There are more miles of water in an hours drive of Bozeman than you could fish in a lifetime. Many of those miles are on small waters; creeks and tributaries that for the most part get overlooked by all but a few anglers. These are places that don’t get written about in magazines or online and anyone that knows about them does their best to keep them a secret.
Why am I writing about small waters here then? Because there are so many it would be virtually impossible to figure out which one I’m referencing. We get asked a fair bit in the shop about creeks and streams and the best advice I can give people is this: Buy a map, find some random blue line, and go check it out. Odds are it will have fish and odds are they won’t be too picky.
I’ve always liked small waters. They are intimate and unique. Every one is a little bit different. You can fish one all day long and not see a soul. In the summers around here, that is a damn rare thing. The fish aren’t big (usually) but they are wild and fresh and full of fight. Anything that could live in a creek like that has to have some spirit.
Kaitlyn and I spent some time on one recently. She’s still learning and had never fished a creek before. It’s so different than larger waters I thought it would be a good thing for her. In that evening she took her first spill in the water and caught her first dry fly trout all on her own. That smile says it all.
Throw in a fine glass rod and some good beer to match the occasion and you have quite the day. Summer in Montana is fleeting (and I’m kinda glad it is. Cheers to Fall almost being here), so make the most of it while you can.
