We drove through the Big Hole Valley a few days ago on our way to Bozeman and Billings. The slideshow below starts just east of Lost Trail Pass (it was snowing on our way over) and then visits the Big Hole River near Wisdom, Wise River, and Divide, Montana. Click the town names for more information on the Visit Montana site.
The river was big and fast, the weather was overcast and in the 45 degree range, but we saw a few boats with people fishing…not sure what the success rate was.
Jack is a permited Fly Fishing Outfitter for the Big Hole, has fished and guided on it for over 30 years, and loves that special high mountain valley. Click Wapiti Waters Big Hole web page for more information, including more links.
The owner of a Hamilton fly shop died in a rafting accident on the Bitterroot River Wednesday.
Richard “Dick” Galli, 72, drowned after the raft he was riding in overturned just south of Hamilton at about 2 p.m.
Ravalli County Sheriff Chris Hoffman said the three men launched their boat from a fishing access site at Anglers Roost.
Just downstream, they apparently hit a brush pile and the boat overturned, Hoffman said. It landed on a tree limb and the men were ejected….
…While the Bitterroot River isn’t running bank full, Hoffman said it has reached the point in the spring when floaters need to be very careful.“It’s always a fairly tricky river to float, but the danger increases in the spring,” Hoffman said. “We urge people to use extreme caution and maybe consider waiting to float until the river drops enough so they can see debris.”
Best laid plans: On May 1, Jack had a great day of fishing with John Hickman and Terry Nobles.
Yesterday, May 2, he and I were going to fish – acually scout, but if I get to go along, I get to fish! We pulled into the access and I (and a few other cars) hear Jack yell, “What the heck happened!” As, I look at the river, I see what he means. Water that was gin clear the day before is chocolate brown, muddy as heck. We had looked at the hydrographs and there was no surge in run-off. This meant that a “ditch” up-river had blown and deposited sediment, a lot of sediment, into the river. Jack has a client day today and tomorrow. He was visibly concerned. All we could hope was that somehow, it would clear. It did and Jack is fishing his clients.
In the photo below, taken at the same access early this morning, the water is clear. Maybe it isn’t gin clear, but it is very clear and fishable. We are happy campers even though I didn’t get my boat fishing in. So that is the 3 day “In, then OUT, then In” story.
It is a tough business. According to some shuttle drivers, there was a flurry of shuffling guide boats and rigs up, and up, and up river to try to find fishable water on May 2. I hope they found some.
Jack owed Casey Hackathorn on a bet – something about the Pittsburgh Steelers… The payoff was to row Casey on a stretch of his choice for a day, so he did on April 20.
I just found this photo of Casey on Jack’s boat camera. Casey is holding a northern pike. Ugly, huh? That must have been fun to reel in.
John caught fish, but the photos are all about Terry and his fish. John is in love with our Chesapeake puppy, Freda, so Jack had to take her along. She is a bit of a handful and won’t be a fixture in the boat on guide days, only as a special request.
Terry insists on sitting in the rear seat, but with Jack rowing and Terry’s skills, he doesn’t get the short end of the rod, he catches trout, always.
We drove through the Big Hole Valley a few days ago on our way to Bozeman and Billings. The slideshow below starts just east of Lost Trail Pass (it was snowing on our way over) and then visits the Big Hole River near Wisdom, Wise River, and Divide, Montana. Click the town names for more information on the Visit Montana site.
