This February in SW Montana we've had a few little runs of warmer weather (high 40's) which tends to get fly fisherfolk in the area a bit fired up to get on the water. Cabin fever starts to get nasty in February, especially when the snow isn't very good. When the forcast for Hardin, MT called for a weekend of partly cloudy skies and highs near 50, I decided to try to gather a group of fly fisherman to head over to the fabled Big Horn River in South Eastern Montana. Getting the crew together proved to be a fairly easy chore, as some friends of mine were just ready to get out of town for the weekend for any reason, some eager to try out their new rods, and some who had never been to the Big Horn (myself included) who were anxious to check it out. I was able to assemble a fun crew of flyfishing friends from Bozeman including: my roomate Trevor who spends his summers guiding on the Missouri; a new yet fast-learning fly fisherman Jeremy; Jason, a fishing buddy of mine spanning several seasons; Brian, an experienced angler who's spent a good deal of time on beautiful rivers of Oregon; Stan a Rapala slinging local historian; and Eric, a former guide and experienced Big Horn angler. We had all the ingredients for a great weekend trip to the Big Horn...a solid group of guys, two drift boats, a Watermaster, 6 hilarious dogs, some frozen food, and lots of beer.
Trevor and I took off around 3:30 on Friday, and after digging a path through the snow in front of my friend's barn where my boat was being stored, we were finally able to hook it up and get on our way. It was a precarious situation there for awhile, and I think we were both a bit afraid that we'd spend all of Friday night digging my trailer out of a snow bank. The road up in Jackson Creek where we picked up my boat was nothing short of an ice rink. We eventually made it to the highway, and 4 1/2 hours later we were finally in
Ft. Smith, Montana.
Eric was able to find us a great cabin in town to stay for the weekend, so we settled in for the night by setting up our vices, spinning some bugs and having a few beers.
Saturday morning came quickly, but the weather was decent and we we all psyched to see if we could fool some healthy tailwater browns and rainbows into eating our creations. Trout are generally pretty eager to eat in the winter if the weather co-operates and you can put the bug in front of them. This proved to be the case on Saturday, as orange scuds and San Juan worms did the trick on nymph rigs. Our token Big Horn veteran Eric showed us how it's done, with little surprise. This dude always catches fish. He landed over 20 fish that day, while the rest of did our best to get to know the river a bit and figure out our presentation. It was a pretty productive day overall, as most of us we were able to catch some nice browns on streamers toward the end of the float.
The crew was pretty tired Saturday night, so we retired early in the midst of a nasty windstorm, wondering if conditions would permit another go in the morning. When we woke up around 8, it seemed that there was no way in the world we'd be able to float, as gusts of 40 mph winds ripped through the trees in the front yard of the cabin. Trevor and I decided it was too windy, so we loaded up to head home. After making about 2 miles, we stopped the truck to gauge the wind because it was sunny and 55 at the time and we thought it would be a waste to drive all the way down there then skip out on a potentially good day of fishing. We decided to go for it, drove back to the cabin, assembled the troops and headed to the river.
Sunday ended up being a better day all-around. Jeremy caught his first fish ever on a fly that he
tied, which is something that any fly fisherman will tell you is pretty cool moment. Trevor and I were able to get into one of the many deep and fruitful runs before any of the other 20 or so boats on the river that day, and we were able to pull 7 or 8 nice trout out of it. Trevor was taken to his backing a few times out of that hole which was exciting, as these trout would quickly cruise into the fast water below the hole, causing us to give chase downstream. That hole got the day off to a good start, and we were immediatly glad we didn't high tail it back to Bozeman. It was windy, but not too bad, and warm enough to stay comfortable.
We spent the rest of the day taking turns fishing a streamer, and the browns were all over it. They were pretty aggressive, and often did some acrobatics and tail dances once hooked. Having a little better feel for the water and our presentation, we had a much better day than on Saturday and enjoyed every minute of it. It just goes to show that if you want to do something outside in Montana, and you're unsure of the weather, the best bet is to just go do it. There will certainly be those times where you wish you hadn't, like when you're ducking away from hail under some trees while your boat's being blown down river, but in general good things happen if you just try.
Thanks to our various skill levels and experience, I think we were all able to learn something new over the weekend, whether it be a casting technique, fly tying trick, or story about the area's history. The Big Horn lived up to its billing as an excellent fishery, and our crew had a blast. Thanks to our friends at
The Big Horn Angler for the accomodations and advice, we'll be back before long!
Frog Holler is a bluegrass/country/rock type of band if you’re into categorizing, but they’re much more. If you love your hometown, if you’ve worked hard at a blue-collar job, if you really understand what “getting by” means… Frog Holler will speak to you. Darren Schlappich is a lead singer who can tell a real-person story with the best of them. The band is killer too. If you’re in to fishing, the song 
