ONE MORE TIME TO MONTANA

Old fishing buddy Bob "B" "Fishhog" Cyr suggested last summer that I join him for some late Fall trout fishing on tiny dry flies to big sipping fish in Montana, specifically on the Beaverhead River near Dillon and the Missouri River near Wolf Creek. He promised varied weather but we needed overcast cool days to bring out the bugs. Snow is even better to prompt a hatch!! He is stoically awaiting the hatch to come off on the Mo before taking his stance in the stream where he is damn good at "20-20" fishing i.e. size 20 dry flies to catch 20"+ trout - the ultimate in trout fishing!!

Bob and I have roamed many a trout stream over the last 20 years even though we are somewhat world's apart age and talent wise. We get along very well in search of the wily trout as well as enjoying a good gourmet meal with a fine wine!! Our wives are good friends as well!

We even ventured into Yellowstone Park for some fishing. The geysers were in full plume with the cold air aiding the steam. This is a good time of year to see the park as the wildlife is active and the crowds are diminished from the summer flow of gawkers who slow down the whole park!! This stream is too hot in the summer months due to the hot water coming into it from the geysers but the cold fall temps help cool it off for good hatches and active trout!

We had very manageable weather to enjoy fishing. The hatch was strong each day and the trout were actively feeding. Bob of course did much better than I number and size wise but I enjoyed my successes very much. This is a beautiful rainbow from the Missouri River!!

What's cool about Yellowstone is the abundance of buffalo and many other forms of wildlife. These old bulls are taking it easy with one enjoying a little dust bath. Life will not be so easy in a month or 2 as winter sets in!! We find many a pile of bones near the stream from those who gave up or were victims of wolves.

This Bull Elk does not appear to be that old or of great size but he really had a nice rack - a 6 pointer I would say and the goal of any elk hunter! I found it odd he was by himself and not in hot pursuit of the ladies with his bugling and raised lip! Disgusting!!

So this ends my Montana days for 2009! I wonder why we don't live in Montana at times to get out to fish even in cold days when the trout still are feeding. But I know we wouldn't find it so nice as Florida when the temps really drop and the snow flies!! Thank the Good Lord for both settings!!

TROUT

Our Yellowstone visit

This view is so magnificent, in Big Sky, Montana, the Soldier's Chapel with Lone Mountain Peak in the background.
Close, but I only got the tail end of the elk grazing near the water. Beautiful, large animals.

Old Faithful erupting, 07-16-09

Every 90 minutes or so, Old Faithful with erupt and I only had to wait 15 minutes.

A stern warning, but rightly so. This water is boiling!!

Hot boiling water and the sulfur makes it smell like rotten eggs.

Ever since I was a young girl in probably third or fourth grade, Old Faithful has fascinated me. I read as much as I could in encyclopedias about this wonderful national park, knowing in my heart, I would never be able to see it as a child.

My first visit was sometime in the 1980's. My log book is not with me at this time, and well, you know what happens to memory!! I was totally mesmerized by the entire park. Much more fun than walking into a candy store. I have made several trips back since then, but Old Faithful still is true to me and always performs outstandingly.

On another note, that first visit to Yellowstone, the Trout and I hiked into Slough Creek so he could do some flyfishing. He was biting at the bit, as usual, to get the rod casting into the streams and creeks and start catching trout. We hiked 3 or 4 miles in and thought it was odd, that on such a beautiful warm, sunny day, we weren't meeting any other hikers. He caught some dandy fish, we thoroughly enjoy the day and the privacy of being alone and undisturbed in such a gorgeous wilderness. We walked out the same way we walked in, though I recall it was a lot downhill which is almost worse than going uphill. The altitude out here is also way over 7000 feet, so we were puffing (but so much younger). As we reached the parking lot where we left the car, we noticed a sign saying that no one should go into Slough Creek because a lady ranger was killed by a grizzly the day before. MOUTH DROPS OPEN! No wonder we were alone. We had not read the sign. Luck was with us again.