John Arnold, Author at Headhunters Fly Shop

Fly Fishing Gear, Troutspey

Echo, gear, OPST, Skagit, spey, troutspey

We’ve been receiving lots of questions about “Troutspey” rods and lines lately. Folks are getting geared up for the fall. Streamers are on their mind, and many folks are choosing to swing them on foot, rather than from the boat. We’ve already…

Red Shed Spey Gathering

September 28, 2015

Fly Fishing Technique, Travel, Troutspey

Clave, Red Shed, spey

above: Whitney Gould started off the morning instructional sessions. I headed over to the Clearwater River last weekend for the annual Red Shed Spey Gathering (aka Speyclave), a celebration of spey casting and Steelhead fly fishing that incuded product demo’s…

Xtreme Saturday

September 26, 2015

Headhunters Life, Un-Fishing

Mt. Bike, Unreal

Un-fishing for your Saturday enjoyment, because it’s one of the coolest video’s I’ve ever seen. A perfect aerial drone shot and flawless ride, 4 minutes long. TRAILER FOR UNREAL – You can download it on iTunes

OPST Skagit Gear

September 24, 2015

Commando, Lazar, OPST

OPST – short for Olympic Peninsula Skagit Tactics – is a new player in the Spey market, but with very old roots. Owners Ed Ward and Jerry French are part of the crew that invented Skagit lines and techniques. In…

Don’t Forget to Wash Your Boat!

September 23, 2015

ANS, boat, clean, Montana

Above: Montana guide James Whitescarver cleaning every inch of his drift boat. A few years ago, preventing the spread of Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) was all the talk. Wader manufacturers were producing non-absorbent boots with Vibram soles, Facebook was littered with…

Things To Do: First Peoples Buffalo Jump

September 22, 2015

Buffalo Jump, First Peoples

Area Attractions

More often than you’d think, customers ask us what to do on a day off from the river (yes, some do take a day off!). In the immediate area we have 3 attractions. Boat tours of the Gates of the…

I guess we’re starting Troutspey a little early…

September 15, 2015

Headhunters Life, Troutspey, Uncategorized

SAGE, spey, troutspey

It seems like everyone is Jonesing to Spey. We still have several weeks of great dry fly and streamer action left! You’ll still be in shirt sleeves 6 weeks from now! But anglers are coming by, asking for the “swing”…

Winter Spey Clinic Dates

September 14, 2015

Headhunters Life, Troutspey

clinic, Gould, mccune, spey

We’ve set the dates for the 2015/16 Spey Clinics at Headhunters. As usual, these dates are somewhat tentative, as we occasionally move them due to weather. But we make every attempt to keep those dates solid. We get quite a few…

WOMEN’S SPEY CLINIC

September 12, 2015

Headhunters Life, Troutspey

clinic, spey, women

Headhunters Spey Casting instructors Sara Roholt and Beth Hood will be holding their first Women’s Spey Clinic this fall on November 14. Class size will be limited to 6-8 anglers. Rods will be provided and this class will be geared…

Time to Comment on Proposed Fishing Regulations

September 11, 2015

changes, Rules

Montana FWP has proposed several changes to fishing regulations that fly anglers should be aware of. A couple are controversial, including changes to the Upper Madison, and the proposal to allow keeping 1 native Cutthroat per day. Weren’t we told they were…

More Creepy Night Photos

September 11, 2015

Photography

Aurora, night, photography

Friday Foto’s this week include more creepy night photos. Who does this? More people than you think. I actually got busted on a couple of spots around Craig the other night. Just like fishing. They beat me to the spot.…

Opening Day – Montana Bird Season

September 2, 2015

Birds, Headhunters Life

Today was the upland bird opener in Montana, and for many one of the most anticipated days of the year. Hunting birds over pointing dogs is cultural in North Central Montana. More than just a weekend-warrior activity. I had the pleasure…

Badfish TV

September 1, 2015

Fly Fishing Video, Headhunters Life

badfish, video

A pretty cool new website called BADFISH.tv appeared a few weeks ago. For those who like fly fishing videos, this is a one stop shopping option, an aggregator of all fishing videos. Or most. It’s based on a very…

