Joel Thompson
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Eric, I loved a lot of the photos. My favorite being the one of the rusty colored elephant!
The big question I have is what was the need to kill so many animals? I don’t have anything against hunting at all. I am just curious. Is it for herd management? Does someone use the meat?
Joel
Cameron that is a great post! Love to see that K-9 “Ice” is becoming a fishing buddy! Any chance of you getting him up here to Montana so he can teach Riley some fishing etiquette?
The fall fishing here is really starting to heat up! I have found a few new holes that have been out of this world good for me this past week. I have hooked several browns this week that will dance across the water from one side of the river to the other! And if that doesn’t put a smile on a guys face nothing will!!
That was a very cool video! I wish it was a little more clear in the beginning when he is drawing it, but still very cool.
Cam, the canvasfish website is pretty cool as well. I need to get some stuff like that to hang up in my fly shop!
Joel
Drifter, where abouts in the Beartooths is that picture from? I’ve spent quite a bit of time in the Beartooths. Rugged country for sure! Did you fish any of the lakes while you were there? The last time I was there (2 years ago) I fished Jasper Lake and caught a fair amount of Yellowstone Cutthroat. I usually fished in the evenings after big hikes during the day. (We climbed three peaks over 12,000ft in four days) It was a great way for me to ice my knees.
Joel
Clint it is about time you showed up here! That sure was a nice bow you caught in…umm Colorado. I was sure glad I was there with my camera!
Lando is that you standing next to Clint? Man you are a hippie! 🙂
Joel
Absolutely!! One of the best parts of fly fishing is the hunt and stalk! With big boys like that it can be rewarding to know that you fooled him to take your fly.
Joel
Silly Lando…Deer Lodge doesn’t even have a Burger King! We have an A&W and a McDonalds though. What does Deer Lodge have to offer…Let’s see there is the Old Car museum, the Historic Old Montana State Prison, the Historic Grant Kohrs Ranch and….Ok we have a bunch of old stuff!! But we also have a lot of great outdoor recreation which is all your kids should ever need!
Mike those are some great shots! Did you use the same camera to take all of those pictures? If so what camera are you using?
I have heard Ron Snow talk about the Caney Fork all summer. It looks like I have a good excuse to come visit him in Tennessee now!
Joel
Hey Cameron it looks like your little girl is ready for a trip to Montana to stay at the cabin! If she can handle the tent she could easily handle the cabin!
We have had a real bad mouse problem since you and the gang were up there. I think I finally found where the little bastards are getting in! We have caught 20 mice in the past three weeks!!! I am about ready to start using them for Brook Trout bait here pretty soon!
Joel
Hey Dave is that above Wolf Creek? I hear that the MO is starting to fish a lot better these days and need to get over there. What did those Browns eat? It is that time of year they should be starting to chase streamers aggressively! How were the weeds?
Joel
Cam, what else would you expect Santa to do on his time off? 😉
Lando you changed your name! Cody must have a more understanding school system and recognize your addiction to fly fishing!
I don’t have kids and never will, but I have taught a lot of kids to fly fish. I think the number one thing a person can do is get the kids excited out the outdoors. The other thing you can do is make a big deal out of every fish they catch. Kids are always looking up to there elders and they want to impress you! I have found that with the kids I teach that if you really get excited about the fish and tell them it is the most beautiful trout you have ever seen and then you show it too them, and you let them touch it, and have them help you release it back to the water it came from they will really get into it. It does work on every kid, but the ones that it does are generally hooked!
The worst kid to teach is the one who can’t stand being away from their electronics. That is when you take Carters advice and get some dynamite and whiskey. Both of which would be for your own entertainment!
Joel
Lando, Have you ever seen any grasshoppers around this lake? If so, my approach would be to throw a hopper or a medium sized attractor pattern like a size 12 stimi chew toy. Throw it into the wind and then let the wind push you around the lake as you troll with the bug. That method has always worked well for me when hoppers are present on the banks. Oh, and make sure you have some beer with you! Lake fishing can be boring!!
Joel
An old gentlemen that I have known almost my entire life made me my first “nice” fly rod. It was a two piece 5wt rod. I am not sure of the blank brand, but it was a sweet rod. The neat thing about this story is this is a guy who was a city judge and later on the mayor of the little town of Deer Lodge MT. When I was in High School he took my drivers license away TWICE!! And still our friendship continued to grow over the years. He is actually the person who really introduced me to fly fishing and so when he gave me this rod it really meant a lot to me. And then it happened…I stepped on the upper section of the rod right before a backpack trip. I panicked and my heart raced! I thought for sure that I broke the rod, but to my surprise the rod appeared to be fine. Fine that is until I caught my first fish on that backpack trip. One hook up and the rod snapped in half. That was maybe 10 years ago and I have still not musturded up the courage to ask my old friend if the rod came with a warranty. :-/
Zach you can’t put a price on sentimental. And to that I lift my glass of Trout Slayer to you and that old St. Croix and hope that someday you can find your peace.
Joel
Joel Thompson 39 years old and a 5th generation Montanan. I have been married to my wife Debbie for 16 great years. We have no kids just a big yellow lab named Riley. I am a fishing guide and director of outdoor activities for Rock Creek Cattle Co. in Deer Lodge Montana. I have been fishing almost my entire life and actively fly fishing for about 25 of those years. I have fished in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and the Virgin Islands.
I have been privleged to meet several of the people from this board and I can assure you that they will always be friends of mine. Great people on this board and I love being a part of it. I think it would be really cool if we could all meet somewhere for some time of reunion. (Didn’t know what else to call it.
That is pretty interesting Rich. If those pictures hold true those are some beautiful fish. I have a buddy in Japan that I got into fly fishing a couple of years back. I will have to share that site with him and see if he can go out and get us some photos!
Thanks for sharing!
Joel
I would stop by the Rivers Otter in Florence and talk with the guys in there. It’s a nice shop and the guys are very in tune to what the Bitterroot is doing. I wish I could be of more help but I have not been on the Root since spring time when the Skwalla hatch was going on. I do know that there are a lot of wading options on the Root right now and the reports that I have been getting have all been that it is fishing very well right now. You can also check out this site and read their report on the Bitterroot. They are usually right on with their reports http://www.kingfisherflyshop.com
I hope that helps a little!
Joel
