Rick says, "I'm On A Mission"

I'll get right to the point! It was a very good day of fishing! As Rick's shirt says, "I'm on a mission."

The wind stayed away today and even though the river flow was up a little (at least 727 cfs), we both hooked and caught many trout. Good thing that Rick is just as fanatic about it as I am! He catches soooo many fish! Today he was hooking them right behind me and I didn't even know it! He was on a mission! This was the fish of the day. I even stopped fishing to get a few photos of it.

I'm still determined to fish for rising trout and cannot resist when I see them across the river on the far bank. I made it out to the middle, but could feel the push of the current. I played it safe, tried to stand my ground, and extended my casts. I love it when the fish are on the edge of my casting ability. It's such a challenge and such a thrill when you are using all you have to place the fly exactly where the fish is and then have that fish take the fly! Anyone who fly fishes understands, and those of you who don't understand, I wish you could experience it.

When it slows down for me with dry flies, I look at Rick who is hooking fish after fish on nymphs. I fished with nymphs for a little while, but change back to dries when I see a trout taking bugs on the surface. I cannot resist! There was a rainbow taking bugs just under the surface, way over on the far bank and I made about 4 casts until it took my fly. When it realized it was hooked it jumped out of the water 3 times and then went down and through some bushy weeds. I could feel it pull against the line, but knew it was under and through the weeds. It came out of the water one last time and came off the hook. What we call a 'long distance release'. You had to be there to know the thrill!

I do have some other things to share with you besides fishing. Check back soon.

Fish or make bait

We've had a few windy days here in Montana which makes it a little difficult to fly fish, especially if you're fishing with dry flies. When you're fishing with nymphs you have some weight on the line making it a little easier to cast. More like "chuck and duck" and with 20 mph wind you have to duck more often. Around noon on Wednesday, 7/30, we decided it would be a good day to go to town, replenish groceries, and visit the local fly shops. Oh, and get lunch at the white school bus Fiesta Mexicana Restaurant. Yum yum! More on that later and perhaps a couple restaurant reviews.

Rick usually gets up an hour earlier than me and ties flies before breakfast. (Just a note to anyone who cares, I usually stay up an hour or more than Rick in the evening.) He can always find new tying materials that he needs, so we went to 3 of the fly shops in Dillon -- Tim Tollett's Frontier Anglers, Tom Smith's Backcountry Angler, and Uncle Bob's Outdoors. They are each a full-service fly shop offering guided trips of the local rivers. I'm looking for new wading water sandals because my Columbia sandals that I've had for years (that I love) are falling apart. Rick put some Sho-Goo on them, but I don't think they'll last the summer. I didn't find new sandals, but yes, Rick did pick up some much-needed tying materials. We also enjoyed discussing fishing conditions with the owners of the fly shops. We're thinking of spending the entire summer on the river to experience the changes the river undergoes throughout the season.

We bought the groceries we needed for the next week or two and headed home in time for a late dinner of shrimp, rice, and salad.

My Mom buys her Teva sandals on-line and I'm going to go on-line and find new Columbia or Teva sandals. Last year's models are usually half the price of this year's new designs. With the price of gas it will be cheaper to have them shipped to us rather than drive 2-3 hours to a store that might have what I want.

We've heard that a lot of people are staying close to home this summer because of the price of fuel. They call it a 'Stay-cation'. It sure is nice that the fishing is so good here so we don't have to travel around to find the hot fishing spot. Fishing in another state would also mean $150 for 2 more non-resident season licenses. The campground is really empty for this time of year, with only 2 other campers besides us. There were a couple tenters for a couple nights and there were 2 other RVs that left today. So out of about 45 sites, there are only 3 campers. Pretty slow business for the owners. Thankfully they have an auto repair business that helps carry them. He gets a lot of business from the surrounding ranches and farms that keep him very busy.

Map of the States

Have you seen the maps that most RVers put on their rigs showcasing the states they have visited? As they travel to a new state, they color it in. I love trying to figure out which direction they travelled to fill them in.

We had a map on our Alpenlite 5th wheel trailer and during the 80's we filled in almost every single state! We didn't make it to Missouri because Rick said he spent enough time there while in the military. (He called it the state of Misery. No offense to those from Missouri.) And we didn't make it to Alaska, though we were headed for Alaska one summer. We got side-tracked outside of Campbell River, British Columbia, and ended up spending the summer on Quadra Island. We had an inflatable boat and fished for salmon almost everyday! Love that smoked salmon!

