30 Minute Big Sky Sunset

These 3 photos were taken over 30 minutes. The view is from our motorhome.

What a difference a day makes!

Almost the opposite of yesterday! For fear that we will be invaded by another group of fisherpeople and have to vie for a spot on the river, I will say the fishing was tough, but fabulous! We just keep going smaller with the flies and today we went small enough. Although Rick did joke with me about catching the 'dumb' fish, I know he was very happy that I caught lots of fish. And they are not in any way dumb. They are smart and we just have to think like a trout, be a little smarter, and outwit them. I wish that we had a way to video tape the day, because it was pretty awesome - to me.

Three years ago today I had major surgery and a week long hospital stay, so today was an anniversary to celebrate. I've been healthy (we've both been healthy) and very thankful for the life we have together. The folks living in the gulf area are on our minds as this is also the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Our good friend Eric called us today as he was evacuating from his home in the eastern gulf area of Texas. Lets hope the current approaching storms goes easy on them.

I caught more fish today that ran and jumped and ran some more. Because we are using 5x and 6x tippet I've set my drag a little looser than normal. Usually I tighten up the drag and stand my ground, but with finer tippet and big fish, I give them a little slack. When the fish take the fly, and then realize they are hooked, they jet off upriver, downriver, and right back at 'ya. Today I had an equal number of brown and rainbow trout and I think they all jumped out of the water! I had a really big rainbow on that was quite an aerial acrobat and darted all around us. It started off downstream and I followed. I yelled to Rick that if I landed it he'd need to take a photo. I followed it a little bit and Rick continued fishing. I couple minutes later the big rainbow and I did a LDR = long distance release. Rick didn't miss a cast. What a great fish that was.

I moved around a little today, up and down stream (to give Rick a chance to fish where I had caught the 'dumb' fish). When I moved out, Rick moved in and caught at least 3 fish. Nearby there was a little cove with lots of grasses growing up to the surface, and there were about 6 fish that I could see rising. I hooked one, a brown trout, that jumped and ran upstream a short way. It shot under and through a couple of the underwater grass bushes that now grow to the surface and I was not about to lose my special fly, the only one like it I had. I followed my line under a couple bushes and the fish shot off downstream, under another river bush. I again followed my line and found my fish again. I was able to bring it to me and get back my fly. Of course I displaced all the fish that had been rising there.

I moved back closer to Rick again and hooked another hot fish. It darted towards me and then changed it's mind and headed for Rick. I thought it was going to go between his legs, but it veered off to the right. I was lucky today to land many of my fish. Rick hooked and landed a number of fish, but I know we both missed more than we hooked. Fishing is tough, but fun. And better than working.

We saw 2 drift boats today. Jeremy again and Tim Mosolf from Tollett's Frontier Anglers. Both of these guides are on the river almost everyday. Tim said he'd be guiding for another month and a half with clients. We talked about how cold it will get and hope it's not soon. We have 'weather' coming in tomorrow afternoon (and sticking around for a few days) so we're getting on the river early. Setting the phone alarm. Our friend Eric said he needs to see more fish photos so we'll try to get some photos -- if we can stop fishing long enough. Until then, here is one our friend Steve took about 3 weeks ago. Thanks Steve! Love your waterproof camera.

Don't inhale that... cloud of smoke ?

While we were thinking of getting on the river this morning (9:oo -ish) we saw a group of fishermen walk in. And we'd seen a couple boats put in and a few more fishermen walk in earlier so we figured there were a few people elbowing for a prime spot. We thought about skipping the morning session, but I wanted to see what the river looked like. The flow has been steadily dropping and is now lower than when we arrived in June (78 days ago, but who's counting?). It was cold and a little windy, but I put on my fishing uniform of shorts and sandals and a couple layers of long sleeves. Rick had on pants, long sleeves, and a fleece vest. I didn't take my rod, but did bring the camera.

Actually, there was a group of 5 from North Carolina and a couple other couples. One of the boats hung around the ramp and fished which made for a lot of people in the short stretch of the river. Even with all the people, there were more bugs than people. I asked a few if they were catching anything, and they all said no. I listened to the conversations and they were all marvelling at the clouds of tiny tricos in the air. But no one was catching any fish! A couple other people said they had hooked one. They all expected the fish to be gorging on the miniscule trico mayflies, oblivious to which flies were fake and which were real, but the fish were underwater, watching all the visitors and watching the fake flies.

