The Road Less Traveled: Montana - A Fish Report
I have been to Montana several times and have fished the big name rivers that get a lot of ink in the guide books (The Madison, Gallatin, Missouri, Beaverhead, Ruby, et al) but this trip I wanted to try something completely different. I wanted to fish the smaller streams, the ones that you don’t hear about, the ones that don’t have a path trodden down along the banks where tons of other anglers have walked before you. So I broke out the DeLorme and looked for the small streams that feed the big rivers and hit the road. My first stop was in the Bitterroot drainage where I fished the East and West Forks of the Bitterroot, but also several small, relatively unknown streams as well. It’s hard to pass up an evening caddis hatch with actively rising trout, coupled with a spectacular sunset
The first small stream I hit was down a long and dusty road and was definitely grizzly country, so I grabbed my bear spray and my three weight and fished upstream. I encountered many sweet pools like this that had tons of 8-12” trout in them that would eagerly inhale any attractor pattern that I would cast.
The second stream was a bit brushier and it was harder to find spots that held fish…
but persistence paid off for nice 14” cutts like this one
I fished in this drainage for a few days and then eventually moved over to the Sapphire Mountains and the streams there. Good fishing and plenty of wildlife viewing as well.
Can you say “habituated?”
Big horn ewe
Rubber Boa
A few days later I wandered a bit more south and east, into the land of Mordor…or at least it looked like it.
I wandered around and eventually found myself at a high mountain lake on a Sunday afternoon. A lot of people were there at first, but by four o’clock me and two backpackers were the only ones left.
After the wind died down, trout started to rise all over the lake, so I entertained myself by catching 10-12” rainbows and cutts that responded well to a griffith’s gnat.
Lots of beautiful wildflowers were still in bloom
And a still steaming “calling card” left behind by one of the locals
I moseyed about a bit more and found this stream that oxbowed through a big valley. The ranchers that owned the land were OK with anglers that followed the rules and didn’t mess with their stock or property. Again, no other signs that other anglers had been there and sweet corner pools like this one
This stream delivered up lots of brookies and rainbows.
The last stream was much further west and is a tributary of the Clark Fork (specific, huh?). Cold, clear water, free camping spots and plenty of rainbows and west slope cutts that responded well to a “hatch” of stimulators
This cutt was 17” and right after this one, I hooked into one that was even larger, but the current was strong and the fish fought hard and it bent the hook on my fly 45 degrees and swam off. Damn! Great fish, but cheap hooks.
And then I headed home through Oregon to see some family members, the sun setting on another fabulous trip to the Treasure State.
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Originally Posted by Tahoetrout
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