Spring weather in Montana is crazy and that has been in evidence this past May and now in June. We’ve been hammered by rain, which makes the farmers happy, and trout later on in the summer, but it puts a crimp in the angling action for sure.
Still, rain or shine, my motto is FISH! So that’s what we did on Sunday. We packed up a crew of dudes and two rafts and headed to Rock Creek to float and fish the high roily stuff for browns and cutthroats. The weather people said it would be in the 70s that day, but I think I remember seeing the truck’s outdoor thermometer reading 42 degrees. And then the rain started and it didn’t stop all day, meaning we slogged through it for at least 8 hours. It was a good test of gear, that’s for sure with everyone reporting some level of saturation. Me, I got a little rain down my back, but only because I was delayed in putting a hood over my cap.
The fish were there and they were aggressive despite the weather. We landed scads of native westslope cutthroat, but only to modest size with, perhaps, the largest measuring 16 inches. I brought one brown to hand but we couldn’t get any of the big boys to eat. Following are images from the day. Hope you enjoy.
Blown focus here with my little Nikon 1, but this gives you an idea of the area and weather.
The Fitzpatrick brothers telling stories. You don’t want to know.
The passing of Rangers held the cold at bay, but we could have used a little Makers from a flask, too.
We didn’t let the weather and being wet and cold dampen our moods. Lots of fun with a great crew.
3 Responses to Floating and Fly Fishing Upper Rock Creek, Montana