And The Correct # Of Bottles of Wine On Situs Is...

....well, with guesses ranging (yikes!) from a low of 138 bottles (and that guess from a to-remain-unnamed banker) to a high of 1,596 (and that one from an accountant, believe it or not--his rookie initials are "David Hatch" and he will fish in Group Three, not to mention any names--he errantly thought a case of wine held 24, not 12, bottles, btw...or so he avers/pleads), the correct number of bottles of wine on site for E-10 is 858 {count 'em!] bottles---that's exactly 71-1/2 cases, gang--check it all out in the again-attached pic!

 

The wide-range of guesses notwithstanding, we have not one but two winners, one from each coast of the country and, prophetically, both from Group Two, each of whom, after multiple guesses [and some (math) coaching by yours truly], hit the number/bottle right on the head/cork:  (1) Lafayette, CA long time Extravaganza veteran Fred "The Guitar" Johnson and (2) Orlando, FL returning veteran Kelley Kingsland--with (extensive) assistance by her fishing partner, hubby Bobby.  Congrats, both--a bottle of Rock Creek Noir awaits each of your upon your June 25th E-10 arrival!

 

And that is not all, gang....I just got word from long time Extravaganza veteran Spencer Graham, proprietor (along with his beautiful bride Elizabeth Pressler) of Rutherford's classic Elizabeth Spencer Wines that, just as he did last year, an additional 10 cases of his bounty is also headed our way as his/their donation, in spirit(s), to E-10--both he an Elizabeth being unable to return this year but vowing to return to "fish again with us" during Extravaganza 2011---yes, indeed, all, we will return to fish these blessed waters again together next year!   Thanks (again!!) Elizabeth and Spencer!!

 

Sooo, doing the math, with now 68 fisherfolk among the yet further expanded multitude of Extravaganza 2010, that means that, together with a never-depleted full bar and an endless supply of beer and soft drinks/water, there will be a case and three quarters--read 21 bottles--of classic vino laid in here at Extravaganza Headquarters for every man, woman and child fishing with us this year during E-10, or, after the (continually legendary) consumption of the larder by the Ignoble Ones, an even case/person for The Tattoos and Da Threes, asking the (rhetorical) question again, "Is THIS Enough?!?"

 

The very thought of it all is head-spinningly bedazzling!!

 

RCR-----<'///><......hic!

 

FW: It's Now Cold Enough Here To...

...snow!!!

 

RCR

<'///><

 

A View Into My Fly Box

Extravagant Ones:

 

Consistent with the adage that "you always want to see what is the other guy's fly box", attached is a photo of that now fully recharged fly box of mine, a tour of which is as follows: 

 

Working from left to right, in the far left-hand row is my arsenal of my smaller dry fly (i.e., flies that float on top of the water) mayflies designed to imitate the dozens of species of those wonderful bugs (a dozen of each of which could easily alight on your smallest fingernail with room to spare) who spend most of their life as bugs crawling underwater and then, as they near the end of their life cycle, "emerge" to the surface of the water in "hatches" (often by blowing air bubbles around themselves, thereby floating atop like a thousand rising balloons), whereafter they "rest" on the water's surface, shed their shuck, pop out their wings and then fly aloft only to mate, whereafter the females return to the water to reposit their eggs, thereby beginning the life cycle again.

 

The next three columns of flies are examples of mayflies in their nymph stage--these flies are "wet flies" and are fished subsurface and are designed to imitate one or more of the mayflies in their larval and/or emerging stages.  Ninety percent of a trout's consumption is of flies in their nymphal stages and, hence, the preponderance of those in this fly box, atop the middle row of which are four red San Juan worms (aka, "the dreaded worm") which are ever so effective along with the 8 specimens of white-winged prince nymphs (aka, "the fly formerly known as Prince") right beneath them [on Rock Creek I refer to the SJW and Prince as "the McDonald and Burger King menu"!].  Just as is reflected in these rows, nymphs come in different sizes and colors depending on the time of day, the river and the weather conditions (hence, the efficacy of a guide!).

