Warming Up!

Western Montana has settled into its mid-summer weather pattern. Warm temperatures, long sun-filled days, and cool, dry evenings have us all smiling. The lodge has been full for the past week, and the fishing has been hot. As of yesterday, we are officially fishing on all of the area's rivers. As expected, the Clark Fork was the last to turn over, and it was worth the wait. The notoriously powerful lower Fork rainbows were on the eat yesterday, and we are expecting some really incredible golden stone fishing in the coming days. For those of you who have never fished those lower stretches, we strongly recommend giving it a shot next time you are in town. The lower river is big and flat with tall stands of pine trees sprawling across steep canyon walls. The fish their are bigger; mostly rainbows, averaging better than 15" with lots of opportunities at 18" plus.

Full Swing!

The wheels on the Blue Damsel van are turning! Despite rain and cool temperatures, the rivers are stable and/or dropping. Fishing on the Creek has been bananas: golden stones and green drakes are everywhere with every fish in the river looking to eat them. The Blackfoot has been getting hot too--big foam salmon flies with droppers have been providing all-day-long action for our guests. The Bitterroot seems to be right behind the pack, and we expect to be fishing dries on the mid-river by mid-week. The Clark Fork still appears to be a little ways out, but it will shape up before too long.

Grilled halibut with coconut rice last night. Pork tenderloin with roasted taters tonight. Life is good!

Mac and Colin prepare for the year's first camp fire

What happens when Chef Josh gets his hands on some rhubarb

Open for Business!

Well, it is finally that time of year again. The rivers are dropping, the days are warming, and huge stoneflies are crawling on banks and flying upstream--it's summer. Yesterday, we welcomed our first guests of the summer season and everyone at the lodge could not be happier. The lodge is looking good with new tile in the bathrooms, a remodeled pro shop, and aromatic herb gardens surrounding the fire pit.

And the lodge is not the only thing getting going. Salmon flies and golden stones have been abundant on the Creek, while hopper/dropper fishing on the Blackfoot and the Bitterroot have been supporting long June days of trout catching. We are still waiting for the Clark Fork to clear up a bit, and expect it to do so in the next week or two.

All in all, we could not be more excited to begin another season at the Blue Damsel. And to all our friends, we look forward to seeing you soon.