As an east coast angler, it’s always a treat to go west. The vast rivers running through the Rocky Mountain valleys are quite literally a fisherman’s paradise. My last trip out west was in October of 2020 to Missoula, Montana for my father’s birthday. We had our sights set on big fish, delicious beer, and a hopeful chance to see some of the elusive wildlife that Montana has to offer. While we were fortunate enough to check two of these three boxes, we never quite got into the fish that we came for. Between inclement weather and rising flows, we just couldn’t seem to connect with any quality fish. Despite poor fishing, we had an excellent time exploring Montana, and knew we would be back soon…

Fast forward 6 months and we were right back in Missoula, although this time, we brought our secret weapons….my mom and sister.  

After a smooth landing at Missoula International Airport, we promptly grabbed our vehicle and headed to the first stop on our list, The National Bison Range….

We were fortunate enough to see a plethora of different wildlife while at the range. Bison, Elk, and Mule Deer were scattered throughout the fields, a welcomed change compared to the Maryland wildlife that we were used to. Not to mention, the mountain views were incredible as well!

While the Bison Range was nothing short of incredible, we knew we had to keep moving. Next stop, our basecamp in Kalispell….

Upon our arrival, everyone was ready for a nap. While my mom, dad, and sister turned in for a much-needed rest, I grabbed my fly rod and headed to the river located behind the property.

It wasn’t long before the fishing began to heat up…

After a long day of travel, we ate dinner, told stories, and went to bed. Next stop…Glacier National Park.

After a long night, I woke to the sound of my alarm, buzzing at 5:00 am. We had plans of watching the sunrise over McDonald Lake, but that didn’t make waking up any easier. I rolled out of bed, hopped in the car, and we began our journey to the park.

While the sunrise at Glacier wasn’t quite what we thought, we managed to get some awesome overcast shots due to the cloud cover.

After a long day of sightseeing around the park, we noticed the sun begin to set, and made it home just in time to enjoy a much-needed campfire. A great end to the day, and a fantastic way to cap off our last night in Kalispell. Next stop…Missoula.

Photo Courtesy of Missoula River Lodge

After a successful stay in Kalispell, we returned to Missoula to gear up for our float trips. We stayed at Missoula River Lodge, conveniently located on the beautiful Clark Fork River. Once settled in, we headed to the river behind the property in hopes of honing our fishing skills for the following day. Next stop….the Mighty Mo!

Our guides picked us up at the lodge around 8:00 am. My parents would fish with Caleb Garrett, and me with Matt Breuer. Matt has experience guiding in Guyana, Argentina, Russia, and Alaska, so I was excited to share the boat with him. We rigged up at the boat ramp and worked a couple of riffles near the put-in. It wasn’t long before my indicator dipped under the surface….

Photo Courtesy of Matt Rossi

I promptly set the hook and, within seconds, knew I was easily hooked up with the biggest trout of my life. Matt coached me through the fight and a couple of minutes later (which seemed like hours, by the way) we got it to the net. A 26 inch wild Missouri River rainbow, it was beautiful. We took some photos and released the fish back to the depths.

Just minutes later, I heard some commotion coming from Caleb’s boat, someone was hooked up!

A beautiful 18-inch bow for my mom. Not a bad way to catch your first trout!

The first brown of the day. A 20-inch stunner caught by my dad, his new personal best.

Photo Courtesy of Matt Rossi

#anothaone

As Matt and I continued our float, we couldn’t help but notice a pod of rising fish on the far left bank. Matt rowed over to them, and we dropped anchor just upstream. A couple of reach casts later and I was hooked up with another rainbow, although this time, on a dry fly. The rainbow was small and eventually spit the hook, leaving nothing but seaweed on the end of my fly. We decided to break for lunch and then continue downstream.

As the day progressed, the fishing shut down. After many fly changes and several fishless hours later, we decided to call it a day. Everyone broke their personal best within the first hour of the float…what more could you ask for! Next stop….the Upper Bitterroot.

Our alarms chimed at 7:30 am, for our 8:00 float. This time, we’d float the Upper Bitterroot. My parents would fish with Matt and me with Dylan Curry. Dylan has spent the past 8 years guiding bull trout on the South Fork of the Flathead River in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The Bitterroot boasts some of the best dry fly fishing in Montana and it being Skwalla season only added to my excitement.

We rigged up in the parking lot and set out for the day. I would throw a dry dropper, a Chubby Chernobyl as my dry and a girdle bug, or “turd” as my dropper. Within minutes of putting in a had a spunky rainbow roll on my dry fly, a promising start to the day.

A few runs later my dry darted below the surface, fish on! My first ever Bitterroot bow.

Thanks for the photo, Dylan

My second fish of the day ate the nymph as well. A beautiful cutthroat trout.

A few minutes later, we struck gold, pulling four chunky cutthroats out of one single run!

Another Bitterroot beauty.

The fishing was hot. After several fish-filled hours, we approached the take-out. There was one more run that Dylan wanted to fish. It required a tight cast, close to the right bank. I made the cast, flipped out some line, and saw an eager cutthroat smash the dry fly. I set the hook and got the fish to the net. Not only was this our biggest fish of the day, but it was a fish caught on a dry fly. A perfect end to a perfect trip. We thanked our guides for an incredible day and returned to the lodge.

We departed early the next day. It was sad watching the mountains fade to buildings as we returned to D.C, but in a sense, it felt as if we had accomplished what we set out for.

I have a feeling we’ll be back real soon…