I had the opportunity to fish out west a few evenings this week. I had meetings in Missoula and Calgary, so I took along a 4wt to see what this freshwater fly fishing was all about.
Due to my very limited time, I booked a wading trip (instead of a drift boat trip) with a local guide my second evening in Missoula and we hit the upper Clark Fork river. I had never really had to mend line before, but after about 10 minutes I had it pretty much figured out. We were fishing hoppers as an indicator and had a dropper with a nymph. I missed the first few fish, then managed to catch around 20 before it got dark. Rainbows, brook, cutthroat, and cutbows (interbreeding between rainbows and cutties) all fell to various flies. Most of the fish were small, but I managed a couple around 15" and one that would have gone 20" that shook the hook just as he was almost in the net. I learned a lot and had the opportunity to put my newfound knowledge to the test as the week went on.
I was able to wet a line in Glacier river, the upper fork of the Flathead river, the Bitterroot, Rock Creek, the Blackfoot river, and the Bow and Spray rivers in Banff National park in Alberta.
I lost a huge, and I mean HUGE trout that hit a nymph in the Spray river. He ripped right to the backing and kept going until the 6.4lb leader broke. Everything else I caught was small, but I sure had a blast! While on the Spray river I saw a big brown mass moving through the brush about 100 yards upstream. After reading all the Grizzly warning signs I admittedly had a pucker factor going on… it turned out to be 8 or 9 elk. I tried to get closer but they melted into the forest, only to come right out to the river as I was walking back out.
My last night in town is when I fished the Bitterroot, and the water was really moving. There were a lot of big fish in this stretch of river, I sight casted to some that ignored everything I offered. One fish was on the other side of a deep section where I could not cross without hiking 3/4 of a mile in either di
Definitly some nice pics there Jerms! Used to hang out round Banff a bit, some beautiful country for sure. Them rivers are Brrrrrrr cold even in summertime!
Glad you got on some fish, but judging from the pictures, it really would not have mattered if you could not find them. Was to the 4wt enough? I am sorry about the 6wt, I still have not gotten it back from the factory yet.
“Fishing is alot like sex…when its good,it’s really good, and when its bad, its still pretty good.”
Don’t expect that kind of fishing out of the barren streams here in the east!! Spent tons of time out there in my earlier years and it spoiled me big time. I’m dying to go back. I’m gonna do it when my son gets older.
Jerms I have a lot of family in Montana…Missoula and Bozeman mostly. I learned to fly fish in the Galatin river and the Bitterroot…A lot of those pictures look so familiar. Fly fishing is very addictive…once you get proficient it is hard to go back to spin-cast and trolling…all that seems boring after throwing hoppers across the river and getting that hefty cutthroat on. Good stuff man, I am glad that you got to experience that. You should hit the Yellowstone river next time, try a nymph and you’ll be catching Blackmouth all day. Just watch out for the warm water spots…that is where the vents are and it would suck to fall in one Thanks for the post…good memories
Thanks for the post…good memories