Day Eight: O'Hair's Spring Creek with Marcus

Most people who have fly fished in Montana would agree that the spring creeks in Livingston are the most difficult challenge you can find.  Today we decided to finish our fly fishing trip on O'Hair's Ranch and the fishing was as difficult as I've ever seen it.  The skies were mostly clear (though by 4:00PM we were about to get dumped on) and the wind was not a problem.  However, the fish were picky beyond description.

At one point we "chummed" the water with live grasshoppers.  The trout turned their noses up at them.  So I ask you how can my imitation hopper with a less than perfect drift hope to compete with a perfect natural?   I think the answer is...it can't.

Jon was able to take a couple of fish and hooked up several other times.  I think that separates him from 95% of the anglers who venture forth onto these hallowed waters.  It is just very, very difficult fishing and though I would have liked to finish our trip up with a banner day, I think Jon now appreciates how difficult spring creeks can be.  It really takes a PhD in fly fishing to score on these creeks and the boy done good.  I'm proud of how well he fished here.

So, with lightning flashing and a T-storm barreling across Paradise Valley, we barely made it into the car before the skies dumped on us.  We pointed the old Toyota east and set out for our 120 miles drive to Billings.

Tomorrow we'll fly to Denver and then to Atlanta.  We've had a great trip, seen a million interesting sights, had some great fishing and a wonderful; time together...I couldn't have asked for a better time.

Day Seven: Yellowstone River with Eric

Today was our seventh straight day of fishing and it was a dandy!   We met our guide, Eric Paulson, at George Anderson's Yellowstone Angler in Livingston.  I have used this shop many times in the past and have always enjoyed the service they provide.  George Anderson is an icon in the fly fishing industry and he runs a top notch fly shop.

Our guide gave us the "once over" (trying to figure put if we knew which end of a fly rod to hold on to) and then decided to take us on the lower stretch of the Yellowstone River.  As it turns out the upper sections were pretty dirty from all of the rain they have been having in the park (we should know...we fished and rode through a bunch of it).  So we headed east on I90 and after about a 30 minute ride reached our put-in point- a pretty gnarly, rock strewn boat ramp.

The weather was cool and sunny and Eric had us tie on a hopper pattern with a nymph dropper.  The fishing was slow to start but as the day wore on things heated up.  My guess is that we had 50-75 fish rise to our flies and we managed to hook about 1/3 of them.  Jon once again took the best fish of the day...a 20" male Brown Trout- just a beautiful specimen.

Jon and I really enjoyed fishing with Eric.  Though I thought things started off a bit odd (as in, "You cannot use a 3 Wt rod to cast a hopper pattern"---I beg to differ), as things wore on we began to bond and I really thought he did a fine job guiding us and was a fun guy to spend a day with.  I really was impressed with all of his hunting and fishing exploits (Elk hunting, Idaho steelheading, New Zealand fishing, etc.)  and enjoyed hearing him talk about spey and switch rods.  As I told Eric I have two lists of guides...my "A" list and my Shit List.  Eric goes on my "A" list- I'd definitely fish with him again.

I must say that I was very impressed with this section of the "Stone".  Although the river followed the interstate for much of the day, the water was in beautiful condition.  The river had tons of shallow shelfs and drop offs and some fabulous undercut banks.  If we'd had the time there were dozens of places we could have stopped and more carefully worked...but we had miles to cover.  Nevertheless,  I'd gladly return to fish this section more thoroughly.

We decided to call it a day early and by 4:30 we were on the road back to Livingston.  We stopped by the Murray Hotel for dinner and sat next to Michael Keaton ( Batman, Mr.Mom, etc) at the bar in the restaurant.  He seemed to be enjoying his privacy and so we left him alone.  I was dying to quote some of his lines from Mr. Mom ("220/221...whatever it takes") and Night Shift ("Do you like music?").  We seem to think that he has a ranch near here and that he's a big fly fisherman.

Anyway, off to dreamland......

Day

Day Six: Slough Creek with Cody

Whew...what a day!  Day six was quite an adventure.  We had made arrangements to have a wrangler take us up into a fairly remote part of Yellowstone Park on horseback.  The wrangler was a young guy named Cody who worked for Ronnie Wright, owner of Beartooth Plateau Outfitters.  In addition to guiding horseback trips Ronnie's main business is as an Elk hunting outfitter.  He does it the old fashioned way with horse trips up to remote Elk camps with the high walled tents, etc.  Pretty cool deal.

