/women prepping their equipment for the morning outing. The scenery is amazing, located nearly on the Salmon river and the stars are as bright as LED light-bulbs. The owners are extremely welcoming and unbelievably gracious. They have a main office with a tackle shop, RV electric hook up, salmon cleaning station and bathhouse (showers and toilets included). Pricing is extremely reasonable, being dependent on length of stay, amount of people in your party and choice of camper unit or tent. What differentiates this campground from it’s competitors, is the private access to the nostalgic salmon river and the hospitable staff. Hands down some of the best people I have ever met. Campers are able to walk a short distance from their tent/camper to the lush salmon fishing grounds with their private access point. Browns also offers a fish smoking service with immediate turnaround. Catch your fish one night, surrender it to the “fillet master,” and come back the next day within 24 hours to collect a tasty smoked salmon treat.

Not only is the fishing fantastic at Browns, but there is a slew of public hunting land available nearby to chase whitetails. One of the best trips to date was October 2010. We slammed the salmon in Oswego and on the salmon river access point at Browns Campground and I shot a nice 7pt buck with my Mathews. Cast and blast can be a fun weekend for those who are looking to break up their Salmon fishing itinerary.

I plan on making a trip to Browns every year and will eventually bring my future kids along for the adventure. Monica and Pete and great people and will give you a warm welcome every time. Many of their campers are regulars dating back 20+ years. If you plan on making a trip to Salmon country, I strongly urge you check out Browns. For booking information, please contact Monica at brownscampground12@yahoo.com. If you have any questions, please contact me at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

Michael

After a long day of salmon fishing, I relax in the shade under my truck

Action Camera Videos/Fishing/massachusetts

It was a Swift River weekend

September 28, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

My goal for the last few years was to get a “go-pro like” action camera and bring it along on my outing adventures. Been chirping for years to my buddies about all the “unreal” things I’ve seen and sick of having them not believe me.

I did not want to spend $400 + on a camera that I will most likely beat the hell out of. Recently I purchased the new DB Power action camera, cheaper equivalent to the popular go-pro. The first video I shot, is of a school of fat rainbows mocking me in the middle of the bend hole at the Swift River. I was hoping to get an action shot of a fly take, but they just looked at the camera and swam away.

I was able to land one fish before getting blatantly disregarded for the rest of the trip. It was a cool morning, probably around 43′ degrees and I expected the fish to be eating up a storm. They were biting from 7-8:00AM ish then slowed down. I kept going after them, but they stopped considering what I had to offer. Thought it would be cool to try and get them on camera, so I slowly walked into the bend hole. I know the footage is a little shaky but its pretty cool to seem them underwater. Thank you for viewing this post and be sure to follow our Instagram, YouTube and Facebook pages for more great footage and still photos.

Michael

Fishing

Cabelas Stowaway Rod Review

September 28, 2015September 30, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Shawn casting a nymph/scud into a Millers River hole.

My buddy Shawn, a Chronicles Pro-Staffer, and I trekked out to North Central Massachusetts this past weekend, with high hopes in landing a few fat rainbows, browns and native brook trout on the Swift and Millers River. The night temperature was very chilly and the morning projections looked to be a misty and cold nymph kind of day. I was using my Temple Fork Outfitters rod and Shawn pulled out his new Cabelas Stowaway 6. It was a fun day and Shawn wanted to share his thoughts and opinion on this new rod. Read his personal review below:

“Over the years there has been many claims as to what the perfect dry fly rod is………………

I live in New England and have recently purchased the Cabela’s Stowaway 6 rod 3WT – 8’, 6’’ with a combination of the Cabela’s Prestige Premier reel. A classy mix between stiffness, control, durability and aesthetics, not to mention it comes in a compact 6 pieces for easy transportation.

When looking to make a purchase I wanted something I could use locally on New England’s smaller streams and rivers with the capability of being used for the annual Montana fishing trip on the Little Big Horn River that I make every year. With a steady Dun and Trico hatch, the indigenous Rainbow’s and Brown didn’t stand a chance! The longer length than traditional lighter rods allows for cuts against the wind that usually a 4WT is needed for. Which is exactly what I needed since I prefer the fight (and the rush) lighter rods tend to provide during a hook.

Shawn with Montana fishing guide. Fat brown down!

I couldn’t be happier with this purchase, and definitely would recommend this rod to other anglers interested in having a quality tool without the price tag of Sage, Orvis, or Winston rods. If you have any questions about these Cabelas products, please email us at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com.”

Thanks for the review Shawn. I hope you enjoyed this post and if you have any questions, please contact us right away! Thanks for reading and be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for awesome pictures.

Michael

Tag: fly fishing