Montana Trout Scout

Still blown out!

  Most area streams are still blown out. I can't remember the last time the Stillwater was unfishable this late in the season. I'm not talking just big and brown, I'm talking raging. Oh well, it can't last forever. At this rate, our snowpack should be exhausted soon.

Currently, the only fishing near Red Lodge is on lakes and ponds. Kober and I fished Luce last week. It was a bright, sunny afternoon. Sedges were the only bug in evidence, and few of those. We caught a couple of fish apiece. Big fish. The smallest was a 19 inch pig of a bow. The other three were all well over 20 inches. Biggest probably went 6 pounds. Luce is the twin sister of Hogan, a stocked "put and take" lake. Both are in Wyoming, north of the Chief Joseph Highway on county road 7RP.

  Newton is another good trophy trout lake in Wyoming, just north of Cody. It's smaller than Luce and gets more fishing pressure. Big fish live there. You can walk the banks or take a kick boat.

  For something a bit more scenic, try Emerald and West Rosebud lakes. Both are at the end of the West Rosebud road. Fantastic scenery and usually good fishing. Rainbows, browns and brookies are the primary fish. Looks like the West Rosebud Creek itself is fishable, flowing below average. This can change quickly because of the hydro-electric dam. If they decide to release water from Mystic Lake, the creek gets big in a hurry!

Back from the Smith - written June 3, 2008

  Ahh, the chocolaty deliciousness of stream fishing in spring! The rivers may be big and brown but at least they’re cold, so we’ve got that going for us. Advantage, trout!

  I floated the fabled Smith with a motley crew of 10 folks from the Red Lodge area. The names will be changed to protect the innocent. This is a permitted trip, permits assigned by lottery. The float covers approx. 60 miles, from White Sulphur Springs to Ulm. Ulm is near Great Falls. Great Falls is near…oh, forget it. The river winds through a beautiful narrow canyon with high walls. Caves and weathered rock formations dominate the view. Never mind the four holes of golf, restaurant and jumping horse facility; this is the wilderness, dammit!

  My first mate, Greg and I fished hard for three of the four days we floated. Greg is far from innocent, so that’s his real name. On the fourth, we had had enough bobber watching. That’s right, friends. The only way to successfully fish something that big and brown is to GET DOWN! I’m talking lead and bobbers and bugs as big as small children. We used something like a girdle bug, Montana nymph, yuk bug, bitch creek or similar. Black with white legs is my favorite. We dropped a San Juan worm off the back. The strike ratio was about 50/50. The idea here is to pick a big eddy or slow corner and get drift after drift. After drift. Until you go nuts or something eats it. The ratio here is also 50/50! The keys to fishing the mud are patience and perseverance. And whiskey. The fish can’t see in the murky water and the cold temps make them lethargic. They won’t move much to eat. If you drift through the good water enough times, something will eventually get hit in the face eat it out of self-defense. Or not.

  The Stillwater has been dropping for the last few days. It’s down from 3000 to 1500 cfs and clear above the Rosebud convergence. Below the convergence it’s a bit more than tea colored. Stoneflies should be starting, so try something big on top, like a royal ‘trude or Jack Cabe. Drop a bead head off the hook. If the water’s yummy chocolate, see above. I expect the flow to increase this weekend with the return of warm weather; so do not fear The Worm.