Big news around our circle here in Bozeman this week. Long lost fishing partner and friend Shane is back in town. He called me Sunday to say things fell apart with his girlfriend in Michigan and Wednesday afternoon I was sitting in a driftboat with him and Ken Stock on the Lower Madison. Funny how fast things can change. What’s the best cure for a breakup and a broken heart? Fishing of course. I’ve been saying that for years…
So we headed to the Missouri. Floated Dam to Craig the first day, and it was a little bit slow. But that night we had decided to camp out at Prewett. I haven’t camped out in a year and a half so I was pretty excited. Nothing ever goes according to plan, as is evidenced by the fact that I forgot my tent poles at home. Fortunately the back of the Subaru is just big enough to fit my big frame stretched out. Anyway…
We stood on the boat ramp casting tiny dries to rising fish until it was too dark to see anymore. We caught a couple of them and I can’t think of a better way to end a day than that. Except for sitting around a campfire. We got the fire going, with the canyon walls all around and the stars shining bright above us. Neither of us said too much, just sat and stared into the flames. I have always been really intrigued by campfires, and could sit and stare at them for hours on end. Having been in Shane’s shoes before – brokenhearted and single – I knew sometimes the best thing to do is just sit there and soak it all in. Campfires are good for the soul. Combine it with fishing and you have a surefire cure for damn near anything.
The next day we spent some time in Trout Montana drinking coffee and talking to Mike and slowly made our way to the river. We caught a few more fish, enjoyed the last of our PBRs and soaked up some sun. Good times on the Missouri River. I’m sure we’ll be back soon.
