Trout Season

The Western Rivers coffee crew gearing up for the Firehole opener in Yellowstone National Park.

Stu Asahina and Kyle Toyama, uncle and nephew, sensei and student, at school on Nelson's in Paradise Valley, MT.

An Armstrong Rainbow from the cold, clear waters of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem

Kyle Toyama, releasing on the iconic, legendary Madison

Brian Benner rigging for the evening hatch in Paradise Valley, MT

Classic burgers and three dollar cocktails. Kyle Toyama and Brian Benner, late for dinner at Livingston's classic watering hole, The Stockman.

The Wall of Fame—a classic for bar flies—at the Murray Bar. A tradition that started as payback for an old bar tab and now honors locals who live to fish and drink like one too.

Kyle Toyama and Brian Benner, apres at the Murray. You haven't fished in Livingston until you've told a few stories over a few pints at the Murray.
Technical Dry Fly
Pursuing difficult trout on spring creeks and other technical waters is a challenging ambition. Having the right tools for the situation is paramount. Besides a clear head, being super watchful and an on-stream predator, part of the essentials is a Sage MOD 486-4. Where MODern material designs meet MODerate flex patterns, a perfect spring creek/technical water rod is born. Supple tippet protection, yet horsepower when needed, the MOD becomes the angler’s tool for success. Coupled with the quintessential reel of simplicity, the CLICK, and a laser line with the RIO Intouch Trout LT, you now have the ability to tackle all that the technical presentations expect.
- Rod:
- 486-4 MOD
- Reel:
- CLICK 3/4/5
- Line:
- RIO InTouch Trout LT WF4
EURO NYMPHING
While summer fishing is defined by dry flies and the hatch, oftentimes the bugs are simply not up on the water. When this is the case and I want make the most of my day out, I grab the ESN. This unique style of European Nymphing allows for unmatched strike detection and precision presentations when fishing subsurface. My perfect setup pairs the 3106-4 ESN with a SPECTRUM LT 5/6 and the RIO Euro Nymph Line along with a hand tied leader and a pair of barbless flies. These finely tuned rods fish best with an ultra-thin diameter fly line to reduce sag in the line when tight line nymphing at distance. When the fish eats, you feel the take down the blank and right into the cork as you don't have slack line like in an indicator rig. Instead, you are tight to your flies, just like a swung fly take or streamer eat. From picking apart pockets in small streams to the big mixing currents of the Colorado River, using an ESN, I can be effective on the water regardless of what is happening on the surface.
- Rod:
- 3106-4 ESN
- Reel:
- SPECTRUM LT 5/6
- Line:
- RIO FIPS EURO NYMPH