Early Bird Gets the Worm

After a week in the mid-nineties, we have finally decided to start our days a little earlier. The past two days we met our guides between 6:30 and 7:00 and were wetting lines by 8:00 am. The results have been great. Fishing hopper/ droppers right off the bat has had people landing quality trout within sight of the put-in. By mid-morning, we are fishing double-dry rigs in the warming summer air. The meat of our good fishing has been between 9:00 am and noon, with lots of golden stones and PMD's beginning to move around for the day. The guests in the lodge right now met their guides at 6:30 am. They will be back at the lodge for a cold drink and nap by 3:30. And then it's off to wade fish Rock Creek before flank steak and strawberry pie. That's what we call a good day of fishing!

Blue Skies and Big Fish

As many of you know, mid-July in our neck of the woods can mean long, hot days, dry weather, and forest fires. Although the trout fishing usually survives (if not improves) under a smoky sky, we always prefer our beloved big blue. We are happy to report that so far this year there are no signs of fire. In fact, our summer has been so cool, and relatively wet, that river conditions are still favorable enough to catch fish right through the heat of the afternoon. This morning, our guests were chowing on Josh's famous buckwheat pancakes at 7:30 and fishing on the river at 9:00. And when fish are eating bushy #8 dry flies, life is easy. We are fishing hoppers, golden stones, and PMDs these days, and enjoying the extra rest and happy trout provided by this awesome Montana weather.

No News is Good News

Things on Rock Creek couldn't be better. We are now knee deep in the season, and staying busy despite earlier fears of a tough year (no one was sure just how the economy would effect our business). Every night we find ourselves thankful to have a dinner table surrounded by smiling guests, ready to share their stories of a day on the river. And there have been plenty of them. Now that we are fishing on just about every stretch of river, our guests are getting to experience the full spectrum of Missoula-area fishing. From the red rocks and rumbling rapids of the Blackfoot, to the green ranch land of the Bitterroot, to the big flat water of the lower Clark, people are fishing and catching everywhere. Nothing is new about that. That's the way we like it.