We've thought about getting a new map for our Monaco motorhome, but haven't decided where we'd place it. (I say on the outside of the street side slide-out facing to the front.) Until we get a new map, this one will do. This shows the states we've visited since January 2008. Can you figure out which direction we travelled?

Awnings over the windows - Yes or No?

On our last motorhome we did not have awnings over the windows and I wondered if it would be a good thing to have. When it got warm in the afternoon I wondered if it would be worth the extra cost? I wondered if it would really make that much difference on the west side of the RV when the sun was setting and shining directly on us?

Well! Our 2008 Monaco Cayman has window awnings over the 2 large streetside windows (over the couch and dinette), over the big streetside bedroom window and over the curbside bedroom window. We also have an awning over the entry door and a large awning over the patio area.

Well let me tell you that they make a world of difference! When we extend the awnings over the windows it is such a difference! Where it was sunny and warming the couch, table, and floor, with the awnings extended it is now cool and shady. You can feel the interior temperature immediately cooling off. When we are in cooler climates (like Oregon) we don't use the awnings as much, but instead enjoy the warm sun that streams in. When it rains we are able to leave the windows open because the awnings keep the rain from blowing in. For now, this summer, we are facing north and the setting sun can be very hot. Even in Montana we'll get into the 90's.

There's a long metal rod, about 4 feet long, that you attach to the loop on the awning pull-strap to extend the awning. There's a small hook bracket attached to the motorhome that the loop on the strap secures to. I've found that it's also easy to extend the awnings from inside the motorhome. We're able to open the window and screen and pull the strap by hand. When the wind picks up and it starts raining we've been able to quickly work the awnings from the inside and not get wet. I'm able to extend and retract the awnings myself and don't have to rely on Rick's height to get it done.

So, if you were wondering if awnings would make a difference on your RV - yes they do. I'm not sure what the additional cost would be to add them, but I'm glad they came with our Cayman. We love them!

Fish or watch Nascar?

Fish or watch Nascar? No choice! FISH!

We walked to the river a little (just a little) earlier than usual and the dry fly action was happening! Marv from Darby was already there fishing to risers on the far bank. There was a man and woman fishing together upriver from Marv so Rick and I moved out to the middle in between, leaving enough room for everyone. We don't like to be crowded and we don't like to crowd others. I spotted a number of fish rising and Rick and I traded places. He then backed off to the home bank and fished behind me, casting to my back. I caught a few and moved to the far bank to release one. Once there I turned around and Rick and I faced each other and fished to the same place in the middle of the river -- only I was fishing for the ones on top and he was fishing for the ones on the bottom of the river. Rick continued to nymph fish most of the day, with a couple fish taken with a size 18 PMD dry.

The couple upriver fished for a while longer and then decided to move to another location downriver. It really is nice to see other women on the river fly fishing! When they left it opened up more water for me and I could move around to the rising fish upriver. The gentlemen I mentioned in a previous post, Logan from New Zealand, arrived and consulted with Rick about what he was using. He moved out towards me and througout the day caught a couple fish on nymphs.

By 2:00 the fish weren't taking bugs from the top, so it pretty much shut down for me. I'd see a fish on the surface here and there, but nothing consistent. As Craig Matthews of Blue Ribbon Flies said in their newsletter, "Never leave rising trout" and I didn't. We continued to fish until about 4:00, with only occasional success. Logan came over to talk with Rick and asked about spotting fish feeding on the bottom. Rick pointed out a big rainbow moving back and forth, up and down, mouth opening, taking mynphs. With Logan standing next to him, Rick cast and hooked the rainbow. The water is clear and you can easily see the fish. We wrapped up the day and we said goodbye to Marv and Logan. Just about the time we were done for the day another couple arrived and moved in upriver from us. They both caught a couple fish with nymphs, but then he moved away and left her alone to bring in a fish without a net. She was not as experienced as he was, but she did a good job casting. When she hooked the fish I was close by and grabbed our long handled net. She was happy for me to net it. I told her it would run when it saw me and to be sure to let it go. I could also see that she had her hand gripping the line to the rod. Well, it was a good size fish and when it got close to me it ran like I said. And when it did she gripped the line and the fish got off the hook. I told her it was a good size trout and she was happy that it was easily off and she didn't have to remove the hook. (I think I might do a posting about men trying to get women to fish. The tips I could give would translate to any outdoor activity that she might be hesitant to undertake!)

