Photo Journals

Photography has been my passion probably nearly as long as fly fishing. The coming of the computer and digital cameras has made it all so easy. For the last several years, I have added several photo journals to this site depicting the various places I go in pursuit of wild trout. I think you will find the journals a refreshing journey into the world of fly fishing and photography. Brief descriptions and links are listed below.

Mossy Creek here in Virginia has been my home waters for a long time. The following journals are all of my favorite haunts on the Wenger and Patterson properties where several of us have exclusive rights to the waters. We stock annually and enjoy solitude in the midst of suburbia. Stump and Kathy Wenger have become great personal friends of ours.

Mossy Spring: is the first journal I did several years ago. It shows the ever changing complexions of Mossy Creek in the Spring time.

Halloween at Mossy: is another look at Mossy Creek in the Fall after we returned home from our Montana summer home.

Late Winter at Mossy Creek: is a glimpse of my first fishing at Mossy late the following winter.

Oscar Coming to Hand: is the story of Oscar, the huge brown trout below the culvert at Stumps place. After three years of trying I finally caught him.

Under the Willow Tree: is a glimpse of the beautiful browns that live in the Willow Hole on Stumps property.

The following journals were all done in Southwestern Montana and Yellowstone Park, where we live in the summer.

Canyon Fishing: is a good look at some of the canyon streams I frequently fish in Yellowstone Park to avoid the ever growing crowds of fly fishers there.

Elmer's Flies: is a day with a set of flies given to me by my friend, Elmer, from Nebraska. You can see the flies and the fish they catch and the place it all came together.

Coming Home to the Madison River: is my commentary on my favorite section of the Madison River in Southwest Montana. You will see that there is much more to trout fishing than catching trout.

Autumn in the Lamar Valley: is a montage of Fall glimpses of the Lamar River Valley in Yellowstone Park.

The Mountain Jewels of Autumn: is a collection of impressions from the Absaroka Mountains of Southern Montana, the streams that drain them, and the fish that call them home.

Early Winter: is a good look at our Montana home after an early winter storm turned it into a wonderland of crisp contrasts.

Also included here are links to some additional pages relating to the fishing and the places I've come to love so much.

My Favorite Western Flies Page: is a page with macros of the flies I have come to use for my Montana fishing over the years.

Los Alamos Ant: is an article I wrote about Harrison Steeves foam creation, the Los Alamos Ant. That fly became my favorite westslope cutthroat fare this past season.

Fine Rods in Fine Places: is a pictures page featuring my rods in the fishing settings I use them in.

My Fishy Friends: is a pictures page of the many different fish I pursue in my travels every summer.

The Tweeter Caddis: is a article I've written detailing my progress through the years fine tuning my favorite fly, the Tweeter Caddis.

A Case for Barbless Hooks: is a article I've written considering the benefits of using only barbless hooks in your fishing.

A Big Fish Story: is a photo journal of an extraordinary experience I had with a huge bull trout recently.

The following are additions to this page for 2005:

Bumblechook Creek Westslopes: is a photo essay describing a tiny Westslope stream I recently fished that has pure Westslope Cutthroats. Included are several nice pictures of the place and the fish.

Elmer's Flies Revisited: is a photo sketch describing the new cricket fly my friend Elmer sent to me recently to use for late summer terrestrial fishing. Included are pictures of the fly, the fish it caught, and the place it all comes together.

Small Stream Wonders: is a photo essay evangelizing probably the final remaining truly pure trout waters. Included are several nice pictures of Tumble Creek and the fish that call it home.

Warm: is a biographical sketch considering the changes we experience as we pass along through the wonders of our fishing lives.

The following are additions to this page for 2006:

Dark Meadow Run: is a chronicle of a fine Spring afternoon fishing a wonderful stream through a private ranch.

The Yellowstone Cutthroats of Mountain Meadow Creek: is a photo essay giving a wonderful glimpse into the wilderness habitat of the Yellowstone Cutthroat in a remote section of Wyoming.

The Salmon Fly: is a fun look at the West's biggest stone fly.

Summer Never Ends: is an article that gives a glimpse of late summer in the West, depicting some of my favorite haunts on private ranches.

The Dipper Bird: is a tiny look at a special fishing friend.

The following are additions to this page for 2007:

The Blair Spaulding Journals: is an ongoing chronicle of the pursuit of fly fishing by a customer and friend. In this entry, Blair has shared his photographic skills and his love of family and fly fishing with all of us.

Early Fall at Valley River Ranch: is a memory in pictures of a friend's ranch and the wonderful fish I find there from time to time.

Wood - The Material that Settled the West: is a non-fishing, picture journey of some of the amazing things that have been done with wood in our western states.

Summer's End at Hay Meadow Creek: is a consideration of the many facets of flyfishing in a friend's hay meadow on the last day of summer.

A Western Fly Fishing Autumn Portfolio: is an collection of images celebrating the colors of fall in my Western fly fishing haunts.

An Autumn Afternoon on Tamarack River: is an opportunity for you to go along with Mary Lu and me on a days fishing in one of our favorite mountain haunts.

Finding the Right Fly Rod for My Friend Chris is a short page sharing the ongoing dialog of friendship involved in passing along a rod to a friend and at the same time passing a little of myself along.

The Power of Foam is chronicle of a day on the water with Dave Lewis.

Some Days You Catch Only Two Fish is a narrative of an afternoon fishing on a friend's ranch and enjoying two wonderful fish.

A Blustery September Day with Mary Lu is a short photographic sketch of an afternoon drive with a stop to admire a fine fish.

Fishing the Big Creek is a photo journey along one of my favorite large trout streams.

October Mountain Wonders is a photo montage of Fall colors along a small mountain trout stream.

Revisiting the Mountain Waters of My Memories: Part One is a picture chronicle in several parts dedicated to the haunts of my youth in Virginia and Pennsylvania. Its progress will be ongoing this spring of 2009 and will hopefully run into my Montana summer before it is brought to a close.

Part Two: The Hollows of Naked Creek is a continuation of our several part series of pictures and chronology of my eastern mountain fishing.

Part Three: Early Hopes for Spring in the East Slopes of the Alleghenies is yet another part in this series of my spring fishing, this time in a small tributary stream on the west side of the Shenandoah Valley.

Part Four: Searching Out My Old Haunts on the East Side of The Blue Ridge continues our search for spring in the mountains of Virginia.

Part Five: Hoping to Find the Elusive Dogwood continues our search for spring in the mountains of Virginia with a rewarding day with the brook trout, a surprising friend, and the beauty of the dogwood.

Part Six: The Final Absolute Signs of Spring, a brief final look at all that makes my mountain haunts what Spring represents to me.

As Spring Moves Into Summer Clusters: Is a different angle on my journeys to the mountains.

The Paths To My Pennsylvania Beginnings: A Brothers' Sharing A fine afternoon and eveing visiting and fishing in Central Pennsylvania with Brother Bill.

You can be sure I'll continue to add to this page. Drop by often for new entries.

Dave Lewis
Performance Fly Rods
5798 Singers Glen Rd.
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
540/867-0856 Phone
Summer: 50 Crane Lane
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406/646-7120
E-mail: davelewis@performanceflyrods.com