Fish Out of Water

Last weekend we drove through Twin Bridges to get to the Fly Fishing Festival in Ennis, Montana. My impression of Twin is that it resembles places like Victor, Idaho or maybe West Yellowstone many years ago. Very quaint, with businesses supporting both the local farmers & ranchers and the fishermen who come here to fish the world renowned blue ribbon trout rivers that run through the area.

At the recommendation of Justin Hartman (who better than a local fishing guide to know the best places to fish & eat?), we stopped at the Wagon Wheel restaurant in Twin for a delicious breakfast. It was our luck to be right next to Four Rivers Fishing Company Fly Shop. We went in "to look around" and had a nice conversation with Greg Smith and his wife Robin. I ended up with a new chest pack from FishPond (Arroyo) and left happy to have met them. A very nice fly shop with nice people.

We went on to Ennis and visited the Madison River Fishing Company fly shop before walking to the Peter T. Park where the exhibitors were set up with their tents. It was small affair with a few exhibits and speakers, but I have to admit I was expecting something more. Something bigger and more organized that would have attracted more people. I thought being in Ennis it would be huge. I saw one person demonstrating fly tying and one person was conducting the casting clinic. They had a kids and beginners casting session in the morning and at 1 PM we sat through the digital photography question and answer session. At 2 PM we watched a 120 photo slideshow by Craig Matthews of Blue Ribbon Flies. He had lots of pretty pictures of the Yellowstone area, but I found it interesting that he kept saying "I can't tell you the name of this stream because it cannot take any more fishing pressure." Or "This stream is fragile and I can't tell you where it is." His main point was that you should look at a map and explore areas you haven't been to before. I also came away with the philosophy that you don't tell people where you fish unless you want it crowded.

We walked through the exhibits of various art mediums and handmade items and had a chance to see all the large painted fish that were being auctioned off that night. It's called "Fish Out of Water" and I believe each fish sold for at least $3,500 with the benefits going to local organizations. (Looking back at the fish photos I realized how few people were in the background.) We had a couple favorites, but decided there was no room in the motorhome for a fish out of water.

We I thought about returning the following day after learning about the prizes being awarded in the casting competition, but decided the rewards of fishing in our river back home was reward enough.