Holy Cold Front Batman

John Chase with the first of many on the Mo. Yesterday. It's February 2, 2019 and with temps in the low-to-mid 50's, you might as well fish...

Here's the deal. You also better be prepared for just about anything. It was 52 degrees when we got on the water at 10:30 am. We were about a mile from our take-out when the wind shifted out of the North and the temps dropped. We quit fishing, turned the boat around so that the stern of the LP Clackacraft was pointing down stream and we started pulling on the Sawyer Square Tops. (Those are the oars I row with. http://www.paddlesandoars.com/Oars/SAWYER-SQUARE-TOP-OAR/)

A half-hour later, we were at the boat ramp and my truck said it was 30 degrees. By the time we buttoned things up and headed down the road, it was 23 degrees. When we got over the pass and down the hill coming into Helena, the temp was back up to 47 degrees. Of course, that didn't last long as the front caught up to us. Today's highs for Helena, Montana are single digits with heavy snow. The next two days aren't going to get any warmer. It's a great day for a Super Bowl!

Yes, the fishing this time of the year can be pretty damn good but be prepared. Before the front moved in, we were doing really well--so good that usually we would switch up rowers ever couple fish but we scrapped that rule because we would have been switching up the order more than fishing. We never changed flies either. A UV Grey Czech and a tail water sow is all it took. Once the temps dropped, the fishing followed suit but it was definitely worth getting out with the boys. John LaRue finally got a chance to meet John Chase and a solid day on the river with some solid folks ensued.

Lesson of the day was not to be prepared for the weather though. What was that line in "A River Runs Through It?" Something about NEVER being late for fishing, or I guess hunting too? I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin...you know who I'm talking about.

Keep 'em where they live...