Confession: A bad day of fishing...it happens

The saying goes, "A bad day of fishing is better than a good day doing anything else." Hmmmm. I think this is true only 99.5% of the time, as proven by a recent experience on my beloved North Fork of the Flathead in Northwest Montana. It wasn't THAT bad...only half-a-percentage bad. But that half-percentage will be hard to forget.

I started the day excited to shoot an episode of Trout TV with Glacier Raft Company on my home river. The North Fork is the western boundary to my stomping grounds, Glacier National Park. I know how to fish this river. Well, it's an easy river to fish. It's beautiful, clear and full of native Westslope Cutthroat trout that aren't too picky or spooky. I generally know which bugs to use and how to present them, since I guided fishing trips at GRC many years ago on the North Fork, and I still fish there often. I felt confident that we'd come away with an amazing episode. Plus, my friend and GRC veteran Marc Evans was our guide. He's among the very best in the biz, and is the most requested guide at the Company. So I knew he'd get us into fish and help me iron out the many crimps in my angling ability along the way.

That's what getting cocky gets ya.
A half-mile into our day, I boated a gorgeous 17" cutbow--the nicest fish I've caught on that stretch in awhile. I don't have any still pictures, because the biggest beauties are reserved strictly for video. Shortly afterward, Marc got me into a fat 15" cutty. Great start.
Then I missed a lunker.
Then I missed a LUNKER.
Then I caught no fewer than 45 8" cutbows.
Then I ate nine Nutter Butters and drank a Miller Lite.
Then I caught a bunch of whitefish--considered trashfish in our area.
Then I set the hook on what I thought was a fatty and ended up yanking a four-inch cutty up out of the water, over the boat and onto the other bank. I rescued the wee flying fish, jumped back into the boat and proceeded to whack a Batman Nymph on the rod in a frenzied back cast.
Then I BROKE one of Marc's shiny Winston rods in what can only be classified as a terrible quagmire of ego-shredding errors.

Then it got windy. Not tourist-fisherman windy, but legit windy. 30-mile-per-hour steady winds and even harder gusts made it impossible to get any good sound out of our microphones.
I kept casting. And despite the beefiest doublehaul I could muster, I tangled droppers. I over-mended. I under-mended. I sucked.

At one point Marc said, "Um, Hil, what can I do to get that look off your face?" I said, "Um, tell Trout TV to hire a host who can fish."

I'm definitely not the meltdown type. I've always felt privileged and grateful just to be on the water and fish. I swear I'm not a negative person, a whiner or fit-thrower. And I don't' think I'm a river diva... But that day, for just a moment, with my arm twitching as I threw as hard as I could through the angry wind, I remember pouting, a bad day doing anything else would be better than this day of fishing.


We rescheduled the shoot. We're going back to the North Fork later this month.
It will be another day. A super day. A day that will hopefully cancel out the stinkin' half-a-percentage that briefly ruined the old adage.
But I'm going to bring extra Nutter Butters and Miller Lite just in case.

The Hogs of Winter

Note from Hilary: The story below is written by my pal Bryan, who I used to guide with at Glacier Anglers in West Glacier, MT. Due to a skiing injury, I am supposed to be on bedrest and I was not "allowed" to go on this float over the weekend. I hate boys who are bossy and hog the hogs. But I guess I love these boys, and I love the fish they netted on this beautiful winter outing at the crown of the continent.



From Bryan Anderson: Many folks find that the biggest fish are often caught during the winter months. The picture above is of Darwon Stoneman, owner of Glacier Anglers in West Glacier. True, fish become less active when it's cold, but the decrease in available food and fishing pressure means they get less finicky.







This is especially evident in the glacial waters of Northwest Montana since there’s not a whole lot of aquatic life to begin with. That, and the well-established fact that the local cutthroats are not the most challenging trophies anyway. But I won’t complain ‘cause there’s nothing wrong with catching dumb fish every now and then. Or in my case, I make a career out of chasing the easy ones.







Since we’re near the end of a mild winter that threatens to put a premature end to the ski season, it’s not as hard as you’d think to bundle up for a float trip. The bluebird weekend we had didn’t hurt.



The morning started out with heavy valley fog that burned away by noon to reveal bright skies and the snowcapped Rockies. Throughout the day, layers came off as the sun became hot on our backs. In equal intervals the layers went back on and a good winter coat came in handy as the sun eventually left and kept us wishing for July and a pair of flip flops.





The cutthroats here in the Flathead River are developing spawning colors and getting ready to make their annual trip to the tributary streams that surround Glacier National Park. The idea is to intercept those fish before the pilgrimage begins. When the timing is right, you’ll see sizeable average fish in decent numbers.



It was an open debate as to which sub-surface pattern from Montana Fly Company would be most effective. Although we did see two fish rise to something on the surface, a dry fly never hit the water. In the end, MFC's streamers and nymphs worked well and brought nice fish to the boat. We pulled the Flathead Trifecta--cutthroat, rainbow and bull trout. With the run in its infancy, there are most certainly better days to come.



So, yeah, we caught bull trout. Fishing for this protected species is not allowed, but since they eat what cutties eat, there’s nothing you can do but treat one well if you bring one to net. It's a special privilege to be a fisherman here, which brings the responsibility of helping protect native bulls. Just don’t “try” to catch one, or I’ll tell on you.





Before you head out and try to make a little spring magic of your own, there’s one item of gear most fishermen don’t consider. You’d better have some chains for your truck if you want a shot at floating the best sections as the spawning run progresses. Sliding the boat over a few snow banks at the put-in is inevitable but without chains, that haul could take up the better part of day. That’s just one more reason you won’t see much competition.

Photos courtesy of Marc Evans, Glacier Anglers fishing guide extraordinaire, whitewater guru, all-around great guy.