Fish Story.

6-20-09 WISE RIVER, MONTANA: Wow, I missed nearly a week in prime season. I went from Vermont to Short Hills on 6-14-09 for several days of rain. We did get in a few dogs walks and a charity dinner and wine tasting to benefit St. Huberts Animal Shelter at the Meyersville Inn, which is near where I grew up. Today I came to Montana with a bunch of friends for some fly fishing. The flights from Newark to Salt Lake to Butte were fine and the checked luggage actually arrived with us. We are back at Craig Fellin’s Big Hole Outfitters again. Last year we arrived in the snow, this year it’s pouring rain, cold rain and fog. I guess that’s an improvement.

6-21-09 WISE RIVER, MONTANA: Ken and I were on the Big Hole River with our guide, Chuck, who was very patient with our crossed lines and tangles. We each caught about six fish, rainbows, brookies and browns, and we each had one of good size, 18 inches or so. We saw a bull moose who ran away from us, preferable to the alternative. There were mama ducks with broods of babies, an eagle nest with eaglets, elk in the distance and a lot of western tanagers. There was a sampling from the weather menu with sun, rain, lightening and mosquitoes. After dinner at seven, everybody’s in bed by nine.

Eagles Nest with two Eaglets out of the Nest. Can You Find Them?

Duckies.

Bullwinkle.

First Trout, First Day.

6-22-09 WISE RIVER, MONTANA: Ken and I had a different guide named Chuck today. He took us to the McCoy ranch for stream and pond fishing. We each did well with several fish. It’s different than the river. Here you can see and stalk the fish and cast the fly in front of them, twitching it to make it look appetizing. We watched a bunch of storms pass by to the south and we only got a sprinkling of rain. It was very windy, but no mosquitoes.

The ranch is in Dillon, in the Beaver Head valley. You can see for miles in all directions across the valley to the surrounding mountains. We saw a deer and a young fawn, lots of gophers, a muskrat and lots of swallows and killdeer.

Rainbow.

Distant Storms South of us.

6-23-09 WISE RIVER, MONTANA: Today we had the first Chuck again. We were somewhat better with a couple days of practice, on the job training. We were back on the Big Hole River. The river was higher and faster even than it had been two days ago due to more precip. Today was cloudless all day, this morning there was frost on the grass, it was in the thirties. By noon it was in the seventies, and we were shedding layers. In the morning we each caught a few fish and each caught one large trout, both browns. In the afternoon we were on a lower section of the river which had even higher levels, higher flows and white water runs. The white water was fun, but we caught nothing, perhaps the fish were driven to shelter by the turbulence.

We saw the eaglets out of, but near their nest waiting to be served dinner. The osprey was on her nest. There were mergansers, western tanagers, swallows, nighthawks, Canada geese.

Western Tanager-now that's plumage.

Ho Hum, Another Fish.

Out of the Boat for Riverside Luncheon.

6-24-09 WISE RIVER, MONTANA: Our guide today was Wade, a good name for a fisherman. He guided Ken and I on the upper part of the Big Hole. We caught several fish apiece, again more in the morning than the afternoon. It was another beautiful day on the river, nary a discouraging word was heard. We saw a couple antelopes, a mule deer, a golden eagle, an osprey, nighthawks, another mama duck and kiddies and breath-taking views.

Wild Flowers Where We Put in.

A Different Boat.

The Upper River is Especially Beautiful.

Antelope at Play.

The Upper River is Especially Beautiful.

The Upper River is Especially Beautiful. Have I said that? Here's an old Homestead at our Lunch Stop, the roof doesn't look too tight.

Everyone had a good day, Clay caught four huge trout, one topped six pounds. We had a good-bye dinner on the deck and were entertained by a red-tailed hawk making lazy circles in the sky.

NJ tomorrow.

The Wise River on our last Morning, still turbulent.