A little brown sugar

Ye olde brown trout face

I had some work training at the Warm Springs Ponds today.  Checked in on the Upper Clark Fork afterward. The brown trout are not quite in the insane zone yet, but they are definitely starting to get excited to eat meat.  My carp leech to be exact.  Also, above the ponds, the cutts are eating streamers.  Yup.  I have been told a million times that cutthroat are not piscivorous by a bunch of fisheries biologists.  I guess I'm a science denier on this one but I do have tangible proof.  On the other side of the continental divide, the carp bite is still on.  However, the calm clear days are few and far between.  It's trout time in Montana.   

Mish mosh SW Montana fishing report - Late June

Carp flies now sold at Sportsman's Warehouse in Helena 

The huge variety of fishing options in Southwest Montana makes it much harder to write coherent fishing reports like I could do in Missoula.  I write reports every once in a while so that there is a non-biased, transaction-free source of information out there for anyone who cares.  I also use this blog as a personal fishing log which comes in handy sometimes for my own pursuits.  So here it is:

Big Hole River:
It was huge and the salmonflies have come and gone.  Usually, the fishing sucks for a couple weeks after the hatch.  It's called the "salmonfly hangover" and it can really suck.  I avoided the party this year due to my trip to Florida and the shitty conditions.  The river is dropping in nicely now and summer on the Big Hole should be the best it has been in years.  It would be awesome to be able to fish hoppers in the afternoon this year!

Upper Clark Fork:
As the river drops and clears, the caddis fishing will get insane.  The Upper is a caddis stream through and through.

Silver Bow Creek:
I haven't been out there yet this year but things usually get going right about now.  You'd be surprised by what may eat your larger attractor dry or simple streamer...

Missouri River (Craig reach):
I have to distinguish what area now because my Missouri River Range has grown so much over the last few years.  The dry fly bite is on big-time.  There are pods of snotty MO trout all over the river. You need to bring your A game.  Perfectly placed casts and drag free drifts are crucial.  Fly selection comes second in importance.  They will eat PMD spinners, caddis, and buzzballs like candy if you can present them properly.

Holter Lake Carping: 
I'm embarrassed to say that it was my first time on the boat up at Holter recently.  It is such a beautiful place!  I didn't have much info on carp fishing up there but I knew that they had to be there. They are, and they get big like in Clark Canyon.  The carp were tough and I got my ass handed to me. There is still a bunch that are spawning but I was able to find some over on the rockier eastern shore that were willing to eat.  I even landed one of the largest carp yet to date. I can't wait to get back up there again.  There are also some great trout in Holter!

Three Forks Ponds Carping:
The carping in the Three Forks Ponds is outstanding right now!  There are still some spawners but the ones that aren't are tailing in groups in the flats.  Throw a small black wooly bugger or small leech pattern for all-day action.

Clark Canyon Carping:
I haven't been down there since I've been back but I imagine it is the same as Holter.  They were in full spawn mode before I left and the fishing was hit or miss picking on the wallflowers. The carping should get better and better here by the day.  It's time to start thinking about callabaetis, damsels, and dragonfly nymphs perfectly cast and timed to be in the hot zone of a slowly cruising, golden submarine.

Georgetown Lake:
I will be checking in on Montana's finest brook and rainbow trout lake very soon.  The traveling sedge caddis should be underway as we speak and intensifying over the next few weeks.  Also, callabaetis, damsels, and dragonflies in nymph and adult form will play out as well.  The traveling sedge hatch on G-town is one of the finest of any hatch you will ever encounter.  Big bugs and big willing fish are what it is all about.  Have you ever had a 100+ fish dry fly day?


Thats all I got for now.

Restore Our Creek brainstorming session tonight

The Montana Standard and the Restore Our Creek Coalition are "co-sponsoring a public workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Mining City Center, 400 W. Park St., to give Butte residents a chance to give input about the eventual outcome for the mile-long stretch from the Civic Center to the visitors center" (mtstandard).

Restore Our Creek Coalition and the Montana Standard to hold public forum on the Parrot tailings

The Restore Our Creek Coalition and the Montana Standard will be holding a public forum to discuss the removal of the Parrot Tailings along Upper Silver Bow Creek.  This should be a really cool meeting because representatives from the EPA, the MT DEQ, ARCO, BNRC, and Butte Silver Bow will all be together in one place with the public.

The forum will be at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, January, 19th at the Mining City Center, 400 West Park Street, in Butte, Montana.

Southwest Montana fisheries improvement meeting on Monday in Butte

Silver Bow Creek cutthroat trout

Next Monday, January 11th 2015, there is a public meeting to discuss the improvement of Southwest Montana fisheries. At 6:30 pm Ron Spoon, State Fisheries Biologist, will give a presentation on the Jefferson River Project, a restoration project which is helping make the Jefferson River into a world-class trout fishery. 

