Category Archives: Backcountry

Prepping For The Bahamas

I’m not writing this to rub it in. I know it’s cold outside. I have six inches of snow on my front lawn right now and it’s gray as can be here in Missoula. We could have another few months … Continue reading

Posted in Backcountry, Culture, Flies, Saltwater, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Tying Loop Connections on Sink Tip Lines

As you know from yesterday’s post, I’m headed to British Columbia and that means I’ll likely be chucking some sinktips. Making loop connections has always been an issue for me, especially on the water, but with a nail knot tool … Continue reading

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Gearing Up For a Week at Nimmo Bay, British Columbia

Just back from a three-day jaunt to Seattle and now it is time to gear up for a week in British Columbia, a mix of remote, but plush lodge chillin’, at Nimmo Bay Resort on the mainland coast, and a … Continue reading

Posted in Backcountry, British Columbia, CANADA, Northwest | Tagged | 2 Comments

Southern Boys Getting Northern…or How To Fly Fish

Had the southerly crew up for the weekend, my friends from LA and Phoenix who needed a good dose of Montana Time. They flew in Friday a.m. and by early afternoon they were hooking up with bass and

Posted in Backcountry, Culture, Montana | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Summer Storms and Fishing in Lightning

In 1996 I had a lightning bolt hit the ground about 10 yards from where I was walking. I thought I took a direct hit because the noise was so violent and I felt a jolt in my left foot. … Continue reading

Posted in Backcountry, Montana, Northern Rockies | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Montana Cutthroat Fly Fishing Commando Mission

Last week. Lots of options. The water rolling high in some places, perfect in others. North Idaho? The Big Hole? West Fork of the Bitterroot? Where to go with so many options? That was the question I had in my … Continue reading

Posted in Backcountry, Montana, Northern Rockies | 2 Comments

Fishing Montana’s High Mountain Lakes

You can’t get into all the West’s mountain lakes right now, but most of them below 8,000 feet are accessible, free of ice, and offering eager cutthroat, rainbow and brook trout. A few lakes also hold golden trout, which are … Continue reading

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The Mount Jumbo Stumble

Things were going well today.  A last couple hours with the girls before they head out with their mom for eight days. They’ve got a three-hour drive ahead of them so I decided to wear them out a little. I … Continue reading

Posted in Backcountry, Culture, Missoula, Montana, Montana | 6 Comments

Small Stream Fishing in Montana

This is how it goes. You get an e-mail from a friend in Butte. He says he’s off work at five and that the upper Clark Fork looks good. He caught a few fish on dries there the night prior, … Continue reading

Posted in Backcountry, Montana, Northern Rockies | Tagged | 1 Comment

Angler’s Tonic in Resurrection Bay

Happy fathers day to all you dads out there. You know as well as I do that our jobs as fathers and our opportunity to develop young people is the most rewarding aspect of our lives. And the most difficult, … Continue reading

Posted in Alaska, Backcountry, Northwest | Tagged , | 4 Comments