Montana Brown Trout Magic
Mary Gayle Sartwell and fishing guide Dave Curry with the one that didn’t get away. Dave Sartwell photo
My wife and I also love Montana in the summer, returning year after year to fish for the huge brown trout, rainbows, and cutthroats that fill the streams. This past July was no exception.
We spent two weeks fly fishing many of the wonderful rivers that flow down out of the mountains, almost all filled with snowmelt and exceptional fish. One such adventure was on the Clearwater River, located about 90 minutes southeast of the Whitefish Mountain Resort.
It is a beautiful small stream that flows out of the Swan Mountains and runs along Route 83.
We floated the ten-mile section between Seely Lake and Salmon Lake, with our friend and guide of many years, Dylan Curry. It can be a tough run because we have to portage around some log jams and downed trees, but the fishing is so superb that it is worth the effort.
About a half mile downstream, Dylan pulled on the oar and slid the fishing raft sideways so we faced the left bank of the tiny creek. We had just dropped through some very shallow water in this beautiful freestone creek and were approaching a long deep pool where the current had undercut the bank.
The short willow bushes leaned out over the edge, making their branches diving boards for stoneflies.
“Adore the shore,” I muttered to myself as I sent the #6 golden stonefly with the #10 Pat’s Rubber leg dropper in tight to the overhang. With a big left mend to keep the line upstream of the flies, the combination floated easily down into the head of the pool.
The floating stonefly bobbed ever so slightly and I set the hook, knowing these fish slurped in nymphs rather than slashed at them. Feeling the weight shift of a big fish driving toward the bottom, I let the line slide through my fingertips along the cork of the rod, keeping the tip up to absorb the shock.
His golden sides flashed in the sunlight as he shot out from his hiding place and raced across the pool right in front of the raft.
It was a huge brown trout that did not want to come to us. This is what Mary Gayle and I came to Montana to see. I heard the Nikon clicking away as my wife put down her rod, and picked up the camera.
The rod-tip bounced as it absorbed the full weight of this powerful fish. Slowly his runs started to shorten. He was beginning to run out of steam. I wanted to get him to the boat as quickly as possible so he would have enough energy left to recover after his release.
He was about 22 inches long – a really fat, healthy fish. We hopped out of the boat, removed the hook, and set him free. He sat at our feet for a brief minute, finning quietly, his gills pumping oxygen back into his body, before we lowered him gently back into the water.
Then, with a quick thrust of his tail, he shot back upstream toward dark water under the overhanging bank in his home pool. The photos prove this is not a “fish story”.
For more information about fishing the beautiful rivers of central and western Montana, contact the Missoula River Lodge, 2515 Huson Rd., Huson, Montana, 59846, or phone 877-327-7878.
Another great option is to fish for the wondrous cutthroat trout on the south fork of the Flathead River in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. Rich’s Montana Guest Ranch, located in Seely Lake, offers horseback wilderness trips of various durations that take you deep into the park for up to ten days. The fishing there is spectacular. Contact them at 406-677-2317.
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Loved your story!!