Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all and may 2011 bring plenty of water, endless blanket hatches and a abundance of 20+ inch trout rising to your fly!

Milltown Dam Removal

Another milestone in the removal of the Milltown Dam was achieved this week when the Clark's Fork River was re-diverted to its original channel.  In 2006, the Clark's Fork was diverted into a man-made channel to begin the process of removing approximately 2.2 million cubic yards toxic sediment. The toxic sediment was loaded onto train cars and shipped to the ARCO-BP repository near Opportunity, MT.  The last load was hauled away in 2009.  Although 2.2 million cubic yards of toxic sediment were removed, there was an estimated total of 6.2 million cubic yards of sediment on sight.  The obvious question arises, what happened to the excess 4 million yards of sediment?

In recent years, the removal of dams have become a rallying cry for river coalitions around the country. The removal of Milltown Dam was on the front lines of this battle.  In 2008, the Milltown Dam was breached and for the first time in over a century the Clark's Fork river flowed freely.  However, when the dam was breached, it released more sediment than any other dam removal in U.S. history.  A study done by the University of Montana in 2008 found that sediments containing arsenic and copper were not only being deposited 50 kilometers further downstream but at 3 to 5 times the concentration than pre-breached levels.  It has been reported, that some of the sediment has traveled 100 miles downstream and settled behind the Thompson Falls Dam.  It became apparent during the fishing season of 2008 that the removal of the dam would have some drastically negative effects to the fishery.  Over the last few years, the mayfly hatches on the Clark's Fork have been a mere shadow of years past.  The Trico hatch, which once came off in blizzards, is now almost non-existent.  The same can be said for the Baetis.  Furthermore, where there once was clean cobblestone and pea-sized gravel, there are now sand bars of silt.  Another unintended consequence, was the fact that behind the Milltown Dam resided a very large population of Northern Pike.  There was always a population of pike below the dam, but since the removal of the dam the amount and size of pike being caught have both increased.  The fall in productivity of the Clark's Fork has also led to increased pressure on the Bitterroot River.  More and more Missoula anglers are fishing the Bitterroot while the Clark's Fork heals.

In 2009, Gov. Brian Schweitzer was one of the first and only people to float and fish the unobstructed Clark's Fork and Blackfoot intersection (the section remains closed to floating).  During that trip, it was reported that Gov. Schweitzer caught a 17" inch Westslope Cutthroat (According to the most recent article in the Missoulian newspaper, the fish story had grown and he allegedly caught a 22 incher.  I guess the governor is a true fisherman!)  The Milltown Dam project has been heralded as a environmental success story.  There is no question, that in the long-term, the removal of the dam will only benefit trout populations, not only on the Clark's Fork, but also the Blackfoot, the Little Blackfoot and all the tributaries located upstream of the old dam site.   FWP has already reported higher fish concentrations upstream of the old dam site. However, the negative effects on the Clark's Fork downstream of the old dam site will be felt for years to come.  Will the fishery ever truly recover?  Only time will tell.

How to Hold a Fish

I see it happen all the time.  A client presents the fly right, sets the hook and lands a trophy fish to perfection.  Then, when they want to memorialize the moment, they botch the hold of the fish and get a lousy photo. It may seem a trivial subject, but doesn't everyone want a great photo of the trophy they spent countless hours trying to catch?  Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to hold a fish to get that image.  There are other important factors, such as the fish's health and safety to consider as well.



A 22" Brown held the wrong way

The most common mistake people make holding a fish for a photo is they get their hands in the way.  When they lift the fish up, their hands are covering it and facing the camera.  To capture a good fish image, you want as little of your hands exposed as possible.  This is achieved by a few simple steps.  After the fish is in the net and the hook is removed, let it rest for awhile and get its' breath.  Then, gently turn the fish completely upside down.  This will put the fish into a semi-catatonic state and it will be less likely to go wild when you pick it up.  Now, slide your hands along its side closest to you and put your fingers under its belly and pick the fish up.  Now, the less you squeeze it, the less likely it is to go crazy and the less likely you are to harm it (more on that later).  To get a good photo, you will want to bring the fish up to your chest.  Try not to be tempted to hold the fish as far as you can from your body.  This is an old trick to make the fish look bigger than it really is.  If you are taking a photo of a trophy fish, the photo (as long as it is taken properly) will do the fish justice without any trickery.  I usually try to keep my arms bent and the fish as close to my body as possible.  Also, make sure a net is under the fish while you are taking the photo.  If the fish does flop, it will fall safely back in the net.  This, not only saves the fish from getting away in an untimely fashion, but also prevents it from landing on the ground, rocks or the bottom of the boat.



