Fly Fish Literati discussion

I'm planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the west. Part of the time will be spent in Montana fly fishing.
My question is: if you could only spend one day fly fishing a Montana river in a drift boat, which would you choose? AND, if you could spend two days wade fishing in Montana (easy wading), which TWO rivers would you choose?
That's my predicament, and I'm hoping you can help me solve it.
Thanks in advance.
Best fishes,
Joe

Hi Joe, with all due respect, it seems your notion of a once in a lifetime trip and only up to three days to enjoy it may have conflicting purposes.

I have never fished in MT. However, due to the travel distance from Southern CA, I wouldn't consider the trip unless I had 4-6 weeks to spend.

Have fun!

Ants

Well, with all due respect, I'm 69 years old, married, and not rich. So, I take what God allows me. I get to fish the Catskills for a week or two every year, so I don't feel too deprived. Everything is relative I guess. The trip itself is three weeks of touring the west and will include Mt. Rushmore, the St. Louis Arch, Zion and Bryce National Parks, the Grand Canyon, Denver, Yellowstone Park. If that's not the trip of a lifetime, I don't know what is. I hope yours is a good one, too.

Hi Joe, here is a reference that may help you in planning purposes and enable you to ask the right questions to fine tune your agenda to the time the trip takes you into Montana. Fly Fishing the Madison was written by Craig Mathews and Gary LaFontaine in 2001. The book covers everything from what happens during each season, hatches, flows, tactics, fish movement, and more.

I probably have less money than you, but I take pride in spending it well. By traveling with a 1968 small travel trailer, my additional expenses while traveling may be limited to a few thousand miles of gasoline. The longer I fish, the more economical the travel.

Have fun on the trip. Here's hoping you find more material to keep you writing.

Please excuse any perceived rudeness from my first response. I guess I lived too long in NJ at an earlier age.


Ants

LOL. I'm from New Jersey! I have lived here in North Carolina for the last 14-1/2 years. I was the manager of the fishing department for Ramsey Outdoor Store in Ramsey for 10 years, and guided on the Beaverkill for 10 years. My Matt Davis Mystery Series is set in Roscoe and in 2012 I was invited by the Roscoe Chamber of Commerce to be its celebrity first-caster on opening day, and later to speak at the Two-Headed Trout Dinner at the Rockland House. Where in NJ did you live? I lived in Oradell, River Edge, Washington Township and Ringwood (the last 15 years). Went to high school with Bill Parcells at River Dell ('62); he was two years ahead of me. Very ironic...

New Jersey - memories through schooling. My parents moved to Rockaway (between Dover and Denville) when I was about three. The family stayed in Rockaway through high school Morris Hillls) and longer. I attended Newark College of Engineering until about '71 and said goodbye to NJ for all practical purposes. All my summers were spent in VT from the mid-50's, so all the NJ bonding with the seashore was missed.

I started fly fishing about 8 years ago, so I have to work harder to make up for lost time. I had fun fishing the Pequest River and Delaware Water Gap NRA on the last NJ visit.

So, I suggest you consider changing your once in a lifetime trip to a regular excursion. There's lots of great places in the west. I have only been west for 37 years and I have fun exploring on every trip.

Tis a small world.

Sheesh, now I will have to get your book and see how your notes from Roscoe compare with my limited travel and less-limited reading. One of the Darbee cousins is a member of the local fly fishing club.

Ants

PS. The time to travel the distances in the West is a time consuming. Even if the scenery is great, as usual, time traveling gets long. A high mileage vehicle (think Prius) is a blessing.

We've got a brand new Chevy Equinox that truly gets 32 mpg highway. Very comfortable, too. I used to fish the Pequest, the Rockaway, and the South Branch of the Raritan…oh, and the Flat Brook. I'll probably float the Madison one day, and fish along the road wherever else it looks good as we make our way through Wyoming and Montana. Have a friend near Denver, and he and I plan to fish one of the local creeks one day when we visit with him and his wife. It will be a great trip; of that I have no doubt.

I would like to suggest the Green River in Utah and certainly consider fishing in Yellowstone. Sounds like a great trip.

Doug wrote: "I would like to suggest the Green River in Utah and certainly consider fishing in Yellowstone. Sounds like a great trip."

After some research into cost, it looks as though the float trip will probably be too expensive. However, someone has suggested the Lamar and Slough Creek in Yellowstone, and I'm pretty sure I can find waters there to wade fish. I purchased a book about Montana about eight years ago when I was planning a "fishing only" trip. I'm sure it's got lots of suggestions throughout the state that will be applicable.
Thanks so much for your response.

Don't forget to stop in at the local fly shops. Share your story of your "adventure". I am sure they will be helpful. Especially if you bring in some donuts or treats.

Also, I am a TU member. Check in with the local chapters. They are very helpful. Let them know you will host them if they come through your town too. Check out http://www.tu.org/connect/chapters-co....