From the beginning, 32 years ago, I've loved to fish with dry flies! To me there is more of a challenge seeing a rising fish taking bugs off the surface and presenting an artificial fly in a natural drift and hooking the fish. Anyway, today was a good day of fishing for both of us. I'm glad Jimmie Johnson won the race, but being outdoors, in the water, watching the butterflies and birds, and catching fish with Rick nearby was a fantastic way to spend the day.

I'll try to make the next few posts non-fish related for anyone who is really not interested in our fishing adventures. But we are going to fish tomorrow, and I think we'll be on the river early to be there for the dry fly action! Early means 10:00 AM!

What goes around, comes around

We were lucky to spend the first half of the day on the reservoir with our friend Steve. He has a nice 18' Crestliner boat made for fishin'. We met at the ramp at 8 AM just a few minutes from camp and headed off for the other side of the lake, where a stream comes in. There is a deep channel that is popular with the fishermen and fish. It took Rick and Steve a little while to figure out the right fly combination and then they caught fish! Nice big brown and rainbow trout. We didn't keep any fish nor did I see anyone else keep fish. But they may have put some in the cooler without me seeing. There were about 24 boats in the channel area. We changed flies, weights, and rigs many times and caught fish through the morning, just not as many as some of the others anchored there. We know people who fish the lake everyday, just as we fish the river everyday. Steve and Rick caught fish, but I did not bring any to the boat. I had 2 bites, but no fish. A sharp contrast to yesterday's bountiful day.

Around 1 PM we all agreed to pull up anchor and head back. Back to the river! Back to familiar water! I was looking forward to more like yesterday! As we were trolling out of the area we passed a guy fishing from a camo-colored skiff-of-a-boat who had caught fish after fish all morning. Earlier I said I wanted to ask him what he was using, but neither Rick nor Steve wanted to ask him, so I waited. And as we were leaving I waved to him and said "What are you using to catch so many fish?" His answer was rather smug and I thought rather rude, "The special fly. A special catch-everything fly." He wouldn't divulge the secret fly which I thought was not very nice!


When we got back to the campground Rick met an elderly gentleman named Logan (that means older than Rick) from New Zealand who wanted to fish the river, but he'd never done so. Rick said we were going and he was welcome to follow us. Rick ended up giving him some flies, even tying them on for him, and giving him some pointers on where to fish. The elderly gentleman hooked 2 fish right away and he was thrilled. He yelled to Rick, "My first Montana trout!" He knew how to fish and continued for the rest of the afternoon. He was a happy guy!

We fished for most of the afternoon, until about 6 PM. Again, Rick and Steve brought fish to the net, but I did not! Using a dry fly, I hooked a number of fish, but could not land any! Quite a difference a day will make.

While on the river we saw a fisherman we'd seen the day before. He was visiting the U.S.A. for 2 weeks from his home in Switzerland (I believe) and this was his first time fishing this river. Rick and I had given him a few flies the day before as we were leaving. Today he fished downstream from us and hooked a large trout. Rick grabbed our long-handled net and ran over to help with netting it. They brought it in and released it. Shortly after that fish he hooked another and gave me a big thumbs-up as he brought it in. We spoke with him as we were leaving and he said it was his first fish on the dry flies, the ones we had given him the day before. Rick took out his fly box and gave him a few more flies to finish out the evening. With a big smile he called it "the special fly" and it made me think of the guy in the camo-colored boat on the lake who wouldn't share what he knew, wouldn't even tell what he was using.

In the time we've been here we've shared flies, tippets, and sinkers with others on the river and others have shared what they have with us. We hope people have a good experience fly fishing. A couple weeks ago a young man was fishing upriver from me and a fish broke off all his flies and sinkers. He yelled across the river to his friend that he didn't have anymore sinkers with him. I had a fish on at the time and told him to come to me and take however many sinkers he needed from my pack. He was hesitant, but thankful. I told him there will be a time when he will help someone else who needed it. He said "yes, I will." What goes around, comes around.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled post...