The same fish held the right way



Now that we have got the logistics of a good photo out of the way, there are some safety concerns that should be addressed before you handle of a fish.  Fish have a slime coating on their skin that protects them from parasites and diseases.  Most guides use rubber nets instead of the old mesh ones.  This is due to the fact that the rubber nets are much less likely to remove the slime coating.  Also, if you are planning on handling a fish you MUST first get your hands wet.  If you handle a fish with dry hands, you will remove some of this slime coating.  The more slime coating the fish loses, the more likely it will contract a skin borne disease or parasite.  Once you have the fish calmed down (in a catatonic state), lightly cradle the fish in your hands and avoid putting a death squeeze on the fish.  Fish live in a very low gravity environment and their body structure cannot handle a lot of outside pressure.  Gently lift the fish up, snap a photo and place it back into the net and water.  I tell my clients that the fish can be out of the water as long as you can hold your breath.  Once you can no longer hold your breath, the fish goes back in the water to catch its breath.  Larger fish are more susceptible to oxygen deprivation, so it is best not to keep them out of the water for long periods.  Once you have your photo, place the fish back in the net and let them recover before releasing.  A fish uses the dissolved oxygen in the water to release the lactic acid out of its muscles that is built up from the fight.  If the water temps are in the upper 60's, it is probably best you do not take the fish out of the water or handle it.  As the water temperature goes up the amount of dissolved oxygen goes down.  During these times, handling and removing the fish from the water could be too much for the fish to recover, especially for the larger fish.  When reviving a fish, simply face the fish upstream so the water flows through its gills.  When it is ready, it will swim off.  DO NOT rock the fish back and forth.  This will force water through the back of its gills and can potentially suffocate the fish.  Everyone, including me, wants a great photo of that one that didn't get away.  If you follow these easy steps you should have that shot and the fish will live to fight another day.   

To Felt or Not to Felt

There is currently a strong movement across the entire country to ban felt soled wading boots.  I would like to pose the questions at what cost and for what real results?  Invasive species, such as Eurasian watermilfoil, hyrdrilla, New Zealand mud snail, zebra mussels, didymo, whirling disease, etc., are all real threats to a lot of North American fisheries.  Recently, the move to rubber soled wading boots has been touted as the savior for the spread of invasive species.  There is one company, Redington, that boldly, and falsely, claims in their catalogue that their rubber soles are "the cure" for spreading invasive species. I believe there are some fundamental flaws in the argument to completely ban felt.

The most glaring and obvious misconception, is that people will be now lulled into a false sense of security that the new "Eco Rubber" will completely stop the spread of invasive species.  These invaders do not just get transferred on the soles of angler's boots.  They also hitchhike on their shoe laces, gravel guard cuffs, the waders themselves, nets, boats and bilge water.  Regardless if your boot soles are made of felt or rubber, the disinfection process is the same.  You must either freeze them solid, or scrub them with a 20% bleach solution and then let them COMPLETELY dry out.  This must also be done for any other item that has been in a river before going to another.  So, if you must disinfect rubber the same as you would felt, why the sudden rush to ban felt?  Most Americans want to do the right thing but are too lazy to take the steps needed to actually do it.  We are quick to pull the trigger on an emotional hot button and want to find a fast fix.  However, most of the time the quick fix ends up being more harm that good.

