After a year away from PA, Mary and I decided we needed to get in our trout fix.
Montana beckoned....
We booked four days of guided fishing with Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop in Missoula, Mt. Of our many trips to Montana, which included some exceptional lodges and fishing, this trip was hands down the best (which is saying something).
The fly shop is located right in town. Even better, it operates apartments located right above the shop. Not only were the accommodations convenient, but also extremely comfortable and well appointed. Ours had a full fridge, range, microwave, sink, dishes, glassware, and utensils.
Missoula is a cool, eclectic town. Plenty of restaurants, brewpubs, bars, and markets within walking distance of the fly shop. If you want to save some bucks, the markets offer plenty of options for meals.
The fishing. Flat-out awesome. First two outings were drifting the Clark Fork and Bitterroot Rivers. All of the rivers (we drifted the Blackfoot on our last day) have unique characteristics. We also did a walk/wade trip, to get the full Montana experience. All are phenomenal fisheries. As daytime temps reached into the 90s by mid-afternoon, the state placed "Hoot Owl Restrictions, which prohibited fishing after 2:00 PM. That meant 6:00 AM meetups with the guides. (Another reason to stay at the apartments above the shop).
We were on the waters by 6:30-7:00 AM. The guide fee included rods/reels (5 wts), flies, and lunch). We didn't bring waders (you can rent those), but I did purchase Korkers wading shoes from the shop for our one day of wading. (with the temps we wet-waded). But that was it. Much more convenient than hauling our stuff.
Drift fishing was fairly easy. We fished hopper/dropper rigs for the most part. On a few occasions the guide switched to a single hopper or a dry if we saw rising fish. Fishing the hopper/dropper rig got some getting used to. Not really from a casting perspective, as we weren't casting more than 10-15 feet from the boat. The challenge was the set. Since we were fishing a variety of water depths, the dropper sat about 4-5 feet below the hopper. That meant when the hopper moved (even slightly), our set was more like a back cast to get the slack out and hook the fish.
Our guide, Drew Miller, knew where the fish were. More importantly, he was an outstanding coach. We landed some quality fish. Rainbows, Cutbows, Cutthroats, Whitefish, and Pike Minnow (The name is a misnomer. While the fish looks like a Walleye, it can get pretty big)
Four quick highlights from Days 1 and 2: Mary sticking a stud Cutbow, Landing an 18-20" Cuttie on a hopper. (pictured above), Mary hooking a small trout, which was subsequently eaten by a big Pike (we got the fish close enough to the boat to see it before it turned and broke off on 4X), hooking two Pike, one taking me under the boat before spitting the streamer, and the other cutting the leader).
Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing
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