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).

Southwest Montana fishing report - late February 2016

Fiesta Mexicana or "The Taco Bus" in Dillon, MT

If you have never eaten at the Taco Bus in Dillon, MT, you are missing out on the best, most authentic, and unique meal in Montana!  Go there!!

For whatever reason, the fly shops in Southwest Montana don't do fishing reports in the winter. We have 4 awesome tailwaters within an hour and a half drive from Butte that fish all winter long. What's the deal!?

I've been really busy with work, teaching, and school but I've made it out the past few weekends to check in on the trout. Here's what I've found:

The Upper Clark Fork:
The river is carrying a ton of water right now.  We are having a pre-runoff runoff.  Southwest Montana had a decent winter run for a while there, maybe even better than last year which was not good for snow and summer flows. That seems to be over now though as early spring has set in big-time.  Let's hope for more snow and a wet spring or the Hoot Owl will wake up again this year. The fishing in the UCF was the slowest of all the rivers and for the most part, downright sucked. Throwing streamers and nymphing was the game, however,  the push of cold water was not on our side.

The Ruby River:
The Ruby is still running turquois.  Does it ever stop?  The fishing resembled the Clark Fork with a weak streamer bite.  The only real action was on winter-type tailwater nymphs right below the dam but even that was slow.  I saw two or three sporadic rises to midges but nothing really going on that front yet.

The Beaverhead:
The Beav is where all the action is.  It has been windier than a bucket full of assholes in SW Montana for the last couple of weeks and any midges have blown clear to Iowa.  The streamer bite was red-hot 2 weeks ago but a little less so last week.  The Poindexter is undergoing some restoration work (I'm getting restoration fatigue) but still fished pretty good with streamers and winter nymphs.  I saw some spawning behavior in some brown trout which was a bit weird.  Be careful of redds.  The midges will be on the main stem if you can avoid the wind.

The Missouri:
Haven't got to the MO yet this year but will in the next couple of days.  From my experience, the nymphing with winter-type nymphs should be great.  March is one of my favorite times to throw streamers on the MO for the biggest browns of the year and the rainbows which are fattening themselves up for the coming spawn.  I always say that some of the best dry fly action is in the next couple months with the midges and BWOs.  The fish haven't been relentlessly pounded on top for months on end by every dude in the world so, they're much more likely to eat a fly.  We'll see how that goes.  More snow, less wind please!

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. 

Come on, WTF MT-FWP!?

The area of the Upper Clark Fork which has been closed for years and then re-opened on September 15 is now CLOSED again!  Come on!  They just put a sticker over 2015 and extended the closure for another year.

I completely understand wanting to protect the newly restored and revegetated streambanks (ecological restoration and plant ecology is my job and what I study), but this is a bit extreme.  The ridiculous amount of browse protection is doing more damage to the vegetation than the tiny handful of people that fish down there, but I digress.  This just really sucks.

The stupid sticker

Clark Fork Coalition hosting Modesty Creek restoration presentation in Missoula (updated)

Photo from clarkfork.org

Next Tuesday at 12:00 pm, the Clark Fork Coalition will be having a presentation about the recently restored/reconnected Modesty Creek as part of their "Walks and Talks" series.  The presentation will be at their office in Missoula at 140 S. 4th St. W.  The  restoration site is upstream from the town of Deer Lodge.  Modesty Creek is a tributary to the Upper Clark Fork and has been diverted and disconnected from the Clark Fork for a long time.

Visit the Clark Fork Coalition's website for more information on the project and the field trip.

Montana Tech Restoration Ecology Seminar Presents: Casey Hackathorn of TU

Casey Hackathorn is the Upper Clark Fork Project manager for Trout Unlimited National.  His talk is titled "Watershed Scale Restoration Planning for the Upper Clark Fork."  The seminar is on the Montana Tech Campus in Butte, Montana in the Chemistry and Biology Building (room 102) today October 14, 2015 @ 4 pm.