Missouri River Fishing Report 9.1.15

September 1, 2015

Fishing Report

fishing report, Montana

“All over the place” could be the best term to describe fishing conditions right now. Early starts for some (above image), hoppers for others. Streamers are working great. Some days. So are Callibaetis. Some days. Nymph fishing on the upper…

New Fire at Holter Lake

August 31, 2015

Bray, fire, holter

KRTV (Great Falls) reported that the BLM campgrounds on Holter Lake were evacuated/closed this afternoon, due to a new fire above the Lake. I went up last night to take a look as there wasn’t much information on the news.…

More Smith River Mine Oposition

August 31, 2015

American Rivers, KC, SIMMS, Smith River, Walsh

Our friend KC Walsh – owner of Simms Fishing Products – recently was a guest blogger over at American Rivers, as part of their Americas Most Endangered Rivers Series. Like many others, KC is voicing his position to a proposed…

Slack

August 30, 2015

slack

Traditionally the slowest time of year around Craig, late August and early September can be eerily quiet. This year is no exception. Yes we have some early am guide trips leaving, and the weekends do see a few folks around,…

Smoke and Fire Report

August 29, 2015

air quality, fire, forest, smoke

Woke up early this morning and I could see the sky. Meaning I could see some definition, clouds, the sun itself. It’s been a few days. Very thick fire smoke has been plaguing North Central MT for a while now.…

Troutspey Around the Corner

August 29, 2015

Fly Fishing Gear, Headhunters Life

Echo, fiberglass, glass, spey, troutspey

Swing Season (spey season) is approaching. We’re not there yet. There’s still some big hatches to be had, as well as our epic Montana streamer fishing. But it’s getting close. Sara, Ninch and I are starting to get the lineup…

Friday Foto

August 28, 2015

Photography

Adel, Foto, montains, photo, smoke

My favorite local mountain. You’ve seen plenty of these shots from me. I don’t remember the name, even though it’s been told to me numerous times. I call it “the Mountain”. Covered in smoke right now.

Big Labor Day Sale and Local Brewing Festival

August 17, 2015

brews, browns, dollar flies, Labor Day, sale

Labor Day Sale on the Deck! It’s hard to believe that Labor Day is approaching, but it is. Soon we will be talking Baetis instead of Hoppers, and worrying about proper layering instead of proper hydration. Good. And with the…

Friday Foto

August 14, 2015

Photography

foot, friday, milky way, photography

More creepy night photos from John. Julie, Adair and I were out watching the Perseid Meteors the other night and couldn’t help stop and take this shot of the Milky Way over Craig.

The Making of a Marlin

August 14, 2015

Costa, Marlin, Washed Ashore

Sara and I saw this incredible sculpture at the entrance to the ICAST/IFTD show in Orlando last month. Really amazing. Your eyes couldn’t stop looking at all the little bits of trash it was created from. Most of it was…

Simms Summertime Fishing

August 13, 2015

beatie, SIMMS, video

From the Simms Video Library Fly Fishing Videographer RA Beattie spends of day with sometimes Headhunters guide Tony Valeriano and Eric Adams on the Missouri River in SUPER SLO MOOOOOOTION… Cool stuff. Check out more at Simms Fishing.

Fly Hacker: Camp & Boat Tunes

August 13, 2015

Fly Fishing Gear, Uncategorized

Flyhacker, Nixon, panel, solar, speaker

Whether it’s a casual float/fish day with the family, the front of a flats skiff, or around the campfire in Steelhead camp, more and more folks are taking their music/media into the outdoors. It’s so easy now. You’re iPhone can…

More Animas Info From Duranglers

August 12, 2015

Animas, Duranglers, Mining

Several comments on the toxic mining mess on the Animas River near Durango, CO. (It’s Like Deja Vu…) Glad you’re all in. And yes, as reported initially, the EPA is to blame (several of you pointed this out) and appears…

Madison River Report

August 12, 2015

madison, river

A brand new Otter Raft from NRS has been sitting on it’s trailer in my garage since May. Pathetic. Last weekend, Julie and decided it was time to get it wet. Our search for some good flows for a family…

Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 8.7.15

August 7, 2015

montana. fly fishing, report

Fishing Report

The updated early August Fishing Report Bulleted Edition Get out early and fish hard. Some days the fishing is strong in the afternoons with the past couple days proving to be better than the pervious several. The morning shot is…

It’s Like Deja Vu all Over Again!

