Category Archives: Northern Rockies
MT Rivers on the Drop
You can still find some muddy water in Montana, and maybe we’re still a week out on the Clark Fork, but some of the smaller waters are falling nicely, running mostly clear and if not wadable all the way across, … Continue reading
Idaho Trout and Char Get Free Ride
Saw this piece in the Missoulian and found it interesting. Figured all of you would, too. Don’t know if this makes more sense than cleaning up the habitat and giving all these fish a real chance, but I’m sure the … Continue reading
Western Montana Hatches Be Jammin’
Here’s a little report that my friend Jed Fitzpatrick, who owns Bitterroot River Guides, cranked out after he and I and a few others floated Montana’s Bitterroot River last week. With some colder weather the river is probably on the … Continue reading
Some Guides Oppose Bitterroot Sidechannel Closure
Most Montana anglers would agree that the Bitterroot River is one of the state’s most dangerous floats, mostly because the riverbed changes each year and scads of woody debris clogs some portions of the river. To put it bluntly, you … Continue reading
Groups Sue USFW Over Big Hole Grayling
Montana’s Big Hole River is probably my favorite, for too many reasons to list here. However, I will offer a couple: first, it offers the opportunity to catch a mega brown or rainbow trout on any given cast, it seems … Continue reading
GT’s Two Fly Winter Setup
It may have felt like spring around Montana yesterday, and it looks like we’ll see temperatures in the 50s by the coming weekend, but it’s still winter and the fish know it. I’ve heard good reports of late from the … Continue reading
Bear-Proof Containers Not Yet(i) Required on Montana’s Smith River
As many of you know, floating Montana’s Smith River is one of fly-fishing’s greatest adventures. To do so, you need to draw a limited-entry permit and you need to plan for a four or five day float, depending on how … Continue reading
In Three Years: Walleye Numbers Double in Clark Fork Delta/Lake Pend Orielle
I did a little fly fishing for walleye this summer, including a week-long trip to Ontario for just that purpose; I can’t say they are my new go-to specie. In fact, I failed rather miserably in catching any good size … Continue reading
Major Trout Decline in Idaho’s South Fork Snake River
Idaho’s South Fork Snake is one of my favorite rivers, a place where you can hammer up to 50 native cutthroats a day when the fishing is good, and it’s also a place where you have a legitimate shot at … Continue reading
You Write the Caption—2
Shot this photo while sitting in a drift boat on Montana’s Beaverhead River a few years ago. The two culprits in this image are Dan Summerfield, arms spread wide, and Jed Fitzpatrick who runs Sula Fly Fishing and typically guides on