We interrupt our regularly scheduled post for a fishing report. Someone said we talk a lot about fishing on our blog, but that's what we've been doing for the past 6 weeks. That's what we love to do! That's one of our main activities. Fishing is our number one hobby! It's one of the reasons we retired! We love all types and methods of fishing, but especially fly fishing!

Rick & I agreed that we wouldn't take redundant photos of fish because they all start looking alike to others. Well, today was an occasion for a photo. More on that later. Back to the fishing report.

The river out of the reservoir is still running high, about 800 cfs. Today there were 5 fishermen lined up in the river when we walked down, spaced out within casting distance of each other, each out in the middle of the river fishing to the far bank with their backs to us. That was our break because we stayed near the bank and fished behind them. Right behind them! Rick immediately started catching fish and to his 3 fish, I caught one. We were catching lots of fish and we were quiet about it. The guys out in the middle caught a couple fish, but nothing like what Rick was doing. At first my thought was "look at us, catching fish right behind you", but then I knew what would happen. Something that's happened before. If someone sees us catching fish in a certain spot on the river, that's were they want to fish. Sometimes they move closer (too close) and sometimes they come back the next day to that spot. Some have even said, "now I know where all the fish are." But the fish are everywhere on this river. With the water level fluctuating it sometimes moves the fish around to different currents, but they are everywhere. Anyway, back to the fishing report.

Rick and I were fishing close to each other and we netted each other's fish, most of the time. Some I netted myself and some Rick netted by himself. We have a large net with a long handle. Rick also keeps a small net attached to his back for when he's out in the middle of the river. We both were enjoying nymph fishing and caught lots of fish, both rainbow and brown trout. I think the guys in front of us, fishing with their backs to us, were oblivious to what we were doing. I caught and netted a large brown trout and I told Rick "That was the fish of the day!" Sorry, no photos of it, but it was about 20" and very fat. It was longer than our net is wide. A little unusual for a fat brown. Very healthy fish this year. I say they're tall and thick. Back to the report.

Rick and I have hand signals and sign language to communicate when on the river because we can't hear each other with the riffle noise we create when standing in the water. Sometimes I feel like the Village People doing "YMCA", but most of the time it's just hand signals. I can do PT for "pheasant tail" and YH for "yellow head" and I tried to do BH for "bead head", but the B was not easy. We have hand signals for rising fish eating bugs on the surface, mayflies hatching, spinner fall, and others. It reminds me of the hand signals we used when we were snorkeling and scuba diving. Funny that we use the same hand sign for shark and mayfly! Now back to the fishing report.

One of the guys in front of us moved out and downstream so Rick gave me the hand signal for rising fish across the river and motioned for me to cross. (remember, it's still at 800) We know where the shallowest areas are and I moved out to the middle. Rick also moved out and was fishing downstream from me. He likes me to be upstream in case I decide to float by him, he can grab me. HA! I'd fished the middle for a while and signaled to Rick that I was going to the other side to more rising fish. There's a natural spring upriver that flows on the far side and the water other there is much colder. Brrrr. The fish like to live there because it is colder. It makes the rest of the river seem warm. Anyway, back to the fishing report.

There were numerous fish rising and I missed a few and caught a few. The guys fishing in the middle could now see me dry fly fishing and catching fish. A couple of them moved on down the river, leaving just a couple others fishing down from us. We were all spread far apart, with Rick and I fishing almost to each other. He was nymph fishing towards me (catching fish) and I was on the far bank fishing up, down and towards Rick. Rick has been having a blast with nymph fishing lately because he sees the fish feeding on the bottom and casts to them, and catches lots of fish! Almost like spotting a rising fish, but on the bottom. Anyway, back to the fishing report.

It was getting late in the day and Rick had already asked me a couple times if I was finished fishing and ready to quit. He said "don't you want to stop and go eat dinner?" I said "no, not yet." I could tell he was ready to stop, but I wasn't. The fishing seemed to be getting better. More fish were rising it seemed. I hooked a number of fish and landed most of them without a net. No net with me! Most were not huge, just 18" to 20" and the water was calm where I was standing. Makes it fairly easy to bring them close, hold them with one hand and remove the barbless hook. Now back to the report.