The clouds of bugs were so thick that it looked like smoke. I thought to myself, "don't inhale too deeply, don't sniff one up your nose, and don't open your mouth."




We saw a friend who encouraged us to get our gear and fish, but we thought we'd wait. We wandered the riverbank and a short time later saw fish rising and that was all it took. We gathered our rods from camp and headed back to the river, making our way upstream of everyone else. It wasn't long before Rick spotted a couple fish and left me to try for them. He went on upriver in search and found these ducks.

Rick made his way back to me and by that time (noon?) most other fishermen were vacating the river. It was either lunch or time to give up. There were just a couple others within sight when I hooked and landed an 18" rainbow on a size 20 spinner. I had missed a couple on a larger spinner and Rick said go smaller. He hooked a half dozen fish and a couple broke off his 6x tippet. I got a little bored with the small stuff and put on a BIG crane fly that brought up 3 nice trout, but I reacted too quick and kept them from getting hooked. What a thrill to see these fish jump on that BIG fly. Around 4 PM we were the only ones on the river and with the wind blowing hard enough to make casting difficult, we decided we'd had enough. As we walked out we met another man and woman fishing, or thinking of fishing. We talked and found out they were from Arizona also. After about 10 minutes the game warden drove up and asked to see their fishing licenses. We'd met the warden a week ago or so and he remembered us. If you fish Montana (or any state) be sure you have a licence and follow the regs! Montana makes it easy by offering the licensing process on-line now.

Bloopers

I'd bet that anyone who fishes has had this happen to them. You hook a fish, maybe a big fish. You want a lasting memory of the occasion and you get someone to take your photo. You reel the fish in and anticipate the snap of the shutter. A picture that you can show your buddies. You'll have something to show your family and friends. Proof! When you get it close you gently cradle the fish so not to hurt it and the fish is cooperating. It's so still and quiet. You smile and hold the fish up. You're thinking of the perfect photo and WAMO! The fish suddenly has other plans. It becomes a wiggling eel. A lively, slippery bar of soap. It jumps and tries to get free! If you're lucky you get a photo to show them back home.


















I know it's better for the fish to get it back into the water as soon as possible, but we don't take photos of them all! In fact we take very few photos and try to be selective. And we make sure to revive them before setting them free.

How do you choose a campsite?

What are your priorities when choosing a campsite? It's not a problem to navigate a route, get on the highway, and drive the motorhome, but when we arrive at our campground it's often a task to decide which site we want to live in during our stay. If it's only a night or two then I'm not so picky, but if we're going to be there longer I look for certain qualities in a site. Some campground managers assign your site, but most that we stay in let us choose. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I asked a number of other RV'ers what they look for when choosing a site. Here are a few of their requirements.

1. No tight spaces with overhanging tree limbs.
2. Enough space for the slides and awnings.
3. Hook-ups, especially electric, in good working order.
4. 50 AMP electric is preferred, but at least 30 AMP.
5. A level site.
6. Not muddy.
7. No trees so we can get satellite TV with the roof mounted antennae.
8. Privacy.
9. Close, but not too close to the amenities & activities.
10. A nice view.
11. Do the neighbors seem reasonable?
12. Do the neighbors have dogs?
13. Afternoon shade.
14. If a one-night stay, then a pull-through so the toad vehicle doesn't have to be unhitched.
15. Wi-Fi access.
16. The sun shining on the solar panels.
17. The firepit in a good location. (Not under the awning or right outside the door!)

I think an interesting view is number one with me. I've always liked to have a nice view, be it the ocean, mountains, valley, or the sunset. We like to be near the lake or stream if there is one. All the photos in this slideshow were taken at the campgrounds we've visited in the last 6 months. We didn't have to drive to find these views.

We don't need to be close to the activities, lodges, bathrooms, or showers. Some of the Thousand Trails parks have water and electric only, with no sewer connections. In those cases, if we are staying a long time, we might use the shower facilities to keep from filling up our grey holding tank. At one TT park we were a few rows away from the showers, but on the pathway to it. We had people walking by the motorhome at all hours, and some were real characters. We saw a variety of pre- and post-shower fashions. Somewhat entertaining, somewhat frightening.