Read more about the restoration and trout conservation in the Upper Clark Fork Drainage here.

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!

Tinsel Body Mother's Day Caddis

The Upper Clark Fork and many other Montana rivers are experiencing great hatches of the Mother's Day caddis right now!  I recently had such an amazing day on the Upper Clark Fork catching huge, jumping browns with this easy-to-tie fly that I had to share.  Like all good patterns, this one can be tied to match any caddis hatch, it is durable, easy to tie, and very effective.  The body of this fly also rides in and below the water surface.  I have found over the years, that fly patterns that do this are usually more effective at fooling picky, wary, and educated trout.

Hook: Size 14 light wire scud hook
Thread:  6/0 Brown
Body: Medium pearl tinsel
Wing: Darker shade elk hair (for MD caddis)
Thorax: Dark colored CDC used as dubbing

Step 1:

Thread your hook and build a nice underbody.

Step 2: 

Tie in the tinsel (approx. 4 in or 10cm) right at the middle of the bend of the hook.  Advance your thread to the the front of the hook.  Then, wrap the tinsel forward creating a nice, smooth body.
(I forgot to take a picture showing just the body but I'm sure you get the idea.)

Step 3:

Stack some elk hair and tie in just behind the eye of the hook.  Cut off the waste and then, tie down the font of the elk hair bunch (unlike how you would for a standard elk hair caddis).

Step 4: 

Rip some CDC fibers from a CDC feather and dub them onto your thread.

Step 5:

Wrap a nice little thorax ball.

Step 6: 

Tie a small head in front of the thorax, whip finish, and your done!

You don't need to use floatant on this fly because of the CDC and elk hair.  After catching a fish, usually a false cast or two gets the fly floating great again.

Also, I'm sure this fly has a given name but I could not find it or info on who originally developed it. Leave a comment if you know either the name or creator.

The Upper Clark Fork is off the hook!

The Upper Clark Fork is off the hook right now!  The flow is perfect (for now), there are solid Mothers Day caddis hatches everyday, and the streamer fishing is ridiculous.  It is the time of year to throw big and yellow.  These mean browns were throwing themselves out of the water for my streamers and the big boys came out from every undercut bank with a vengeance.  I had a couple of them destroy my streamer right at the surface with a huge splash.

I wouldn't bullshit you... But this guy might!

Give me Montana or give me death

Winter sunset on the Deer Lodge Mountains

I was bummed because I could not afford the trip to Helena for the Public Lands Rally yesterday.  I'm still stuck in that in-between time when you transfer jobs and you don't get a paycheck for a month and a half.  Not cool!  In lieu of the rally, I went and enjoyed some public land and reflected about how lucky I was to live in a place with so much of it.  

Upper Clark Fork brown trout

I've been working on my release shots lately.  They are not as easy as you might think but I'm getting it down.  I suppose a polarized filter will help but that's a couple weeks out.

Copper colored bone

The Upper Clark Fork is one of my favorite places to fish in America.  It's also a toxic mess.  I study this stuff so I love to go and take pictures and samples as well as catch tons of huge brown trout.  I'm going to guest lecture a class at MT Tech and I really wanted to get some pictures of some blue colored bones and stream-side slickens to show the class.  Mission accomplished!

Mine waste slicken on the Upper Clark Fork

Mmmmmmmmmm.  Phytotoxic soil.

Most folks don't fish up here.  I assume signs like these may keep the crowds away.  You'd think there'd be no fish. You'd be very wrong.

Upper Clark Fork River

Despite the insanity, the Upper Clark Fork is absolutely gorgeous.  I had as good a day fishing for large brown trout as I did on the Beaverhead but with no dry flies.  That's fine, I love to fish the streamer.

Brown trout release

Looks like the spring weather will continue here in Montana.  Better get your fishing in now because mid-summer flows are going to suck.

WestSlope TU meeting on Wed profiles the upper Clark Fork Restoration Project

Check out the WestSlope Chapter of Trout Unlimited's homepage for more information.  You may see a familiar fly right on their homepage now.  How cool is that!!

