Seriously Homesick

Mount Powell and the upper Clark Fork

I am having some pretty serious fishing withdrawals and it looks like I won't get to go home anytime soon.

To the faithful blog readers: I've been way out beyond any internet connection for 3 weeks now and it looks like I'll be down here for another month.  Yep, I'm missing September in Montana and you might as well just rip my heart out.

The fishing sucks here, it's hot, and there's not a real trout stream for 100's of miles.  I can not wait to be back in Montana!!

I'm trying to stay strong - I and the blog will make it through this.  I'd rather be playing disk golf in some mine waste.

The disk golf course in the mine waste behind Montana Tech in Butte - WTF?

Forest fires are beautiful and important

I know we've all been water boarded with Smokey Bear Kool-Aid but in reality, forest fires are crucial, important, and beautiful.  In the big picture, our management of forests and the streams that run through them has been far more destructive than even the most brutal forest fire.  Nowadays, everyone wants to build a McMansion in the middle of western forests, many which can't even reproduce without fire.  The 24 hour news cycle has made everything a million times worse by framing them as natural disasters rather than a natural and important ecological function.

I don't mean to be preachy but I'm awfully sick of assholes building their houses on the banks of meandering streams and/or in the timbers with no regard to the natural functions while the rest of us bail them out with big-time taxpayer dollars to protect their private land.

The world is not a cartoon, it's complicated!  Anyway, here's some pretty pictures of the Moonlight Fire in the Plumas National Forest, CA.  There may not be any fish, fly, or boat pictures but fire on the landscape and wild, native trout go hand in hand.  Nuff said.  If you want to talk fire science, leave a comment.

Ceonothus cordulatus - California white thorn is not your friend!

Sunset float on Antelope Lake

I got to go out on a sunset float on Antelope Lake last night.  There were some serious trout rises that really boosted the old moral.  Seeing some of my friends from Montana like, osprey, nighthawks, bats, and caddis also helped.

Hell yeah

California mystery girl

Bats, nighthawks, and trout were destroying the caddis

Finally getting settled into my temporary home

The past week has been insane!  I made it to a very remote part of northern California.  I'm currently stationed at an abandoned Forest Service camp and only get power and a shitty internet connection when the generator is on in the evening.  So, thanks for your patience as I worked everything out.

Although I'd WAY rather be in Montana right now throwing hoppers and getting worked up about the tricos, I'm in an extremely beautiful part of the country, working and hanging with some awesome folks, and there are some trout to be caught.

Here's some pics from my super-remote and breathtaking drive, as well as some shots from the reservoir I'm working/living next to for the next couple of weeks.

Smokey Salmon River near the 7 Devils

The lower Salmon River in Idaho is amazing!

Eastern Oregon road sign

Eastern Oregon is almost as remote as eastern Montana.  There was some really sexy high elevation streams that I'm going to hit on my way back.

Huge dry lake with no outlet

I walked out onto this dry lake.  It smelled funny, had really cool geology, and was like a giant, quicksand filled valley.

This is the shoreline of the reservoir I'm stationed by.  There are some nice stocker rainbows and a million smaller sized small mouth bass.  I found a fly shop in the area and got some info on places to explore this weekend.  Stay tuned for some northern California fishing adventures. 

Road Trip - California!

First, click play on Dr. Dog's "California."

I don't think I've ever been this busy in my whole life.  Last week I went to Butte for work and to check out Montana Tech for grad school.  On my way home, my boss called and asked me to go to the Sierras to help a lab-mate finish her research project.

I plan on taking my rod and camera and sharing this adventure with the faithful readers of the blog.  I'll be back just in time for autumn in Montana - the reason I was put on this planet.

Until then, buckle your seat belt - hope you don't mind if I do a dube...

PS: I'll fix the logo when a get a minute.

The Measure Net

I have owned many Measure Nets over the last few years.  The river has eaten two, I've lost one, another was stolen, and I broke one.  I always get another one and have found them to be the best wade fishing nets out there.  Here's why:

Having an accurate way to quickly measure fish without touching them or even taking them out of the water is awesome.  The rubber coated bags are nice to the fish's slime coat and doesn't allow hooks to get embedded in the bag.  So, no more dropper getting all tangled and fish doing the shark roll only to get helplessly tangled in the net.

