Musings from the last best place - Thoughts on living and working in Montana

Fly Fishing on the Gallatin...and then 9 Holes of Golf

On Saturday, our fly fishing class finally got out on the river to put into practice some principles discussed in the classroom. We hit the water about 10AM - not exactly prime fishing hours - but the weather was absolutely perfect (60F, climbing to mid-70s) and we had a great time.

I wound up fishing a side channel by myself - classmates and instructor took the main channel. That worked out well - I ultimately landed a 16" Brown on a Parachute Adams dry fly. I also had a Copper John (nymph) on my rig, but the fish actually took the dry fly. It was a rush - definitely the biggest trout I've caught yet - and I had a big smile on my face as I released him back into the Gallatin. Awesome!

No other action during the day - I finally wound her up around 2.30PM. I was amazed that I'd been fishing for over four hours when I got back to the truck - apparently, you lose all sense of time when you're on the river.

I still had plenty of time Saturday afternoon to get in nine holes at Bridger Creek. I golfed with three brothers - two of whom will be re-opening a bar in the old Bacchus in downtown Bozeman. They were nice guys; none of us tore up the course, but we had a good time. Looks like Fall has returned for a few days here in the valley...


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Filed under  //   Fly Fishing   Gallatin River   Golf   Montana  
Posted October 19, 2008
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Who's Getting Hooked Here? A Review of My Current Fly Fishing Expenditures

Recently I blogged about the fly fishing class I'm taking through Bozeman Adult Ed. I've been through two classes now, and I'm still an enthusiastic student. In fact, I've started 'investing' the cash it takes to get going with this hobby. The tally so far:
  • Rod and reel - I'm good here, as I have an 8.5' rod from Cabela's that I bought about seven years ago (it's cheap, but it will do the job for a beginner). The rod has seen precious little use - I bought it right before a trip to Alaska, thinking I needed to take a rod with me like every other guy who heads to the great white north. In fact, we went deep-sea fishing - twice - and I think I wet the fly line once for 15 minutes (with no success). Of course I had no idea what I was doing, so that's to be expected. I used the rod again late this summer in Montana's Beartooth mountains (Companion Lake) and caught a couple of small Rainbows; that was enough to remind me of the fun I had fishing during my childhood and suggest how cool it might be if I actually had a clue. Hence, the fly fishing class.
  • Waders - Were this August instead of October, I'd probably skip the waders for now and just learn by wet wading. But with winter fast approaching, I'm not overly thrilled at the thought of standing in water that's getting colder by the day. So yesterday, my wife and I (notice how I wisely invited the decision maker along) had lunch together and then slipped over to the big 3 day sale at the Greater Yellowstone Flyfishers shop in Four Corners. There, I picked up a set of Cloudveil 8x chest waders for an obscenely low price that I hesitate to mention. Let's just say I picked up a top-of-the-line set of waders at a price I should have paid for a good starter pair.
  • Wading boots - Waders are no good without wading boots. So after I got the great deal on the Cloudveils, I had to pick up a pair of boots. For that, I trekked over to Bob Ward's in Bozeman where I got a pair of William Joseph W20 wading boots for $60 - again, a great deal (retail is $98). I keep reminding my wife that it's not what you spend - it's what you save!
  • Bear mace - If you're going to spend time outdoors in Montana, you have to be bear-aware. Part of that awareness is carrying bear mace. It's basically strong pepper spray that will - hopefully - deter a bear in full charge if you manage to spray her in the face before she takes you down. Of course, the fact that the spray reaches only 30 feet means you've got to display some pretty big cajones to stand your ground until the bear is in range. Perhaps it's fortunate that a griz in full charge can cover that distance in just over a second - you won't have much time to worry about it! The stuff's not foolproof, but it's sure better than nothing. I paid $35 for a can at Sierra Trading Post.
That's it so far, although I guess I've also dropped a few bucks to pick up a handful of flys and nymphs. Now I just need to get out on the river - something that will hopefully happen next weekend.

This is gonna be cool...

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Filed under  //   Adult Ed   Bozeman   Fly Fishing   Montana  
Posted October 4, 2008
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First Fly Fishing Class

So I attended my first fly fishing class last night as part of Bozeman's Adult Education program (http://www.bozeman.k12.mt.us/adlted/). It's taught by Bruce Hemmings and offers five 2-hour sessions plus two field trips on the river for a measly $50. Count me in!

I've already picked up some good information that will help me as I take up this new hobby. This will seem pretty basic to those of you already in the know, but to a complete neophyte like me it was huge.
  1. Fish always face upstream. Therefore, if you fish from downstream (working your way upstream as you go), you'll catch more fish. By casting forward and letting your fly drift into the fish, you'll avoid being seen and bring your fly into the fish in the way they normally feed.
  2. 85% of the time, fish feed below water. So while catching a fish on a dry fly is more exciting, you'll likely catch more fish on nymphs. If you don't see fish rising, use a nymph.
  3. Caddisflies, Mayflies, and other aquatic bugs lay their eggs in riffles that are usually 6" to 2.5' deep. Trout will hang out downstream from these riffles - and sometime even spend time in the riffle to pick up a quick meal. Fish these areas of the river, especially when fishing nymphs.
I'm looking forward to the next four sessions and to the time on the water later this month. Hats off to Bozeman Adult Ed for offering this great class!

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Filed under  //   Adult Ed   Bozeman   Fly Fishing   Montana  
Posted September 23, 2008
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