I'll be there showcasing an easy to tie, super effective, winter/summer  dry pattern from one of the greats of upper Clark Fork region.  

The Upper Clark Fork in winter

Mt Powell and the Upper Clark Fork in January

The Upper Clark Fork, from the outlet of the Anaconda Settling Ponds down to around Galen, is essentially a tailwater fishery and it fishes all winter.  It is full of of brown trout, has some giant rainbows which fall over the spillway from the ponds, and has the occasional cutthroat and brook trout mixed in.

Frozen foam disks

This stretch of river sees a lot of pressure because the fishing is awesome so, it can get really technical.

Ice in the guides

It can get crowded at times.  This is easily avoidable though, so long as you fish at odd times and during the off season.  Also, similar to Rock Creek, most of the people fishing here have no idea what the hell they are doing.  If you have half an idea, you can usually come right behind them and catch fish.  Just try to stay out of sight.

 Staying out of sight is going to be harder for a while as two major sections of the floodplain and stream are closed right now due to some restoration work.  An area about a half mile down stream of the spillway (near the first bridge) has been closed for a while and there is another section on the Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch that is under construction now.

See ya later Mr. Brown

All I can say is that I'm stoked about the restoration work and the future of the fishery.  I'm also excited to now live 20 minutes away.  Want some good advice?  Fight the urge to fish nymphs and throw SMALL streamers.  There are also some epic midge, BWO, hopper, and caddis hatches up here at the appropriate times.

Little Red Bugger

The Little Red Bugger

Hook: Size 10 streamer hook (it's supposed to be tiny)
Thread: 6/0 whatever color you want
Ribbing: Small diameter gold or silver wire
Tail: One red and one peach colored marabou feather
Body: Small red standard chenille
Hackle: Small red strung saddle hackle
Flash: a couple strands of your favorite tinsel in the tail (not shown)

I was first turned onto this fly, some years ago, by the old guy at Flint Creek Outdoors in Phillipsburg, Montana.  I went in to ask for tips on the early season fishing on Georgetown Lake and he told me this little red Woolly Bugger was the ticket.  He said it did a good job resembling a tiny brook trout.  Whatever the fish took it for, it was definitely a really effective fly.  I caught a million rainbows and my first huge G-town brook trout.

The story doesn't end there.  The next day, as it always seems to do up there, the wind started howling and it even started snowing.  I hadn't got my fill of fishing yet (don't know if there is such a thing) so I headed down to the upper Clark Fork at Warm Springs.  Out of pure laziness and curiosity, I left the little red bugger tied on and proceeded to catch what seemed like every last brown trout in the river. It was unreal.  I also caught one of those gigantic rainbow trout that fall over the spillway.

The streamer trend over the last decade has been towards those huge, Gallup-inspired wet mops streamers.  While they are fun to fish and certainly effective in a lot of situations, streamers that huge are really not necessary for catching huge trout.  They can be hard to get down in the fish's feeding zone, they are impossible to role cast, and in tailwater-type waters, they aren't really the best choice. Think about that 2 foot brown trout you caught on the MO on a size 22 midge nymph...bigger bait doesn't always mean bigger fish.

A little surprise

Upper Clark Fork brook trout

So, my "work/school fishing trip" to the Butte area turned into a work/school fishing trip.  Turns out, getting all the required documents to my new school is a lot more laborious than I expected.  However, I did have to shoot back over there yesterday to look at an apartment.  That left me like 45 minutes of daylight in a snowstorm to hit the Upper Clark Fork below the ponds.

I had been fishing for like 5 minutes when I hooked into this male brookie all colored up for the spawn.  I've never caught a brook trout this big in the Clark fork.  There are huge brookies upstream of the ponds and the tribs in the area are loaded with them but this big boy was right in the main stem and was surely a post spawn holdover.

