Learning Right From Wrong

So from time to time when a fella catches a decent trout and it has been a slow day I will allow the client to hold the fish for the picture. Now this can be risky, in the event the unsuspecting trout ends up under neath the floor in the boat. Before I describe any further the gong show that took place with a beautiful specimen, I must clear something up right away. It does not work to the anglers advantage to grasp a majestic wild trout as if they were attempting to get the last drop out of their tube of toothpaste! Two reasons, the fish will wiggle twice as much, wouldn't you?? and fish, if you were not aware do not have an exoskeleton and cannot withstand 100 lbs. of pressure directly to the pumping station.

Now that I've got that out of the way, it is time to pick on a recent client. A client that supposedly had caught fish on every continent and in every country and most certainly did not need me to throw any pointers his way in the angling department. However, since I have put up with poor angling and what he considered poor fishing, it is my turn! First, his hook set resembled a ribbon routine from the 3rd grade class, his mend was actually the primary influence for character Zorro and his trademark Z. As unbelievable as it may sound this particular angler actually caught fish, one worth taking a picture of. Seeing as we had not been filling the boat with them all day I decided to let him hold the fish and take a sweet "dude" grip and grin. Needless to say Mr. World Wide Fly Fisher had apparently, similarly to his angling abilities, not perfected the art of gracefully holding a fish for a lovely memory. If memory serves me right, this fish bounced off of every surface within sight; the side of the boat, the bottom of the boat, top of the cooler, oar, all the while being batted around like a junior juggler for the Ringling Bros. This poor fish finally found the water and swam over to my feet, as if to beg for mercy. After reviving the fish, he sat in the shallows for awhile straightening out his life and recounting the events that had transpired. Needless to say that trout will think twice before inhaling a hot pink worm. So remember if your guide allows you hold the fish, be nice to it!

                                     No fish were harmed in the making of this post.

The Double Guide Experience

So yesterday I got the opportunity to hop in the back of Willow's boat with a great guy, Todd. After a few cups of coffee and the usual debate over where we should go and how we should fish, we were off for a marathon float. The day started with an exhilarating dive into the Big Hole River chasing my camera that floated out of the back of Joe's boat; apparently it takes more than 2 fishing guides to launch a boat. With a safe capture of the camera, protected by a bomber Pelican case, we pulled away and began pounding the water with less than optimal results. Of course, if you put 2 guides and a dude that can get'r done in the boat together, some meat is probably being tied to the end of the string. We turned a dozen or so on dries and big streamers, but after an hour of watching fish chase and failing to land said fish we reluctantly picked up the bobber rods. A slow start ensued, but thanks to Joe's astute guiding prowess and flawless fishing tactics it quickly picked up after stuffing our beaks with a fair amount of groceries. The remainder of the day was filled with good fishing and even better camaraderie. A short hail storm slowed us down for a minute, but we regrouped, licked our wounds, and commenced to slaying. All in all a great day to be on the water. Thanks to Joe and Todd for a boat load of laughs.

New Faces

I must begin today's post by relaying this extremely important message: Montana is awesome!! In the past week I have seen almost a dozen moose, bald eagles, forty-leven fawns in the river bottom and caught some absolutely amazing trout. The fishing has finally reached an acceptable level, one that is keeping me happy on a daily "guiding" basis. The fish have moved into the places where they are "supposed" to be and are starting to bite the flies that I select. All in all, the past few weeks have been great. The sandal tan has set in deep and is most definitely a permanent fixture, unlikely to fade with time. Yesterday brought some great clients in the boat, a father and son from Casper, WY. A trip that Rooster didn't want to take because he didn't know them. Turns out meeting new people is not always a bad thing. These guys can huck it! "throw it under that tree branch, but not into the bushes!" Ker-plunk!! A perfect cast every time!! and it paid off for them. These boys were used to mountain streams and 9 inch trout. Needless to say we did a might better than that, putting over 20 lbs. of fish in the boat before lunch!!

A day off to goof off

Well I've got a day off so I guess I oughta spend some time to let ya'll know how things are going. The short answer is GREAT! I spent most of the last 2 weeks guiding and had some great days on the water. All of our rivers have shaped up and a fella can pretty much go wherever he wishes and catch fish. A few of the boys ran to the Madison yesterday chasing a report of Salmon flies; meanwhile Mike Z and I stayed here in our home valley and fished the Big Hole. We found plenty of willing Salmo truttas (brown trout to the lay person) to bite the end of our string. The type of fishing everyone wants on their southwest Montana fishing trip, dry flies and streamers. I guess that is just all part of living the dream!

Its so Magical!!

If you have yet to see the "Double Rainbow" video on YouTube, then you desperately need to look it up and make sure plenty of your friends are around when you watch it. Coincidentally I had a client in the boat that had a case of the double rainbows. Of course you wont understand the hilarity of the situation until you see the video. He was completely amazed at the entire experience of catching a wild trout. He caught a few better fish, but this was the only one he could hold onto long enough to take a picture of. 

Smiling Faces

Contrary to popular belief, being a guide is not an easy venture. Dealing with high water, leaky boats, section closures and difficult clients. One recent guest pushed my patience and my gag reflex to the breaking point. An Iowa corn farmer, who's name will remain unknown for security purposes, consistently found something to complain about and displayed an attitude resembling that of sanitation engineer pulling the night shift at an all you can eat shellfish convention. He not only refused to follow directions, which were conveyed with the utmost respect; the kind of respect that Iowa's stealthiest corn grower has apparently come to demand from spouse,offspring and compadre. After three days of putting on a smile and doing everything in my power to keep this pleasantly pissed person from threatening my life and the lives of those in passing boats, convinced that every other boat on the water was poaching "his" water, I was finally greeted with a smile.