+ Close-up Bald Eagle

Δ  Rescued, but Caged

He then went into a rant about how “they had ruined the river.” Back in the day, when he fished the Yellowstone, he’d catch hundreds of fish and now, because of the introduction of Lake Trout, all the other trout have been lost. I bit my tongue not to ask him about who he thought of as the “they” but I already knew the answer to my question. Big, bad government.

I have refrained from being too political on my blog because I’m really not that well-read when it comes to politics and in the end, fly-fishing is about taking me away from the world of stress, discord and problems. Like everyone else I have also had my share of trials and tribulations and have enjoyed not putting myself in the middle of controversial subjects.

I think this concept that the government is somehow a bad, ill-intentioned entity out to get the individual is what bothers me the most. In the end, government, like our corporate world, is made up of individuals like you and me who can make mistakes, be ill-informed and selfish, but they can also be kind, well-intended and smart as a whip. This all boils down to the glass half full or half empty. We can look at our people-run institutions as doing the best they can in a complex world or we can see these entities in a nameless non-human environment out to get us.

I have lost computers, wallets, broken down in inconvenient places and in every challenging situation I have had wonderful people help me out. I believe in the goodness of people and the institutions they work for.

The Gray Jay in this photo is a sure sign of approaching winter. These uncommon birds are like a larger chickadee and rather bold in nature. We saw several of these while fishing on the Yellowstone River in an area called Buffalo Ford, probably one of the most famous trout streams in the Park.

Three of us were skunked on a cloudy, snowy day with temperatures hovering around 32 degrees. We tried the locally recommended soft hackles, wooly buggers and small nymphs, but the fish were not to be deceived on this glorious day.

Carol and I were taken in by this little snowman that someone had left on top of a picnic table. You can tell by the look on Carol’s face that she thought it was pretty cute!

I have just a week left in Montana before I head back to the Denver area for a few weeks and a trip to the Roaring Fork and Conejos Rivers in CO. In the meantime, I will fish the Bitteroot and Blackfoot Rivers in Montana. Blackfoot ring a bell for anyone?

The driver of the wrecker gave me a quick overview of the copper mining history and culture of Butte although he lived in nearby Whitehall, where he had been born and bred except for a stint in the Navy. As we rolled into town, the open pit mining (strip mining) that is a part of the heritage of this area came into view.

I tried not to be judgmental after what I have heard about strip ming as an environmental disaster so I could learn more about it. Although mining is still happening in Butte, the Berkeley Pit, originally opened in 1955 by Anaconda Copper is now closed and the site of one of the major environmental superfund projects. As stated in Wikipedia, “The pit and its water present a serious environmental problem because the water, with dissolved oxygen, allows pyrite and sulfide minerals in the ore and wall rocks to decay, releasing acid. When the pit water level eventually reaches the natural water table, estimated to occur by around 2020, the pit water will reverse flow back into surrounding groundwater, polluting into Silver Bow Creek which is the headwaters of Clark Fork River,” (where I will be fishing next week.) As best as I can discern, this is one of twelve superfund sites in Montana.

I cannot speak for the residents of Butte and their response to this environmental hazard, although I did see a fierce pride in their city and Montana. The workers at the mine made a decent living and worked hard to provide for their families. So, who do we point our fingers at when these affronts happen to our land? Are we so naive to think that our land can withstand this kind of abuse? What will happen to the Silver Bow, Clark Fork and other rivers affected by this? I know I will try to keep my eye on this as I’m sure Trout Unlimited will as well.

Some friendships are life-long. You don’t need to see that person for years and when you get together it seems like it was yesterday that you last saw them. Some friends come into your life for short periods of time and have a profound impact and then you separate for the rest of your lives. Some friends, like Carol, come into your life late in life and you wish that your paths had crossed earlier because you so enjoy and appreciate them. Carol is one of those friends, and I wish I could turn back  life’s clock. She is special beyond words.

+  Amazing Golden Eagle

Δ  In captivity

Brett has fished around the world – New Zealand, Australia, Chile. He is a hunter in the winter, hiking alone through the Montana wilderness to find his elk. He is a professional photographer and has a degree in Environmental Science from Montana State after growing up on a horse farm in Illinois.

He had some engaging stories to tell about chasing rainbow in New Zealand – talk about perseverance and passion. It was a great day, Brett. Many thanks.

As it turned out, the weather changed dramatically from summer to fall this year and thus the Jefferson became a viable option. In fact it turned out to be very successful. Part of this success was due to the guide with whom we floated the river – Brett Seng.

Brett picked us up in Bozeman at the fly shop and drove us over to the Three Forks area where the Madison, Jefferson and Gallatin meet to form the great Missouri. Within the first hour after we put the boat in the water, I had three decent browns on my line.

We only saw one or two other boats the entire day and it fished like a charm. It was past the time for dry-fly fishing so we were back with nymphs, but we handled our lines as if we had tied on streamers.  It proved to be fruitful – so much so that my husband caught a 23 inch rainbow, not very common on this river.

It was exactly how I had imagined a fall day on a river in Montana . Cool in the morning, warming up to almost hot at midday and then storms rolling in the afternoon. Fall colors were present everywhere and once again I realized how fortunate I am to be an angler in the Rockies.

+  Headwaters of the Missouri

Δ  Former Shoshone, Bannock and Flathead land

When I scheduled myself to fly-fish in Montana during the month of September I envisioned cool nights and warm days with abundant sunshine. Instead, fall has hit here with a vengeance. There have been a few sunny days interspersed with the the rain and cold, but the emphasis is on cold, rainy and in the high mountains, snow already.

Yesterday morning found us on the Jefferson River, west of Bozeman. This river is one of the three that come together to form the Missouri in Three Rivers, MT. The Jefferson can be a tough river to fish and this year, in particular, because of the drought, you could not float it in August because it was too shallow. September has been another story as the ranchers no longer need to take advantage of their water rights and rain has been plentiful.

As we started our day on the river yesterday, it was too warm to wear a fleece. The photo here shows what happened as the day proceeded. In between we had a great fishing day. More about that in the next post.