There are redds everywhere in the upper CF right now from the browns (and some brookies I guess) which have been abandoned.  I'm sure you can still find some fish on redds, but it looks like the spawn is over.  Be really careful up here, don't be a dick and fish for trout on their redds.  More importantly, don't walk on the redds.

Redds are easy to spot in small streams like the upper Clark Fork, especially redds from fish who spawn in the fall.  The bottom is usually covered in dead organic material which is a darker color.  The redds are dinner plate to dinner table sized areas of stream bed which are clean gravel.  They are usually in slower water and at the tailouts of deeper holes.

You can see that this fish is wrapped in my leader.  I didn't take the time to try and get a perfect picture because this guy could potentially still be trying to find a mate and he most likely just had a long voyage from wherever he came from.  This was a quick lift out of the net, snap, and release type deal.  Notice the EZ Bunny hanging out of his mouth.

Winter fishing is full of surprises.      

Missoula Area Fishing Report - Mid November

Yep, winter came in last week and shut down the fall fly fishing for good.  All of the rivers in our area look like Alaska right now.  While most people have packed up their fly fishing gear and have started to think about getting into some powder, I have gone into fishing overdrive.

Winter fishing is awesome.  One of the biggest factors for me starting this blog was a realization that there is very little information and enthusiasm for winter fishing.  That ends now!

For instance, did you know that you can fly fish through the ice?  They even make ice rods with fly reels on them.  You use the same winter flies you would use on the river.  It's a whole different game but it is a hell of a lot better than freaking out about winter and being miserable like everyone else.

During warm spells the Bitterroot, Upper Clark Fork, and the Missouri can fish like the freaking bees knees and you can go days without seeing another fisherperson. We live in a winter wonderland, those people who get cabin fever in the winter are either just lazy or for some reason not able to be active.

So here it is, a somewhat abbreviated (for now) Missoula Area winter fishing report.

The Clark Fork:
Frozen.  However, the upper river will fish all winter.  Use Missouri River winter patterns like orange bead scuds and sows, eggs, and streamers.  There are some monster rainbows up there (pushing 30") that fall over the dam and there's always the resident browns.

The Bitterroot:
Frozen.  When we have a warm spell, this river will be scary until the iceburgs clear out, but then, it is low flows, easy wading, beautiful sunsets and stacked up fish in the winter runs; and you have it all to yourself.

The Missouri R.:
The only issue you'll have here is nasty weather.  When you get a nice day over there, it is winter paradise.  It's so pretty and odd.  I just love it on the MO in the winter.  I don't take a boat because wading is the best in the winter.  It's a nymphing and streamer deal with midges on the shoulders of the season.

And ice fishing:

Beavertail Pond:
I love this stupid pond.  As of yesterday, it had 3 inches of hard, clear ice.  I played it cautious and fished in no deeper that waste deep in case I fell through.  Ideally you want 4".  The north side of the pond is where the aquifer enters so the ice was only 2" thick.  I'd stay away from that end for a while.  The brood stock rainbows are in there and they are ready to eat.  They are huge (25"+ and up to 10lbs.) and they cruise around in swarms.  You can go a half hour without a sign and then all of a sudden there's 3 submarines headed at your fly.  In between trout swarms, you'll catch perch.  I use steelhead size egg patterns, tiny egg patterns, and jig head streamers.

Harpers Lake:
This is a small natural lake up near Clearwater Crossing.  Because it is at a higher elevation, the ice is better than Beavertail. The brood stock are also put in here.  The water is very clear which makes looking down the hole really fun.  One of the best things about ice fishing is that it is a lot like snorkeling.  Your suspended above this whole scene and you can watch all sorts of stuff and get instant feedback on the fish.  I use the same flies up here.

There are many other ice fishing ponds/lakes around here but I won't report on them until I fish them.  Stay tuned.

A cool place to stay in Butte

The next time you find yourself in Butte, America after a long day of chasing the area's huge trout, do yourself a favor and stay at the historic Finlen Hotel.