August 7, 2015

Another f****** mining mess on another trout stream. This summers victim? The historic Animas River in SW Colorado. I used to hang out in the country a bit years ago. The Animas is a very cool river, and used to hold…

Epic Glass Rods at Headhunters

July 23, 2015

Epic, fiberglass, glass, Swift

Headhunters has just received some of the highly touted EPIC fiberglass fly rods from Swift Fly Fishing. These will be demo rods for customers to try, either in the casting lane or on the river. They’ve been out on the grass…

Dual Sport

July 22, 2015

dual sport, holter, Nick, perch, Stipech

The other day top-guide Nick Stipech invited me to go do a little Perchin’ up on Holter Lake. He did some recon off the dock the evening before and said it was good. He though we should take my Towee Calusa…

Crowds. Your Choice.

July 15, 2015

crowds

I’m going to ride along with some of Mark’s recent posts and advice, like this recent article about July Do Not’s. July is the time of year that the fishing is great, but the masses descend on Craig as well.…

Flydreamers

July 14, 2015

flydreamers

I think I wrote a post about Flydreamers a few years ago when they were just getting started. For those who are not familiar, Flydreamers is a social network centered around fly fishing. Based in South America, Flydreamers has a…

Saturday Meditation

July 11, 2015

howler, scandinavia, video

It’s July, and that means hot fishing, hot weather and sometimes some hot tempers. You people are too wound up. It’s just fly fishing! Take ‘er easy this morning and check out some uber-mellow Scandinavian fly fishing. Calming tunes, Sea-trout, Howler…

Henry’s Fork Country

July 9, 2015

crapo, henry's fork, marc

We kind of consider Henry’s Fork anglers to be our brothers. Or maybe cousins. They actually enjoy using 6X. We see a ton of them up here in the weeks after the RR Ranch opener, and we’re all looking for…

The Shark is not the Issue, Dude…

July 7, 2015

lebowski, sharks, video

Dave Hartman from Stripn Flywear over on the west side sent us this Shark Fishing/Big Lebowski tribute. Good stuff. Anything Lebowski is good stuff.

Beaver Island Redoux

July 6, 2015

Fly Fishing Travel

beaver, carp, island

I have just returned from my second annual trip to Beaver Island, MI. Fantasy land for Carp fishermen. I wasn’t scheduled to go this year, but filled in at the last minute for an angler who had to cancel. Glad…

Sunday Scenery – Fourth Of July

July 5, 2015

fireworks, fourth of july

As per usual, Headhunters put on our annual Fourth of July BBQ and Fireworks crowd for a small but exuberant crowd in Craig last night. Braden helped get the crowd fired up before he, Shane and I lit the fuse……

Save Our Smith

June 25, 2015

mine, river, save, Smith

Publicity about a proposed Copper mine at the headwaters of the Smith River is generating loads of criticism from sportsmen and women from Montana and abroad. While I haven’t heard or read an positive comments regarding the mine, I’m sure there…

Bahama’s Voices needed by Friday

June 24, 2015

Suddenly, the Bahamas are considering legislation that would affect foreign anglers ability to fish unguided – which has become popular in recent years – as well as prohibit foreign ownership of fishing lodges. We know quite a few anglers who…

Not Like Clockwork

June 24, 2015

Brown Drakes, Cascade

We’re pretty damn lucky to live and fish on the Missouri River. Most of our hatches are like clockwork, and are of long enough duration that you don’t have to “chase” them. If you’re a dry fly angler, it would…

