Gone Fishing-Montana-Day Six
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October 4th, 2007
Today started cold and clear with the temps in the high 20s at 8AM. Rooster, my guide from 4 Rivers and the owner of the Stonefly Inn got lulled into complacency from a warm float the day before. Left his boots out and they were rock solid. He had to soak them in the river for a few minutes just to get them on. Rooster took us to the Jefferson for a float from Parsons Bridge to Parrot Castle.
The day started slow with the cool temps and bluebird skies, but by noon, the clouds had rolled in and the fish turned on. The Jefferson is famous for Brown Trout and Lewis and Clark except that when Lewis and Clark floated the Jefferson there were no Brown Trout. This is really big water, on par with the Yellowstone. Today at Twin Bridges, the Jeff was running 900+ cfs and slightly off color. The Y was just a tad over 1000 cfs at Corwin Springs. What that really means is that most of the river isn’t productive. Unless there’s a phenomenal BWO or caddis hatch, the fish avoid the wide open riffles and tail-outs. They concentrate on deep banks, along riprap, in deep chutes and those all too few riffle corners that are scattered about big freestone rivers. We found the most fish on deep, slow banks with heavy rock bottoms—banks that for the most part remain unaffected by low summer flows. Again took a steady mix of brightly colored rainbows and browns all afternoon on a #6 Black Woolly Bugger. These two were the largest landed of the day—a 22” brown and 21” rainbow.
Had a pizza for dinner tonight at The Shack just down the street from the Stonefly Inn. In fact every place in Twin Bridges is just down the street from another place. The Shack is a friendly place with great pizza—so said the guide—and he was right.
Tomorrow we are heading for the middle Big Hole I think to look for more browns and rainbows hungry for woolly buggers.
I’ve always wanted to fish the Jeff but have never gotten the chance because I have always fished out there in the summer, when the river is nothing but a trickle.
Thanks for the updates Mike and nice fish.
Did your guide measure those fish?
Indeed he did, so maybe they are guide inches which I understand can be a bit generous. The wife took the marginal pics.
I have really enjoyed these reports from each day…nice work Mike.
For those of you who live out there/have fished there often.
Seafood, there are still fish looking up in the chilly state of Montana. There are quite a few October caddis out still and blue wings out daily when the wind isn’t blowing to hard. I think the biggest reason we all start fishing streamers this time of year is because the fish hit them and hit them hard. But I am with you. I like to mix it up a little. Fishing streamers all day gives me streamer elbow! 🙂
Joel
The reason for throwing big streamers for me is simple, the rewards can be amazing. I’m to the point where quality fish are far more rewarding than a large quanity of fish.
It is my personal opinion when a big fish has the choice of eating a 1000 midges or one minnow for the same result they will most likely choose the latter. Of course there are always exceptions.
I’m headed out tomarrow and will be throwing two things: steamers and hoppers. Not many hoppers around, but the fish will remember them and will love the chance at a big meal.
Where will you be going Clint? I have been chucking streamers for the past 3 weeks and loving it!! Been tagging a lot of nice brown trout.
Joel
Haven’t decided for sure Joel. Possibly the Clark Fork south of town or where the little blackfoot comes in, or the Big Hole. Have you been to the upper sections of the Blackfoot lately?
Not for about three weeks Clint. The last time I was up there it was super bony too. I just checked flows and they have not changed much.
Flint creek has been dynamite lately! Let’s try and get out next week. How does your schedule look?
Joel,
I can go out any day but wed. after about 3:30. Or saturday, sunday about anytime.
Flint creek down low, or up by P-burg?
Down low. About 5 miles or so from Drummond.
Send me a P.M. with your phone number so I can give you a call next week so we can chuck and duck.
2 weeks of stripping streamers would be tough for me…so my question is…are the fish in these rivers soley keying in on streamers? Could you fish nymphs just as effectively? Are the fish still “looking up” at this time of the year?
The key to fishing streamers for 2 weeks in Montana is to fish them all year long regardless of latitude. But, that said, there is an un-written guide rule that says that some time during the day, the client has to fish with a bobber and nymph. When you go for a 1/2 hour without a fish, the guide is obliged to show you his fully rigged Bobber rod so you can catch a fish, even if you could care a rat’s ass about catching trout on bobbers.
My guide today, Justin, was just that sort. His boat rods were rigged with nymphs and bobbers. There were at least two runs where he could not resist that ole guide phase–Lets try some nymphs on this run. Out come the bobber rigs and you slug through 30 minutes of mind numbing boredom trying to get a drag free drift and repsond to the–hit it, hit it chant from the guide. Of course you catch some fish, the technique works. But it isn’t streamer fishing which demands short, and long range accurate casting for hours on end.
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