We often camp at Thousand Trails/NACO/LTR parks since we've been members since 1976 or so and we have a VIP membership that lets us into all the parks. We also have the ability to stay 21 days at any TT park and then move directly into another TT park.

Fishing with my eyes closed

It's happened twice so I figured I'd write it down and share.

We got on the river early. A formation of geese flew high overhead, honking their way south. Then we heard a couple mallard ducks quacking nearby. How different they sound. It was so early the fish were still sleeping. There were a couple fish rising and soon there were many. Shortly after we started fishing, a guide drifted by in his boat with a client. It was Jeremy who is on the river every single day. At least it seems so. He joked about us being a permanent part of the river, like the bridge that crosses the river downstream. (I could say the same about him.) I had just cast my fly when I heard his voice and turned around to talk. As I was turned, with my back to my cast, a fish hooked itself on my fly. I told Jeremy not to tell anyone because it was sort of embarrassing. Especially since that was my only fish of the day! I landed the trout, a nice size healthy brown about 18". Jeremy said he was going to put it on a blog so I figured I'd beat him to it.

A few weeks ago, when Brad from Colorado was fishing the river, the 3 of us were talking on the home bank. We were talking about people who don't look for fish, who march out to the other side of the river when there are fish nearby. As Rick, he and I were talking I saw a fish within a few feet and had to cast to it. I continued talking and turned to face them and the fish jumped onto my hook. It was embarrassing and Rick & Brad teased me a little about it. I'm not bragging. It's a little surprising when you catch fish without watching the fly.

Back to today. For the next few hours we threw the entire fly box at the feasting fish, sometimes trying the same fly a couple times. The wind was gusting and getting worse so we decided to call it a day around 2 PM. I thought about the saying "The worst day of fishing is better than the best day of work." Today was one of those days.

If there are any fisherpeople reading this, please send me your favorite trico pattern. Emerger, adult, or spinner. This fishing is going to drive me crazy if I don't figure out what they are eating. Help!

Yes Deer

We didn't have to set an alarm this morning. We were both awake around 7:30 AM, had breakfast and we were off to the river. Not as cold as yesterday, but just wait a couple days. We're supposed to have another cold front move in. While fishing we've seen about 6 flocks of Canada geese, in formation, flying south. What does that tell you?

I've mentioned that Rick ties flies and a lot of them! We were armed with flies like we were going to a (fly) fight. We had some of everything we thought they were eating yesterday. But today is today and the fish changed the menu again. I thought yesterday was a tough day, but today was more so. After 5 hours I had missed a few fish, hooked one fish and landed one other. A decent size brown trout, but what a day for throwing flies! I tie one on, fish for a while, cut it off, put it in the sheepskin in my chestpack, and tie on another. By the end of the day it looked like I had a bug hatch in my pack! (But that's pretty typical for me.) Rick had a better time of hooking and landing fish, probably 10 or more, but I did not get frustrated. I thought about it, but decided I was having a good time. The weather was good, the water was cool, and I was fishing with Rick!

The 2 campground dogs had followed us down to the river this morning and at one time I thought they were going to swim out to the middle with us. They eventually stopped romping around and laid down on the home bank. After a couple hours of fishing Rick got my attention and pointed to the bank we were facing. Just downstream from us a mother deer and her baby fawn had wandered to the edge of the river. We both stopped fishing to watch as they nibbled on the shrubbery. They looked at us a couple times, but paid us no mind. Rick quietly and quickly got the camera from his chestpack and took a couple photos. It looked like the mother and baby were making their way closer to us when the dogs on the home bank caught sight of them and started barking and having a fit. The deer calmly looked at them and decided they'd had enough, put up their white tails, and bounced out of our sight. Rick did get a couple long distance photos and put the camera away. About an hour later, the fawn came back to the river's edge and nibbled once more on the bushes. It kept walking through the area and was quickly out of our sight in the taller bushes. No doubt it's momma was close by.

