Montana 2019 (part four – Madison, football Hyalite Lake)

So our final fishing day in this region was a lovely one – warmer and not too windy.  We set off to Quake Lake a little earlier.  On arrival the lake was like glass and we were so optimistic that we would be there for a good hatch.  This just didn’t happen for some reason.  We started out with hoppers but, in my eyes they didn’t look right on a flat calm surface so I changed immediately.  Kev called that he was into a fish – of course – on a hopper!  I went walking and only saw one fish, though it was a good sized rainbow.  I managed to get a decent cast and it took my fly.  It ran strongly and I could not stop it.  It went into a pile of weeds/logjam and I ended having to pull for a break.  Back with the others, Kev had managed another fish and missed a couple, whilst Doug had hooked a big fish but had his knot unfurl whilst playing it.

The plan had always been to go to the river for the afternoon so off we went.  First spot we’d been advised to try was Three Dollar Bridge.  From the main road, the river looked amazing and we were full of anticipation as we took the side road to the parking area.   It took us all of two seconds to realise this was not our spot as there were fourteen trucks parked there and anglers in the river both up and down stream.  Back onto the min road, and the next pull-in was not so busy.  The river looked good.  So, we set up there.  We changed leaders and tied new flies.  In the meantime I wandered over to chat to a young couple who were setting up an inflatable boat in order to drift the river. They both said the river was in great condition and I should expect plenty of fish with at least one of 20 inches.  Small flies would be good – and they proceeded to show me a size 10 Adams – I haven’t any of those larger than a fourteen!

I set up with my favoured Mladen Sedge and had a beautiful rainbow trout on a about my third or fourth speculative cast.  What a great start and enough to give us encouragement.  I made sure Doug had the right fly as he followed me up river.  Next fish I had was a smaller brownie and then I went some way before any more action.  I missed a couple of very fast takes – the river is extremely fast flowing, but it was a lovely spot to fish so I was loving it.  I then saw a fish rise further out than I had been concentrating on.  I lengthened my line and dropped the fly  ahead of where I thought the fish to be.  The take was instant and I didn’t need to set the hook as the fish did it for me.  It went right out into the current in one mad rush and I then wished I had used stronger than 5X tippet!  The fish was solid – whether in weed or a log I had no idea so I climbed out of the water and walked up the river to try to get beyond some trees on my bank and get the flyline above a couple of boulders.  Now, from an upstream position I managed to get some movement and soon the fish was in clear water.  The fight was then soon over, though, with no net, it was a hard task getting the fish to hand as the current in close was rapid.  The fish was spot on 20 inches….just as the young ones had suggested we should catch!

I didn’t need any more fish so walked back to see how Doug was going.  This was a bit more difficult for Doug and he struggled to get a decent line out and control its fast drift back towards him.  But he carried on manfully.

When I went back up to fish some more I was a bit put out when another angler came down the bank and proceeded to fish – about ten metres in front of me.  I was even more put out when on his fifth or sixth cast he had a decent fish on the end, though I think he lost it.  I made a noise so that he knew that I was there, and to be fair he apologised saying he hadn’t seen me.  But when he moved he only actually went another ten yards further up and started fishing again.  I went to chat with him.  He was from California and was dressed as if he was in the Arctic – he said he was freezing – we were all in shirt sleeves!  He showed me his rig – it was a similar set up to “drop-shotting” as he had a small length of nylon with about five or six split shot attached and his fly on a paternoster.  He was with his father who shortly after I moved on up caught a fish that he landed.  They seemed to pick a spot and fish it for an hour without moving.  Maybe they know better than we do.

I caught several more fish including two reasonable sized cutthroats from one small slack.  But, I had a serious encounter with a large rainbow in a small side stream just before we headed off.  The stream was shallow – no more than eighteen inches deep and it screamed fish – except that I caught nothing and saw nothing until I reached the very head of it.  The take was unmissable and the fight was long and hard.  The rainbow was stunning, and I struggled to keep it from leaving the side stream and heading off in the big flow into rapids below.  As the fish came to my hand, it flipped off the hook.  A shame that I didn’t get a chance to photograph it as it was probably the best looking fish of the trip!  But there is a photograph in my head.  I don’t remember having a harder fight from any fish I have caught!  Kev and Doug joined me and fished a few small streams but, they were ready to pack up.  Kev had caught some really good whitefish so was happy.  Doug admitted it too tough for him!

When we left the river we stopped at a bar that seemed pretty popular.  It was such a quirky place!