Rick ties 100% of the flies we use. It is such a pleasure to know that the fish are taking the artificial flies that he created. Today I fished some nymphs but on the far bank I fished dries - a size 18 PMD, a 16 Yellow Sallie, and a 18 Sparkle Spider (looks just like a Humpy). Sometimes I used a PMD emerger as a second fly, a trailer, that also caught fish. I knew it was getting late and we'd have to stop soon. I was just about ready to tell Rick to meet me half way and help me back when I spotted a fish rising right next to the bank and directly downstream from me. Casting downstream can be tricky; actually casting is easy, hooking a fish directly downstream can be difficult because it's easy to pull the fly right out of their mouth. Casting across the river is easier for me and I usually hook them in the side of the mouth. Anyway, back to the rising fish down stream.

On my first cast to that rising fish I hooked it. And it was just as surprised as I was. It ran out to the middle of the river and I looked at Rick who was giving me the "silent scream" face. Another signal we use is the silent scream - mouth wide open, but no scream. Anyway, the fish! I was able to gain line on my reel and it ran again. Probably 4 times, but by then I figured if it hadn't gotten off yet I had it hooked well. I moved into the calm water and brought it close to me. I could see that it was big, very big, and motioned to Rick that it was BIG! He was still out in the middle so I knew he couldn't help with his small net. It wouldn't have fit very well either! And we don't carry a camera into the river, so "no photo" I thought. I thought it would be good just to get a hold of it, get my hook out, save my fly, and show Rick. If I was lucky that is. Well, the BIG brown trout decided to cooperate and I brought it to me, cupped my hand under it (my whole arm really), held it out of the water a little, and so easily removed the hook. Amazing how easy those barbless hooks come out when you take the pressure off the line. I held the fish in one hand and showed it to Rick, and the guys down river saw it too. Rick was the only one interested though, bless his heart. From the middle of the river he said "Want a picture?" Of course, but could he get to the other bank and get the camera out of the pack before the fish decided he'd had enough and wanted to swim off? It was loose and I wouldn't have been able to stop it. I held the fish calmly with both hands and it just stayed there while Rick focused on us from across the river. Thank goodness for the powerful zoom lens on our Nikon P80. I held the fish up and Rick snapped a number of shots and I held the fish against my rod in the water to get a measurement. My rod is marked at 16" and 20" and I could see that the fish was well beyond 20". It was almost to my first ferrule, just about 3" shy of it.

I held the fish in the water a couple seconds more and it decided we were finished. It swam off upriver and I waded across the river to the home bank. Rick met me part way and helped me through the strongest current. When we returned to the motorhome we measured to the first ferrule and it's 30", so the fish was about 27". I'm going to end this very long fishing report by saying "that was the fish of the day!"

Thank you for reading and visiting our blog. I'll try to keep our postings shorter, no guarantee, and I'll try to talk about something other than fishing. Again, no guarantee.

Velcro = the new duct tape

We've found that Velcro (or hook & loop as its generically called) is a very handy tool to have on hand in the motorhome. Could be handy in your home or office, too. Did you know it can be used for more than just attaching things? You can buy it in different colors, sizes, and different strengths. We have both black and white in the industrial strengths. You can buy it as hardware, fabric, and craft stores. We use the narrower widths to tame power cords, hoses, and cables.

We use Velcro to attach our Advantage PressurePro tire monitor system display screen just below the driver's window. Rick built a small wooden box to hold a pen, post-it pad, and his glasses and we use Velcro to attach it just below the passenger window. We use Velcro to attach our Sleep Number Bed controllers to the wall on each side of the bed. Rick uses it to attach a volt meter to the inside wall of the battery storage bay so its in a convenient place when he needs it. There's even a small piece of it on our interior sun shades to keep it in place. Those are usual uses for Velcro.

We sometimes use only one side, making for an uneven match of pieces (but Rick gets over it.) I've attached the soft side to the underside of things that slide - to make them slide easier. I've attached the soft side to the underside of the white plastic container in the bottom of the refrigerator. And I've also attached it to the underside of a large drawer organizer that holds scissors, pens, paperclips, etc. The organizer slides into the overhead storage cabinet above the couch and the soft Velcro keeps both of these storage containers from scratching every time we move them. It makes them glide easily.