Rick and I came back to the motorhome and he tied a few more flies. He read a couple fly fishing magazines and tied some patterns we hadn't tried. And they are very small flies, 22 or smaller. We're going to keep trying until we get it right. Rick said, "Look out when we find the right fly."

tiny bugs = tiny flies

Yesterday was a tough day of fishing. Just when you think you know what's on the menu, the fish change their minds. Fishing this river is a constantly changing challenge. Just when you think you know the size and color of fly to tie, the temperature changes or the fish change and they decide to feast on what's not in your fly box. As I've said before, "thank goodness!" Rick can tie flies. We would spend a fortune on flies if we had to buy them. Normal flies can cost $2 to $3 each and I can go through 10 to 20 a day, easily. I don't lose them, I just switch them up often.

We got up early, had to set the phone alarm for 7:30 AM! Had a quick breakfast and we were on the river before 9 AM! It was cold! Three-layer cold, down to 36 overnight. The river was warmer than the outside temps. We made it to our current favorite spot and there were fish rising. We tied on what we thought the fish were eating and I proceeded to get a little frustrated. They didn't want the tiny flies Rick had just tied. The little tuft of feather that Paul had shared with me yesterday was not working today! How could that be? Finicky fish!

We did catch fish, but we changed flies a number of times, trying different combos, sizes and colors. We fished until almost 2 PM when the fish took an afternoon siesta. While fishing today I performed a field test. I got a single wind knot in my tippet and thought about re-tying it, but instead continued to fish, thinking "If I catch a fish will it break the line?" In the past I'd replaced the tippet. Well, you can guess what happened. I hooked a big rainbow trout and it ran and jumped and after a minute or two of each of us pulling in opposite directions, the tippet broke. So my field test proved that you should replace tippet that is knotted. Or continue to fish with it and then you can say "You should have seen the one that got away!"

I noticed that the bugs on the water seemed to change every so often through the morning. We'd see tiny green midges for a little while, then tricos, then larger midges, then tiny spinners, then large spinners, rotating the various flies every 30 minutes or so. There were a plethora of spinners on the water and we tried every type we had. The river currents also are a key factor and can reek havoc on getting a natural drift. After all, a spinner is a dead bug and it shouldn't swim or twetter. It should float by in a dead drift.

As we walked back to the home bank we looked at the grasses that have been building up in the shallows. These photos are what we saw and what we have to walk through. You can click on any of the pictures to see a larger view. I circled some of the spinners, but there are literally hundreds clustered in the grasses. Can you find more? Some of these flies are size 20 or so, but the tricos are smaller than a size 22. Tiny, tiny flies.

Just a little off my game

Today we honestly intended to get an early start, but after sleeping in and a good breakfast, it was 10:00 before we knew it. We were happy to not have any wind - at least compared to the past few days. And it was cool out. Long sleeve weather. Two layers of long sleeves. Yes, we're still wet wading so we can try to keep our upper half warm. We'd seen a couple guides 'put-in' or launch their boats with clients and knew we needed to get going. The fish had a day off from us yesterday so they were rested.

We walked down to the river and rounded the corner of the river and wouldn't you know it, there were 2 guys fishing in our spot! (you know I'm kidding) They had beat us to our current favorite spot! Rick and I spotted fish rising just downriver from them and we waded across. We didn't want to crowd the guys, but we were pretty close to them. Rick didn't fish right away, but let me try for the couple fish we could see. The guy right up from us was catching fish after fish. (Or so it seemed to me. When you're not catching fish and someone else gets one, it seems like they are getting all the fish.) One fish came up to look at my fly, but no takers. I seemed to be a little off my game. Things just didn't seem right today. I tried to hook 'em, but after a bit I stopped and told Rick to give it a try. I gave the thumbs-up a couple times to the guys catching fish and sort of envied the number of rising fish in their area. I gave Rick some room and moved a little bit away. The guy near me must have seen me eyeballing 'his' fish because he said he was going to take a break and I could fish towards 'his' area. He said he'd be back, but he would share the area with me. How nice was that! Really nice! I didn't want to crowd him, but I wanted to try for the fish I could reach. I asked him if he was using spinners and he said no, a midge. I was using a spinner and soon caught a fish and said to the guy "Now I'm a happy woman!" He said, "Good! That's all that counts!" Smart man! I brought it to me and it was one of those elusive Montana white fish! And it was big! And smelly! I released it with Rick's help and regrouped. I checked my fly and my rod and discovered that the front section of my rod was twisted out of alignment from the bottom half. That will definitely cause your casting to be off. The 2 sections need to be aligned and straight so the fly line shoots through the ferrules. After straightening things out I caught a brown trout. It was probably the smallest fish I'd caught here, about 14", but it jumped out of the water 3 times and the guys upriver gave me a couple of congratulatory hoots and a thumbs up!

