Mike and Dale on the Bitterroot in early October

Thanks for coming up to fish with Jack at the Casting for Recovery One Cast for Hope event. He had a very fun day with you two!

Nice brown Mike

Dale with a pretty Rainbow Trout

Jeff on the Bitterroot catching trout, pike and oops, a sucker

Jeff caught some really nice trout including a beautiful brown..but he hasn't sent me his trout photos. These were the only ones on Jack's camera..so here they are. Jeff just sent this photo of his buddy and the brown trout he caught that day. Here it is. And he sent this photo of Jack holding another pike. They are doing their part in getting some pike out of the Bitterroot.

Later in September, less smoke, more pike and brown trout

Fish photos, the best way to say it.

Fishing the Bitterroot and more with the Shields

I am leaving the post date for today (mid-Sept) but these photos were from trips in early July. There was a lot of water still - these are before the fires hit us in western Montana. The Shields are from Washington State and come here in their comfortable motor home to fish lots of days with Jack. He just loves spending time and creating adventures with them. Naomi sent me two discs with photos and videos. I am posting the photos now, but will try to work with the videos soon, too. They are pretty fun, except when she spent a while taping Jack as he chopped a downed green willow from their path (lol).

So, here are the photos. Hope you enjoy.

Less smoke from fires, more fish for Jack and Jeff

Jack and Jeff fished the lower Bitterroot and found lots of trout and lots of pike. Jack caught the one pike, but Jeff caught five. They are doing their part in getting the pike out of the Bitterroot and getting in some trout fishing, too. Tricos are the name of the game on this stretch in early September.

Fishing the Bitterroot - cold weather but good fishing

It was a cold day on the Bitterroot for this sturdy group from San Diego. A dark day makes for dark photos but that was a nice trout Don caught.  Day one of three days. More photos coming I hope.

Jack is holding Don's trout before they released it.

Bitterroot River

A couple of early spring days with Pam and Rick on the Bitterroot River

 Cool weather, but when you like to fish, you layer up and go for it. Not much wind and no rain so the fishing was actually pretty darn good. Thanks Pam and Rick for spending two great days with Wapiti Waters.

March31, I updated this with some photos that Pam and Rick sent us. Thanks for sharing.

Photo send in by Rick and Pam - beautiful trout!

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Geoff on the Big Hole River in mid-August

Geoff Fitzgerald fished the Big Hole in mid-August for a few days. He had a great trip and one reason was this year there was a lot of water. He ended up fishing mainly in the faster water. Geoff takes lots of pictures when out fishing. He photos are of anything unusual and occasionally of trout. He shared two photos from his August Big Hole River trip that illustrate both the unusual and trout.

Here are his descriptions of the photos:
"The brown in the pic was right below Jerry Creek Bridge and it was hookedon the first cast using a yellow marabou muddler.

The speckled egg on the algae mat was incredible, yet a little tragic; absolutely untouched and unbroken - must've rolled out of a nest near the bank (meadowlark nest perhaps) or on gravel bar (in that case possibly spotted sandpiper or killdeer)."

Anyone have any firm ideas of the species of bird egg?

Geoff, thanks for sharing. We love getting other "points of view."

Shields on the Big Hole and the Blackfoot Rivers in August

Brown trout caught by Jim

Jim and Naomi fished with Jack a few weeks in July. Now these photos are from August when they came back to fish the Big Hole and the Blackfoot rivers. What is great about the Shields is that they have fun no matter what the weather or the fishing have to offer. But, as you can see here, they always catch really nice trout. I have to say either Naomi catches more trout, or Jim takes more photos...not sure which. Jack sure had a good time fishing with them.

See more photos in the slideshow below.

