David Baltimore Group

David Baltimore (in the straw hat) and Jay Konopka (in the ball cap) wade fishing on the West Fork of the Bitterroot River.

Dave Brandt, Joanne and Bill Travers

Dave Brandt with a fat cuttbow trout on the West Fork of the Bitterroot River.

Joanne Travers showing off her fish. Also in the photo is Dave Shobe, her guide.
We didn't get a photo of Bill this trip.

Frank and Deborah Collin on the West Fork of the Bitterroot

Frank and Deborah Collin fished with Jack today on the
West Fork of the Bitterroot.
It was a busy day, but they had a riffle to themselves.

Below is a slide show with photos taken by Jack and Frank. You can view the
album by clicking on the slide show or the "View Album" link.

View Album

Get your own

Craig Bashein and Tom Wright - click here for all 3 photos

Fishing on the West Fork of the Bitterroot. What a pair!

Craig is in the top photo and his friend, Tom Wright, in the bottom photo. See his comment!

It looks like an amazing day, beautiful sunny skies. The flows on the West Fork are going down, that is better for fishing and boat handling.

Jeff Rogers and his Dad - click here for all the photos

Jeff Rogers and his Dad

Jeff Rogers and his family live near Victor, MT. His Dad visits frequently and this time, they fished some big water on the West Fork of the Bitterroot. They not only caught fish, they saw a moose.

Elk on ridge near Sweathouse Creek Canyon

Wapiti is a Native American word for elk. We love elk and that is why we called the fishing business Wapiti Waters.

Because I work in our home office, I couldn't go fishing today. But, I did take my usual fitness break and go hiking. Sweathouse Creek is very near our Chickadee Lane home (5 miles west of Victor, MT). I am lucky because there is access to many ridges with elk, deer, moose, turkeys, and lots of beautiful flora as well. Today I had the priviledge of seeing a small herd of elk, mostly cows with calves. My trusty chesapeake female saw them at her favorite watering hole and came running back to me. Just before she did, a cow that was bedded down caught my eye because she "twitched" her ears....here is a photo. Click on it to open it full screen.

Click the title above to see more. I had a little difficulty focusing while containing my dog and trying to stay calm myself. I hope you enjoy them. Get out, get fit and get to know your resident wildlife!

My faithful companion, Bela (the chesapeake) enjoying herself at the end of our hot hike!

High Water at Victor Crossing

Victor is about the middle of the Bitterroot Valley. I am uploading a photo I took yesterday at Victor Crossing. It is big! and will probably stay that way for at least this week. Notice the debris in the water.

Today, the water at Darby (the upper Bitterroot) is smaller than yesterday. Jack is fishing the West Fork of the Bitterroot today. The water is fishing, but he is busy holding the boat and not able to take photos. It is hard work to row effectively in this water - holding the boat so clients can get the best drifts! I am hoping that clients will send us some photos I can post.
http://fwp.mt.gov/maps/fas/BitterrootFASGuideMap.pdf Link to map of Bitterroot Fishing Access Sites (FAS). Victor is between Bell and Tucker Crossing.
http://fwp.mt.gov/lands/site_280660.aspx Link to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks information and photos for Tucker Crossing FAS - just upstream (south) from Victor.
http://fwp.mt.gov/lands/site_280651.aspx Link to MT FWP information and photos for Bell Crossing FAS - just downstream (north) from Victor.

Water clarity in the Bitterroot and a new fawn in our yard

The Bitterroot has come up again, but for the last few days it has been fishing. The water clarity is good. We are looking at warmer weather for the next few days and then a cool down. This is the time of year when the fishing status is day-to-day. It could be outstanding with all the water and the hatches, or it could be glaring and hot...not so good for fishing.

The Blackfoot has a hatch going on now, but the water is dirty. The Big Hole is starting to rise with the warmer weather.

Call us for updates. 800-254-5311.

This photo was taken off our deck a few days ago with a telephoto lense. Mom and fawn succesfully made it into the woods with out noticing me and my camera.

Another visitor, a wild gosling.

The goose is hanging around my chicken coop. The photo to the right is about a week later. If you click on it, you will get a bigger size and see more detail. The primary wing quills are a blue color. Interesting!

June 10, 11, 12 Oden / Graham Group staying at Triple Creek

Click on title for more photos (there are 6). Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Order in photo: Richard Campo, Colton Cockrill, David Oden, Jeff Cockrill, Keith and Travis Oden, Richard Campo (Jr). Not pictured, David Graham.

Keith Oden, sons David and Travis; Richard Campo, son Richard; Jeff Cockrill, son Colton; and David Graham fished with Wapiti Waters on the Bitterroot River. The big surge of our spring run-off happened earlier and this group happened to hit the "coolest temps" of our spring fishing. They managed to get out all three days, catch fish and see the river with quite a bit of water.

To the right is a photo of David Graham

and David Oden with a nice Brown Trout.

To the left is a photo of Jeff Cockrill with Colton in the background (rain gear and all!).