We must have fished for a couple hours like that, just the 4 of us in that little section of the river. When the guys were ready to leave they wished us luck and started off. I asked the guy nearest me, the one that invited me into his space, if I could see the midge fly he'd been using, so successfully. He pulled out his fly box and handed me one of the little midge flies, probably a size 22 tiny tuft. He put it into my hand and said it was mine. I didn't really have anything like it, close but not exact. I thanked him and told him my name, his was Paul, from Pennsylvannia, and that was his last day on the river. His fishing buddy lived nearby in Dillon. What a nice guy!

Rick volunteered to go back to the motorhome and tie up a couple of the tiny midges. We tried them, but the fish had changed to a different menu and they weren't feeding on the same bugs. Rick and I caught a couple fish today, not many, but what a wonderful day on the river. Nice weather, nice fish, and nice people. Even if they were in "my" favorite spot. I'm glad they had a good day, too.

Is this the same river we've been fishing?

Well, we wanted to stay here long enough to see the different phases of the river and we're seeing some drastic changes. I hardly recognize this river as being the same river from June 12th. It's not bad, just different now. Based on the last few days I think it's even better. Thank goodness Rick is a good fly tyer and likes to tie flies. Everyday he ties the latest 'fly of the day'.

The months of June and July found us fishing with PMDs, size 20 pheasant tail and WD40 type nymphs, along with some caddis. Fishing in June and July had been fairly predictable, and the fish plentiful. (Disclaimer: Our local fishing friends remind us that this is a tough fishery, and yes, we've often seen many fishermen leave this river without a single fish.)

The first week in August brought a change in temperatures and fishing. The river flow had been at a consistent 800+ cfs for a couple weeks, but for the past few weeks 'they've' been reducing the flow. We're now at 470 cfs. The water temperature has also gotten warmer. All this combined had brought a slow down in fishing as we had known it. The first 2 weeks of August had us thinking we should look for other streams to fish. (I was thinking that, not sure Rick was.)

HOWEVER! It's August 20th and the past few days have been fantastic fishing! Almost as good as June and July. Actually, as good but different. It's hard to explain, but of course I'll try. We had started to see consistently rising trout in the afternoons. The afternoons now sometimes result in a thunderstorm with wind and a little rain. As I've said, the wind can put a crimp in your casting and a knot in your fly line. The wind makes it difficult to place your fly where you want it. So we've been hitting the river a little earlier. For the past few days we've been on the river at 10:00 (yes, that's early!) and we've been rewarded by rising trout in select places. Each day has been better than the previous day, with numerous rising fish all over the river. Of course the lower water levels makes it easy for me to walk the river and reach those feeding trout.

This morning it was so absolutely beautiful when we arrived at "Mickey's Corner", with no wind and a mirror finish on the water. It was so smooth I could see every dimple on the water from the noses coming up to slurp the bugs. It reminded me of a frozen ice skating rink, only this was moving water. Just amazing and so beautiful!

For the past few weeks I've been fishing with dry flies only. We've both been using dries and fishing to rising fish. Because we're prepared to walk a little further to find fish, we've not taken the big net nor the backpack, and so for a couple days, no camera. We don't want to leave the backpack on the home bank and then get out of eye-sight of it. (I'm a little less trusting since having the break-in.) And wouldn't you know that the days we don't take a camera we catch some fabulous fish! We started taking the smaller camera in Rick's fishing pack, but when we are both in the middle of the river, both catching fish, who wants to stop for a photo? I think this is a good reason for me to get an even smaller, water-proof, digital camera. I've got my eye on one.