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Fly Fishing the Big Hole River with Richard Steed and his daughter, Polly

Polly and her brown trout

Another Father/Daughter team with Wapiti Waters. Take your kids fishing and you will enjoy showing them the beauty and excitement of the outdoors. Introduce them to an activity that you can all enjoy for a lifetime. Polly and Richard went to the Big Hole with Jack in late August and it turned into a stellar day for scenery and for fishing. The few photos were wonderful showing Polly with her large brown trout she caught early in the day, Richard's stout rainbow trout and the spectacular scenery. I think Polly snapped the landscape shots (thank you Polly!).
See the slideshow below for more photos

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Montana Fly Fishing - Big Hole and Blackfoot Rivers with Naomi and Jim

Naomi and Jim have fished with Jack for quite a few years now. They bring their motor home which gives them flexibility to fish many rivers. This trip they fished the Big Hole for two days, took a day off, and then fished the Blackfoot for three days. They are fun to be with and passionate about fishing and the resources. Jack really enjoys fishing them. They also celebrated their anniversary on this trip.

click here to view all photos in a new window

Big Hole River with Irv Weissman

Irv and his brown trout

Jack and Irv

Irv has a home in the Bitterroot and comes up from CA often. This year Irv, his family and some friends have fished the Bitterroot a lot, the Big Hole some and at least one day so far on the Blackfoot.

Here are a couple of photos from the Big Hole River. They seem to be catching quite a few brown trout this July.

Big Hole River with Bob Ratcheson

Jack holding Bob's beautiful brown trout

Bob and Peggy have a home near the Bitterroot River but you have to fish other places, too. On this day, Bob and Jack ventured "over the hill" to the Big Hole. It paid off. Cooler temperatures, more water, lots of fish and spectacular scenery were some of the perks.

Closer view of Bob's brown trout

Fly Fishing Montana - the Big Hole River in July with Peter Rein

Peter has been to Montana many times but we first met Peter in the late 1990's when he came to fish with his sister and her family. Peter finished school, began his career in Texas and we didn't see him for awhile. Now Peter lives in northern CA, his career is established and the lure and memories of fishing in Montana have brought him back. He has spent more time in Montana than many because he loves the outdoors and fishing. Peter had been to the Big Hole, but this was his first time float-fishing it. It was a great day.

We are fortunate to have Peter as a friend and as a client. He is smart, fun to be with, passionate about life, dogs and about fishing. Take a trip down the Big Hole River with Peter and with us through the photos in the slideshow below.

Another late June day on the Big Hole River - Jim and son-in-law, John

John with a nice brown trout

Jim has fished with Wapiti Waters for years. This year he and his friends included family. This day, Jim and his son-in-law, John, drove to the Big Hole from Hamilton to fish with Jack. It was a brighter day and very successful. Seems like the Big Hole is magical this time of year. See the slideshow below for more photos.

Click here to view all four photos in a new window

Bitterroot River with Keith's family and friends

Laurie is holding the trout she caught on the upper Bitterroot. The Bitterroot has been bank full, but it dropped just enough for Keith and his family and friends to have a few good days of fishing and floating on the Bitterroot.


Laurie just happened to be in the boat with the camera. Thanks Laurie, we love the photos. See the slideshow below for a few more photos. 

Click here to view all the photos in a new window

Tony Fauci fishes the Bitterroot

Currently working for National Institute of Health (NIH) as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Anthony (Tony) Fauci was on a visit to Hamilton, Montana. The Division of Intramural Research (DIR) is a branch of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and more than 20% of DIR's research is conducted in western Montana at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton.

Read more about RML and the campus at "Rocky Mountain Labs: NIAID’s Montana campus" by Karen Honey published February 2, 2009 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI).

When Tony came to visit, he also got to fish. Marshall Bloom, associate director of RML, knows Jack and set up an afternoon of fishing.  Everyone needs a break and Marshall wanted Tony to see what is in the lab's backyard. Tony knows that the beautiful Bitterroot is part of the draw for RML's talented scientists. In fact he told the JCI that "over the last 20–25 years, the potential liabilities of the physical separation between RML and Bethesda have morphed into assets, where the beauty of western Montana and the collegial working environment couple with state-of-the-art facilities to make RML highly attractive to world-class researchers and an integral part of the DIR."

Read more about Tony Fauci at the Director's Page on the NIAID website. He is a personal hero of mine for his contributions to the understanding of how HIV destroys the body's defenses leading to the progression to AIDS and that is just one aspect of his work. You can learn more by visiting Anthony Fauci's biography on Wikipedia.com.

Pike story: Big fish in Bitterroot

Missoulian story by Joe Nickel - Pike story: Big fish in Bitterroot – but good luck hooking one

via Pike story: Big fish in Bitterroot – but good luck hooking one.

Also see on Facebook link below.

Fly Fishing Montana with Wapiti Waters

Pike story: Big fish in Bitterroot – but good luck hooking one

www.missoulian.com

Written by JOE NICKELL Photographed by MICHAEL GALLACHER of the Missoulian | Posted: Thursday, March 18, 2010 8:00 am | Loading…

Wapiti Waters 2010 fishing forecast for western Montana

Wapiti Waters' 2010 fishing season forecast based on over 30 years experience in western Montana's trout fisheries.

Jamie and his Dad.
Jamie caught this trout in
July on the Bitterroot.

Wapiti Waters photo

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Jack Mauer, Wapiti Waters outfitter and guide

I have just read they will be shipping snow by truck to the site of the 2010 Olympic Games – Cyprus Mountain. Mother Nature has not cooperated but they have had time to prepare for the lack of snow. Likewise, here in the fishing business where a trout fishery depends a lot on good, cold stream flows, we have time to prepare or plan for what looks to be a lean water year.

I hate drought, everybody and everything suffers during times of water stress. Unfortunately conditions are looking more and more like drought as snowpack in the Bitterroot is around 54% of normal at the time of this writing. We have had three months of below average snow precipitation and we have less than two months of winter to go. So the prognosis is not good. What this actually means for the fishing, however, is not all gloom and doom.

Here are my predictions for the 2010 season.

Insect hatch on the Bitterroot in the spring.
Photo by Merle Ann Loman

March and April – Early Spring fishing

Expect fishable water through-out this time. Because our low elevation snow is meager, we should have better than average fishing with more fishable days. It is the melting low elevation snow that causes the rivers to pulse up too quickly with warm weather and/or rain. So I predict excellent early spring fishing in western Montana and that means Skwala and nemoura stones as well as Ameletus and Rithrogenia mayflies.

May and June – Usual period of high-water conditions

Again, I expect better than average fishing for these two months. Many hatches such as the salmonfly; pteronarcella, larger stoneflies; March Brown; and Hydropsyche caddis will come off in good numbers during this time and have the trout looking up on a more consistent basis. Pulsing high waters in the average snowpack year don’t give the trout a chance to key on these hatches before water levels may become too big. This year under the possible lower than average flows, it is likely that trout will get a chance to really key in on them. As a result, these conditions may bring some remarkable fishing.

No matter how big or small the snowpack there will be a time of peak run-off for a 2-3 week period. When this happens, most area rivers will probably be unfishable because of high, turbid water. Here is where flexibility becomes important. Some rivers will likely be fishable and changing the location/river will allow you to take advantage of good conditions. Wapiti Waters has the knowledge and permits that can put you on the right water.

David with a Bitterroot brown trout
Wapiti Waters photo

July and August – Summer fishing

Early July is usually a time of some of the most consistent fishing. I expect that to be the case given the number and variety of aquatic insects that emerge during this time. However, by mid-July the prognosis is not good. Using a preferred strategy for low, warm water conditions in mid-summer, we will need to fish from early morning to early afternoon. Fishing early is in favor the trout and yourself – beating the heat. It is quite possible that rivers like the Blackfoot and the Big Hole will have some angling restrictions during this time.