Furthermore, I believe that the new rubber soled boots pose a serious risk to the angler.  It is no mystery that the new rubber does not grip half as well as felt.  Some companies are touting their rubber as being as sure footed as felt.  I call bullshit!  There is no rubber technology, that I have seen, that can grip even close to felt.  It is only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or killed because their new rubber soled boots didn't grip a crucial rock.  All the wading boot companies know of this problem and will tell you that to put studs in the sole.  Since when have steel and rock meshed well together?  Maybe if you were headed to do some ice fishing or ice climbing, studs would be ideal.  However, people who fly fish are wading across slippery, algae coated rocks.    Every client I quizzed this season about their new rubber soles (both with and without studs), ALL said the variations of the same thing; "They are horrible!" or "I have almost busted my ass several times!" or "Where can I get felt soled boots?".  Unfortunately, most all wader companies are drinking the rubber sole Kool-Aid and phasing out or drastically reducing their felt products-Simms sells zero felt soles, Patagonia currently stills sells one model, Dan Bailey's no longer offers their top of the line Yellowstone Guide boot in felt only their Adventurer model and Korkers offers a felt sole insert on their boots, wading sandals and shoes that must be purchased separately.  Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time until felt goes the way of the dinosaur.

So what is the answer to the spread of invasive species?  WASH YOUR EQUIPMENT AND LET  COMPLETELY DRY!  Like I mentioned above, you can also completely freeze your gear solid.  I actually did this for two clients who fished with me this summer.  I took their stuff to my chest freezer and the next day they had a frozen block of fishing gear free of didymo and whirling disease.  If we are going to stop or curtail the spread of invasive species, it is not going to be because we wear rubber soled boots.  It is going to take EVERY angler to be vigilant on cleaning their gear.  Unfortunately, we all know that not everyone will be vigilant.  By the way, are you going to wash every duck's ass and feet when it leaves here and heads south?

Three September Stories

Well, where to begin.............I guess the best place is the time I had the privilege to guide a good lad from the Old Country, Kevin.  Kevin was visiting from Georgia and part of a very large group of clients that fish with me at least twice a year.  These guys are all beer and alcohol distributors in Atlanta; you can just imagine the debauchery that goes on while they are here!  I had the pleasure of guiding Kevin on the second day of the trip.  I mention this only because the night before we both drank like the true Irishmen we are.  It is not often that I get to tip a few, and a few more, back with someone from the Old Country so I took full advantage of the situation.  Needless to say, when I picked up the boys up in the morning, there were a few cobwebs in all our heads.  Anyway, Kevin is brand new to fly fishing and he was having the common problem of using his wrist to cast.  When a person tries to use their wrist to cast, they end up bringing the rod way too far back on the back cast and they cannot shoot the line.  It got so bad, that I had to shackle Kevin to the fly rod by using a bandanna.  Now I hate to shackle any Irishmen, but doing it to one that is directly from the Old Country seemed like a mortal sin.  However, it was the only way to get him casting correctly and it worked great.  About 3/4 of the way through the float, I decided to take a very small side channel that I knew had some good fish.  I let Kevin out of the boat and told him to fish a line where two currents converged.  Before you know it, the silence of the wilderness was broken by "Oh shit, oh shit!"  I looked over and saw Kevin's rod completely doubled over by a solid fish.  I told Kevin that we had to cross the small channel to land the fish. There was simply no way we were going to land it in our current position.  During the battle,  Kevin's heart beating so hard, I swear I could see it coming out of his chest! We gingerly waded across and after a few tense moments we had a beautiful 18.5 inch rainbow in the net.  This is the way we cure hangovers in Montana.  After the adrenaline subsided, I believe there was a small flask of fine scotch passed around afterwards.  ERIN GO BRAH!  Here is the link of Kevin releasing his fish  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwZTLYEN92o

Speaking of that particular side channel, I had another great day in it with MJ. Now, MJ was part of a large group that came to Montana via Yellow Breeches Outfitters in Boiling Springs, PA. Yellow Breeches Outfitters had organized a trip for some of their clients. The first week, they had about 7 people and the following week about 10 people staying in a house on the river. When they first arrived, I went to the house and gave a presentation on the Bitterroot River.  I tlked about what they could expect to see in the form of hatches and fish. After my presentation, MJ decided she wanted to go fishing the next day. The day started off a little slow and we had some opportunities at a few fish. MJ, like most people who come to Montana to fish, was having trouble with setting the hook. When you are missing fish, it is primarily because you are setting to fast. In New Zealand the guides will tell you to say "God save the Queen" after you see the fish eat your dry fly. I tell people to count to two or say "I got you" before setting. The reason being is the fish must take the fly under water before you lift up, otherwise you will pull the fly out of the fishes mouth. After MJ found her groove, she started wailing on fish. That day, and in that channel, she landed a 17, 18, 19 and a 20 inch trout! Needless to say, it was a good day. At one point she looked at me and said, "Aces Sean, nothing but aces!" Here is a link of MJ releasing one of her fish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0HLyzKgkxc

