Montana report

[9ft4wt]

In a word it was awesome. All of us agree this was by far our most fun and most productive trip out there. Fish were on average larger than what we typically catch and we all got several in 20-22 inch range. My biggest fish was a 26 inch sucker.

Most fish were in the 15-17 inch range, like these (the net is 15 ½ inches)




Weather the week before we got there was frigid -- highs in the teens so we were told. Day time temps for us were highs in the 50s and 60s.

Browns were actively spawning and it was fun just to watch them do their thing. We picked up some nice browns and bows on the Ruby by fishing for the interlopers stacked up behind the redds. I would cast behind the fished paired up on the redds and let small midges or egg patterns drift back to the fish behind.

We fished up from Vigilante it was a nice stretch of water. We fished far enough up stream that we got out of the public access area . One of my buddies had moved up ahead and came back down and said someone just told him we were trespassing on private property and couldn't fish.  I said that was BS and we kept on fishing.

We got into some nice browns on the Beaverhead fishing both streamers and size 24 midges. I spent about three hours one day working just two different fish. Hooked and lost them both eventually. One I am guessing would have pushed 30 inches. It finally ate an egg pattern. Came out of the water and jumped about 6 feet and popped the 2x tippet when it landed.

The other fish was in about 6 inches of water right along the bank and sipping something small every now and then. I was guessing it was about 22 inches. There were BWOs out but they didn't seem to be eating those. i tried a ton of stuff before he chomped down on a 24 red midge.

Had him on for a good five or 6 minutes and when I finally saw it realized it was closer to 26 inches. Had it whoopp ed and was working it to the net when the hook pulled.

I had a fun couple of hours catching whities on a 22 Griffiths gnat. Yeah I know they were only whities, but they were big damn whities.

Spend a morning on Clark Canyon Reservoir. it started out hot. Within the first 30 minutes my buddy and i had both landed 22-inch bows. Then it just shut down. We moved over to red rock where it empties into the lake and explored and picked up a few trout.



Madison above 3 dollar bridge was really hot. Four of our guys fished it two days in a row and they all averaged 20 or more fish each day. By the time I got to fish it it had slowed down considerably. I managed 6 trout and a couple of whities. but even my friend who used to guide out there for Lone Mountain Ranch said it was tough fishing that day.

Only place we fished that did not produce was Bear Trap. We didn't have time to get to all of of places we normally hit – the Channels, Palisades between the lakes, but we did expand our horizons and find fish some new waters.

Here is a final shot. Sunrise over the Madison range from the deck of our house



Thanks to all of you who provided tips and help

9ft4wt

[flatlander]

Nice...I was wondering how your trip turned out.   0--0

[ASUfisherman]

Wow.

0--0

[Trout Maharishi]

Good stuff, major suckage to be sure. Only two problems, no hippie beer, and your face detracts from the other beautiful photos Fish porn should only consist of fish, scenery, and hippie beer ;hb

[9ft4wt]

Beer was healthy doses of Fat Tire, Moose Drool and Vitamin R (Raineer)

We did sample a lot of other local brews some of which were pretty darn good...just can't remember what they were... Probably has something to do with the tumblers of McCallan 15 we nutured after returning to the house.

9ft4wt

[outdoorguy3]

Dan,

Great report...good job on the pics!

Nice stuff......something to dream bout for me!

Thanks.

Merry Christmas!

Ralph   0--0

[rjs123]

Really nice looking fish!  What an amazing view of the mountains too.  NICE!!!!

I had some Moose Drool when I was in KC a few months ago,  good stuff along with the Fat Tire.

[Woolly Bugger]

I'll read the rest later, but just had to say, "My phone never rang," and "you suck."

[Rhody]

thanks for the great report, makes me ready to go again soon

rhody

mac 15 may be one of the few things that trump moose drool and dem other hippie brews

[leakywaders]

beautiful pics.  i made it out west in the spring, never made it up to montana and had very little opportunities to fish.  but it did manage to give me the itch to get back out there again for some serious fishing.  i hope to make it soon, though.  in the meantime ill be happy seeing pics from others' adventures

[Woolly Bugger]

okay, read the whole report and have come to the conclusion that





YOU STILL SUCK!!!!!!

[9ft4wt]

okay, read the whole report and have come to the conclusion that





YOU STILL SUCK!!!!!!

Yeah, Ain't it grand....

9ft4wt

[twinbridges]

Good work guys and glad the weather worked for you. 

Maybe heading out for New Years but I think the rivers are freezing up now.

[Rhody]

the high on monday in bozeman is supposed to be -2 and the low -22, sure it will be even colder in other places around there

those kinds of temps don't make me miss it as much this time of the year..........