First Montana Tour

Fishing Fishing Reports
1

Quick summary:

  • 2,722 miles driven
  • 5 rivers fished
  • 8 pounds lost
  • 7 days fishing and 1 day trap shooting with my brother
  • Priceless

Got back one week ago from what I’m now calling the “Gonzo-Fishing-Stealth-Camping-All-Southwest-Montana-Tour.” My brother lives in Livingston, MT and we found we both had a small break in schedules–of course perfectly timed for hopper season. I loaded up the car and left Sacramento on Saturday, the 8th. By Sunday afternoon I was fishing the Beaverhead River in Montana. My brother met me at the Pipe Organ access and we were off.

First lesson learned: lots of bugs, and did I mention lots of bugs. The hatches were unbelievable.

And Entymology 101 from the front bumper of the car:

It’s hard sifting through all the pix, so I’ll just layout a few. The only thing I regret was not getting a single picture of all the browns we caught. Our days were typically drive to a take-out, park one of the cars, drive to the put-in, drift and fish 'til we dropped, take-out and go pick up the car at the put-in, then go find somewhere to camp for the night. Who cares about food when you’re having this much fun? We caught brookies, browns, rainbows, one cutthroat, and a number of whitefish. We fished the Beaverhead, the Big Hole, the Bitterroot, the Ruby, and the Yellowstone.

Fair sized brookie from the Big Hole (caught on you guessed it… an FEB Hopper)

My brother working the Big Hole, with the town of Wisdom in the background:

My brother working the Bitterroot:

Bitterroot cutthroat:

The buffalo countryside near the upper Ruby:

Upper Ruby (the afternoon before we drifted at least 12 miles of this):

Yellowstone rainbow is on (nice bend to the 5wt):

My first rainbow from the Yellowstone. A strong, wild, 17-incher. Yeeha!

The day after I caught that fish, a massive front rolled in bringing rain and hail to the entire region (we were finally up near the Livingston area). We took some time to dry out and go shoot a bit, and reluctantly I had to hit the road to come back home.

It seems like I’ve spent the majority of my life wanting to fly fish, so I found it to be a perfect set of circumstances that I could be fishing in MT with my brother on the 1-year anniversary of me ever holding a fly rod. Wow, it doesn’t get much better.

John

2

Thanks for sharing jburge. Great report and photo’s. Are you going to make this a annual trip?

3

Great report! Looks like a fantastic trip. Thanks!

4

texfly, You betcha it’s now going to be an annual thing. We’re already planning a multi-day trip either down the Gallatin or Yellowstone for next summer. I’m already counting the days :wink:

John

5

John-

Now THAT is the way to celebrate your first anniversary of fly fishing.

John

6

Wow, sounds like a fantastic trip! I think I’d give up my first born, even though she’s 30 now, for a fishing trip like that. Nice pics and summary report. :slight_smile:

Mike

7

John,

Sweet trip. Thanks for sharing.

Beaver

8

Awesome pics and report John. Lots of good memories there. Thanks, Jim

9

Looks like you had a great trip. Once you get Montana fever you can never be cured. Caught mine 10 years ago now at the age of 14. Now that i’m 24 I’ve been back 6 times and I love every second I’m there. Even thinking about finding a job or going back to grad school in Montana.

10

What a great time and report! Glad to hear it will be an annual event.

  • Jeff
11

John,

Good timing on your part - 2009 (and 2008 ) has been a very good water year; no Hoot Owl restrictions, the smell of smoke or drone of slurry bombers.  Nice report and pictures, congrats on your trip; hope it's the first of many.

Regards,
Scott

12

Scott, you’re right. The timing couldn’t have been better. They had so much rain earlier in the summer, and I had heard it really hampered the fishing. I got there just as the week unfolded to sunny, blue skies. Temps never got above 90, and although we had the quick afternoon thunder bumpers, we didn’t really get forced inside until the end of the week when I had to leave anyway.

And vargoje3, I know what you mean about the “fever.” I think I definitely got infected and it won’t be curable for the rest of my life :wink:

John

13

jburge,
Thanks, I really enjoyed that… Felt the heart rate go down as I was able to put myself in your shoes! Do your brother (and yourself) a favor and don’t wait a full year 'til the next trip!
Grassman

14

Vey nice report, thank you for taking us along with you and your brother!!!

15

grassman, I’m honored. There’s no describing what it’s like. Thanks. I can’t wait until we do it again. Both my brother and I are counting the days.

And grubb, your quote, “Because by the Grace of God I can, be on a beautiful mountain stream with a friend, have the water boil from a 12” Native Brookie taking a self tyed dry,and feel it on the end of my cane… It don’t get no better than that…"

where’s that from? Awesome :wink:

John

16

This was my first trip out there this year. What a great place and a very nice report.
Bruce

17

jburge, it came from me writing a response for a thread to one of JC’s articles as to why we fish Bamboo, and, lifes experiences for me, By “The Grace of God” all this is possible, thats not just a line to me, thank you for asking…:slight_smile: