MONTANA MUSINGS It is March 24th, 2013. While I sit on a boulder that lay beside the Big Blackfoot, in the warm sunshine that is brought courtesy of spring’s arrival I find myself in complete shock and awe. The coloration that comes from spring run off has begun to show its signs. As I sit here recording my inspirations, numerous nymphora stoneflies are welcoming me back, crawling all over my waders. Feelings of excitement begin to build, filling my soul with a sense of overwhelming anticipation towards the new season and the promise it brings. My thoughts and day dreams transition from the big fish that winter nymphing and streamer fishing bring; towards the excitement one endures at the encounter of an eat targeted at a dry fly. In the week previous, I had fished this exact run that I sit beside now for the first time. Not knowing what I had discovered, I set forth and roll casted the turd and worm rig into the soft seam that lay next to the main current. Quickly I applied an upstream mend, stripped in my slack, and allowed my rig to drift free of interference down through the bucket. At about two-thirds of the way through my drift I witnessed what we winter fly-fishermen love to see, bobber down! Caught a little off guard I came tight to my line. To my great pleasure I felt the headshakes and movement of a great trout at the end of my line. This particular fish had decided that a pink San Juan Worm would be a sufficient appetizer that particular afternoon. After carefully and delicately fighting the trout it was ready to be landed. It happened to be a nice 21 (or so) inch hen Bull Trout. I was ecstatic! I knew at that moment I was in the money. I had found what the fish were eating, and had become for that moment in time, a confident fisherman. As I continued up the run, now expecting an even larger bully every cast, I fished with 100 percent concentration. One can never know for certain when that exceptional opportunity will present itself. If I

look at the history of my own personal experience, it seems to have come most often at the moments I am least ready. The emotions one experiences after missing their chance at a quality fish cannot be described in words. However I do believe it is fish that we did not catch, rather than the ones that are landed and photographed, that haunt us and keep us coming back time and time again. Again I casted into the same soft water that I had found success in further down stream. This time it happened faster than before, bobber down! This time I reeled in a beautiful 16-inch Rainbow. A couple of casts later I hooked into and landed a similar sized cutthroat. At this moment, life was beginning to seem surreal. Don’t get me wrong, I have had numerous great days exploring the waters around western Montana, but it is not too often you catch 3 species of trout in one hole. Finally I had fished my way up to the head of the run, right to where the riffle dropped. I love to fish the head of drops mainly because of the consistent success I have found at them. And sure, that may be obvious. Nonetheless it is worth noting. After maybe half a dozen casts or so I had not caught a fish. I was beginning to look further up river and

plot out what I was going to do next. Was I going to call it and walk back to my truck? Continue upstream? I simply found myself in a dilemma that is delighted in. It is always hard for one to leave water they know fish are in, even when one knows they have definitely out fished it. I was at the brink, but decided to take one last drift, this time right on the very edge of the intermediate water,

where it rubbed against the main current. I let my rig drift free of drag and fed line, allowing it to drift a fairly great distance away from where I stood. My bobber was between 30-40 yards in front of me, downstream at this point. I saw a bump, then immediately following, a solid eat. My bobber was down again! Hook set, fish on! I knew right away that it was a nice fish. He ran towards me and it was a challenge to keep pressure applied. Thankfully I was able to do so, and the result of which afforded me my first Brown Trout caught on the Blackfoot. It was also the forth species of trout I had

manage to catch in less than 100 yards of river. I was simply amazed at the blessing this fortune brought me. I thanked God for the experience, thanked the trout for the eat, released him back to where of which he came, and called it a great day on the river. All I can say about the whole experience is classic Blackfoot. Throughout my childhood I was often told of the adventurous tales that originated in the wild waters of Montana and Alaska. As a young boy, I grew up on the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River in North Bend, Washington. This was where I developed my love for the outdoors and my skill in finding trout. Twenty years down the trail I find myself miles away from the nearest paved road, along side the wildest and possibly most pristine river I have had the pleasure of experiencing. The dreams that filled my mind as boy are now a reality that I will never take for granted. The Blackfoot has one of the healthiest populations of Bull Trout in the United States. If you know much about this species of trout, you know how sensitive they are to pollution and human alteration. The fact that Bull Trout are able thrive so successfully in this fishery is simply just a testament to the river itself. It is as it was years ago. It is wild, opportunistic, and is the residence of many big trout. One can experience a variety of pleasurable aspects while exploring the banks of this magnificent river. Its surrounding lands are filled beautiful landscapes and wildlife. Big Horn Sheep, Elk, Deer, and Moose are never an uncommon sight. Bears: both Grizzly and Black are known to scour the riverbanks in search of food. There is sign of Wolves, Coyotes, cougar and bobcats. I have even witnessed Antelope and Bison roaming the prairies of the uppermost stretches. As I gaze into the water watching the powerful and unforgiving force of the river’s hydraulics , I ask myself: What is it that draws one away from the comforts of their heated home, and brings them to these wild places? And maybe a more important question: What is it that prevents one from recognizing this magnetic attraction that we as outdoorsmen/women have towards nature? Honestly I cannot possibly answer this question for you in a matter of fact. I do not even know if there is any answer. For myself, it is so intricate that I do not believe words could ever do the feeling justice. It just is what it is. Of course I am drawn by the dream of catching that fish of a lifetime, or the chance of finding the honey hole that will fill my dreams till my next return. But does that encompass the complete essence of this

emotion? I think not. You see it still leaves out an explanation for why a day spent without even fooling one fish to eat, will still instill the same pleasure as the days that you did. I believe that we as outdoorsmen/women look at the world in a different manner. We see the world through a lens that is unique to our own. Just as a painter, businessman, or politician does. It is an angle that separates us from the current popular culture of which we are reminded of on a daily basis. It is this uniqueness that brings forth a cohesive community of like-minded people. It is why you see such support for magazines like this among other ventures and venues. It is a mindset that produces an individual that is motivated and ready for adventure. It is the willingness to put oneself in often-foreign regions in pursuit of the adrenaline one experiences at the set of a hook. We are a group of people who do. We are a community filled with individuals who find enjoyment in life’s simplicity. So I challenge you who maybe reading this, considering if this pursuit fits into the busyness that life brings. Get out there! Look within and search for what it is that your soul is longs for. Determine amongst yourself what is it that makes your palms sweat. What it is that gets your heart to pound and hands to shake. And once you recognize this notion, don’t just talk about it, do it! I guarantee you will find yourself tapping into a new richness that life offers, a richness that is not offered through social status, materialism, or social media. But one that is derived from the adventure that nature bestows, one that feeds the longing that each of our souls hunger for. BY: Brandon Smith

TRUCKEE RIVER FISHING REPORT I have to get a little creative, sometimes out of boredom, but also to be able to show my guests new approaches to fishing on this humbling river. Usually, this time of year, I’m working on new flies, and trying out new lines and rods. I have a new series of nymphs, streamers, and dries that I’ve been working on since last year. The nymphs are off the chain effective. Some of you guys got to fish them last fall. I’ve also been fishing streamers on a single hand rod using a Wulff Ambush fly line. Thanks for the tip Kevin. Basicly, it’s a short head, Scandi-Skagit line hybrid, with an integrated running line. Put a tip on and single hand spey cast, or just roll cast it. Perfect on this river where back casting is limited and a switch rod can be overkill at times. I like to throw it on a 9’6” Sage One with a fighting butt. Any 5-6 wt rod will work though. If you want to use two hands, the fighting butt is all you need to make a spey cast. It’s a line that’s been around for a while, but I just never had a chance to fish it. Needless to say we will be fishing them this year on wade trips. The streamers I’ve been fishing have all been on jig style hooks. They jig, and dive, and do really cool things in the water. You haven’t seen a lot of big fish lately on my blog because that’s not what I’ve been doing as of late. I can catch fish virtually 365 days a year on a nymph rig, so experimenting with different lines and rods makes fishing challenging and fun. BY: Matthew Koles

FUEL VS. TROUT The oil exploration business is clearly at an all time high here in America. We have recently experienced a boom in the industry similar to the days of the California gold rush. The jobs are a godsend to many Americans. The local economies that are benefiting from the workers who flock to otherwise desolate areas are huge supporters of the energy exploration movement. Many Americans see the recent explosion in exploration as our ticket to a foreign-oil-free America. Scientists have found areas of oil shale and sand fields that could yield more than 4 billion barrels of oil. We’ve built roads, small towns and shipping ports to support this recent rise in domestic production. There are talks of a pipeline from Canada that will make it easier for Americans to transport crude oil across the border and the states where it can be refined and readied for shipment to the world. We live in a world that feeds off of oil. We need oil for so many different things that I dare not even begin to list them within the pages of this essay. Oil and natural gas is so important to us that we are willing to overlook the most important aspect of all of this exploration. The effect it is having on our natural resources. The majority of the locations where oil shale and natural gas exploration is taking place are within or very close to National Forests or Wildlife Preserves. A defining aspect of these areas is the watershed. Hundreds of fingerling streams and minute waterways make up the veins that feed many of our nation’s scenic river systems. These river systems are home to many species of fish that not only provide food for wild birds and large predators but also help control the insect population in regions where insects can become a major problem for humans. As we encroach more and more on what is left of our natural areas, we push the species that call these areas home further and further aways from resources that they have been utilizing for thousands of years. Just as logging in the early 1900’s effected the Russian and Eel Rivers in Northern California, the roads and support systems necessary to maintain this exploration have the opportunity to pressure these fragile areas into a state of shock. Oil, coal and natural gas require transportation to refineries and processing plants. This transportation must be done by road, rail or boat. All three are in direct connection to local river systems. The trains follow the river, as do the roads and the boats utilize the rivers. Once transported and refined the fuel is then used in whatever process it is intended for and reintroduced to the environment. In 2011 a pipeline that carries 40,000 barrels of crude oil per day, ruptured and leaked thousands of barrels of oil into the