By 9:30Am Jon, Cody and I along with our three horses plus a pack horse started up the trail to Slough Creek.  We had about a 2 hour ride ahead of us and it took us through some beautiful country.  I think Jon was a bit apprehensive about spending hours on a horse and yet, he did great.  His horse was a bit goofy acting...it would hang back, look around and then bolt to get back to us.  Not the most comfortable ride.  But we eventually arrived at the "second meadow" of Slogh Creek, had a nice lucnh on a shady rock outcropping, got rigged up and headed down to the creek.

Slough Creek is know for its Cutthroat Trout and usually has some really good insect hatches...but alas, it was not happening today.  We were about to take a few fish on stimulators and ant/beatle patterns, but the fishing was slow.  Sensing that Jon was getting frustrated with things, I decided to call for an early quitting time and we headed back to our base camp.  Cody was already saddling the horses and in a few minutes we were back on the trail.

By 5PM we were back on the road and had about a 90 mile drive to Livingston, MT.  Most of the drive was through the park and we saw a ton of Buffalo and  even saw a Grizzly...pretty unusual.  The drive was again breathtaking.  Huge views of the Lamar Valley, the Yellowstone and Gardiner Rivers...after a while it became almost mundane.

We checked into our hotel and had a nice Mexican dinner in Livingston and I told Jon all of my Murray Hotel stories (Ask me about Sam Peckinpah, Margot Kidder and Parks Reese sometime).  Back to the hotel where I did a load of wash and then passed out.  Tomorrow we'll be on the Yellowstone River.  CYA!!

Day Four and Five: Cody, WY with Ted

We finished up fishing with Dennis Fischer on the Bighorn and departed from the Bighorn Access headed for Cody, WY at about 5:30PM.  The route we planned to take was on very lightly traveled back roads, mostly through the Crow Indian Reservation.  I’ll admit that I was nervous about this route because if we experienced any trouble, we would really be stuck.  The route took us through some wide open country and at time we had some breathtaking views.  After a brief mix up around Pryor, MT we eventually made it to Edgar, MT and the main route into Cody.

The plan was for us to meet Ted Seckinger in Cody and fish with him for two days and after a couple of aborted attempts Ted and I connected via cell phones and made arrangements to have dinner in Cody.  Before dinner we stopped off at the Northfork Angler and said hello to Chip Andrews who I know from my red fishing trip last  December in New Orleans.  Chip was able to join us for dinner and told us that he’d had an “EPIC” day on the North Fork of the Shoshone River that day.  He and Ted raved about the fishing and set our expectations sky high.  Maybe too high.

On Thursday morning we met at the shop, got licensed and equipped with flies, bear spray and assorted odds and ends and headed out to the North Fork…about an hours drive.  The river was in perfect condition and it ran through some stunning country in the National Forest.

Jon on the North Fork of the Shoshone River

We fished hard until about 3:30PM and although the weather and scenery were just spectacular…the fishing was slow.  We fished with gigantic hopper patterns and a North Fork Special as a “dropper”.  All in,  we probably took 10-12 fish between the three of us.  I know Ted was disappointed with how it fished…frankly I was too.  The wading was very difficult- like walking on greased bowling balls.  By the end of the day I was beat.

North Fork in the National Forest section

Arsty shot

At dinner we talked frankly about blowing off tomorrow, although I hate to leave Ted high and dry.  He went to some trouble to find us a boat for Friday…but if the river is not fishing well or is still all muddy, we may just take a rest day and slowly work our way over to Cooke City and get ready for our adventure riding up to Slough Creek.

Well, as things turned out we decided to go ahead and fish again on Day Five with Ted.  He was able to borrow his friend Guy's Outcast raft and we headed for the Shoshone tailwater just outside of Cody.  The water was off color from the recent rain, but Ted thought that the fishing would be OK.  We put in about 10AM and started in on a 6 mile float through some pretty neat canyons...but mostly privately owned land.  The stream accees laws in Wyoming are definitely stacked in favor of the land owners- they own to the center of the river which means that you cannot wade these areas..in fact you can't even anchor the boat on the landowners stream bed...it pretty much means that a float trip is just that, no stopping at all.  As it turned out the fishing was pretty slow- and it was my least favorite form of fly fishing...swinging Woolly Buggers against the bank all day.  It is tiring for me to cast a weighted nymph all day and maybe one cast out of a hundred produces anything.  

By 2:00PM we'd reached the take out point and after a bit of a scramble, we had out car loaded up, said out goodbyes and headed off to Cooke City over the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway.  The drive was about 90 miles and it was one of the most beautiful drives I've ever been on.  The mountains were gorgeous and the weather was really cool- we passed in and out of powerful thunderstroems with brilliant lightning strikes.  Just as we approached Cooke City we passed the Soda Butte Campground which was the site of the recent Grizzly Bear attack in which two campers were mauled and a third was killed.  The campground was closed which seems kind of silly...hasn't the damage been done??

