by Merle Ann Loman | Aug 3, 2009 | Associates - we recommend..., Big Hole, Bitterroot, Blackfoot, Clark Fork, i Spring, ii Summer, iii Fall, Missouri, Shore lunch
Wapiti Waters is all about fly fishing and all about great lunches on the water. We shop at many stores in the Bitterroot Valley and the Good Food Store in Missoula. Our newest favorite is Farm to Market in Hamilton, MT. If we can’t pick from our garden, Farm to Market is the next best thing.
Terry and Roxane Hunt have operated Farmers Produce in Hamilton for the last eight years, and in that time they have noticed that customers were interested in products that are local, from Montana or at least regional. The Hunts decided to give the people what they want: a place to buy local and Montana-made products that saves the consumer money by minimizing transportation costs and bolsters local agriculture.
They opened their new store, Farm to Market, in the old Loonies and Toonies building in Hamilton and feature local and regional produce, a Montana meat market, a fresh fish market, a bakery featuring Missoula-baked goods, a deli and a gift shop.
With their styling of each department, the store is fun, economical, full of choices and is all-the-buzz with shoppers these days, even the young professionals. My young dinner guest last night was asked to bring corn. He arrived with Farm to Market corn spouting his appreciation of the market and its great produce as his favorite Hamilton food store.
All the beef in the meat and fish market section comes directly from actual ranches in the Bitterroot Valley. And they carry pork, chicken and eggs, all of which will come from within the state, much of it from nearby Hutterite colonies.
The store’s fish market features only fish shipped fresh from the Oregon and Washington coasts and the produce shop carries what fruits and vegetables are seasonally available locally like spinach, garlic and apples. Other produce comes from Washington’s Yakima Valley. In the dairy section, they carry local milk from Lifeline Farm Creamery in Victor.
The store’s deli offers sandwiches and a large salad bar. The gift shop carries only products made in the USA, including southwestern tribal jewelry, and features Made in Montana products.
We do our best to provide great fishing and great food. Farm to Market is a key ingredient for the great food!
You can find them at: Montana Farm To Market 302 N 1st St, Hamilton, MT 59840 (406) 363-3854 1-click directions See more photos of Farm to Market and some of our lunches in the slideshow below.
by Merle Ann Loman | Jul 29, 2009 | Big Hole, Bitterroot, Blackfoot, ii Summer
Last week we had temperatures in the upper 90 degree range. For us, that is very hot. The water levels were dropping dramatically and the water temperatures were rising on all rivers but the Big Hole and the Blackfoot water temperatures were in the upper 60 and lower 70 degree range. Low water flows and high temperatures stress trout, making them especially vulnerable to disease and predators.
In conditions like these, Wapiti Waters’ goal is to get out early and get off before the water temperatures peak in the late afternoon. We also choose reaches that have cooler/higher water. It is better fishing, easier on the trout and more pleasant for the anglers. Our guides are knowledgeable and skilled at using the tips listed below.
Last night we had a good rain. The short range forecast is for a bit cooler temperatures and we are already seeing water temperatures drop. But, we are heading into August and it will probably heat up again. It is worthwhile to understand how to fish responsibly during hot weather.
Drought Tips by Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Fish will feel the stress caused by low flows, higher water temperatures and competition for space and food. Low water conditions in spring and fall can cause spawning failures and increased predation on young fish. Also, fish will “group up” to take advantage of pools where the water is deeper and cooler — making them more vulnerable to anglers and predators. If conditions worsen, fish are lost to stress from the higher water temperature, lower oxygen levels, and reduced resistance to disease. These threats can impact adult trout numbers in future years.
To help preserve a threatened fishery anglers can:
- Fish in the cool morning hours — low water flow and rising temperatures combine to stress fish.
- Try another location, if water is low at a favorite fishing spot.
- Be alert for fishing closures on streams hardest hit by drought.
- Work with water users to try to conserve flow.
- Report fish kills to the local Fish, Wildlife & Parks office.
Anglers who practice catch-and-release fishing can minimize the stress they place on fish:
- Use barbless hooks.
- Land fish quickly once they are hooked.
- Keep fish in the water as much as possible while handling them.
- Limit the amount of time fish are handled.
- Wet hands before attempting to remove the hook.
- Handle fish gently.
- Take care not to touch a fish’s gills.
On streams experiencing extreme drought conditions and high water temperatures anglers may want to avoid catch and release fishing as it is difficult for trout to recover under these conditions.
