Monday Mantra

By some stroke of luck I happened to get last Saturday off.  Fishing buddy Shane was also free.  We haven’t fished together since he came home to Montana this spring.  Varney to Burnt Tree?  Sure, why not. The night before’s planning and packing was helped along by a couple of gin and tonics and elk […]

When you find a girl who genuinely enjoys fishing, you better keep her around.  She’s been trying to get me to take her fishing every chance we can, and sadly we haven’t gone as much as we should.  A few nights ago we were able to run up to Hyalite Creek for a few hours […]

Fall is the time of big browns.  Everyone knows that.  Especially all the people lining the well known spots on the Upper Madison right now.  At the shop we’re hearing reports of shoulder to shoulder fishing in some places already.  It’s only going to get busier for a while… Worth it?  Probably. But this crush […]

It was hot and sunny and we had a lot more time to kill between morning and evening hunts than we figured.  Setting up camp only takes so long.  With the river close and a new switch rod to break in we decided to hit the water. We didn’t really expect to catch anything given […]

Whatever your chosen labor might be, however many hours and days and years and heart and blood, sweat and tears you pour into it, Happy Labor Day.  Today is a day to celebrate the working people so we raise a glass to you.  But I would especially like to say let’s celebrate all of those who don’t […]

Busy busy busy.  Life is hectic.  Work, school, relationships, friends, whatever you’ve got in the way always seems to fill the schedule.  You’ve got a schedule, which in and of itself can be a frightening thought at times.  What happened to the plan of getting rich quick and fishing all the time? Life happens, that’s […]

Summer is a hectic time in Montana, especially when you’re working in the tourist industry.  There’s so many people everywhere, the rivers are low and warm, campgrounds are full, and damn near every person you talk to is from somewhere else.  (Of course, Bozeman being Bozeman, most people are anyway).  It’s easy to lose motivation […]

Carp have been a fascination of mine for a couple of years now.  They’re big and damned hard to catch.  I finally landed my first one last summer and when the opportunity arose to chase them again I was all for it. This time it was entirely different than anything else I have experienced.  Carp […]

There are those nights when you go out with every intention of fishing hard and dedicating yourself to the task at hand.  Sometimes said nights turn out quite successfully.  Other nights it devolves to throwing rocks and sticks in the river and at the “No Trespassing” sign nailed to a tree on the opposite bank. Those […]

This past weekend I had the chance to teach an Intro to Fly Fishing Class at the shop.  It was a somewhat last minute decision so I was understandably nervous about trying to talk about fly fishing and keep people interested and engaged for eight hours.  I’ve never been a big fan of public speaking […]

Opening weekend has passed here in Montana.  All the small streams are open, as well as the few places that do close for a few months.  Such as the stretch on the Upper Madison from Quake to McAtee, one of my all times favorites.  I wasn’t able to get out on Opening Day but given […]

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 […]

Nicknames go hand in hand with fishing buddies.  You fish with someone enough and it’s just bound to happen.  For instance, Shane dubbed me Bigfoot I don’t know how many years ago and I’m sure that one will stick around for many years to come.  You just never know exactly when the moment will come […]