Also, Josh Vincent of Water and Environmental Technologies (WET), a local environmental engineering firm, will discuss how he, Pat Munday, and Steve Luebeck utilized a grant they received on behalf of the George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited which they used for habitat improvements on German Gulch, the most important tributary (for trout) to Silver Bow Creek. 

The meeting is at the Butte Business Development Center at 305 W. Mercury Street in Butte, Montana.  This is the old Boys Central School Building.

See you there!!

Info from The Montana Standard

George Grant Chapter of TU will meet to discuss cleanup and restoration of Clark Fork R. and Silver Bow Cr. (updated)

The George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited is holding a Board of Directors meeting and the public is invited.  Some folks representing TU and the MT DOJ, as well as, Joe Griffin (retired MT DEQ hydrogeologist and all-around bad-ass) will be giving a presentation on the restoration and mine waste cleanup on Silver Bow Creek and the Upper Clark Fork River.

Updates:

• Casey Hackathorn of Trout Unlimited (national) will present on the Upper Clark Fork and its tributaries.
• Jason Lindstrom of MT FWP will present electro-fishing data from Silver Bow Creek.
• Pat Cunneen of the BNRC will likely present on efforts to remove the Parrot Tailings, Diggins East, and Northside Tailings from the banks of Upper Silver Bow Creek in Butte.

This is not one to be missed!!

The meeting is Monday, December 14, at 6:30 pm in the Business Development Center @ 305 W. Mercury St. in Butte, Montana. 

Restore Our Creek Fundraiser at Headframe Spirits

Next Tuesday, December 1,  the Restore Our Creek Coalition will host a fundraiser from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Headframe Spirits, 21 S. Montana St. in Butte, America

"Coalition members will provide information and discuss the need for removal of contaminated waste from Silver Bow Creek.

The coalition includes Project Green, Butte Citizens Technical Environmental Committee, Butte Natural Resource Damage Restoration Council, Trout Unlimited, Citizens for Labor and Environmental Justice, and other concerned individuals and groups." -MTStandard

This is a great reason to have some great cocktails for a great cause!!  See you there.

The moose days of summer - Butte area fishing report

Beaverhead River moose

This has been a very long and hot summer in Southwest Montana and I'm not gonna lie; I'm over it. I used to put together a Missoula area fishing report from time to time and folks seemed to appreciate the unbiased reports.  I'm not affiliated with a fly shop and I'm not a guide so there's no hype. I just have a love for my area's amazing fishing and I hope that the ridiculous time I send on my local rivers can bring others some insight and a few fish.  I have held off on doing a Butte area report until I really felt like I had a solid grip on the area, but I think the time has come.

Beaverhead River:
The Beav is carrying a lot of color and water.  The fishing is a bit slow for my liking, but you'll have the river to yourself.  I've been spending a lot of time down there over the past few weeks and last week I floated from Buffalo to Pipe Organ and did not see another boat.  The best bet is to get out at sunrise and chase the cranefly hatch.  Since I work all week, waking up at 5 on my day off is not something I'm really down with.  In the late morning, there are still some PMDs and every once in a while you can get one to eat a hopper.  The streamer bite is weak even though the conditions seem appropriate.  Your best bet is to fish cranefly larvae under an indicator or pumped right off the banks. Also, going dirtbag and fishing a double worm rig with one of them being a Wire Worm has been effective. Once we move into fall, the Beav will come alive.

Big Hole River:
Check the mandatory closures before you head to the Big Hole as there are a couple of closed sections.  The Big Hole has really suffered from drought and heat this year and is running very low. I've been leaving it alone for the past month (as there are better options) but it is fishable.  Spruce moths, hoppers, and tricos are the fare on the Big Hole this time of year.  Prepare to drag your boat a bit!

Upper Clark Fork:
The Upper is also suffering from a severe lack of water but if your willing to do some walking, you'll find the fish.  They are in the places you'd expect them to be, the deeper riffles and runs.  It's hopper madness up here with some craneflies and tricos in the morning as well.  I had a great time fishing cranefly larvae through deeper holes stacked with brown trout this week.

Georgetown Lake:
The lake is fishing pretty well. The best bet here is to throw a hopper with a longer dropper rig than you'd use on a river.  Surprisingly, using a larger red San Juan Worm as a dropper can be killer even though it really doesn't make much sense.  Just have faith.  Some other good droppers are larger pink scuds and standard chronomid and midge larvae are good too.  There are some PMD/PEDs and still some Calibaetis as well.  In the late evening you can also frustrate yourself to no end with the micro caddis.  I love G-town and have really got to fish the crap out of it this year.  What a treasure!
    
Silver Bow Creek:
This may be the first true fishing report written for Silver Bow but it is not a secret anymore and I'll keep it real.  The work up in the canyon and the nasty, hot weather has made the creek a little bit tougher this year but due to the engineered nature of the channel below Fairmont, the creek is pretty drought tolerant.  Those big deep holes are still over a person's head in many spots.  All you need is a hopper here for some good fun.