Then there was the day that I took Greg Hect fishing.  Greg had been in the Bitterroot for a few weeks but had only caught a few small fish.  I told him, like I tell everyone, I am a guide not God.  I know where the fish are but I cannot make them eat!  Greg, it just so happened, got a day where the fish were eating in a big way.  The fish were loving a properly presented Hecuba/Mahogany Dun combo.  The Hecuba is our last drake of  the year and has a green thorax and a brownish tail.  It is best imitated by a size 10 or 12 a brown or green drake.  Greg had a beautiful hook set and the one big fish that did not make it to the net, was only due to the fact that it broke him off during an explosive run.  We landed many fish that day with the best being a 17, 18, 18.5 and a 19 inch trout.  The most memorable fish was the 19 incher.  Greg was fighting the healthy cutbow for a few minutes, with his line stretched halfway across the river, when we heard a bunch of commotion on the water below us.  I looked downstream only to see a flock of about 20 mergansers taking flight and headed straight toward Greg's line.  I started yelling at the ducks, as if the could understand every word, "You damn ducks better not hit his line!"  I thought for sure at least one would collide with his line, which would cause us to lose the fish.  But being the good ducks they were, they "ducked" his line and we were able to land the fish.  Here is the link to the video of Greg fighting the fish as the mergansers took flight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DefXcH4GvWI and the link to him releasing it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHeV5r241ps  

September is now almost over and trees are starting to get their fall colors.  Some of the best fishing of the year is coming up.  Most of the time the river is pretty vacant; the kids are back in school and a lot of people are in hunting mode.  If you haven't experienced the Bitterroot River in all its fall glory, it is time to hit it!  The fish are in the better shape than anyone has ever seen them and they know winter is coming.  We are starting to see decent numbers of October caddis and mahoganies.  Even though the Hecubas are beginning to wane, there are still enough of them out to fool some nice fish.  There are still a ton of grasshoppers hitting the water and barring any major cold snap they should be around until late October.  As we push later into October look for the baetis hatches to be incredible.  As a matter of fact, I think it is time to turn of this damn computer a go do some fishing!

Wolf Wars!

I am going to deviate away from fishing on this post because I want to rant about something that is having a devastating effect on our Montana lifestyle. I think I have cooled down enough now to write about this issue. On August 6, 2010, U.S. District Court Judge Donald Malloy reinstated federal protection for the Canadian timber wolf under the Endangered Species Act. The question, however, is how can an animal that is not endemic to the area, be protected under the Endangered Species Act? The recent ruling has many people in Montana up in arms, literally and figuratively.

This large wolf was killed in Salmon, Idaho

A common misconception regarding the wolf issue is that they were "re-introduced". The fact remains that the wolves were introduced! These are Canadian timber wolves, not the native Rocky Mountain wolves. The Canadian timber wolf is 33% larger, on average, than our native wolf and has completely dominated and overrun the natives. Since these wolves are significantly larger, they are having a devastating effect on our elk and moose populations. Simple math will tell you they need 33% more prey to survive. Also, being larger than the natives, they can track down and kill prey easier and in deeper snow. There was a day, in the not to distant past, when I would drive up the Westfork and see at least 3-6 moose at any given time. I have seen a whopping 1 moose in the last 3 years! Furthermore, the elk numbers are so thin in the Westfork, that there is currently a hunting outfitter asking Montana FWP to close the area for hunting; due to the lack of game. You know it is bad when an outfitter, who makes his living on guiding hunters, is asking for FWP to close his area!

