As kids, my brother and I had a shared fascination with rivers, and I have plenty memories of sliding around on bank ice in the wintertime, wondering what fish were underneath. Rivers were home, winter was an adventure, and ice? Ice was fun.
Today, though, was the first time I’ve had wind push me down a sheet of bank ice along a river. Wading boot planted, camera in hand, I slid several inches more than once during a gusty day of fishing on the Madison yesterday.
I needed to wrangle some winter fishing shots for a magazine and called in some allies. Jake, an old friend from Headhunters days, brought along his dog Marley — a former stray who showed up one day at Headhunters and somehow during the summer the pair adopted each other. They make a fun team, and I’ve photographed the Jake / Marley combo for several magazines and an Orvis campaign. It was good fun to unite; the three of us have put in a lot of miles since the days in Craig, and I’m happy to report Marley is as fish-focused and intense as ever, but she’s looking a bit more plump these days. She’s earned it.
Our other angler was Paul, one of my housemates here in Bozeman. Paul guides on the Henry’s Fork and is wintering in Bozeman, and was testing several new guide fly patterns that looked pretty tempting. It’s fun having another angler in the house, and often kitchen conversation turns into trip planning and fly-tying tactics.
The Lower Madison was still cold — bitterly cold — and it didn’t take long for fingers and toes to go numb. After shooting with the underwater housing my fingers were cold enough that I couldn’t put my lens cap on or unbuckle my waders. That kind of bitter cold that’s still nipping at you hours later. We worked sections of the river, Marley eagerly tracking Jake and perking her ears every time it looked like he might be setting. We laughed as we dodged ice floes coming down the river, and I think at one point or another all of us stumbled wading deep when a strong gust would come along.
The wind made for some impressive mist / waterspouts, and we had a few moments of nice golden light as the sun peeked from behind the clouds. Everyone had bumps and nibbles, but no real commitment from the resident fish population. We laughed it off and decided we couldn’t blame the trout… the water was damn cold. At some point Paul and I sat on the bank, dodging wind-borne projectiles and watching Marley watch Jake. We both decided that sometimes days like his are the best; the fishing might not be on, but we’re outside doing something fun and maybe a little bit reckless. That’s what life’s about, really.
Packing back up, Paul stood downwind of the car and caught various pieces of clothing and gear as the wind carried them off. He scored 10/10 — mission successful. The guys proved to be great on camera, and I was able to get the shots I needed for an upcoming magazine. Wins all around.
For those who put their rods up for the winter… you’re missing something.
