Labor Day Ruby Saves the Day

[Mike Cline]

Had some relatives and friends in from Washington and Florida over the Labor Day weekend and was tasked with taking a couple of novice trout anglers (old Army buddies) out on some of our Montana water. Neither one of the guys knew much about trout as one was from central Florida (Blue Jacket and family friend) and the other from Indiana (Red jacket and friend of the friend).

So day 1 I put them in kayaks before dawn and we did ~ 3 miles upstream on the East Gallatin with ultralight spinning gear and small spinners. I took along a couple of fly rods, but it proved neither had the skill to do much with them. The East was running low, cold and clear and there was a good hatch going on all morning. One might think that spinning gear would make fishing easier, but not really. When the East is running low and clear, you have to be just as stealthy with accurate casts to keep from spooking fish. The guys caught a lot of fish and were very pleased with the day.

Day 2 it was the Florida guy (Howard) and me. We decided to go to the lower Beaverhead near Twin Bridges as the bigger water would be more forgiving of Howard’s marginal fly casting skills. Unfortunately, when we arrived, the Beaverhead was blown out. It was at least 18 inches higher than the previous week with absolutely no visibility. It was clearly evident that irrigation decisions upstream were pouring a ton of water back into the mainstem. So we had to try somewhere else. We headed up to the public water of the upper Ruby about 55 miles SE of Twin Bridges. My biggest concern: would there be enough water in the river? Could Howard handle the fly rod in tight quarters with really skinny water? I knew this would be hopper fishing, but accurate casting would be imperative.

After a 2 hour drive on the upper Ruby road we arrived at the stretch of river I wanted to fish. Rivers are supposed to have water in them, but the Ruby at this location had gotten pretty thin by the end of August.

Luckily, even with the thin water, the temperature was still cool (60s) and there was plenty of tight little undercuts, small deep (~12”) pools and some tight but deep (~12”) rocky runs interspersed with yards and yards of really thin, clear water.

Additionally, although the sky was hazy from nearby fires, it was essentially a bright, cloudless day. Once I got Howard on the water and showed him where the fish were, his casting skill was adequate enough to hook a good number of fish with a small #12 foam hopper.

The fish in the upper Ruby are mostly Rainbows and Cuttbows that average 10-12”. In the thin water they spook easily, but if you can get a fly to them without revealing you presence, they aren’t selective. They are pretty feisty in the thin water which makes seem them very large for the small water. Howard broke off a couple of nice fish with the 4X tippet. After about 3 hours of mid-day fishing, covering about a mile of water, Howard had landed at least 10 fish. He had become a trout angler under some pretty tough conditions without knowing it.

If you are ever stuck in Ennis or Twin Bridges with lousy conditions on the Big Hole (closed), Beaverhead (blown) or Madison (nearly un-floatable), give the upper Ruby a try.

Strategy without Tactics is a Slow Route to Victory, Tactics without Strategy is the Noise Before Defeat - Sun Tzu

[Mike Livingstone]

Thanks for that report Mike.Love the pic’s. The Ruby is one river I have not fished, nor the East Gallatin. We drove up near the East Gallatin a few weeks ago when we were out, but did not have a chance to fish it. As we passed it at the interstate, it looked very low.I hope you guys get some much needed moisture in those parts.I knew it was pretty dry there before we came out this year and that’s why we chose other places to fish.I miss the area around Dillon.

Mike Livingstone

[Mike Cline]

Mike Livingstone wrote:

We drove up near the East Gallatin a few weeks ago when we were out, but did not have a chance to fish it. As we passed it at the interstate, it looked very low. Mike Livingstone

Mike, if you observed the river from I-90 then that was the Gallatin (or West Gallatin as some call it). The East comes nowhere near the interstate. Generally the East doesn’t have the low water problems that the Gallatin experiences because the East is fed by dozens of spring creeks in the valley. If you ever want to give it a try, I can point you in the right direction.

Strategy without Tactics is a Slow Route to Victory, Tactics without Strategy is the Noise Before Defeat - Sun Tzu

[Mike Livingstone]

Thanks Mike, I was taking for granted that it was the East Gallatin.We discussed going to the MZ ranch and accessing it that way, but never had time. Maybe on a future trip.Always fun fishing something new.

Mike Livingstone

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