Madison example

As the weather won't permit any fishing today I thought I'd post an example of the kind of information that I see as valuable and interesting for visiting anglers to Southwest Montana.

After arriving in Bozeman late last May I was anxious to get out and fish. Unfortunately run off was in full force and on many drainages more severe than usual. The upside of great snowpack is often a prolonged run off period, certainly a fair trade, but it can be frustrating to see the weather finally be pleasant and yet have limited options to get out and fish. I was checking all the local fishing reports supplied by the shops in the Greater Yellowstone area with no encouraging reports.

A friend and I decided to head to the Upper Madison and check it out for ourselves. We stopped at a fly shop along the way that I like very much, and spend money in on occassion. I distinctly remember the statement of the guy behind the counter when I asked him about the Upper Madison. He said, "I'm not afraid of high water, but that sh$@ aint right." He advised us not to waste our time heading further up to where we intended to wet a line.

Against his judgement we decided we'd come this far and we might as well go see for ourselves. When we arrived the picture above is what we saw. For those who've never had the pleasure of fishing the Madison it is normally a pretty clear running river. In fact no one I talked too could remember seeing the Madison quite like this. It looked kind of like split pea soup. It had a thick, chalky appearance with less than 6 inches of visibility.

As expected there was no one on the river. As anglers come the world over to fish the Madison to say it is rare to have the river to yourself is an understatement. Of course, as I looked at water raging with no visibility at all, and the guys that make a living directly from the river having told me not to waste my time, I thought perhaps having it to ourselves would also mean a fishless day.

The reality was far from it. We caught a couple dozen fish, in a few hours of fishing. We ended up fishing the Upper Madison a half dozen times over the next two weeks with the water high and off color. It was during this time that I hooked and lost the biggest Brown I'd connected with in the Madison. We didn't bring a net and just couldn't get it out of the heavy water but had it within a leader length...probably 23" and heavy.

If I remember correctly in all those trips we saw 2 anglers. Meanwhile all the shops were still telling people to avoid the Upper Madison. The most successful flies were nothing exotic but were also not flies that anyone in the area would have reccomended either. I've included a few pictures of fish we caught during this time.

Inaugural Post

I decided to start chronicling my fly fishing via a blog. I have a few simple goals. The first is to produce a simple blog that provides a means for others to vicariously experience my fishing adventures in the Northern Rockies. I know that many who love fly fishing are too busy to enjoy it as much as they would like as they are busy with more pressing issues in life. I hope that this blog can, on occasion at least, provide an outlet for those who find themselves dreaming of fishing more than wetting a line.

The second goal is to see if there is any possibility of commercializing my up to the moment fishing experiences as I see a niche not being effectively occupied in the fly fishing community. Many anglers dream of fishing Southwest Montana and have adequate skills to have success doing so. However, it can be a daunting task determining when to plan a trip, where to stay, where to fish, what methods need to be employed, what flies will be effective, etc. Stopping in a local fly shop can at times be extremely beneficial and at other times not so much for a variety of reasons. Hiring a guide is for some, a great idea. However, for many, it is an expense that would not be necessary if they had real time information on exactly where to fish and what methods/flies are working. I have no definitive plan as to how I would commercialize this type of information but figure if there is interest I'll figure that out as I go.

As a bit of background, I moved to Bozeman, Montana from Apache Junction, Arizona in May of 2010. Prior to relocating to Bozeman I had been vacationing and fishing the waters of Southwest Montana and Northwest Wyoming for the past dozen years or so. Since relocating I've fished over 175 days. Generally speaking if the weather permits I'm fishing as I have no traditional career so to speak. During the winter I am often the only one on the water. I am new to fly tying but have been able to fish only my own flies this winter, which I've enjoyed very much.

The fish I'm holding in the picture was caught in January 2011 on a public spring creek. It was a solid 21" Brown caught on a midge emerger. My fishing buddy and I were the only ones on the stream and had a wonderfully productive day in spite of 35mph winds.

I hope to be diligent in updating this blog regularly, but I suppose it depends on the level of interest it generates. I hope you enjoy the posts and perhaps I can be of help to you as you plan a trip to this fantastic part of the country.