Photo of a Black Bear drug out of it's den
and ripped apart by a pack of wolves on
the Westfork drainage

The introduction of the Canadian timber wolf is also having a dramatic and negative effect on other native predators. On July 28, 2010 Soda Butte Campground, in Montana, was the location for one of the worst grizzly bear attacks in recent history. One camper was mauled to death and two others received serious injuries. This attack was totally unprovoked, in the middle of the night and the campers had done everything right as far as food storage and bear preventative measures. Today, August 18th, the AP released a statement that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service concluded that the sow grizzly and her three cubs were starving. The sow was full of parasites and obviously malnourished. In response to the attacks, the sow was killed and the three cubs are serving a life sentence in the Billings zoo. A grizzly bear's primary source for large game in the summer months is moose. In recent years our moose have disappeared due to predation by the exotic Canadian timber wolf. As game numbers continue to plummet, there will be more and more human/bear conflicts, which will increase the death toll for bears. In may be coincidence, but this summer there have been more bears searching for food in places like Missoula, Darby and other urban interfaces. If you need further proof of wolf/bear conflicts, please come see a photo I have in the fly shop. It shows a black bear ripped apart by a pack of wolves up the Westfork drainage. The wolves dug into the bear's den, in the middle of winter, and ripped it to shreds. The only tell tale signs of a bear are its paw in the snow.

Tavy Mason killed this 165 pound wolf just east of Hamilton

Another fallacy regarding wolves is that they only kill the weak, sick, old and the never sport kill. First of all, there is plenty of video evidence showing wolves chasing down and killing healthy, big bull elk. Furthermore, tell the sheep rancher in Dillon, MT that wolves don't sport kill. One morning last August, he went to check on his sheep herd and 93 (YES 93!) of his sheep were slaughtered and left to rot. These are highly intelligent dogs and dogs sport kill. If you are not convinced, I have more proof. Where my family is from, Meeteetse, WY, we HAD two large elk herds. Both herds would enter winter with at least 20-35 cow/calf replacement pairs. Now, we are lucky to have 4-5 cow/calf pair at the start of winter! The Carter Mountain herd circulates from draw to draw passing through some knife edge ridges. The wolves have now figured out how to buffalo jump these animals. Once the herd is half way across a knife edge, the pack charges the heard; pushing 20-30 elk at a time over the edge to their death. Do you think the wolves are utilizing each animal? Oh, I forgot wolves don't sport kill!

Speaking of Wyoming, some people and Judge Malloy are blaming Wyoming for the recent ruling. Judge Malloy stated (and I am paraphrasing here) that since Wyoming is treating the wolves as a predator that they should be protected in Montana and Idaho. Remember, we are talking about an invasive species here, much like the New Zealand zebra mussel, Asian carp, Snakehead fish, etc. What should happen is an all out bounty on the invasive Canadian timber wolf to save what is left of the native wolves. It is true that Wyoming, in true Wyoming fashion (God Bless Wyoming!), took matters into their own hands after the Federal government rammed the wolves down our throats. Being classified as a predator, allows anyone to shoot the wolf on site. Even with this distinction in Wyoming, the wolves are thriving. These are intelligent and highly adaptable animals. I know a lot of people in Wyoming and they have all told me that once they started shooting at them, the wolves have become almost impossible to find. At least Wyoming has the balls to treat this issue as a State's matter.

Much like Wyoming, Montana should treat the introduction of the Canadian timber wolf as a matter of the State. With the current economic hardships, the traditional Montana industries of logging, log homes and construction trades have all but dried up. Here locally in Missoula, the Smurfit paper mill has been closed down, further increasing job losses. The one bright spot in Montana's economy is tourism; namely fishing and hunting guide trips. Montana is rapidly getting a bad reputation from hunters as the place NOT to come. In recent years, hunter harvest numbers have been on a serious decline. Furthermore, Montana FWP is talking about drastically reducing the amount of elk, moose and sheep tags. Their official reason for the decline in game is due to “harsh winter and spring conditions”. Are you kidding me?! The hunters that come to Montana don't just put money and food on the outfitter and guide’s table. When they are here, where do you think they stay, eat, shop and drink? The trickle down effect is mind boggling and worth millions of dollars to local economies.