Bull Trout, Arctic Grayling, West Slope Cutthroat Trout are species of concern in Montana.
More information on…
Bull Trout and management during hot/dry conditions:
Bull Trout ID site on MT FWP
Under FWP’s drought plan, angling restrictions are called for on streams that provide habitat for bull trout when stream flows reach 1-in- 20-year lows and maximum daily water temperatures equal or exceed 60 degrees for three consecutive days. For all other trout, the water temperature to trigger angling closures is 73 degrees for three consecutive days.
Arctic Grayling on the Big Hole and management during hot/dry conditions:
The Big Hole River Watershed Committee identifies when low river flows should trigger angling closures.
These trigger points were met in early August of 2006, placing the river’s grayling at risk. The upper and middle reaches of the Big Hole totaling 47 miles were closed due to low water flows and high water temperatures.
The upper reach of the river was not opened until it exceeded 40 cfs for at least seven consecutive days with water temperatures that did not exceed 70 degrees for more than eight hours a day for three consecutive days.
The middle reach reopened when the river exceeded 80 cfs for at least seven consecutive days with the same water temperature guidelines.
To read more, click this link for Big Hole River Drought Management Plan
Note: 21 °C = 70 °F, 16 °C = 61 °F
Click here for Wapiti Waters Stream Flow Links
by Merle Ann Loman | Jul 25, 2009 | Bitterroot, Blackfoot, ii Summer
I am catching up on blogposts after my
trip/native camp with the Me-Wuk tribe and others in northern CA. In this post Ray Gillette is fishing with Jack. Jack grew up in Chicago and Ray lives there. They fished together some years ago and were able to hook up again July 11 and 12 on the Blackfoot and Bitterroot Rivers. It was a great time.
by Merle Ann Loman | Apr 2, 2009 | Blackfoot, Clark Fork, i Spring
Contact: Vivaca Crowser, Information Officer
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
(406) 542-5518,
vcrowser@mt.gov,
Website: fwp.mt.gov/r2
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 2, 2009
River Closures Remain Around Milltown
Small sections of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers near the site of the old Milltown Dam remain closed to fishing, boating and other recreation.
Although the dam has been removed, construction work continues and river conditions are unstable. Riverbed levels are expected to drop this spring as the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers work to reclaim a natural channel, exposing wood and other debris that could create hazards to recreationists.
The Clark Fork River is closed from about one-half mile below the old Milltown Dam site (at the railroad bridge) to three miles upstream from the bridge. Turah Fishing Access Site (FAS) is the last public take-out for floaters upstream from the closure area, and Sha-Ron FAS, is the first public access below the closed zone. Sha-Ron may be unusable this spring because of sediment deposition at the ramp. This sediment is expected to erode during high flows.
On the Blackfoot, the closure covers a stretch of about 1.5 miles upstream from the river’s confluence with the Clark Fork. Floaters must take out at Weigh Station FAS. All closed areas are signed.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) expects the public safety closures will remain in effect for at least one more year. FWP will continue to monitor river conditions and construction activities and will lift closures as soon as conditions stabilize.
For additional information on the closed areas, contact the Missoula FWP office at (406) 542-5500. -fwp-
by Merle Ann Loman | Sep 8, 2008 | Bitterroot, Blackfoot, Clark Fork, iii Fall, Take Your Kids Fishing
September is an amazing time to fish western Montana. The weather is cooler, the fish are feeding and variety is the spice of life. Boyce Tollison and his sons, Mike and Tim fished with Wapiti Waters for three days in September. Jack Mauer and Dave Heimes guided them on three rivers. I want to post a few photos, one of Boyce’s trout from the Bitterroot River and then Mike and his trout from the Clark Fork. Next, see a slide show with photos of Boyce, Tim and Mike. Thanks for coming guys, Jack and Dave had a great time with you!
I am posting a slide show of all the photos. Click on the slideshow or “View Album” link below to see them or download them.
by Merle Ann Loman | Aug 21, 2008 | Blackfoot, ii Summer
We have been fortunate this year. Our air has been clear with only a few small fires late in the summer. This week we are finally getting some stormy weather with moisture. These photos were taken on the Blackfoot River east of Missoula.
Mike Connell caught a nice Cuttbow Trout. Jack is holding the fish.
There are a few more photos in the slide show. You can also view the album by clicking on the slide show or the “View Album” link.