 

The container(s) on the right hand of the fly box contain a gaggle of different dry flies, starting in the upper right with my own "unibug creation" to match beetles and spiders, a series of larger mayflies and, on the upper right some yellow humpies.  The middle row starts with my foam fly searcher patterns (from which we will attach nymphs creating our "hopper dropper combination", whereby we can fish BOTH a dry fly foam fly and a trailing, underwater nymph, thereby getting "two shots at the apple" and ends with a smaller collection of foam flies designed to generically imitate the wide families of floating bugs that trout feed upon in Montana's rivers.  The bottom row (which, frankly, looks like a mess) is really the "money section" of this box which contains in the middle section imitations of the golden stone fly (my "go to fly" in late June and early July and, on the right, my caddis fly collection--a bug so prolific that when the "caddis fly hatch is on you will have to turn your car's windshield wipers on to see when amidst its flurry--the hatch is like being in a snow storm.

 

So, folks, there it is:  A view into my fly box!  When each of you are here with us, as part of our program, your guides will provide all flies that you will need (the each carry hundreds of them each day on the water) and they will even tie them to the end of your lines for you, so don't fret if your own box is either partially full, empty or nonexistent!

 

Best to all from the scene of it all!

 

Rock Creek Ron

Rock Creek Roils!!

Greetings Fellow Anxious Fisherfolk!

 

As depicted in the attached photos of a normally tame and docile Rock Creek (which I took just an hour ago), "the water she is rising in these here parts" and the color of the flow is beginning to quickly liken itself to mocha coffee--and that is a good thing. 

 

We need a good, swift push of runoff water to cleanse our rivers, remove the deteris that has accumulated in their eddys and gullies over the winter and to resettle fish into less familiar environs (so that they are not extremely picky or spooked as our now 110 [count 'em!] E-10 boats drift down upon and over them).  And it appears that that is just the case:  ten days ago, Rock Creek was flowing at a modest 500 cfs; this time yesterday it was flowing three times that @ 1590 cfs; and, now, just 24 hours later, the flow is up to 1640 cfs and on the continued rise (subject to a possible dip due to the current now-colder weather conditions that are bringing rain to Headquarters altitude levels but yet more snow/future runoff to the higher climes). 

 

'Tis a beautiful thing to watch...we will keep you continually posted and updated as the flow now goes (perhaps, by now, to the point of either irritation or nausua to you rookies out there [veterans know better, however, as it is now E-10's "money, marbles and chalk" time]).

 

Earlier today, I had my (always pleasurable) final, pre-Extravaganza sit-down with our Double Up Outfitter, John "The Great But Propaneless" Gould, to go over the (very) few remaining open details of E-10's "war plan" (as Group Three now three-time veteran Bruce "The Rookie" Mowat is wont to say:  "More planning goes into the Extravaganza that went into the Gulf War!"  [I neglected to ask "The Rookie" {yes, there IS a story there!}, "Which one?", however!]).  What a treat it was to, once again, find all of our ordered gear in town and accounted for (early), all of our guides ready and anxiously confirmed "ready" for each of you (again), and to just have the pleasure of the Great One's company without any last minute rushing around or panic...what an extravagant pleasure, indeed---thank you, once again, Sir John!!

 

Simply stated, Extravaganza 2010 is now officially ready to rock 'n' roll, and, very soon, rock & roll we will. 

 

The Extravaganzas, over their years, have become "an item" in this wonderful Treasure State and, during the course of E-10, Group One will be blessed with an overnight visitation of world renowned Montana naturalist and writer Trapper Badovinac (whose glorious coffee table book "Fly Fishing The Solitude of Montana" was included on our Extravaganza gift bag three years ago); Group Two will be invaded by the one and only Bob Wire and his guitar (to play along side Group Two's veteran Fred "The Guitar" Johnson) as well as visited by Scott Kier, Executive Director of the Five Valleys Land Trust (one of the most successful conservation land trusts in the country), and Group Three will be blessed by the presence of both Jeff Hagener, former long time Director of Montana's Department of Wildlife and Fish and currently ED of the American Prairie Foundation, as well as by Montana Matters' own Troubadour, Shane Clouse, who will privately play for E-10ers songs from his just released, newest cd, "Good Thing Going On" during our annual Fourth of July pig roast and celebration. 