So, where do we go from here? There is currently a movement by ranchers and sportsman's groups to appeal the ruling. The problem with this is that we are subject to 9th Circuit District, which is very liberal in its decisions. Out "esteemed" Senator Max Baucus is saying he wants the U.S. Congress to intervene. He claims to be adopting legislation that would put the wolves under the control of State of Montana. Given Senator Baucus' track record, we will have to wait and see. Locally, there are whispers of the 3 S's and old Montana justice. However, this has the potential to make criminals out of people who are just trying to protect their way of life from an invasive species. There is no easy solution to this ever growing problem. It is time to take a stand and make our voices heard or we will lose our hunting heritage forever. In the meantime, take a picture of every moose and elk you see because our future generations may not have a chance to know what they look like.

Big Brown Trout in the Bright Sun

I got a call from a client a few weeks ago wanting to fish out of a hard boat.  That was not a problem since I do own a 16' ClackaCraft drift boat (by the way her name is The Minnow).  I was concerned however that I would be relegated to fishing on the lower portion of the Bitterroot River, in late July, with bright sunny conditions.  Now don't get me wrong, the lower river can fish great, but  usually you need some cloud cover for the nice fish to look up.  I have had my ass handed to me on the lower Bitterroot on bright, sunny days.  So, needless to say, I was not very optimistic about our chances on July 27th.

As we slid Minnow in the water at 8:00 a.m., the temperature of the air was already 70 degrees with nary a cloud in sight.  Uh oh!  Our only saving grace was a couple sneaky springs I knew of in this section that could possibly make our day.  As we drifted down the river we had a few little fish looking at our flies.  We did see one VERY large brown trout go completely airborne about 3 feet.  The only thing I could think of is he was ambushing a small fish from below; much like Air Jaws off Seal Island, South Africa.  My client Ray gave a few futile casts to this behemoth.  I figured the odds of that fish eating a dry fly were slim to none, and slim had just left town.  But you just never know.  Unfortunately, this fish didn't even bother looking at Ray's fly.  After floating a couple hours and only seeing some small fish, we pulled over to hunt one of the springs.  I told Ray that these fish are pretty wary and there was little to no current.  We would need to cast to a likely spot, wait for the fish to cruise by and hopefully Ray's fly would grab the fish's attention.  As we walked into the spring there were three VERY large fish cruising and sipping a variety of PMD's (emergers, spinners & duns).  We tried every PMD in my box, which is a lot, for about 45 minutes with no success.  Every time a fish would start cruising toward his fly, something would divert it off course.  In complete frustration, I decided to unmatch the hatch and tied on a size 12 hopper.  I told Ray to cast it in and after it landed, give it a twitch.  Ray made a great cast and as soon as he twitched the hopper, it was too much for a very large brown trout to resist.  The trout opened his mouth and the hopper disappeared in a large swirl.  I didn't see Ray react at all and I yelled, "There he is, there he is!"  Ray came up with his rod and buried the hook into the fish's mouth.  I will never forget what happened next.  Feeling the pressure Ray was putting him, the fish jumped at least two feet out of the water.  It was then that Ray said, "Holy shit!"  I started laughing and said, "Yep, that is the one were were looking for Ray.  Now remember we are on 5x, so take your time."  Ray battled the large trout like a pro and about five minutes later a beautiful 22 inch brown trout was in the net.  After stealing a bit of his sole, we released him back into the spring where he still resides (see the video below).

I would like to say that the day only got better from there, but it didn't.  We walked into another spring but with no success.  By the afternoon, it was really hot.  I happened to look to the east around 2:30 and it looked like someone had dropped a nuclear bomb in the Sapphire Mountains.  It was the start of the Dominic Point fire.  This fire looked like it was going to be with us until the snow flew.  However, we have been having some unseasonably cool and wet weather, which has aided in getting that fire 90% contained.  We spent most of the afternoon finding good swimming holes to cool off and catching a few more small trout. It really is amazing though how one fish can save and/or change the face of a bad day of fishing.  Actually, there are no bad days of fishing only bad days of catching.