HAPPY HOLIDAYS

From all of the crew at Bozeman Angler, Happy Holidays. With the cold weather the fishing has been a little on the slow side. Nymphs would be the way to go when you get out and find a hole in the ice. Everyone have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy New Year.

CHRISTMAS CLEARANCE SALE

From today until Christmas Eve everything in the shop, with the exception of consignment items, will be 40-50% off of the retail price: Patagonia, Simms, Ross, Winston, Scott and many other brand names. This sale is limited to on hand inventory only. So, save yourself some cash and come downtown or call 1-800-886-9111 to pick up that rod, reel and fly line you've had your eye on.

IT'S COLD AS HELENA OUT THERE!!!!!!

With the temp at -22 this morning in Bozeman and no expectations of getting any higher than the teens this week, I think fly fishing will be put on hold for a bit. On the bright side, Mr. Weather Man said that we may see 30 degrease by Christmas day, witch is all we need for some productive Holiday fishing. Until then, poking a hole through the ice on one of our local lakes may be your only angling opportunity.

TY

Dec. 6th Upper Beartrap

Yesterday I headed to the Lower Madison's Beartrap Canyon with fishing buddy Nick Lux. First on the list of car ride conversations was what the wind situation might be and what our options were if the canyon was screaming. When we drove through Norris the car was getting rocked from one heck of a stiff breeze, and it wasn't looking good for a quiet day on the river. When we dropped in to the Madison Vally, the wind was light, and we noticed that the few unfrozen areas on Ennis Lake had just small choppy waves. By the time we entered the upper canyon the wind had almost completely stopped blowing and stayed that way for the remainder of the day.

The fish were more than willing to eat a well-placed nymph, but it had to be put right on their noses. Our drifts needed to be perfectly dead with zero drag or there was no chance at detecting the incredibly light takes. When I say "light takes", I mean the strike indicator would hesitate just as if your rig barely bumped or scraped bottom. Once we figured that out, we were more eager to set the hook with the slightest movement, but a trigger-happy fisherman catches more fish!

If you go, a basic selection of nymphs such as Pheasant Tails, Prince Nymphs, and Hare's Ears should fool a few trout, but a simple midge nymph tied in pink is my favorite Beartrap fly.

Ty

4th ANNUAL CUSTOMER APRECIATION SALE

Come on down and see us Dec. 3rd for our 4th annual customer appreciation sale and holiday bash. Starting at 6:30pm we will have drinks, hors d' oeuvres, and store wide sales from 30-50% off. Just our way of saying thanks for your patronage and an other great season.