Montana Lights Display

June 23, 2015

If you stayed out late on the river last night – and I mean real late – you witnessed a spectacular Norther Lights display. A really big show, as the man said. Most probably were not, as anticipated late evening…

Sage Salt – Review

June 23, 2015

SAGE, Salt, tarpon

When you grow up in the West and fly fishing is part of your life, nothing feels much more natural in your hand than a 9′ 5 or 6 weight fly rod. Except maybe a beer. And I have two…

Fishing PMD Hatches

June 22, 2015

Fly Fishing Technique

Our annual PMD hatches are in full swing now – along with a few bazillion caddis – and the fishing has been spectacular when the weather cooperates. It has more than not this month. If you want to know a…

Fly Fishing Conservation News

June 21, 2015

conservation, Fly Fishing

Fly fishing related news from the WWW: Exxon Must Pay $1M for 2011 Yellowstone Spill Safety regulators said Exxon Mobil failed to adequately heed warnings that its 20-year-old Silvertip Pipeline was at risk from flooding. They said the company lacked…

TROUT: Gala Art Event at 406 Brewing

June 20, 2015

art, bozeman, clayton, deyounf, matsuda

This looks like a great event down in Bozeman in a couple of weeks. Absolutely some of our favorite Fishy Artists from Montana. “Trout: DeYoung, Matsuda and FishEyeGuy Art” – Débuts in Bozeman, Montana A gala opening of fish art…

Sage Trout Spey Announced

June 19, 2015

Here’s the official announcement from Sage on the Trout Spey rods we hinted at in our Montana Spey video. BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WASH. (June 11, 2015) – Sage builds on its successful ONE family of fly rods with the addition of…

Low Water and Weather – Outlook

June 18, 2015

Uncategorized

I’ve long believed that extremely long periods of hot weather have a greater negative impact on trout and trout fishing than low water alone. We are heading into our normal “low flows” of summer. While we have enough to keep…

Get Out of the Boat – Summer Haze

June 17, 2015

Montana Wild, Summer Haze, video

From the boys at Montana Wild over the hill comes their latest flick, ‘Summer Haze’. Some great dry fly shots while fishing for Cutties somewhere wild. Check it…. In another week or two you’ll be able to wade fish most…

Denali – for Dog Lovers

June 14, 2015

Un-Fishing

denali, flet soul media, video

From the guys at Felt Soul Media comes what might be the best Vimeo/online short I’ve ever experienced. There’s no fly fishing in this one. It’s for dog lovers. It got 2.5 MILLION views yesterday alone, so odds are good…

Saturday Video – Art of the Storm

June 13, 2015

Fly Fishing Video, Headhunters Life

art of the storm, video

Along with the rise in air temperatures come an increase in gnarly and violent thunderstorms. We’ve had a few, but are heading into the peak of the season. Check out this incredible short from Nicolaus Wegner from just over the…

Shuttlesnap – Smartphone Shuttles

June 12, 2015

The latest app that fly fisherman will find useful (plenty that you won’t) is SHUTTLESNAP from our friend Brett Seng, Bozeman guide and photographer. SHUTTLESNAP is designed to make arranging shuttles and receiving confirmation a breeze for both customers and shuttle…

Soda Butte Creek Trout Eradication

June 11, 2015

Via the excellent Hatch Magazine is an article by Ben Kryzinski about proposed fish eradication in Soda Butte Creek. Fisheries managers from several agencies hope to get rid of non-native Brook Trout that they claim threaten native Cutthroat. Well known…

Happy Birthday Mark

June 11, 2015

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Mark Raisler today. Judging by the hair you might guess 37. Maybe 38. But I know the truth. Both about his age and that extroirdanary mop of hair. And this image pretty much sums up what I think…

Mission Accomplished

June 10, 2015

Future Fly Fishers, Headhunters Life

Our good buddy Max from Great Falls is always looking for the next species. He’s hit quite a few in his less than 20 years. While all of you are obsessing over the quality of CDC in the wings of…

Arctic Seasons – Video

June 10, 2015