Who Says 12 Year Olds Can't Fish?

Westbank Angler guide Brad Sutton took Morgan and her sister fishing on the lower Snake River in mid August. For all of you who did not think 12 year olds can fish, check out this picture of the 20 inch cutthroat caught near the Hoback River on the Snake. This was the biggest fish any of our boats caught that day. Great job Morgan, come catch a bigger one next summer!

Westbank Angler's Guide Mark Buljan video

This is a great video made by Westbank Angler's guide Mark Buljan. The video contains shots from his guided trips on the Snake River, Green River, and some of his days off fishing with friends on the South Fork of the Snake over in Idaho. Hope everyone enjoys!

Hoback Float

The Hoback is one of my favorite rivers in the area to both wade fish and float. Tuesday, some friends and I decided to take the raft down the river and do some fishing. I find this to be the most effective way to fish the Hoback considering the amount of water you can cover. The fish on the Hoback are very plentiful, but the majority of them are in the 8-12 inch range. However, some of the deeper pools on the river can produce some nice size fish. The hot flies for the day were red Winged Things, and golden Chubby Chernobyls. For more info on fishing the Hoback, please call(307-733-6483) or email (info@westbank.com) us here at the shop and we can point you in the right direction. Tight Lines, Hunter Heumann

Great Day on the Snake with Rob Ross

Monday, I was invited to fish the Snake River with Westbank Angler's guide Rob Ross, and good friend Drake Seligman. We started off the morning fishing red winged things and fat alberts. The fish were definitely rising at the bugs, but at a very slow pace. Later in the morning, Drake and I both put on streamers. The olive Silvey's Sculpin seemed to be the ticket. We pulled out a bunch of nice fish during the morning and early afternoon on the streamer. After lunch, we stuck with the streamer fishing and caught a few more fish, all in the 15-19 inch range. Thanks Rob and Drake for a great day on the water!

Great beginner rod available at Westbank Anglers

For anyone looking for a great back up rod or beginner rod, the Sage Vantage is what you need. I know that myself and the rest of the Westbank staff have all cast and fished the rod and have agreed that it is at the top of the list for bargain rods. The rod is has a medium-fast action which allows it to be a versatile rod for dry flies, streamers, and even some saltwater fishing. The Vantage is available in both two and four piece rods in 3-9wt. and its price ranges from $250-$255. Sage is also offering a package deal which includes a Sage 1600 series reel, a Rio weight forward floating line, and a rod/reel case. The packages are only available for the four piece rods in 5, 6, and 8wt. and range from $395-$405. It is not very often that you find such a great deal for a rod/reel/ line combo. Come stop by the shop to cast the Vantage. I know you will enjoy it. And as always, please call (307-733-6483) or email (info@westbank.com) us with any questions you might have.

Tight Lines,

Hunter Heumann

Green River Fishing Report from Mike May

Westbank guide Mike May just stopped in the shop after a trip on the Green River above Warren Bridge. Overall, fishing was fair. The group caught mainly small to medium size fish with a few bites from some larger fish. The flies of choice were small caddis patterns in the morning, small duns seemed to be the magic fly during some overcast periods during the day. Some more good flies for the Green are pmd's, and yellow sallies. No Hopper fishing yet, but a few fish on droppers. Thanks for the report Mike!

Hot Day on the Snake with Westbank Guide Charles Burd

Today I met Larry, a first time drift boat fly fisherman, for a day of fishing ion the Jackson Lake Dam to Pacific Creek section of the Snake River. Larry is a Special Forces Division Master Sergeant home on leave from Iraq. He is an avid bass fisherman and his wife's parent's gave him a present of a guided fly fishing trip during his family's vaction in Jackson Hole.

Fishing conditions were very good with crystal clear water, light clouds, and tons of bugs. Medium sized brown may flies were prevalent in the morning, small and medium sized brown and black caddis were sporadic throughout the day, and Yellow Sally stone flies avalanched in the late morning and early afternoon.

We started the day with a quick review of casting, line mending, hook setting, and fish landing. Bass fishing habits die hard, but Larry was enthusiastic and persistent and looked increasingly like a fly fisherman as the day progressed.

Larry got a nice cutthroat on every pattern we fished on top of the water as well as some trusty white fish on the nymph.

We had a great day.

Larry is hooked on fly fishing. He thinks he knows a river near Tikrit where he could catch carp on flies!

Dry Fly Action is Here!

Summer is finally in full swing and the dry fly action has arrived on the Green River. Yesterday, John Gendall, Mark Buljon, and I fished Warren Bridge down to the Hatchery on the Green. The water is down and the clarity is just about where we want it. We had some luck on some larger caddis patterns, some gray drakes, and some yellow sallys throughout the day. We are seeing more a more golden stoneflies by the day, so it might be a good idea to keep a few patterns in the flybox in case some you spot some fish coming up for them. We are also getting great reports of dry fly action on the South Fork as well as the Henry's Fork. Please feel free to give us a shout at the shop (307-733-6483) or email us at info@westbank.com with any questions you might have.

Tight Lines,
Hunter Heumann

Welcome!

Welcome to the Westbank Anglers blog. Westbank Anglers is Jackson Hole's premier full service fly shop. Our guide service consists of the most experienced guides in the valley. Most of which, have been guiding for 10+ years. Throughout the season, we will be keeping everyone updated with gear reviews and fishing reports, not just from the Jackson Hole area, but from all around the world. We will also be happy to answer any questions regarding gear, flies, knots, fishing tecniques, ect. through our blog. Please email questions to info@westbank.com. We hope everyone has a great trout season and we look forward to providing you with a ton of useful information through our blog. Tight Lines!