The net zips off so you can put them on any frame that it fits on.  I found a wooden handled net in the bushes once that had the old fabric netting.  I cut that off and put on a replacement net (sold by Measure Net).

The "large" size measure net is small enough to take wade fishing but big enough to land 2'+ fish and it also has a telescoping handle.  They also have boat sized "guide" nets which have a stouter frame and a courser net bag.

These nets are made (in China) by a company in Victor, Montana.

Check out the website: themeasurenet.com

Wow, the North Fork of the Flathead!

Of the three opportunities for adventure I listed in the previous post, fate dealt me "wilderness stream."  I had never floated the North Fork of the Flathead River which forms the western boundary for Glacier National Park and I'm so glad that I did.

Here are some good pictures to waste some time at work wishing you were in Montana, or at least not at work...

Stunning views of Glacier National Park

Green and blue hued crystal clear water

Sunny days on the North Fork

The Northern Lights Saloon in Polebridge, MT

Lots of bears

Flathead Lake sunset

The fishing up there is really fun for small cutthroat.  It is a great place to take a beginner who needs some confidence building and practice with actually catching fish all day.  There are a bunch of bull trout in there but it is illegal to fish for them.  Look down in those deep holes though because you'll see them.  Look for the leading white edge on their fins to tell them apart from the big native suckers. 

Go explore, I'll be in some mine waste this week.  Mmmmmmm. 

Missoula area fishing report - Bighorn Edition - Early August

Handsome Ram

Rock Creek:  The fishing at Rock Creek is elementary and outstanding right now.  The hell with salmonflies, give me the spruce moth!  The spruce moths have cyclical hatches (like a lot of our bug friends) and this year is a heavy one.  I've been seeing them on all the local streams and the fish are more excited than me about it.

Get off the paved road and away from people.  Make sure to have decent wading boots with studs because the rocks in the creek are super slick right now and the flow is still good.  Fish the shallow faster-fast riffles with your Elk Hair Caddis selection and move your way downstream hitting above and below every mid-stream rock.  When there is good pocket water or riffle which runs up against the bank, stand in the middle of the river and cast towards the bank.  You should be catching bucket-loads of small fish with lots of bigger fish mixed in.  If not, your fishing skills need some work because it is unreal up there right now.  Honestly, your fish count will directly correspond to your ability to move up and down the stream to cover water.  I covered about 2 1/2 miles and caught fish on the dry, all day long.

While I was climbing on top of a log jamb, I looked down and saw a huge bull trout hiding in the shade right underneath me. I froze and tried to slowly reach for my camera as he slid slowly into better view.  Then, I could see him look right up at me and, POOF- gone.

Clark Fork:  The Clark Fork is in great shape and the fishing is really good, even around town, and even with the tubers.  I caught some great fish right in between tubers this week.  It's funny to have a drunken audience when your catching fish, especially because most people don't realize that there are such great fish right around town.  I just wish the tubers didn't trash the place. Anyway, the spruce moths are gonzo and the big fish are one em, big-time.  The Kingfisher Fly Shop put a great tip in their fishing reports.  They mentioned using a Prince nymph as a dropper under your whatever.  Boy, whatever the trout are taking that for, I don't know.  But the Prince nymph dropper is working like an electrofishing wand right now.  I switched over to a double Prince set-up but that was not as effective.  It seems like the trout want the dropper on a pretty short leash.  Anyway, in the afternoon, cut the prince nymph off and trail an Elk Hair Caddis of the back of your smaller hopper for the spruce moth.  The big fish are eating on top - nuff said.

Bitterroot:  The lower Root is also fishing great with smaller hoppers and spruce moths as well as some remaining PMDs and caddis in the evening.  Although it's been hotter than a two dollar pistol here in Montana, we are still maintaining good flows on all of our streams.  Hopper season on the lower Root is really fun.  There are a lot of BIG cutthroat down here love to slow-sip the hopper.

Blackfoot:  I haven't been up there in a while but with the insane amount of spruce moths I've been seeing everywhere, I'm thinking the Blackfoot would be really fun right now.

Lakes and ponds:  You tell me.  It's up in the air whether I'll be fishing an alpine lake, wildeness stream, or restored mine disaster this week.  Stay tuned.

Hey baby, why the long face?

Montana traffic jam