I am glad to get a day off today as I look outside at 43 degrees and rain.
In the last seven days I’ve been driving the hi-ways and dirt roads and floating on some of the most epic rivers, in my humble opinion, that exist. I guided the Mo, Mo, Mo, Blackfoot, Rock Creek, Clearwater- Blackfoot, and back to the Mo.
Here’s a short fishing report!
The Mo has been real consistent with lots of big rainbows. Rock Creek was productive with cutty’s, bows, and browns. The Blackfoot gave up some 20 inch browns the 1st day and some nice cutty’s and a bull trout the 2nd. The Blackfoot also had a monster wave train that I think had class 4 or larger rapids at 5300 cfs. One of the waves I rode made my 13 foot raft look like a leaping salmon as we coasted through it, it felt like a 10 foot high surf with deafening, crashing water. You better be able to row if you attempt to tackle the Blackfoot at 5300 cfs. Rock Creek was flowing nicely at 2200 cfs, a flow I like. It felt almost docile compared to what we have been rowing it the last few years. We’ve seen 3 moose in 2 days up there and on the Blackfoot.
Yesterday on the Missouri, it was actually colder than today. We drove through maybe a foot of fresh snow on Rogers pass and dropped in at the boat ramp at 38 degrees and some rain and of course windy.
I had these awesome ladies from San Francisco, one who is in the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame: Fanny Krieger. Fanny has been fly fishing the world for over 45 years and she has been an immense cog to the foundation and evolution of fly fishing. She also started an organization where she takes and hosts groups of women internationally fishing all across the globe. She is in her mid 80’s and throws a perfect line every cast, plays fish expertly, and was extremely interesting and fun to hang out and converse with the last few days.
My guests where troopers and ignored the inclement weather for most of the day. The fishing was good on the Mo. Barb and Fanny had multiple double hook ups and were taking turns fighting Missouri river rainbows when the wind kicked up to 30mph with air temp in the 30’s and rain, who knows what the wind chill was. We decided to call it a great day and get out of there before hypothermia set in. May in Montana 88 degrees one day and -15 degree windchill the next. Hey it keeps it interesting.
I’m happy to hang out with my family this rainy Memorial Sunday, have some coffee with a little Baileys, watch some movies, and call it good today!
