Anglers Versus James Cox Kennedy: Ruby River Access in Peril

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Greg Thomas

If there is one person in Montana who is single-handedly trying to wreck Montana’s stream access law and deny fishermen onto water they rightfully and legally can fish, it’s James Kennedy who’s a multi-millionaire from Atlanta and owns
ranches in Montana, one along southwest Montana’s Ruby River.

Here’s a story from the Montana Standard’s Nick Gevock that details Cox’s latest effort to privatize “his” river and keep the public out. To read the full story, including some intriguing background info, go to The Montana Standard.

A sportsmen’s group has appealed an April ruling by a judge that limits public access to streams from bridges on roads with historic prescriptive easements.

That same ruling, by Madison County District Judge Loren Tucker, has also prompted a fresh challenge Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Culture, Montana | Tagged | 4 Comments

Fun With Weather. A “summer” excursion to Montana’s Big Hole

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Greg Thomas

The boys got into their famous grouse and this is how the day began for the D-Sum.

Ah, late spring, almost early summer and here comes Memorial Day Weekend in the Pacific Northwest—with all the rain and snow that it’s known for.

So there we were last Saturday, heading to the Big Hole River with the temperature gauge stuck at 33 degrees. In Divide we stop to see Al Lefor at Great Divide Outfitters. I load up on streamers, some 2X and a bottle, for whatever reason, of Super Float. Lefor rings it up quickly enough, but he knows as well as we do, there won’t be any dry fly action today. We agree to a shuttle, ask if our float is too long or too short and Al replies, “It’s fine as long as you have lots of clothes.”

Outside the wind has Continue reading →

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

Rene’ Harrop’s 2012 Henry’s Fork River Fishing Forecast

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Greg Thomas

Numbers and size should be up again.

by Rene’ Harrop

Throughout my entire memory I have relied on a fixed set of indicators when attempting to predict what lies ahead in a new year on the Henry’s Fork. Reflection on the previous season is the general starting point.

Most who fished the Henry’s Fork in 2011 would agree that the quality of experience from Box Canyon to Riverside was the best in nearly a decade. This stretch includes the fly only water of Harriman State Park where disappointment was often the result in the first few years of the new century. This improvement has been the gradual result of beneficial winter flows negotiated by the Henry’s Fork Foundation over the past four years and the absence of serious Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Idaho | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Views from the Rattlesnake with author Laura Munson

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Greg Thomas

Got to spend some time this week wandering on the mountain. The sense of relief and clarity I get from being above the city and looking out to the north and west is remarkable. So much wildness so close to all of us. Mount Sentinel served that inspiration when I was in college. Today it is Jumbo.

The mountain is gorgeous right now, soft green and dotted with wildflowers, such as Indian paintbrush, balsamroot, and many others I couldn’t name without a seasoned flower-girl with me. Oh, a seasoned flower girl. Well, I didn’t exactly have that this week, but I did get to share the mountain with New York Times best-selling author Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Montana, Photography, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Bighorn River Algae Could Be A Pain This Summer

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Greg Thomas

Montana’s Bighorn River is one of my favorite streams, with a variety of water and scads of trout. I used to fish it strictly during winter but I’ve made a few summer ventures there, too. And algae often is an issue, causing anglers to sometimes fish single flies instead of tandem rigs and such, just so they don’t  have to spend the day getting slime off multiple flies and tippets. Unfortunately, the algae is already an issue on the ‘horn this year and it could Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Montana, Northern Rockies, Wyoming | Tagged | Leave a comment

Image of the Week: Where?

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Greg Thomas

Check it and let me know if you have any ideas. You solve it and an AT T-shirt heads your way. I’ll add a hint: it’s in the Pacific Northwest. And these are salmon. Continue reading →

Posted in Photography | 16 Comments

Quartz Creek Fish Barrier Will Be Built

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Greg Thomas

As reported earlier this year on Angler’s Tonic, The National Park Service was considering completion of a fish barrier on Quartz Creek in Glacier National Park to protect west-slope cutthroat trout and bull trout. In today’s Missoulian newspaper, it was announced that the project was Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Montana | Tagged | 1 Comment

Big Hole River Brown Trout

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Greg Thomas

Floated the Montana’s Big Hole River on Friday, a trip that I try to take on an annual basis every May. It’s not a time when you’ll get big numbers, but that’s rarely the case high on the Big Hole, above Wise River.

We managed a half-dozen brook trout, some with beautiful coloration and white tipped fins, plus one solid 16-inch, high-jumping rainbow, and a great brown trout that stretched Continue reading →

Posted in Montana, Northern Rockies | Tagged | 4 Comments

Big Agnes Camping Tents

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Greg Thomas

It feels like summer in western Montana with an expected high today of 87 degrees. It was hot over the weekend, too, so the girls and I pitched our tent in the backyard to make sure our gear is in order for the summer backpack/camping season. Which made me think, I ought to tell you about the tent I have and how it performs in case you’re looking to make a purchase for the summer season.

My tent is made by Big Agnes, a Steamboat Springs, Colorado-based company that ranks high on the list of backpackers and mountaineers. Four or five years ago they sent Continue reading →

Posted in Gear, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

The In-Law’s Bass Pond

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Greg Thomas

I’m on a bit of a warmwater kick these days, with dreams of figuring out this western Montana pike fishing this summer. Got some buds down in the south who are true fishheads and very adept with the pen and camera. They run a blog called Gink & Gasoline, which if you haven’t checked out you need to do so. Was sorting through some of that content and ran across a piece written by Louis Cahill. It’s a good, fun read and I’ve poached it from Cahill and provided it here for you to read. It’s a real look at how Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Industry, Warmwater | Tagged , | Leave a comment