Time On The Water

In anticipation for attending Montana State University in the fall, I worked hard and was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of the Yellow Dog FlyFishing Adventures team as an intern this summer. Being a part of the team, seeing how they operate, and learning lots about different things has been great for my personal knowledge and growth in the industry. My favorite part thus far has been being able to publish some of my writing for their blog. While being here for the past couple of weeks I have also done quite a bit of fishing. To be honest, I have fished 24 days consecutively. Whether it be small cutthroat trout creeks in the mountains or bigger water like the Madison and the Henry’s Fork, I have been spending a lot of time outside of the office with a fly rod in my hand.

One of my goals when moving out to Montana is to become a better angler. Not in the terms of catching more fish, but to better understand the science and mechanics behind fly fishing. Finding that the only way to do that is to fish, spending time on the water, along with working, has been my main focus since moving out to Bozeman. I have gotten to experience everything from streamer fishing on the Madison, to technical dry fly fishing on the Henry’s Fork in Idaho. Having done this before, I have prided myself on taking each day on the water to a different level than before, meaning I am fishing harder and smarter. 

While spending time on the water, I have developed a greater understanding of what needs to happen in order to catch fish. Whether it be a 14ft leader and 2 feet of 4x tippet casting to a picky rainbow trout feeding a couple feet off the bank trying to make a drag free drift, or running a deep nymph rig in seams and pockets in big water, it has become an ongoing challenge for me to better my systems.

Fishing with friends in the area has also taught me many things about how other people fish, and things that I can do better. Everyone has their own personal style to fly fishing which I think is great. A buddy of mine, Will Phelps, has been teaching me a lot about fishing on these rivers out West. With a bit of experience under my belt before moving out here full time, he has taught me a lot about where to fish, how to fish, and what to fish in a variety of water. There is a lot happening here on these rivers all the time. An experienced angler knows about the hatches, bugs to fish, and so on, which I find interesting and something I have not yet tapped in to. Learning a lot by example myself, I find it insightful to watch others and then adapt and replicate.

Spending two weeks on the water after work has opened my eyes to a new level of angling in Montana. Fishing in the Driftless is awesome and has made me a better angler in a different way. The fish out here are bigger, smarter, and more difficult to catch which is great for me to see. I have hooked and landed a couple of nice fish, but nothing to brag about. I like to see a progression in myself as an angler. That to me is the most exciting thing about fly fishing. It is easy to see yourself become a better angler simply by the way that you operate on the water, your flies and leader systems, and your knowledge of the water.

A rainy day on the Upper Madison producing some nice fish on a shallow nymph rig. 

I am very eager each day to get out on the water and learn something new. Becoming a better angler has been a goal of mine for a long time, and moving to Montana has given me the opportunity to work towards that more than before. Of course, something like this doesn't happen overnight, and is a progression that occurs throughout a lifetime. You could say I have reached another stage in my personal hatch, but unlike many, this hatch occurs over decades, not months or days like the Brown Drake or Salmonfly hatches. Coming to a realization of this has me itching to fish every day, and I am very excited to spend my college career and future here in Montana.