Gone Fishing-Montana-Day Three
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October 1st, 2007
Weather: Cloudy and Windy. Day One on the MZ Ranch. This package has a big, colorful bow on it. Bozeangeles as some locals call it and Gallatin County is home to roughly 10% of Montana’s population. By Montana standards, it’s a crowded place. During the tourist seasons, it really is a crowded place. But, just West of Bozeman are the sleepy little towns of Belgrade and Manhattan and the East Gallatin River runs a East to West course just a few miles north of I-90. It’s the perfect combination for the best $150 you’ll ever spend. How do you spend those $$? Well the first $50 goes to Mary Kay Milesnick (mil – les – nick NOT miles-nick), proprietor of the Milesnick Recreation Company on the MZ Ranch—a modest cattle ranch just off Dry Creek Rd, Belgrade. I don’t know what Mary Kay does with the $50, but I know what it buys you–access (along with five other fisherman if its crowded) to five miles of the E. Gallatin, four miles of Ben Hart Spring Creek and one mile of Thompson Spring Creek. Today was my first of two fishing days on the MZ Ranch. The woolly buggers and soft hackles produced nicely. No big browns but bow and cut-bows were plentiful.
Typical fall flow on the E. Gallatin River
Warming Hut at parking spot #5 on the MZ Ranch.
Where does the other $100 go? Well you have a choice here. After fishing all day on the MZ, you are probably hungry. I always am. A steak seems appropriate. Those two sleepy little towns I mentioned—Belgrade and Manhattan—are home to arguably two of the best Steak Houses in Montana, maybe even the entire West. These are not your cookie cutter, Ruth’s Chris type steakhouses. These are down home, mouth-watering; dang they have good meat, local steak joints. Sir Scott’s Oasis in Manhattan and the Mint in Belgrade are must do’s for anyone traveling to Bozeman who isn’t a vegetarian. Last night at the Mint the fare was impeccable. Sir Scotts will be enjoyed tomorrow.
Not real fancy on the outside. The Mint Bar and Café in Belgrade, MT
A 20 oz Ribeye provide fuel for another day’s fishing.
Great report Mike! I fished the Thompson Spring creek when I was in guide school. In fact the picture of me with the brown trout pictured with my name on this post is from Thompson. Great little spring creek and really nice folks there at the MZ Ranch.
It was cold and windy/snowy/rainy here yesterday. But damn the fishing was good! I was out with a client all day and we hooked a lot of browns! I myself was really on a roll. Everytime the client handed me the rod I was hooked up! I love it when that happens. 🙂 If you get a wild hair to come over the mountains drop Ron or I a note and we will get you hooked up!
Joel
What’s up with the gloves, it’s barely October?
Actually, I wear some sort of gloves 100% of the time when I’m fishing–warm or cold weather to protect the hands from sun and other stuff.
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