Funny you should ask...

1. Do you remember Tricky Dick's famous quote from his first term? He said, famously, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." That's kind of what July is like, if you're a trout angler. Hatches are sparse and seemingly intermittent and the insects are tiny verging on invisible. Think Tricos and Plauditus, very long leaders and three or four feet of very fine tippet. This kind of fishing can be pretty rewarding if not always productive. But it is fishing, right? My friends will tell you that I'm a small fish specialist. This works out to my advantage because I'm hardly ever disappointed. Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in awhile. If you catch a bunch of six to eight inch fish and then manage to stick a couple of eleven inchers for supper even those eleven inchers feel pretty good. Anyway, the game right now is small flies...nymphs, dries and even spinners. (Or you can go bass fishing.)

2. Since moving to the new location (Did I mention that we're right across the street from the Lake Elmo Inn?), we've lost a little display space so I've been trying to consolidate some of the materials. Then it struck me; we need a sale! Hence, in July we're going to have an on-going odds and ends sale. Every day, when I have time, I'll be reviewing our inventory and marking things down. Sale items aren't junk, they're just slow moving items from our regular inventory. Just turn over the item and look for a sale sticker. A green sticker will represent 20% off the regular price and a red sticker will represent 40% off the regular price. Hmmm, I just found some leaders and vest accessories to add to the sale....hmmmm.

3. We hope to have an announcement in a few days about a project we've been working on for a year. We're really excited because we think you'll like the product and it'll raise some dough for an important conservation effort. Stay tuned.

4. One final note, wear long sleeves for the next month or so to protect yourself from stinging nettles and wild parsnip. Nettles will, as the name implies, sting but the wild parsnip can leave a nasty rash.

                                      Two Roads to Heaven

                                             Lou Lavoie

Henry’s Fork is an embarrassment to me. I think of all the times I’ve been in West Yellowstone and gone north on US 191 completely ignorant of the wonderful fishing just down US 20, and I blush. Eventually I wised up and from now on it gets a shot whenever I’m in town. The fly books will tell you all you may want to know, but here are a few things they didn’t tell me. Watch out for very young, twenty something guides. I wish I could remember the name of the fly shop in Last Chance that put this particular guy on me, but I can’t (probably a Freudian block.) However, don’t blame the Orvis shop a few hundred yards north up the highway; it was another place. This guide was so bad that even after I warned him of my limited dry fly skills he kept putting me into very challenging spots which netted nothing but a river of terrified bows and an embarrassed and frustrated nymph fisherman. Later he led me out into fast water and abandoned me as he broke from my death grip and forged on ahead out of sight. At the end of the day we had a long silent drive back to my lodge where I took him aside and gave him a lecture on the merits of attending to the needs of the client before anything else. Then I said that some day he may become a good guide if he works on it and dismissed him tipless. Hiking into Box Canyon is easy and the fishing rewarding, but be real careful in identifying where your trail leaves the stream and returns to your digs, otherwise you may wander about for a long time. On one occasion I used a huge fallen tree as my marker and was so intent on reading the water that I neglected to note that there were several “huge fallen trees” along that strip of the Fork. Sigh. Don’t put too much reliance on the little dots on the map of US 20 going through the area. Though “Island Park” is one of those dots the locals know that that name is merely for a 10 mile section of almost deserted road. Between St. Anthony and West Yellowstone the services such as food, groceries, gas, lodging, and fly shops are tenuous at best. They are there, but you’ll have to be alert to find them. The major exception is at Last Chance which strikes one less as a town than a one mile scatter of establishments along the highway. As for my fishing luck, my log shows an average length of 14 inches and only rainbows landed. I was successful only with nymphs, typically a # 14 PT.

While in the area don’t miss driving up ID 47 to see the very scenic Mesa Falls.

