A DAY ON A WESTERN FLY FISHING RIVER

Day on the Western River:

6 a.m. Our 14 month old lab stirs below. Tess wants to get going. Outside it is nippy around 45 and the sun is not out above Quake Lake. Coffee espresso thanks to a Honda EU2000 and Tess exits her kennel like the super dog she is. She will be in fine form for our Canadian expedition this fall. I am anxious to try out my newly acquired Winston WF TMF 4 wt. with a Ross post 98 G1 DT XPS. I will fore go using my Beaverhead Cane Rods to give the composite a shot with PMD’s. I spent the afternoon visiting Tom Morgan and Gerri Carlson… will talk about later

7 a.m. run up to Cabin Creek for breakfast. Been doing this for the last 40 years on and off and the cheese omelets seem to get bigger. I miss the Williams back in the 60 and 70’s. Never could get Chuck in the 90’s to smile. Now Jim and Wendy the new owners are recovering from the health department shutdown last year. At least Jim is a serious fly tier. Even though it’s August, I see several giant Stoneflies.

8 a.m. Trout are rising along Quake’s shoreline probably gulping spruce moths.

9 a.m. On the Madison….Tom Morgan’s Favorite (TMF) is rigged and ready and with Tess at heel I cross over to the first pool near the willows to test the new old rod made in 1991 Tom’s last year at Winston. Second cast with a PMD and a 16 inch brown lying 12 inches from shore grabs the bug and the fight is electrifying. The 4 wt action handles the fish with authority and I am gladdened by the TMF.

11 a.m. Action is over for the morning. Get back and ready for the afternoon hopper float.

12 p.m. We hitch up the Koffler Rocky Mountain Trout Boat (RMT). This is an all-aluminum boat low profile with pedestal seats made in Oregon that has an almost occult following here in Montana. Compared to the Hyde’s and Clackacrafts it handles like a Ferrari. Last week, I had my whitewater expert oar this boat. He got us out of shallow water rather nicely. It was so sweet on the upper Missouri as well. We had a few takes on hoppers last week but hope this week will be different.

1 p.m. We put in and shuttle from Pine Bluff and will float and pop hoppers down to the Palisades.

2 p.m. We are into hopper heaven and have double hookups right after the Sun Ranch Bridge. All are browns until we the shady side and like magic all bows. Last week was the Whitlock patterns now it is stimulators size 14 on 6x. Last week we had a MSU student just out from New York. He was infected from all the magazine and fishing TV cartoon plugs over the years and decided to “Go West.” He couldn’t fight the fish as his very fast rod that cast a mile “pinged” the trout and with so many mini currents on the Madison he failed to get drift. We suggested a slower rod which he had a very difficult time casting but he will learn.

3 p.m. The wind is up and so is the hopper pop. We have hooked good fish within 2 feet of shore. We anchor and wade as the guide boat blow by having tgo get their clients down for the cocktail hour. We see few hookups on the “bumper boats.”

4 p.m. We arrive at the Palisades take out and back to the camp for a nap and ready for an evening fish.

6 p.m. The Bar B is fired up and we have corn on the cob, elk back straps, coarse greens cover with Newman Balsamic and a chilled White Zinfandel that opens nicely as the supper unfolds. I will fish with my friend in New Zealand next years for browns on the West Coast. He selects the wines

7 p.m. We are early for the spinners but I spend time with my new old Winston TMF. The more I cast the more enjoyable it becomes. I use a spinner pattern and cast across a pool with only a single tongue and a fine 17 inch bow sips the spinner and the splashing begins. Luckily I managed to keep the trout in the pool. If the trout had driven into the Madison current this 4 wt could not have controlled it. Luck was with the Irish that evening.

9 p.m. The action was fast and furious this evening. Many trout heads were sipping and hookups were almost anti climatic. I enjoy watching others follow lessons and get into serious dry fly action. Maybe this will cure them of “bobber nymph fishing.”

10 p.m. The action is over and back at camp a brief brandy, we count shooting stars and plan for tomorrow. Guess we’ll do it again. I hear the nighthawks buzz and the lights go out with the first cool mountain breeze