 

In addition to the above cast of truly wonderful characters, E-10 will find among its midst once again Montana Wildlife Federation president Tim Aldrich (and his beautiful wile Carol); National Wildlife Western Regional rep "One if by" Land Tawney who, once again, will fish with Group One and deliver to the reprobated Ones his annual 2 1/2 hour presentation/lecture entitled "Abstinence Is Virtue While Fishing" at Group One's opening day lunch; together with our good friend, Rock Creek neighbor, and legendary (now retired) professional golfer Miller Barber, who, once again, will serve as the officiating dignitary over the Eighth Annual Rock Creek Casting Contest to be held at Extravaganza Headquarters on the Fourth of July.

 

Indeed, an extravagant war plan verily exists--a set if plans, in fact, that soon see the light of day, post Rock Creek's roiling.

 

Best to all in preparation for it all,

 

Rock Creek Ron

    ---<'///><

FW: And Der Blog's Visitor #500 is...

Well, well, well---great togglers toggle alike and, just as happened last year, when two individuals blog on the same time the same number pops--last year it was Florida's Jim "The Natch" Nici logging at the same time that his Lafayette boatmate, Fred "The Guitar" Johnson did and, as this year, there were two winners!

 

Congats to Group Two rookie Will "Still" Burke for (also) being #500 (as evidenced below) on Der Blog, the prize for which is a bottle of (cherished) '01 Rock Creek Red upon his arrival here in Extravaganzaland.  Bueno, bueno, bueno!

 

RCR----<'///><

 

p.s.  The race is still on for #555, so blog forth!

 _________
   

hold on Ron --- let me show you my proof! I think you are actually 501!

- Will

   

E-10: One Month and Counting!

Fellow E-10ers:

 

Well, thunder, lightening and nearly blinding rain along Rock Creek last evening was Mother Nature's and God's Own Backyard's way of giving fair cry that exactly one month (that's thirty [30], count 'em) days from this very day, the Ignoble Ones will be descending into Extravaganzaland marking the commencement of our eighth annual (ad)venture into the glories and wonders of Montana.

 

Befittingly, yesterday your Hostess With The Mostess, Kocktail Kathy, and I spend most of the day in Missoula meeting with the many purveyors that make each year's Extravaganza just what it is .  For you rookies out there, as in prior years, as you pack be sure to leave (plenty of) room in your bags as, as in each of those prior years, KK and I reserve the right to treat you extravagantly upon your arrival(s) and, as in the past, you will be [substantially] more laden with E-10 bling as you wing/drive your way back home.

 

Appropriately as well, with rising temperatures and a boost from the bursts from the skies, as we could tell from its glorious sound as we awoke on adjoining banks this morning, Rock Creek is substantially on the rise (check Der Blog for daily updates) and has now clouded with turbidity to the point that what was a small stream that, just a few days ago, was very fishable has quickly swollen into a potent force of nature to be reckoned with (and avoided if you are a wade fisherperson)...indeed, the runoff has officially begun and now we carefully watch for its crest and then subsidence within the next 30 day period...bravo, bravo, bravo!

 

So gang, now is the official time to (a) recheck your flight reservations and email our Extravaganza Coordinator Extraordinaire Patty Gallia with those updates, (b) complete the allergies and booze preference forms [the replies to date, according to Patty, have been "most creative", btw], (c) pull out the Camp List and begin assembling your assemblage what will accompany you here, and (d) start looking with a careful daily eye at just what this year's runoff will bring, as the baseline of your E-10 fishing fortunes are directly tied to its progress.

 

[Much} more to come in the days ahead...doesn't it seem like it was just Christmas??  Well, Christmas does come twice for each of you this year, as your E-10 presents are now on-site, carefully wrapped and bestowed between Montana's surrounding trees...all that is missing is your presence, something that we will rectify in now a matter of days.

 

Best to all from the scene of it all,

 

Rock Creek Ron

    ----<'///><

 

 

FW: Greetings from Extravaganzaland!

 A nice note and photo from Group "Tattoo" rookie Duane "Boulder" Primozich:

 Hi Ron

I’d like to introduce myself, as I’ll be attending Group Two with the Will Burke contingent. I live out in Boulder, CO and had the privilege of fishing the Arkansas River this weekend with my son (11 yr old Sam). As you are clearly one that will appreciate it, I have attached a photo of one of the beauties we landed. This particular gem was caught (after two full breaches) on an Elk Hair Caddis, but they were also eating BWOs, Caddis Pupas and Stone Fly nymphs.

 

Your updates are terrific and I can’t wait to come and fish those legendary waters.

 

Counting the days,

Duane