FISHING IN "BIG SKY COUNTRY"
This "Big Sky" life is hard on a guy! I think though, that in another ten or maybe fifteen years I'll be tough enough to not complain so much. So please accept my apologies for doing so, but I think you understand...
I got a text message from a teacher that I substituted for last year this past Friday. He wanted to know if I would like to float the Missouri River with him in his drift boat. I mean, seriously. I didn't even have to think about that one (of course, he failed to mention that I would also have to row while HE fished...the nerve of some guys!). There was only one thing keeping us from going though, the weather. As with just about anywhere, the weather in Montana can be a bit finicky this time of the year.
Saturday I spent most of the day checking and re-checking the weather, hoping that the day would hold out as promised by NOAA. By the time Saturday evening rolled by, it was set; I was to meet him at his house Sunday morning, 7-ish.
After a rather delicious cup of my favorite French pressed coffee, I stumbled out the door still wiping sleep from my eyes, eager to take my first float in a drift boat. I got to his house, transferred all my gear to his jeep, and off we went.
In three, rather long hours, we were in Craig, and with a quick stop at the Headhunters Fly Shop for the latest reports and news on the hot setup, and a shuttle, we were well on our way to the dam at Holter lake to launch.
Fishing the Missouri River for trout is, well, it's different. The Missouri is a BIG river, and although some of it is wadeable, you really are better off with a watercraft of some sort. With that said, let me say that fishing from a drift boat is very different than any fishing I've previously done. It's not that I'm a purist, or a snob, but I don't like using strike indicators when I'm nymphing. And it's not that you have to, but in all fairness, it is a very effective way to fish that river. Most of the nymph fishing I've done has been short line nymphing while sight fishing, so this was something completely new for me. I can only thank my host, Brett, for being patient and continuously giving me advice on how to fish the setup we used.
Not far from our launch we encountered a few rising trout. There were gazillions of blue winged olives hatching, but there weren't many fish rising which surprised me a bit. I would have expected to see fish going crazy. There were so many bugs coming off the water in some stretches that the sun flashing off their wings made the surface of the river look like a disco ball. We anchored for a few minutes to see if we could entice the trout to have a nibble on our blue wing imitation but to no avail though. Up came the anchor and off we went down the river. It didn't take long for the thingamabobber on my leader to disappear below the water, "SET!!!" I heard Brett yell, swish went the line as I did, and down went my rod tip. The rainbow was off like a rocket, jumping once before diving down to the depths of the pool. I got it on the reel and got to listen to the sweet sound of my drag zipping out a few times before we got the fish to the boat.
After snapping a few pictures I insisted that Brett fish and I row. I've rowed a lot of boats in my day, but this was my first time rowing a drift boat on a river. I'll just say that there is a lot more to it that I thought there would be, and it's a lot harder too. Brett gave me directions on how to position the boat, play the wind, the current, everything. I've yet to use a guide on a float trip, but you can bet your last dollar that they will have earned every dollar I give them for that trip. It's tough and they make it look so easy!
It took Brett a while to land a fish. He lost 3, but the one he did land was a dandy 18 inch brown. What a pretty fish! We snapped a few pictures and off we went, my turn...
In all, we landed 7 very nice fish, both rainbows and browns. More than that though, I got to experience something I've waited a heck of a long time to experience, and the scenery didn't hurt either! With a little more time I might have enjoyed a cigar as we floated, just taking it all in. I like to do that every now and then, but our time was limited and there were fish to catch. I hate to say it, no I don't, but I'm going to have to take another trip down to do just that I think and fish.
On the trip home we were met with a magnificent double rainbow; proof that God loves fly fishermen just as much as He loves everyone else.
Man, life here in Montana is tough. I hope I've got what it takes to makeit through another summer.