We've found a favorite spot on the river where we can fish multiple conditions - in a smooth current where fish are rising, against the bank where the current brings bugs to fish holding against the bank, and under some grasses that have accumulated to form a layer of protection for fish hanging under. I was casting to a fish out in the middle and the currents quickly take my slack line downriver, forming a huge U curve of line, the opposite of a 'tight line'. I see the fish inhale my fly and try to set the hook, and I hear the long slurping, sloshing sound of the line as I try to lift the line off the water and set the hook. I think "too much slack!" I'm lucky the fish inhaled the fly because I landed a 22" brown trout! Another fish was consistently rising close to the bank (my favorite) and I put my fly into his food path. He took the fly, I set the hook and this brown trout came out of the water about 4 feet in the air and travelled about 4 feet - in the air! Brown trout don't usually jump out of the water like rainbows do and he was so quick! I landed it and it measured about 18". These August fish have been so healthy and quick! All our fish lately have been at least 18" and just perfect.

I think I usually hook brown trout when I use dry flies, but this past week I've caught more rainbows than usual. Rainbow trout seem to run and fight more, often jumping out of the water. My larger fish have been brown trout, but I love the thrill of hooking a feisty 18"+ rainbow. And to think last week I was wondering if the "good" fishing was over. I think we'll be here for a few more weeks. I can't think of leaving yet.

Blogging & Random Thoughts

I've been wondering who's reading our blog lately. When I talk with some friends and family some say they haven't looked at the blog in a week so I wonder who is. Not that you have to check in everyday! Not at all. But I've wondered who is stopping by. What are you interested in? How did you find us? This blog started as a way to keep friends and family updated on where we are and what we're doing. It's turned into a combination daily journal, fishing report, and RV travelogue. And sometimes random thoughts that are floating through my brain.

Are you interested in fishing? Interested in travelling in an RV? The challenge of living full-time on the road? Or the joys of retirement life? Or just curious what could be keeping us busy. "What are they doing with all their time?"

We've had a motorhome for more than a year, although this is our second new motorhome in less than 12 months. So we have experience with buying the right RV for your needs. And the wrong RV, too. We do a lot of research and know where to find answers to any questions about RV's and other things.

We've been fishing together for more than 30 years, even before we met. We love fly fishing for trout in rivers, but have done all types of fishing. We lived in the Florida Keys for awhile and were lucky to have a nice boat and access to some of the best scuba and snorkeling in the world (we think.) Our favorite way to fish was spearfishing! Loved the combination of snorkeling and being able to see the fish we caught. Some of our best memories were spearfishing and it also kept us in great physical condition. We'd go out on the boat for dorado (mahi mahi), marlin, sailfish, snapper, tuna, and had a commercial license to sell fish which we did in order to keep the boat fueled. We didn't make money, just "stayed afloat" with the cost. We also had a commercial license to sell fish and lobster (caught by hand, not trap), but chose to keep, not sell, the lobster. We've loved fishing lakes with lures (rapalas, mepps, etc.) and even other baits. We've had boats, float tubes and inflatable boats, and friends with drift boats and rafts.

We've learned a lot about RVs, having owned a 28' Alpenlite 5th wheel trailer in the 1980's (lived full-time for 6 years) and this past year we've had 2 new Monaco class A motorhomes. We've made some safety modifications to our RVs as well as comfort changes. We're not experts on RVs, but we've done a lot with them. You could say we know "a little about a lot" of RV things.

We successfully live full-time on the road. Meaning we deal well with banking, mail, medical issues, entertainment, vehicle maintenance, budget, and technology to keep us connected and communicating with family and friends. I'll probably delve into some of these topics in depth in another post. We've dealt with forwarded mail getting lost, but eventually catching up with us. We've dealt with a car break-in, losing everything in my purse (and more), and getting it all replaced. We've dealt with vehicle maintenance and an almost flat tire on the toad car. For years we've done our banking on-line so that was a fairly easy transition. We've dealt with emergency room visits and surgery 1000+ miles from home. Post-surgical recovery in the motorhome took some planning, but was soooo nice. We're set up to connect to the Internet with high speed access while travelling, and have an antennae to help with phone and Internet connections when in remote areas. We even have ways to keep us entertained and our budget in check.