We stopped into Beartooth Plateau Outfitters briefly and discussed tomorrow's horseback trip.  Lodging was at the Super 8 motel...the first hotel I've ever stayed in with no air conditioning.  Our west facing room was hot as hell, but it eventually cooled off once the sun set.  Sleep was iffy at best.

Day Four: Cody, WY

Day Three: Bighorn River...Dennis Fischer SEES fish

For our third and final day on the Bighorn Jon and I had the pleasure of fishing with Dennis Fischer.  Dennis has guided on the Bighorn for many years and there are no tricks that he does not have at his disposal.  As I mentioned in an earlier post Dennis was the guy who showed me the technique of sight fishing on the Bighorn and he again treated us to this special version of nymph fishing today.

Starting out at Three Mile Dennis rowed us across the channel and up stream a little ways.  We de-boated and began stalking fish in the shallow runs.  Almost immediately Dennis spotted fish and we began casting to them.



The fish were a bit fussy at first but we eventually began taking them for rides on our 5 and 6 weights.  After catching several nice browns and rainbows we re-boated and drifted down to a second run (one that we'd fished the day before with some success).








At this second run we put a real asswhipping on them, probably hooking 10-12 fish and several over 20".  In fact we're pretty sure tghat we caught on 20" rainbow twice (well actually I hooked it and had it one for 100 yards and the Jon eventually landed it 10 minutes later).  The weather was postcard perfect...mid 70's, blue skies and no humidity.

From the point things started slowing down and the rest of the day was slower than any stretch we'd experienced.  Wish we could have finished with a bang, but hey...that's fishing.  It was great spending the day with Dennis, whom I consider to be a old friend now.  He is truly a unique guide...nobody SEES fish like Dennis.  Take care my friend.

By 5:00PM we had arrived at the Bighorn Access and after a quick pack job and goodbyes to Dennis, Jon and I hit the road, headed for Cody, WY.

I was nervous about the first 50 miles of the drive as we too a road through a pretty desolate section on Montana- all of it through Crow Indian Reservation.  In fact nearly 20 miles of this route were on gravel roads...good gravel (as Dave's wife, Jan, said)...but gravel nonetheless.  No radios stations, no cell service, no stores....just wheat farms, cattle ranches and prairie.   Breakdown out here and you are royally hosed.  But Lady Luck smiled down upon us and we whipped right through this section enjoying some spectacular sights along the way.


By 8:00PM we arrived in Cody and were greeted by traffic and overflow tourists and what looked like Daytona Bike Week...motorcycles everywhere.  Fortunately, they were well behaved last night and we slept well.  All in all, another great day in our Western Fly Fishing Adventure.

Day Two: Bighorn River with Dave...It gets better

Our second day on the Bighorn unfolded as an even better day than our first.

We were guided again by Dave Dill, who retired as a Captain with 30 years service with the Montana State Highway Patrol.  Dave is an excellent guide who knows the Bighorn like the back of his hand and has a smooth and gentle style that was perfect for Jon's introduction to fly fishing here.  We really enjoyed spending time with Dave and he has earned a spot on my "A" list of guides.

The morning greeted us with cooler temps and overcast skies.  The weatherman was calling for about a 40% chance of rain...so chose to pack our raincoats in the dry bag.  Our plan was to fish the river in the same pattern as yesterday (cover Three Mile to Bighorn Access first, then cover the Afterbay to Three Mile section late in the day).

At the Three Mile section we fished the same section as yesterday and had some dry fly action right off the bat- fishing size 18-20 black caddis and took several fish with these.  From there we drifted down using small nymphs and covering the many shelves and drop-offs.  By late morning the cloud cover had blown out and we switched over to a Hopper/dropper rig and continued to pick up fish with these.  I think the highlight of the first part of the day was watching Jon fish a shallow run accross from Mike Craigs place (a run that I have never been able to get into).  Jon cast beautifully and threw big mends to get perfect drifts through this run.  He was rewarded with 4-5 fish ion about 20 minutes...masterful!!!

 We finished up at Bighorn Access by about 3:30 and hauled back into town to arrange a shuttle and then quickly made our way to the Afterbay and put back in.  With the skies darkening we prepared to get dumped on and broke out the raincoats.  Soon the rain came..along with some pretty intense thunder and lightning.  Dave decided to get us off the main channel and we took shelter along the side of the river. 

