Rites of spring Montana style

 

What does one do when your local river looks like this? Leave town of course!

Spring in Montana......... Always the same. my never ending search for clear water to fish, so of course my obvious place to start was the Clearwater river.   

sometimes it is the "notsoClearwater River

The Clearwater flows out of the Swan range in North West Montana and runs through a series of lakes on its way to the Blackfoot River.  Locals will tell you how good the fishing used to be before some #$@hole introduced Northern Pike into the system.  Once I got below Morel Creek, Like its name the Clearwater was running high but clear. 

One good thing about spring in Montana

If you read my last post you would know what my choice of flies would be.  Rubberlegs worm right?  You know it. 

Like peanut butter and jelly, the rubberlegs/worm a great combo!

 

 Right off the bat, strike! miss. Then another, I feel the weight of a big fish, I play him for a few minutes and get my first glimpse, light underneath dark on top. Brown trout! then I get him closer not Brown trout, but Sucker, not exactly what I had in mind.

 

everyone's a "sucker" for the rubberlegs!

 

 

 

 Ten more fish and I had ten more Suckers between 3 and 5 pounds. Time to move on.

The Big Cow, a Montana Landmark

 

So I head to a famous Montana landmark, The Big Cow (as in go to the Big Cow and turn right). I do turn right at the Cow and then  a quick left and, head down to Clearwater Bridge, which is the confluence of the Clearwater and the Blackfoot.  The Blackfoot was a raging torrent of muddy water and logs and trees, while the Clearwater was a raging torrent of.........well Clearwater.

The confluence of the Clearwater and the Blackfoot

I walk down to the river  and cast my Rubberlegs Worm into some swirly calmer water near the shore. First cast, fish, he goes straight to the middle of the river and feels big against the current, another sucker? Maybe, if so might be a state record!  This guy feels big,  and he's heading for the Blackfoot. So chase him downstream working my way around the willows on the bank , and barely avoiding filling my waders. I get to the end of the line, a pool right where the two rivers come together. Finally I see him for the first time, doesn't look like a Sucker at least, then he sees me.... back to the current.  I finally get him back to the calm water and land him.

 

 

 Bull Trout! (on the San Juan Worm)  I'm guessing 5 or 6 pounds. I need to hire a photographer trying to take good fish pictures solo is hard.  It takes awhile to revive him but he eventually swims away.  As I'm heading back upstream I hear voices coming down, two guys from Missoula they say they were told that the Bulls were "stacked up" at the confluence. That so? and I showed them the picture. After that it was back to sucker fishing for the rest of the afternoon. but at least my one trout of the day was one to remember.

 

 

Next to Blackfoot Single Malt IPA, I like Doublehaul the best!

 

So after a day of searching out the clear water, I was off to my friend Chris Millers Cabin In Ovando, to get rested up for my next adventure and to tell him the big news......... THEY HAVE DOUBLE HAUL IPA IN SEELEY LAKE!  Next installment another springtime event in Montana waiting, and waiting and waiting for the salmon flies to come out.