Kev and Doug outside :”Happy Hour Bar”

It was called “Happy Hour Bar” and inside there were photographs adorning the walls – some of rather scantily clad young ladies, and in another part a load of bare backsides. Also, spread out on the rafters were various bits of clothing!  It was also the venue, so it seemed for the local guides as a group of them were sitting chatting in an alcove.  We had a couple of beers, and I had to have a chat with the guides…

Josh was the head guide and was really happy to chat – after he’d finished his meeting.  They all worked at a camp on the other side of Hebgen Lake, and they were just three days from the end of their season.  They only start it in June – occasional they can get a few days in during May, and finish come end of September – so much shorter than ours, so they need to “make hay…” as they say.  But, with tipping as generous as it is in U.S.A. they do ok.  I am always amazed about tipping – it is something that causes a lot of issues when we fish in Cuba.  As a nation we just don’t do it!  And, find it hard to understand why others do.

Back at camp we had a lovely fire to cook our lamb steaks on.  This was a real treat for our last wilderness night.

We packed up camp in the morning and drove to Bozeman, setting up at the luxurious Hot Springs Campsite.  We certainly made use of the springs, which were fantastic.  On the Sunday night as we lazed in the hot pools there was a fabulous band playing live music – what a treat, under the stars!

But, I digress.  Saturday we had tickets for a college football game kindly given us by friends of Doug and Tracy.  We took in the whole razzmatazz and had a lovely day.  Even the usually calm Doug became animated at the football game! Thankfully, for his blood pressure, his beloved Montana State team won, though there were a few anxious moments in the first half!  Entertainment it certainly was, but so odd that absolutely no alcohol is allowed or available in the ground, though you could do your heart a world of trouble with all sorts of fatty and sugary food and drinks!

We had an interesting couple of hours in town – tried two bars and met some lovely locals.  We even had a couple of games of pool.  But, back to the hot springs to end the day and plan for last day of fishing on the trip.

On Sunday morning we dropped in to the local tackle shop “Fins and Feathers” another massive shop with tackle, clothing, fly tying kit and to die for.  Boy do the shops in America cater for every branch of the sport, but especially for fly fishers.  The guys there suggested that the Madison was our best bet, in spite of my choice being the Gallatin.  They suggested that the Gallatin was running dirty, so we took their advice and headed for Bear Trap Canyon.  The drive was awesome as the air was so clear.

The countryside here was much “softer” than where we had been for the last few days.  The river looked fantastic….but, it was “infested’ with drift boats.  Later, once fishing, although I couldn’t see him as the banks were overgrown, Kev had a right “barney” with one of the guides in a drift boat that came right into where Kev was fishing. The guide at one point offered to come ashore and “sort it out man to man”!  Interesting situation.  Doug was not far away, and maybe, his presence was enough to stop the guide taking this drastic action, or maybe the fact that he had clients in the boat did it!  Certainly not very friendly behaviour!

We fished a spot well below the canyon and had odd fish, but then moved on up to the Bear Trap!  Beautiful, awesome, grand scenery.  What must the original settles have made of this area?  Wilderness America takes some beating.

The fishing in the canyon was too tough for us!  The wading was all but impossible and the flow of water was fierce.  I managed two or three cutthroats and Doug had a fish, but highlight here was the bald eagle circling overhead as I fished!  It went in to rest on a crag opposite, but, when I returned to the truck for my telephoto lens it had gone.

It being so tough, we decided to head to an alpine lake – we hadn’t fished one of these and as there was one back the other side of our campsite we headed off.  Hyalite Lake is really high in the mountains and snow remains on the peaks most of the summer – there was certainly plenty when we arrived there. The place was a “playground” – campers, walkers, kayakers, cyclists and plenty of fishermen.  We went to the far end where the stream flows in and set up for our last hour or so of fishing for the trip.  It was a struggle and we could have admitted defeat.  I walked a long way round the west shore, whilst Kev and Doug went round the east shore.  One rapid rise was all that I managed.  We ended back at more or less where we started and decided to fish “English style” with a small pheasant tail and a small buzzer.
I started getting takes and ended up with three cutthroats – two of which were decent sized and hard fighting.  Doug managed a little fella and Kev a couple of takes.

We walked back to the truck and admired a family of mule deer grazing on the paddock opposite.  On our drive down the valley as light was dropping, we had the most wonderful view of an enormous bull elk – enormous head of antlers.  Annoyingly I had been going through photographs on my Nikon and only just turned it off an put it on the floor.  I clicked a couple of fuzzy pictures, but, in the light and with so little time they are not worth putting up.

So ended a wonderful trip.  The fishing was varied – from the easy or rather “comfortable” fishing on the Blackfoot, to the challenging fishing on the Madison.  We had some fun on lakes, saw a plethora of wildlife, got a good impression of the state of Montana, and even took in football – America’s greatest game.

I must thank Doug and Tracy for all they did to make the trip a success, and Kev for providing the (mostly untuneful) singing and (uncoordinated) dancing throughout! Three weeks in the RV and barely a cross word…only the fishing guide at Bear Trap persuaded Kev into that!

To next USA Roadtrip…Look out Doug….