Lewis and Clark County,
Craig, Montana, June 19-22, 2008
Fast water. Big fish. Great action.
We floated different sections of the Missouri River and
with each trip Joe and Greg of Big Sky Anglers used different tactics and flies to
bring up trout that were holding outside their normal
haunts due to the high, fast water.
Except for a few instances where we fished quiet water with
dry flies, we usually used a variety of nymphs and fished
them deep. We used 6-weight medium-fast to fast action
rods, weight-forward floating lines and leaders anywhere
between 9-feet to 14-feet long.
We caught a lot
of fish. Not so much because of our skill but that of the
guides, who knew the water well and where trout were
holding, directing our casts to the correct spots.
Because of the high water we were speeding down river at a
pretty decent clip. I was told to toss a cast at a small
pocket of quiet water behind a boulder next to the bank.
You only get one shot but I managed to hit it and within
seconds there was a big brown trout on the end of the line
which we took for a ride downstream through the fast water
then fought it out in the flats.
WHAT TO BRING:
As for clothing and
equipment, always consult your guide or a local fly fishing
shop if one happens to be in the area. We brought
everything from thermal underwear to hot weather shirts
because it can be in the 30's at night but 80's by the
afternoon (it snowed a week before we arrived). The town of
Craig has several fly fishing shops and we hung out
at Headhunters Fly Shop
which is right next
to Izaak's Restaurant (a great place--the Bison burger is
killer). We had problems with missing luggage because of
a flight delay, however I had all my fishing stuff
(including waders) in my carry-on, which consisted of
one rolling bag and a rod tube for 4-piece rods (can
hold five sticks) with extra clothing packed in. I wore
my Korkers wading shoes with the normal walking
soles and had the spare felt soles in my bag. I did have
to buy another shirt, but the fly shops there are well
stocked and everyone needs a souvenir shirt or two. As
far as underwear goes, well, let's not discuss that at
this point in time.
EQUIPMENT:
I brought a 9' 4-weight
medium action rod for dry fly fishing, a 9' 5-weight fast
action rod for dry fly fishing in heavy wind and as a
general use backup, and a 9' 6-weight medium fast rod for
general fishing with a Rio Nymph floating line. I also
brought a 9' 8-weight with a floating line and a sink tip
just in case we had to fish really heavy streamers in deep
water but I could have left this one at home. The guides
are also well equipped with a full lineup of rods and
reels, so you could leave your stuff home and fish their
rigs if you like. They use quality material so no worries.
THE GUIDES:
Not much to say here except
to offer advice which can be applied anywhere you decide to
use a guide. They're professionals. They know the
territory. Listen to them and the fish will come.