Let’s leave the Henry’s Fork and explore the Madison. It is amazing how quickly one leaves Grizzly country here. Almost the minute you turn west on US 287 north of town and pass along the north side of Hebgen Lake these big brown critters are no longer an issue. This is all the more surprising as Grizzlies are often sighted in the woods around West Yellowstone, and on occasion, within the city limits. (Enjoy your cotton candy on a night stroll to your motel on the edge of town.)

Beyond Hebgen Lake is Quake Lake. Enjoy the spectacle of nature’s power as you see the still plainly visible scare where a 1959, magnitude 7.5 earthquake caused the side of the mountain to slide down and block the Madison. I’ve never heard anyone say what the river must have looked like downstream for the weeks it took the Corps of Engineers to punch a spillway through the slide area and get the water flowing again, but it must have been challenging fishing. I like to fish the water just below Hebgen dam on the short stretch between the lakes where it has given me several very nice bows and browns, nymphing of course. Just below Quake Lake as the river is coming out into the Madison valley the fishing is also to my liking with lots of gradient and pocket water and interesting structure later on as it begins its more casual flow north. There is a nice little cabin camp there run by some ex-Minnesotans called the “Slide Inn.” The restaurant is nothing special, but it does have a view of the river that makes it difficult to just sit there and eat. I usually want to throw out a line from the table, but I’m forced to be civil to my companion and dine with dignity. There are plenty of places to fish the river between Quake Lake and Ennis, and the fishing books are full of all the information you will need. My experience on the Madison has generally been rather modest, and accordingly it is not one of my favorites. Such blaspheme! I did once chance upon the river shortly after the legendary Salmonfly hatch. Thinking, “Oh, what the hell” I tied on the most god-awful big orange thing and tossed it out to drift its seductive way. A dozen feet later Jaws came downstream and attacked it. I had a wonderful minute before Jaws broke off. Sigh! Maybe I’ll learn to fish drys after all; what can I catch on a #8 Trico?

I may not like West Yellowstone much, but I really like Ennis. Again there are fly shops, places to stay, and a couple of pretty good places to eat - real stick to your ribs food. I am always delighted to catch a movie in the little theater there. Tickets are priced at $2. The lobby is about six feet square and candy is sold for 40 cents!! The theater holds probably less than 100, and maybe as few as 50. It’s like the movies when I was a kid. Love it.

From here on they’ll be less detail because this part of heaven is less familiar to me. As you’ll see I’ve fished the streams mentioned but not as thoroughly as the eastern heaven.

From Ennis it is only 25 or 30 miles over to the Ruby River. Take Montana highway 287 west towards Virginia City. Note that this is Montana 287, not US 287. The view of the Madison valley coming back from Virginia City to Ennis is one of my favorites. Virginia City is worth a stop. Some call it the Williamsburg of the West, because it is full of the original buildings from the days when it was the capital of the Territory in the 1860s. Seven miles beyond Virginia City is Alder where you turn left and more or less follow the Ruby for six miles to the Ruby dam. Many fishing books complain about the lack of public access on the Ruby. Perhaps I’m not as fussy as these authors, or things have changed in recent years, but I’ve found all the access I need. On the other hand the complaints seem to focus on the lower Ruby, and I prefer to go right up to the dam where there is nice parking and work either side of the stream. I kind of like this water; my logbook shows the average bow I get out of there at 16.” I do get an occasional brown, but they are smaller averaging just 12.” A #20 Hares Ear nymph seems to do the trick although , praise the Lord, I’ve tricked a few with a #12 Royal Wolfe. I have not yet begun to exhaust the possibilities of the Ruby, and I haven’t even looked at the water above the dam. As I write this I’m driving myself into a frenzy thinking about exploring more of this stream. I can barely wait till next summer.

There is no end to heaven. Where to go next. How about a big loop to the Beaverhead, then to the Big Hole, and then shoot up to the Missouri? Why not; we’ve got the time. Or we could pop over to the Bitterroot.

