Greetings from Rock Creek! The fishing, eating, and relaxing continue to be stellar up at the Blue Damsel. The Blackfoot and Clark Fork have been treating anglers to great hopper and golden stone fishing, while Josh has been cooking up some memorable meals in the kitchen. Not much else to report (sometimes it's a good thing). 

And check out this ragtag bunch! The staff at the Blue Damsel showing off their collection of mustaches.

More Pics!

George and Fritz, a father-son fishing duo from Maine, sent us these great shots from their fishing trip earlier this summer. Lookin' good, fellas!

Feelin' Good!

Today it: overcast, drizzling, and 67 degrees. Sounds like dry fly weather! The fishing has been nothing short of great the past week. Hopper-dropper rigs have been the ticket with fish willingly chewing on both ends of the set-up. It is hard to predict where the guides will want to fish the next day as all of our rivers look great. 

And the fishing forecast is not the only thing looking great. Tonight, there will be a tasting from one of Missoula's local breweries, and the Texas contingent of our staff --Keith and Sam--are BBQing brisket and ribs on Thursday. All this, coupled with the return of our resident bull Moose, Marty, have got us feeling pretty good! 

 

Life is good up at mile marker 10 on Rock Creek Road. A week of days in the mid-80's and nighttime temperatures in the mid-40's has made for some spectacular dry fly action and a cool and pleasant cocktail hour each night on the porch. We are pleased to report all of the area rivers are cleared, leveled and prime for fishing. We cannot remember the last time the late July forecast for trout fishing looked so good. 

Just yesterday, our buddy, Al (a current Blue Damsel guest) was fishing the upper Bitterroot. He is new to the sport and had never cast a fly rod in Montana. His first fish, caught within sight of the boat ramp, was a 19-inch wild and native cutthroat trout. And did I mention it was his birthday?! Happy Birthday, Al--way to go!

In other news, there has been some solid eating going on up at the lodge. Last night, chef Josh cooked up a roasted corn chowder starter followed by a oak-smoked rib-eye with mashed yams and sauteed cauliflower. We aren't gettin' any skinnier up here!

PS : Check out this picture of our friend, Brad, and guide, Pete, with a beautiful Montana Brown!

Check out this video our pal, Bill, made during his stay at the lodge. Thanks for the cinematic love, Bill!

Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Aprz0BEI5j8

A year ago to the day, the trout fishing in western Montana went up in flames. Literally. By the second of July, we had already had two days over 100 degrees and lightning storms and high winds were starting and spreading wild fires in all directions. The Clark Fork, Bitterroot, Blackfoot, and Rock Creek were exceeding 73 degrees on a daily basis, and Fish Wildlife and Parks closed the waterways to angling after 2:00 pm. It was hot. It was smoky. And it was far from over. 

Today, in 2008, the hottest day in the 10-day forecast is 88 degrees. The Bitterroot Mountains still have snow and the lower Clark Fork is just starting to look like a river we might fish this season. There is no telling what will happen over the course of the next month. It might be 100 for a week at the end of July and then this wonderful, cool, wet early summer was all for nothing. Fires are bound to start. It will warm up. But as of right now, the fishing situation for late July and August could not look any better. Literally. 

Around here, the dinner table is where we get our fishing reports. Guests usually get off the river around 6, and by 7:15 they are cleaned up and ready for grub. The conversation inevitably turns to the trout that were, and in some cases were not, caught that day. 

Last night, over hungarian mushroom soup and grilled pork tenderloin, the fishing reports came in. Five guided boats fished various stretches of the Blackfoot with similar results. "Maybe 10 minutes," one guest said, "longest time between hook-ups all day." Although mostly on deep, double nymph rigs, the fishing the length of the Blackfoot has been superb. Lots of fish are looking for big stonefly nymphs and bright red San Juan worms. And with more and more fish looking at the top end of a hopper-dropper, we expect the dry fly fishing is about to hit the fan.

Today, there are several boats on the Bitterroot. Tonight, it's cornish game hen for dinner. I'm forecasting another good report.

Will and guide Greg with a honker Blackfoot Brown. Way to go, Will!

The Root

The East and West Forks of the Bitterroot River come together 90 miles south of Missoula. From there, the main stem flows north through fertile, green pastures and stands of huge, mythic cottonwoods. To the west, the snowcapped granite peaks follow the stream's progress to its juncture with the Clark Fork near Missoula. It is a classic freestone trout stream with wild trout dining on prolific summertime hatches of golden stones, PMD's, hoppers, and caddis. A good day on the lower Bitterroot with fat browns sipping #14 dries will make anyone believe that this truly is the last best place.

Yesterday, three Blue Damsel guests fished the upper Root, and we were relieved to hear them report that the Bitterroot is finally shaping up. They reported zealous cutthroats attacking big golden stone patterns all day, and a few larger fish taking pheasant tails and prince nymphs. With the upper stream running clear, it is only a matter of days before the whole river is back to its normal early-July self.