Montana Moments
Thought about calling this thread "It ain't just about fishing." Decided that was not quite the right title for something on the Fishing Reports Forum. But it ain't, so I opted for a title that reflects my real intent - to share the places, the wildlife, the fishies, and some activities other than attaching a fly to a tippet and going after trouts.
So live in the moment whether it is here in Montana, my new home, or Idaho, where I learned most of what I know about fly fishing, or Wyoming, 'cause that is just one darned beautiful place to spend some time. And maybe Alberta, if I remember to get a passport before next summer.
Having said that, it was a rather modest start. Probably a good thing. Threatening skies, a chill breeze, and new water. A mid November day on the Bitterroot not far from home.
Decided to go with a PSC streamer fished off a full sinking Class II 5 wt line using a fast action 9' for 7 wt rod. That combination lets me cover more water, and the Bitterroot at the point I chose for my first day out is a pretty good size river, even with the low fall flows.
First fish up, and officially my first trout in hand as a Montana resident, was a chunky 14-15" rainbow.
Spent a fair amount of time covering a bunch of water downstream of my starting point. Nothing. Went back up to where I caught the first fishy and ended up with another bow, about 12", in hand, another one on and off, seemed to be about the same size as the second one, and a couple solids hits. The first hit was real, but not real hard, and the second felt like one of those big browns from the South Fork of the Snake. The kind of hit that will bring you back wondering what you might hook up with one of these days.
Not bad for my first couple hours on new water.
John
In my previous threads, I've been quite willing to name the waters I fished, with the rare exception of a few places that seemed prone to ruin if too much attention and pressure were put on them. Already, I've been told about a few places in this neck of the woods with the expectation that I would not name them in any fishing reports. I expect to honor those confidences.
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