Finlen Hotel Ballroom

I had some family in town and we went to Butte.  We stayed at the Finlen and it was pretty freaking awesome.  For the same room price as the chain motels in the area, you can stay in this really cool, super kept-up, beautiful old hotel on the hill in uptown butte.

Hotel Finlen Lobby

I should have took this picture at night when the lobby was all lit up by those chandeliers.

1/2 of the two room "double bed"

The rooms were clean and pretty fancy.  When you get 2 beds, you get two rooms, each with there own desk and TV.

The Butte area has great fly fishing.

Blacktail Creek:
You may not guess by looking at it but Blacktail Creek, which runs out of the Highlands and right through town, is full of nice brook trout.  There is a trail along most of the urban stretches with all the access you could want.  I've walked the length of that stream from the mouth all the way up to the top in the Highlands, and I can tell you that there is 5-12" brook trout with the occasional cutthroat in every hole, even under Harrison Ave.

Figure It Out Yourself Creek:
You wouldn't believe me if I told you anyway and I'm not going to be responsible for letting the word out. Spend some time talking to locals or ask around at the local fly shop.  There is a very unassuming creek right under your nose with some unbelievable fishing.  Literally, sniff out the smell of urinal.  That's all the clues I'm giving.

Warm Springs Creek:
This small stream, like the rest, has gone through hell and somehow is still an amazing fishery.  This stream is hard to get on but a day spent exploring this creek can be fun.

Warm Springs Settling Ponds:
These large man made ponds were built to allow metals from Silver Bow Creek to settle out before it is released from the outlet as the Clark Fork.  The ponds grow gigantic freaking fish in this nutrient rich environment.  The fishing here can be epic at times.

The Upper Clark Fork:
This is one of my favorite places to fish.  From the outlet of the settling ponds all the way down to Jens will keep you busy for years.  There is so much to explore.  Brown trout rule supreme in the upper Clark Fork and there are miles and miles of undercut banks and deep holes to mine for copper and gold (all puns intended).  There are also some great tributaries to the Clark Fork up here which can make for good day trips.  Racetrack Cr. and the Little Blackfoot are great options.

The Big Hole:
The Big Hole River is amazing.  From the brook trout and grayling in headwaters in the Big Hole Valley all the way down to the hallowed brown trout water of the lower river, the Big Hole is a must for anyone who's ever dreamed of the Montana experience.

The Beaverhead:
This is a bit down the road, but in Montana, it's not really that far.  The Beav is a small, high elevation tailwater stream.  It is another one of my favorite places to fish.  It's very similar to fishing the upper Clark Fork but with more trout per mile.  There's also more people per trout per mile.  That's a ratio which should always be considered.

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?

Brown trout, brown cows, blue soil, clear water

Mount Powell and the upper Clark Fork

The Clark Fork above the Little Blackfoot is running big and clear, and is fishing well.  It looks like it would be a great float and I didn't even see one boat.

I fished  from below the spillway, all the way down to Galen over two days.  The fishing slows down as you go downstream but you won't see another person for miles.  It was too windy to mess with the ponds.

A green Matuka or JJ Special worked great in the mornings and the large browns were pissed and came out of the shadows.  Nymhing worked best in the afternoon.  A firebead Ray Charles with a Little Green Machine or Rainbow Lightning Bug dropper killed it.  There are some huge rainbows which show up on my line up there every so often.  The common belief is that they've flushed over the spillway from the ponds.  I like to think they swam up there from the lower river.

Copper salts percolating out of soil 

Something important for folks to witness is the toxic, metal laden soils which line the banks and floodplain. The majority of the contamination came in 1908 when a 100 year flood turned the entire Clark Fork Valley into a massive toxic mudslide.  The flood waters flushed decades worth of industrial scale mine waste out of Butte and Anaconda and deposited it over 90 miles of floodplain.  A bunch of the sediment from the flood filled in the brand-spanking-new Milltown Reservoir.  The stumps are dead willows which could not grow in the toxic soil.  We call them "ghost willows."

Copper salts up close

Overly friendly brown cows