Summer Update 2020

Fourteen years of guiding and I've seen bull trout caught, cutties, browns, rainbows, brookies, suckers, whitefish, walleyes, and perch while fly fishing but this is the first carp. Let me tell ya, when you hook one of these guys in the fast water and you have to row upstream to get on top of them, you're thinking a 29 inch brown. Matt was pretty surprised to bring this 12 pound carp to the net. Not the target but cool as hell anyway. 

It was also the first time I guided on the Bitterroot. Peter, from Hidden Canyon Lodge, talked me into taking the risk and rowing the Root and I'm glad I did. By risk I mean, what could really happen? Getting skunked? A complete shit-show with rec floaters and other guides? Losing your boat in a diversion dam? Well, the fishing was awesome. No rec floaters. Only one other guide boat and although I did get stuck in the diversion dam halfway through; no harm, no foul. 

Certainly one of the better browns I've seen this year. Nice work Richard. 

If you follow this blog, you know I haven't been writing much lately. Why? Well, Rona kind of got me down and I guess the social distancing has bled into social media as well. I've been laying low and filling up my time with making my back yard a kick-ass place to hang out. I'll post the progress when I can take some better photos. I do have a cool back yard.

I've also been kind of disinterested in writing about fishing. How many pics can you post and not get bored? The carp helps as well as fishing different water. Here's the danger in guiding though; it's easy to take for granted what we have out here because we see it every day. But our clients don't. They usually come from places that don't have the canyon walls or the big open skies and mountains to get lost in. They also don't have 20 inch browns and big shouldered rainbows. I have to be honest, doing half the trips this year hasn't been such a bad thing. As long as the bills get paid...

So here's what I'm going to do to keep this fresh. I have an archery tag for antelope and I'm going to concentrate on chasing goats around for a little while. Then elk hunting and birds. I have a buddy coming out for the rifle season and I'm going to be hitting it hard. I have the time and live in one of the greatest regions in the world for taking advantage of these opportunities. Come along. It should be fun.

Keep 'em where they live...