These conditions should be the norm until the real fall weather starts to show.  I can't wait for that. Die summer die!

Restore Our Creek Stroll a success!

Butte citizens concerned about their stream and future 

The "Restore our Creek Stroll" had a great turnout last week.  The citizens of Butte, MT showed up to learn about the threats that the Parrot Tailings plume poses to the newly restored Lower Silver Bow Creek and the Clark Fork River.  Local folks from the DEQ and the MT Natural Resource Damages Program as well as the local groups which are really pushing the movement to get rid of the toxic tailings and reclassify the "Metro Storm Drain" back to what it truly is, Silver Bow Creek, put together a great program with music and transportation.  This new classification for the "Metro Storm Drain" would grant this section of the creek the same protections as all other streams under the Clean Water Act.

There will be another event in the fall.  Please show your support and look to the RBM Chronicles for more information on this event.

Pat Cunneen (BNRC) shows some ideas for a restored Upper Silver Bow Creek

Joe Griffin of Montana DEQ (retired) explains the Parrot Tailings Plume

Silver Bow Creek - Restore Our Creek Stroll

Two groups pushing for more Silver Bow Creek Restoration

Photo courtesy of http://www.geochemicaltransactions.com/

Butte, MT's Silver Bow Creek was the original "Shit Creek."  It was used as a sewer; industrial mine waste, reduction, and smelting dump; as well as being polluted from secondary industries to the mines.  For many years, the "riparian" area of Silver Bow as it flowed out of Butte towards Anaconda looked more like Mars than a stream in Montana.  While the creek still has some serious pollution problems, the majority of its length has seriously benefited from restoration activities stemming from the Superfund listing in the 90's.

However, the "creek" upstream from the confluence with Blacktail Creek right in Butte, is not considered a creek at all.  It is technically Butte's Metro Storm Drain.  This classification allows for much less regulation and protections than if it were a true "stream."

Two groups, the Silver Bow Creek Headwaters Coalition and Project Green have rallied to push for stream restoration for the Metro Storm Drain.  Silver Bow Creek Headwaters Coalition even filed a lawsuit (2010) over the Metro Storm Drain classification.   

While I'm all about stream restoration, there is a lot to be considered here and currently I have no strong stance on the subject.  Here's what I do know. This section of Silver Bow is dry unless there is a major rain event as the water that would flow in the creek is diverted to an underground storm drain system. The restored part of Silver Bow downstream is becoming a great fishery (believe it or not) and I really enjoy the new, super long trail system that runs along it.  However, by midsummer, the flows and temps in Silver Bow get really low and warm, threatening this great new asset.  If the Metro Storm Drain section was to be restored, I'd hope this would add significantly more water to the system.  Furthermore, there would be a great natural conduit for delivering more clean water to Silver Bow once the water treatment begins in the Berkeley pit.

No matter what happens, it's good to see people give a damn about Silver Bow.  Get the full story in today's MT Standard.  

        

The view from Lake Berkeley (updated Oct. 2017)

Nestled high up in the Rocky Mountains exists Montana's deepest lake.

The Berkeley Pit

The Berkeley Pit is a 1,780 deep open pit copper mine that is a half mile wide and a mile long.  In 1982, operations at the pit were halted and the giant pumps which kept groundwater out of the pit and old mine shafts under Butte were turned off.  Since that time, the groundwater level below the Butte Hill has been rising back to pre-pumping levels and filled the much of the 10,000+ miles of tunnels below town and also the pit, creating beautiful Lake Berkeley.

Lake Berkeley is not known for its fishing, it's best known as a potential time bomb.  The water in the pit has a PH of about 2.  The acidity of the water causes metals to dissolve and more sulfuric acid to form creating the positive feedback loop otherwise known as acid mine drainage (AMD) or acid rock drainage (ARD).  This does not bode well for most life forms.  I think everyone's heard the story about the snow geese by now (and then it got worse in November 2016).

Water treatment plant

A water treatment plant was built in 2003 to treat the water once it has reached a certain height but that won't go into operation for another 8-10 years. 

Another fun fact about the pit is that the walls sometimes collapse, making mini-tsunamis.  One of the largest landslides beached a research pontoon boat 40 feet above the water surface.

For now, the pit just sits there slowly filling.  MT Resources (the mine next door) used to mine the pit water for copper at a rate of 13 million gallons a day.  They are not currently mining the water anymore.

So, aside from the amazing history of Butte and the awe of human endeavor, why should people be aware of the pit?  Well, the pit and its sister lake, Yankee Doodle Tailings Pond lie at the headwaters of the Clark Fork River.  This is Montana's largest waterway and a major tributary to the Columbia River.  If anything catastrophic were to ever happen, there would be a lot of people and wildlife which would be very seriously affected. 

Another update is that the color of the water turned a beautiful green this spring.  Buttians attributed this to St. Patricks Day.  I've been told it's due to naturally changing chemistry as well as the fact that there is more copper at the surface because Montana Resources stopped mining it. Who knows?