Yellowstone River just south of Yellowstone National Park. The effects to fish and wildlife were devastating and crude had been found 150 miles down stream form the crash site, six months after the cleanup began. The pipeline was built in a flood zone and debris from annual flooding in the valley piled up and severed the line. We are encroaching on nature as we search for fuel. Our interactions will not always be positive ones. The cycle is inevitable, but the consequences do not have to be immeasurable. Explorers and processors need to look at what is necessary rather than what is most economical. The chances of this happening are slim but the rewards are key to our coexistence with our natural environments. How can we utilize renewable resources in place of oil, coal and gas? There are ways and they do work, the only issue is they are not economical enough to implement in a system that is built around fossil fuels consumption. If BP could turn a 700 Billion dollar a year profit off of wind power, you can bet your life you would see windmills popping up on every hillside from California to Maine. Hydroelectric dams create much needed energy for our communities and double as flood control for some areas. Recent scientific and engineering advancements have allowed us to create avenues for fish to travel up stream and spawn beyond man made dams. The spawning process is of course an important part of the lifecycle of fish and vital to the reproduction of a species. Spawning fish also provide food sources for various other animals along their spawning journey. In the past when dams were built, no thought had gone into the idea of fish spawning and the necessity to return to designated spawning beds. The dams blocked passages and confused traveling fish which eventually led to a massive reduction in fish populations. In 2007 the Marmot Dam on Oregon’s Sandy River was removed returning The Sandy to its once free flowing glory. In the years preceding the removal activists, scientists and anglers had fought hard to remove the dam. It’s equipment had aged and it’s fish passage was faulty and ineffective. Local fish populations had been lowered due to blocked passage and the lower river system had been negatively altered and cluttered with debris. The dam was removed by PGE when they decided that maintenance and

upgrades would have exceeded the usefulness of the operation. Lucky for fish and wildlife they did. The Sandy has now returned to one of the most wild and scenic rivers in Oregon and the fish population is slowly beginning to turn around. Energy is vital to the progression of society and our daily existence. It is necessary for man to pull resources from the earth and maintain our standard of living. We have built a society that would crumble without it. Gone are the days of reading by candlelight and traveling by horse and buggy. Fuel and energy consumption is inevitable and our consumption will rise. Moving forward it is imperative that we look at not only the ways in which we use fuel and energy but the ways in which we produce fuel and energy. Production is proving to be more destructive than the usage. The Exxon Valdez, the BP Deep Horizon well rupture, The Yellowstone pipeline spill, all of these could have been prevented had producers taken more effort to look at safety over dollars. What good is a resource if the environment in which the resource is utilized in demolished? Fuel and energy production is only going to grow here in the states. A pipeline from Canada that pumps oil into Texas is only a few signatures away from reality and that is fine, if the process of construction is thoughtfully planned and executed. The fear is that the almighty fast dollar will overshadow the need for thoughtful planning and production. Our river systems are only so resilient. Fish can only take so much stress before they give up and die. Hatcheries are not a total solution. The solution is a return to basic principal. Take what you need and only what you need. As we sit at the top of the food chain, we hold title as stewards of the environment. This planet was not created for humans alone. At some point, we will run out of options and our demise will be our own doing if we do not change our thinking at a personal and corporate level. BY ALEX HUDJOHN.

SPRING ICEOFF Every year around this time as the snow and ice begin to melt, fly boxes are full from a winter on the bench. Days are spent taking drives to favorite lakes at different elevations to possibly catch a glimpse of open water. And when you find a lake that is finally iced off.... it's on. With 7mm neoprenes packed, lots of warm clothes and coffee, it's time to fish some still waters. Even if there is only a 15 ft hole in the ice you'll see me, and other anxious anglers, trying to fish it. If you can get on the lake with the dirty water before turnover, you'll be able to do some of the best fishing of the year. The fish are hungry and start to cruise along shoals looking for food, so the micro leeches come out. If you happen to find the fish you can have some of the best days of spring fishing even with the colder weather. But just being out on the water knowing that a new season is starting and more fishing is to come, is enough to get on the water for iceoff.