CW
10-04-2013, 10:18 AM
Hiya Billy:
Coworker and her hubby did an awesome trip few months back, asked her to give me the quick and dirty. Pics at the bottom, hopefully I get it right.
Ugly cast, mend, feed, feed, feed, SET SET SET!!!
Aka three days with Mike Bias…
You will never say you didn’t fish enough, didn’t get enough to eat and were not thoroughly entertained if you go fishing with Mike. Mike Bias was recommended to us by Charles Won. He knew Mike would be a great fit for us. This was a trip of a lifetime for my husband – a gift for his 50th birthday. It exceeded all my expectations. Casey was such a happy fisherman.
When I contacted Mike, I said I wanted to fish the best rivers for the best fish at the best time of year. He was so helpful in getting us set up with accommodations and answered all my silly questions about the trip.
We fished the Big Hole, the Beaverhead and the Madison. Each one was a different experience and each fish we caught was amazing. We caught a LOT of fish on the Big Hole and it was so scenic that I wasn’t sure if I should be casting or sightseeing. I’ve been fishing less than a dozen times and was not knowledgeable by any stretch. Well, Mike was very patient and really articulate and I caught the first and the biggest fish of the day. Casey caught more fish than I did and could not have been happier with the extra knowledge he got from Mike that first day and all through the trip.
We took our time getting the boat in the water and Mike really knew how to slowly fish the best parts of the river. We didn’t rush by any hole that was fishy and we didn’t have much time that we weren’t fishing. Casey could do it all day; I ended up kicking back now and then, taking pictures and generally enjoying the tour of the Big Hole that Mike provided. This guy really cares about the Rivers. His conservation efforts are apparent and he’s happy to explain them to you without making you feel bad for not knowing what we all should know.
I have to comment about lunch – it was fantastic. Every day. It was so good (what we ate, I’m keeping as a little surprise if you get to fish with Mike) that I tracked down the people making lunch and ended up leaving Twin Bridges with a recipe.
The Beaverhead was not as pretty in the lush green way the Big Hole was. This was a river with smarter, bigger fish. It was still beautiful in many ways and armed with our new knowledge we were eager to go get a HUGE rainbow. Ok, so I we didn’t get a HUGE rainbow but we did get several big fish. This river had beautiful pools to fish and it was super fun to chase big fish. There were willowed banks and big sweeping bends and it was both challenging and fun.
The Madison was crazy good! The river is fast, big and impressive. The fish were wicked fast and they literally took off upriver IF hooked. Mike educated us as to what to expect from each river and he was dead on every time. I maybe just wasn’t sure I believed they would go that fast up river. He was right, I was wrong. We lost a lot more fish that day mostly because I’m a total rookie and the fish are really good at getting away…I’m sure that’s it. We landed several awesome fish so that was alright in the end. Mike laughed at me several times as I almost got one and let out some un-lady like language. Casey was much better on this river than I was and got some beautiful browns.
So the fishing was obviously good. There were other bonuses to going on this trip with a great guide. We met some really nice people in the fly shops that we visited to arrange shuttles for Mike car and to get flys. They were so friendly and willing to share any info they had about what was good what people were saying, etc. We got lots of info on the other rivers that we could fish on our own and it was info that was valuable and we used. Fishing in Montana is well worth it, getting in the boat with Mike…priceless.
Coworker and her hubby did an awesome trip few months back, asked her to give me the quick and dirty. Pics at the bottom, hopefully I get it right.
Ugly cast, mend, feed, feed, feed, SET SET SET!!!
Aka three days with Mike Bias…
You will never say you didn’t fish enough, didn’t get enough to eat and were not thoroughly entertained if you go fishing with Mike. Mike Bias was recommended to us by Charles Won. He knew Mike would be a great fit for us. This was a trip of a lifetime for my husband – a gift for his 50th birthday. It exceeded all my expectations. Casey was such a happy fisherman.
When I contacted Mike, I said I wanted to fish the best rivers for the best fish at the best time of year. He was so helpful in getting us set up with accommodations and answered all my silly questions about the trip.
We fished the Big Hole, the Beaverhead and the Madison. Each one was a different experience and each fish we caught was amazing. We caught a LOT of fish on the Big Hole and it was so scenic that I wasn’t sure if I should be casting or sightseeing. I’ve been fishing less than a dozen times and was not knowledgeable by any stretch. Well, Mike was very patient and really articulate and I caught the first and the biggest fish of the day. Casey caught more fish than I did and could not have been happier with the extra knowledge he got from Mike that first day and all through the trip.
We took our time getting the boat in the water and Mike really knew how to slowly fish the best parts of the river. We didn’t rush by any hole that was fishy and we didn’t have much time that we weren’t fishing. Casey could do it all day; I ended up kicking back now and then, taking pictures and generally enjoying the tour of the Big Hole that Mike provided. This guy really cares about the Rivers. His conservation efforts are apparent and he’s happy to explain them to you without making you feel bad for not knowing what we all should know.
I have to comment about lunch – it was fantastic. Every day. It was so good (what we ate, I’m keeping as a little surprise if you get to fish with Mike) that I tracked down the people making lunch and ended up leaving Twin Bridges with a recipe.
The Beaverhead was not as pretty in the lush green way the Big Hole was. This was a river with smarter, bigger fish. It was still beautiful in many ways and armed with our new knowledge we were eager to go get a HUGE rainbow. Ok, so I we didn’t get a HUGE rainbow but we did get several big fish. This river had beautiful pools to fish and it was super fun to chase big fish. There were willowed banks and big sweeping bends and it was both challenging and fun.
The Madison was crazy good! The river is fast, big and impressive. The fish were wicked fast and they literally took off upriver IF hooked. Mike educated us as to what to expect from each river and he was dead on every time. I maybe just wasn’t sure I believed they would go that fast up river. He was right, I was wrong. We lost a lot more fish that day mostly because I’m a total rookie and the fish are really good at getting away…I’m sure that’s it. We landed several awesome fish so that was alright in the end. Mike laughed at me several times as I almost got one and let out some un-lady like language. Casey was much better on this river than I was and got some beautiful browns.
So the fishing was obviously good. There were other bonuses to going on this trip with a great guide. We met some really nice people in the fly shops that we visited to arrange shuttles for Mike car and to get flys. They were so friendly and willing to share any info they had about what was good what people were saying, etc. We got lots of info on the other rivers that we could fish on our own and it was info that was valuable and we used. Fishing in Montana is well worth it, getting in the boat with Mike…priceless.