I've also attached a strip of the soft side to the interior of the pantry cabinet wall. Then I attach a small piece of the hook side to small spice jars or other lightweight jars. Putting the small bottles up high keeps them from getting lost amongst the larger items.

We don't like to put holes in the walls of the motorhome and Velcro gives us a great choice when hanging lightweight picture frames, decorations, and smoke detectors (have you pushed the button and checked your smoke detector batteries lately?). What are some other ways to utilize Velcro?

Day Trippers meet Mr. Moose

We all thoroughly enjoyed the road trip to fish the smaller Selway Creek so much that we ventured out again (what's gasoline for anyway?) in search of more of the same. Rick and I went with Eric and Brady for an all day trip in search of fish and wildlife.

I personally think small streams can be more challenging because, well, because I'm spoiled by the river we like to fish. The fish in a remote stream are usually hungry for the flies we throw and it's a fun place for beginners and kids to fish. Sometimes it seems the small fish are jumping on the fly, trying to drown it. However, the small streams are often encased with willows and bushes making casting impossible. However, its fun to make your way into the brambles and the thickets not knowing what you will find on the other side. Usually a crystal clear babbling brook. Where we're staying it is easy to access for many miles of the river. And especially where we are staying it's very accessible. We can see the river from our motorhome and it only takes a couple minutes to walk to it. HOWEVER, it is running very high at more than 850 cfs and it is very difficult to wade and impossible for me to cross. I think the drive in search of other water is more for the adventure and fun of exploring new territory.

We drove about 15 miles on the highway and then it was all dirt for the rest of the day! Nice that Eric has a 4x4 truck! We passed on our usual fishing stream and continued on to discover new water. The wildflowers were like a garden! The flower colors were so vibrant that they looked like a photograph and someone had tweaked the hue and saturation. Just gorgeous blooms from the wet winter!

We stopped and had lunch at Skinner Lake. Lunch was simple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, made special by bread & butter pickles. Yummy! Dessert was fresh fruit and a plethora of flavored sunflower seeds. We were the only people around the lake, but little did we know that we were being watched.As we were leaving we spotted a young bull moose who had probably been wondering what we were doing in his backyard. Mr. Moose hid behind some trees until Rick went a little closer to try and get a close-up shot. Then he was off at a fast gallop.

We travelled dirt roads and saw remote areas and scenic vistas. There are modern, working ranches and old, abandoned, rustic homesteads that are falling down. There was snow still on the high mountain tops. I really didn't care if we fished or not - the drive was beautiful.

After lunch we stopped at most of the streams that looked accessible. There were many places where the stream met the road and we all jumped out. Well, actually Brady and I were the primary fishers, with Eric and Rick either taking photos or taking fish off hooks. You know the old saying "women and children first."Rick and Eric fished some and all together we kept a dozen small brook trout and had a delicious dinner BBQ. What a great day!

View of Our World

In a motorhome efficient use of space is key. We have plenty of room, but we like everything to have it's own place so we don't have to move a bunch of stuff around to eat at the table or sit on the couch. We're fortunate with this motorhome to have lots of storage compartments and lots of CCC or Cargo Carry Capacity. We can carry more than 4600 pounds of "stuff"! I've read that 2 full-timers should count on taking 2000 to 3000 pounds of stuff in their RV and I think that's fairly accurate. Being able to carry 4600 pounds of food, clothing, fishing equipment, dishes, pots & pans, tools, crafts, and all that stuff we want with us is super! Don't think we have every cupboard full though. We actually have some empty cupboards and are happy that we are not overloaded and unsafe.

I wanted a space devoted to my laptop so I can keep it set up. I've seen some motorhome owners who make a table out of their steering wheel and put a lamp or pictures on it. We've put a portable lap desk on the steering wheel and the laptop has a home. Being able to keep my laptop out all the time we're parked is convenient. And I have a view that is unsurpassed! Our large windshield gives us a panoramic view of the world. It is ever changing and what we make it, whether we are travelling or parked. For the past 6 weeks this has been our view.

This is where I spend a lot of my motorhome time. I'm the primary driver so I'm very comfortable in the large captain's chair. I have a cup holder on my left side, an area to keep the papers I'm working with, a place for our cell phones, and I'm next to the radio and TV. I set a screen saver on the laptop to display our favorite photos and when I'm not using the laptop we have a slide show of our recent adventures. I watch the sunset every evening and feel the cool breeze blow in my window. A place for everything and this is my place.

