We’re back with the second part of this week’s People of Fly Fishing interview with Jake McGlothlin of Hatch Adventures; read part 1 here if you missed it yesterday.
What do you consider your home water and what about it keeps you coming back time after time?
That’s a tough call, but I’d have to say the Upper Madison. I’ve had more memorable days on that river than any other. It’s the first place Kaitlyn fly fishing, it’s where I’ve had the best day of fishing of my life, and it’s where I learned to row a drift boat halfway decently. The large fish and incredible scenery are what keep me coming back, even though I try my hardest to avoid the river during the peak of the season. I fish to get away, and sadly the Upper is just too crowded for my liking during the summer.
So how do we go about reserving a vehicle or boat and picking it up to hit the road or river?
Our website has a booking calendar for each of our products. To book, pick your dates, put 25% down, and you’re good to go. We’ll be in touch within 24 hours to confirm your booking, discuss the details of your trip, and offer any assistance we can for your trip planning. The entire Hatch Adventures team loves to discuss this area and offer our insight and experience. There is far more in this area to see, drive to, fish, hike and camp than you could do in a lifetime and it can be hard to pare that down to one trip.
If you have any questions about your upcoming trip, our rentals, or who we are and what we do, we can always be reached through our Contact Us page, shoot us an email at info@hatchadventures.com, or give us a call at 406.223.4224.
On the day of your rental, we’ll have everything ready to go. Some paperwork, a quick walk through and instructions for your gear and you’re off!
What are your favorite regional destinations you’d encourage Hatch Adventure patrons to put on their short list to visit?
If you’ve never been to Yellowstone Park before, you have to see all the big name places. Old Faithful, Hayden Valley, Fishing Bridge, Madison Junction, the Upper Falls are all places you should definitely see. The Lamar Valley is one of my personal favorites, both from a wildlife viewing and fishing standpoint. Yellowstone is full of hidden gems that aren’t as well known, far too many to list!
I’d also recommend places like Three Dollar Bridge on the Upper Madison, Hyalite Reservoir just out of Bozeman, and Pine Creek Falls down Paradise Valley. Depending on what you’re out here for, there are favorite “must visit” stops in every little town, mountain range and river.
Shoot us an email and we’ll fill you in on some of those.
If you had to choose just one ten-day block to visit Montana, what would you pick as your absolute “best time” to come tour the Paradise Valley and Montana?
I’m partial to the swing seasons, spring and fall. After a long winter, the first warm days and green grass of spring are incredible. Same with after a hot and smoky summer, the cool days and golden light of fall are a breath of fresh air.
If I could pick one ten day block, I’d say the middle of October. That’s late enough that fall colors should be in full regalia, you can get some brisk days, and the fall hatches are incredible. Bring a dry fly rod and a streamer rod and you’re set.
Another nice thing about that timeframe is there are a lot less people here then. Tourist season always peaks around July 4th, and the crowds persist through the middle of September or so. Give it another month and the crowded parking lots and roads are decidedly less so.
If you could encourage fly fishers to do just one thing in terms of stewardship this next year, what would that be?
Remember and practice good etiquette while on the water. Don’t crowd people, don’t take too long on the boat ramp, give everyone the room they need and enjoy. This part of the world is getting busier and busier, and for every one person who argues that fact by saying “You should see Colorado/New York/California, there’s a person every 10 yards on those rivers!”, there’s someone who remembers the days when seeing more than two or three people a day was crowded.
People come to Montana and Yellowstone to enjoy the rivers and the incredible fishing, and there is a lot of that to go around. With a little common courtesy and forethought, everyone can enjoy it and their time out here.