After doing the Ruby continue 19 miles northwest on MT 287 to Twin Bridges then turn southwest on MT 41and pick up the Beaverhead. You can fish the 26 miles to Dillon, but I prefer the stretch between Dillon and the Clark Canyon Reservoir. Interstate 15 and its frontage roads follow the river all the way from Dillon to the reservoir. There are some very big brown trout in this water, but it is much easier floating than wading. Since I’m a wader I haven’t seen as much of this river as I’d like. There is a nice stretch from the dam to just under the I-15 bridge that is full of sharks, but the stream-side brush is a challenge. The fish I do get average 18". Point of interest: Lewis and Clark with Sacajawea first encountered her tribe at a point now on the bottom of the reservoir. There are several campgrounds on its shores that I’ve stayed at and enjoyed. There is something almost mystical camping here as the sun sets and fancying Lewis and Clark camping nearby. Even the silent car lights on the Interstate a couple of miles across the lake aren’t intrusive; indeed, on occasion I’ve imagined I was looking through a time portal where I’m in 1805 and those silent lights are two centuries hence. And it doesn’t hurt to have some burgers cooking over the charcoal and a big glass of wine in hand as well.

I’m sorry to say I’ve fished the Big Hole only in passing. My browns and bows averaged 14.” The drive to the upper end of the river is interesting because of the great valley views of absolutely deserted land as far as the eye can see. Taking MT 278 west from I-15 just south of Dillon you’ll go over two passes, Badger and Big Hole Passes. They are inconsequential. In 40 miles more or less you’ll arrive at Jackson and the river. It is another 17 miles north to Wisdom and MT 43. I’ve thrown in a line at several places along here. If you want to continue fishing the Big Hole then go north on MT 43 as it follows the river. I’ve fished this part hoping to get a Grayling but no luck. Did encounter a couple who claimed they’d got three that afternoon (this was in 1998.)

If you want to try other water, then go west on MT 43 at Wisdom; it is less than 40 miles to Sula and the Bitterroot River. Very shortly after you come over another inconsequential pass and just before Sula there is a campground on the right with cabins as well. I’ve stayed there several times, but I can’t remember its name. It’s a good place from which to fish the upper Bitterroot. They were just improving and expanding it the last time I was there. About 60 miles north is Hamilton, another good base from which the Bitterroot can be fished. Hamilton has every convenience you could wish for as well. The view of the Bitterroot mountains on the left going up MT 93 is among the most intimidating I’ve ever seen. A fun drive just north of Hamilton is up one of the few roads leading up the face of these mountains for a few miles. The view of the valley out of which one has just come is wonderful. However, the fires of 2003 along the eastern face of the Bitterroots may have ruined the scenery. My success on the Bitterroot river has been modest, but I liked the experience nevertheless.

Continuing north to Missoula brings you to another decision: go northwest with the Clark Fork, or turn southeast on I 90 where in five miles you reach the Blackfoot and 15 miles further you reach another Rock Creek, this time THE Rock Creek. My only experience with the Clark Fork was on the upper reaches near Paradise where a ten minute roadside stop yielded a 15 inch bow on a # 20 PT. I’ve never fished the Blackfoot, but maybe I will someday given its place in Maclean’s, A River Runs Through It. Rock Creek is entirely different from the Rock Creek near Red Lodge. This stream flows out of the Sapphire Mountains and has a lot of pocket water. The road that follows it for a seemingly interminable distance is interesting as well, since it rapidly becomes one vehicle wide - and I really mean one vehicle. If you should meet with someone going the other way there is a 100% possibility that one of you is going to back up a long way! And, oh yes, the surface is dirt and gravel. But the fishing and scenery are wonderful. Only a couple miles in there is a neat suspended footbridge high above the water for the benefit of hikers that reminds one of something out of an Indiana Jones adventure. Although my success here has been limited I look forward to revisiting THE Rock Creek. There are several places to stay in the area, but they are sometimes fully booked. There is also a fly shop on the road into Rock Creek perhaps less than a mile after exiting I 90.