September and October – Fall Fishing

It is a little too early to predict eight months in advance. Our fall fishing is usually a fly fishers dream here in western Montana. Low flows in the summer are not the single deciding factor of unfavorable fall fishing conditions. For example, last year we had a huge snowpack but we had very tough fall fishing because of unseasonably warm temperatures and bright, sunny weather.

In the mean time, I hope the weather systems in the Pacific will deliver us some welcome precipitation through-out the year.

For more info: Wapiti Waters welcomes calls and emails for up-dated conditions and angling reports.

Contact information: Toll free 800-254-5311, email wapiti@wapiti-waters.com, website www.wapiti-waters.com.

The western Montana rivers Jack fishes most are the Bitterroot, Blackfoot, Big Hole and Clark Fork rivers. See links to more articles and information below.

• Fishing and river articles and photos by Merle Ann Loman by key word:
  

Bitterroot River | Big Hole River | Blackfoot River | Clark Fork River | Missouri River | Argentina

Here is a slideshow of more western Montana photos. To see the album on line with descriptions click Merle's western Montana fishing photo album.

Fall means brilliant colors and brown trout are spawning.

It is fall in Montana and great fishing, but watch out for redds. Brown trout are spawning.

Brown trout from the Bitterroot in the spring

Fall brings cooler temperatures that cue brilliant foliage, migrating geese and spawning brown trout.

Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) is an exotic species in Montana. It was introduced to North America and Montana in the late 1800’s. Brown trout belong to a different genus than our native trout species. Widely stocked early in this century, they are currently doing well as a self-sustaining population.

The brown trout are golden brown with spots, lots of spots. They have black spots that may be irregular, and often red and orange spots. A distinct characteristic is spots with halos on the gill covers. Their tails are short and square. They commonly grow to 12 to 20 inches, but Montana’s state record is 29 pounds.

Brown trout feed largely on underwater aquatic insects. And, as a predaceous fish, more so than rainbow or cutthroat, the larger browns often feed at night on other fish, crayfish and other invertebrates. Brown trout have a few advantages over native Montana trout species. Brown trout are better adapted to disturbed habitats, and can live in areas that experience unnatural changes in water level, temperature, and water quality.

Brown trout caught by Jeff

Brown trout also lay their eggs in the fall, getting a jump on the native species which spawn in the spring making them subject to irrigation seasons water fluctuations among other things. Spawning occurs for brown trout when water temperatures drop to about 40 degrees F. and lasts usually from October through December in Montana. Female brown trout make redds in gravel or small pebbles in shallow water, usually less than a foot deep. Females deposit the eggs, males fertilize the eggs and they are covered with very small gravel or silt. In the spring, about 50 days later and at 50 degrees F, the surviving eggs hatch.

Some brown trout spawn on their resident rivers, but to find the right (very specific) conditions most migrate, sometimes traveling great distances upriver or into tributaries. During this critical time for brown trout, if you are aware of spawning beds where you are fishing, it is preferable not to disturb them.

Here are some things to think about when fishing during the spawning period:

• Stay away from the redds, do not walk in them. In general, they will be in clean gravel and it will look like someone dug a hole in the smaller gravel.


• Fish downstream to the probable pods of trout below the redd, not IN the redd. A clue is fish sitting on top of thecleared off gravel in pairs.


• If you catch a spawning trout, try not to sap their strength; play them quickly, release them quickly and of course, handle them gently.


• Last, target fewer fish. Catch a few, and then move on to another area.

Brown trout are usually in the larger, slower and lower gradient streams often where there are logs and other structure available to hide under. They also do well in reservoirs.

Brown trout are a popular game fish and a challenge to catch because they are selective and wary. When an angler catches them, it is exciting as they can be large and put up a good fight, running with the line.

For more info:

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks – Field guide for brown trout

Montana University System Water Center – Brown trout information

Utah on the Fly Article – The Bedroom of the Browns: Acting Responsibly During the Spawning Season, by Jim McGeever

Merle’s SmugMug photo site – Many more brown trout photos in their original format