However you found us, for whatever reason you visit, we hope you enjoy your time with us. And we hope you check in every so often to see where we go next.

Rare Montana Whitefish! Catch a glimpse

When you walk across the river you see rainbow and brown trout darting out of your way. And if you're lucky and a little stealth you might also catch a fleeting glimpse of the rare and elusive Montana Whitefish! If you are lucky! Rick and I have caught numerous rainbow and brown trout, but Whitefish are so rare that I've only been able to catch 2 Whitefish in the last 2 months and Rick has only caught 3 Whitefish. I was able to snap a couple quick photos of the last Whitefish I brought to the net.

Whitefish are in the same family as trout and salmon and they're not really rare. They live in the same cold rivers and lakes as trout. They are a silver color and their fins appear blue-gray in contrast to their body. Their scales are much larger than a trout and their mouths are much smaller. One of the reasons I believe they are hard to catch is that their mouths are soooo small and delicate. Some fisherpeople might not classify Whitefish as a gamefish, but they put up a mighty fight if you are lucky enough to hook one. They seem to hang out in certain areas of the river and some say they like bead head flies. They do rise to take dry flies and I think they produce more of a splash than a trout. Others may not agree with me, but I think they fight like a bonefish. They have lots of bones and some like to smoke them in a fish smoker. (you know what I mean! Smoked fish.) They are an interesting fish that for many years has had a bad name. In some rivers they are so prolific that fishermen have been known to give them the "Montana handshake" which landed the Whitefish far up on the bank and unable to get back into the water. They do smell (OK, they stink!), but they are a powerful fish that will give you a good run and a head-shaking fight to get off your line -- if you are lucky enough to get one on your line you will know they are a gamefish.

A Bright, New Star! From the Constellation LEO?

The world became a little brighter Saturday, August 16th with the birth of a bright, new, shining star in the universe. The new star isn’t really from the constellation Leo, but from the love of Mark and Anna. Our newest nephew, Leo Richard (named for Mark’s father Richard), 8 pounds, 9 ounces, was born Saturday evening with lots of family and friends there to welcome him. And Leo has a superstar of a big brother, Vincent, who will be there to guide him as he grows up.

The constellation Leo is of a lion visible in the sky beginning in the last week of March, through May. Our nephew, Leo Richard, is born under the astrological sign of Leo the Lion. According to astrology if you are born under the sign of Leo you are creative, proud, fun-loving, risk-taking, dramatic, independent, protective, loyal, affectionate, faithful, loving, enthusiastic, playful and inventive. Of course I like to believe all the good comments and disregard the negative. If all these traits come true, you guys will have your hands full!

Congratulations to my brother Mark, lovely Anna, & Vincent, too! Leo is a lucky little boy to have you as his family. We can't wait to meet you Leo! You sure look sweet! Thank you to Leo's Uncle Mike who sent us these first photos, some taken with a cell phone. I hope to get more soon.

Everyone has to understand the need for baby photos. Family & friends are spread all over the place & this is a good way to share. I’ll try to get some new fishy photos posted next time. I have dozens, so check back soon.

Nanking Cherries

Throughout the campground there are Nanking cherry trees growing and they are loaded with beautiful, tiny, red cherries. The trees growing near the camping areas are small, bush-like trees, but they are so prolific and covered with fruit. The birds don't seem to want them this year and the owners said we could pick what we wanted. We tasted them and though they are not super sweet, they are good.

The campground owners, Brent & Linda, saw that we were enjoying the cherries and invitied us to their house (located at the campground) to pick some of the fruit from the trees in their front yard. There are a number of small trees, again loaded with fruit. We already had a large gallon plastic bag full and gathered another 2 gallons. We couldn't possibly eat all the fruit without getting a belly ache, so we boiled the fruit, strained out the seeds and skins, and bottled the concentrate.

There are claims that cherry juice will relieve pain from exercise. We've found that too much fly casting can cause arm soreness and it seems that the "pain" might be lessened by the juice. We froze some of the concentrated juice for later consumption. We could also make jelly or syrup. We add an equal part water and some sweetener and it is totally delicious! It's got to be healthy, too! Any suggestions on what to do with the fresh juice?