Kids & Fish ~~ Fish & Kids

If you don't know it, we love it when kids want to fish. We are looking forward to a time, perhaps this fall, when we can take our nieces and nephews fishing. It really is more fun for them to catch fish than it is for Rick or me to catch fish!

Today I had the thrill of fishing next to 11 year old Brady, Eric's son. Brady's dad set up a fly rod with a beadhead nymph and we walked on down to the river and waded upstream to one of my favorite riffles, near the bank, but where we're able to make our way out a little deeper. Brady has had some very good lessons from his dad so it was easy for him to cast the nymph upstream, mend his line, and keep it fairly tight. He did a great job and didn't seem to get tired of it. We moved out a foot at a time and a little downstream, covering as much fishable area as possible. It didn't take long (10-15 minutes) for Brady to hook a fish. He actually hooked the fish, not one of those times when the fish takes the hook while it's dangling downstream. Brady worked the fish onto his reel, but it got off after a few minutes. It was a nice, big trout. That seemed to energize him. So many people come to this river and don't hook a fish like that. I hoped it wouldn't be the only fish for Brady.

So we checked the fly and moved back upstream and worked our way out, again a foot at a time, fishing the area he could cast to. And you can guess what happened! He hooked another fish, a big one, and together we moved backwards to the shallow water. All the time the fish was fighting and pulling and Brady was able to get the fish on the reel and let it run, then reel it in again. The fish gave him a few good runs and jumps, but he kept his cool. He was able to bring the fish close to shore and his dad netted it. It was a great rainbow trout! Brady went on to fish on his own and hooked another big trout that ended in a long distance release.

Do you think he's happy? Do you think his dad is proud of him? I hope he's hooked on fly fishing! It'll give him a lifetime of fun!

Fabulous drive for small stream fishing

Our friend Eric and his son Brady arrived yesterday and we fished the river shortly after they got camp set up. Within a few minutes Eric was catching fish! Just like riding a bicycle we say. Brady, 11 years old, is interested in fly fishing and he's a great "netter." I love it when kids are interested in fishing. Or when someone who's never tried it wants to learn. We love to share our love of fly fishing with others.

The flow of the river is at 767 cfs as of 7/14 which is a little high when you're less than 5'4". It's still fishable, I just cannot cross the river right now. There are many places to fish that are easily accessible from this side of the river. The farmers in the area control the flow of water from the dam and they've recently cut hay and I guess they're irrigating their fields again. Anyway, the water is high compared to when we arrived a month ago, almost double. It was about 400 cfs and there was a nice dry bank to walk and sit on. Now there's almost no bank. When the river is flowing with more water, it gives the fish more places to be, spreading them out more. When it's lower they are more concentrated. The photo of our feet in a previous post was taken where the grassy bank used to be.

Today we travelled about 40 miles to a small stream and caught brook trout. All of us, including 11 year old Brady, caught fish! The stream was fairly narrow, probably 10-15 feet across in most places, and we used our 3-weight fly rods with small dry flies. We kept enough brookies for dinner in the 8" to 10" size. Some of the fish that jumped on my hook were no bigger than my finger! Oh, I guess that's why they call them fingerlings! The stream runs out of Reservoir Lake and is a remote location up a dirt road for half the trip. We passed a few ranches along the way and saw lots of cattle and horses in the green pastures. At one small homestead there was a beautiful horse that ran along the length of it's pasture, whinnying as we drove by. There were other beautiful horses in the valleys and pastures - it must be the clean air and green pastures.

We also saw deer and antelope = playing, of course!

There are a couple National Forest Service campgounds in the area, but we did not see another person fishing. It was a beautiful stream lined with colorful wildflowers, surrounded by pine forests and blue skies. Add good friends and good fishing and you get a perfect day.

Architectural Scavenger Hunt

The old brick buildings in Butte were built after fire destroyed many of the original wooden buildings. And many of the old brick buildings are designated on the historic registry. You could see many of them in the process of renovation, but many looked abandoned. I would love to walk around the town and take hundreds of photos of the detail and ornate touches on many of them.

Where do your feet take you?

TO THE RIVER!
Although the water is a little high right now because the farmers are calling for more water for their fields (750 cfs), this is where our feet take us.