After a pretty good shower the sky began to breakup and we went looking for "snouts".  Dave had us on a pod of rising fish and we succeeded in picking off several of these fish...casting size 20-22 black caddis and a tiny mayfly imitation.

Mather nature put on a real show for us at the end of the day...the skies were unbelievable- double rainbow, huge cloud formations, unreal lighting.  After a great meal at the Trout Shop, Jon and I got ourselves packed up and ready for our last day on the Bighorn and a long drive to Cody, Wyoming.

A final thought about Dave Dill.  Jon and I agreed that Dave did an outstanding job guiding us.  He was very helpful with Jon's technique...especially in mending (a really critical technique in fly fishing).  But most of all, Dave is one of the nicest, most genuine guys I've ever had the pleasure of spending time with.  If you ever have a chance to fish with his, both Jon and I would highly recommend him.  Thanks Dave!!!

Day One: Bighorn River with Dave...Just what I was hoping

Jon and I finished our first day on the Bighorn and it was a good one.  But first, let me catch you up on our travels.

On Saturday I picked Jon up from his apartment about 7:30 and we headed south to the airport, stopping for dinner at Chipotles for dee-lish-us burritos.  Next stop was REI where we both bought wide brimmed hats that would prove to be highly valuable in the relentless western sun.  From there we drove on toward our hotel (near the airport).  Since our flight was so early (6:15AM) we had decided to spend the night close to the airport and chose the Courtyard Atlanta- just 2 miles from the airport.  As we entered the lobby and heard the loud music blaring we were filled with dread...and rightfully so.  The hotel was full of revelers and Jon and I had a miserable night's sleep...kids shouting in the halls, doors slamming and loud voices all night long.  I HATE hotels.

At 4:00 AM we rolled out of bed and headed towards the airport where our check in proceeded flawlessly.  In fact the entire trip to Billings was on time and uneventful...just the way we like it.  We picked up our rental car from Hertz and pointed it towards Ft. Smith.  Two hours late we pulled into town.  I think the drive  was an eye opener for Jon- the south eastern landscape of Montana is unlike anything he's ever seen...big open plains, massive wheat operations, big skies.  The weather was sunny and hot..something pushing 90F.

The Big Horn Trout shop has been mostly rebuilt since I was here a few years ago due to a tragic fire in which three guests were killed.  The owner Steve Hilbers was waiting for us and quickly had us checked in, licensed and geared up.  Our room is spacious, new, clean and nicely decorated...my only beef is that the internet speed could use a boost.

 Jon and I decided to go right out and try our luck and that was probably a good idea and a bad idea.  It was a bad idea because we got skunked and encountered hoards of other anglers who were drawn to the same area we were in due to the easy access to the river.  It was a good idea because it helped us appreciate what a good day would follow...I really appreciate what these guides know and can do for a client.

On Monday morning we met Dave Dill (that's him two pictures above) who is to be our guide for the next two days.  Dave is a great guy...very upbeat, knowledgeable and a good teacher.  We launched his drift boat at Three Mile, rowed straight across the river, parked the boat and almost immediately Dave had Jon on his first Montana brown trout.  It was a thrilling moment for me to see my son, after all these years, enjoying the pleasure of this beautiful river the way I have for so many years.  The fish were taking a tiny (size18-20) black caddis and caddis emerger pattern.  We spent about an hour and a half working these fish, each of us taking multiple fish...nothing huge but nice healthy browns and an occassional rainbow.

The crowds that we'd seen yesterday seemed to have gone elsewhere...we literally had the river to ourselves...nice.  The weather today would be glorious...warm without being oppressive, clear skies (easier to spot fish) and wind free (most casters nemisis).  It was looking like it would be a great day!!!

 We the picked up anchor and change our tactics to fishing a Hopper pattern with a small Pheasant tail trailing that.  As we floated the remaining nine miles we steadily picked up fish and at one point Jon stuck a really nice fish...turned out to be a 20" rainbow- our best fish of the day.

 Around 4:00PM we took out at Bighorn Access and hauled the boat back up to the Afterbay and began drifting the upper three miles looking for rising fish.  We were able to spot two pods of riser and at each stop we were able to stick several nice fish.  The sun was just about to slide behind the mountains when we started down the road to town...tired, hungry, a bit sun burnt and satisfied with our first day of fishing on the Bighorn.

Back to the room by about 8:00PM  and after a quick shower we dined on cheeseburgers at Polly's Dine just across the street.  As I crawled into bed I was dead tired but filled with satisfaction over how well the trip has gone so far...it's been just was I was hoping.