Montana Fly Fishing...Family Style

Charles Vick is the President & General Manager of J. Stockard Fly Fishing.

Considering that I run a fly fishing business, I don’t fish as much as you’d think. Usually that’s just fine with me. Supporting the team that makes J. Stockard Fly Fishing tick keeps me plenty busy and is a real joy. Like they say, “do what you love…”

That said, sometimes you have to get out and experience what it's all about. This July I had the supreme pleasure of spending a week fly fishing Montana and Yellowstone (with some sightseeing thrown in). I was joined by my sister, who is a member of the extended J. Stockard team. Most of our fly fishing is limited to our respective local waters, and this trip was an opportunity to see more of what North America has to offer. To say it over-delivered would be an understatement.

Our first full day in Montana was another travel day, this time by road, to the lodge we would stay at for the next few days. We were lucky to have a relaxed scheduled, which afforded us the opportunity to make a few stops along the way to soak in the beauty and history of that part of the country. Our drive had us following the legendary Madison River for a long stretch. Unsurprisingly for a holiday week, there were so many drift boats it’s amazing there was any room left for fish. We also had time for a stroll in historic Virginia City, the seat of Madison County.

The real highlight, though, was the drive up the Ruby Valley to our lodge. We chased lightning and rain along dirt roads for the last 30 minutes of our 2 hour drive from Bozeman. We made our way past endless hills of sagebrush, private and guest ranches, the Ruby River Reservoir, copses of deciduous trees in the valley that mark where the Ruby River snakes across the plain. Nestled in the mouth of the canyon where the Ruby River comes out of the valley between the Snowcrest and Gravelly ranges sits Upper Canyon Outfitters.

Upper Canyon Outfitters is a collection of small log buildings at the end of a long valley. As we turned down the driveway, we passed a corral of around 15 horses on one side and the “conference room”, a building used by the hunting and guiding team as home base, on the other. There were several cabins in a circle and the office/fly shop and main lodge. Jose, with whom we’d been communicating via email, came out of the office immediately to greet us. We got a tour, along with a review of the week’s planned activities (three days of fishing for me, 2 fishing days and a day of horseback riding for my sister). Finally, we made our way to our accommodations for the next few days, a cozy A-frame cabin.

Pretty soon it was time for “happy half hour” and dinner. Every evening, the staff and guests gather together for drinks and appetizers before a group sit-down meal. I met a guy named Izzack tending bar who, it turned out, would be our fishing guide for the week! We met other guests (including a venture capitalist from Boston and a roofing company owner from nearby Jefferson City). We also got to meet the rest of the staff including the other fishing guides, horse wranglers, buggy tour guides, and the owners Donna and Jake. We were also joined by Donna’s parents who came to the land with their parents in the early 1900s as homesteaders.

Here, the line between guest and staff blurred, making for a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere that made me feel at home immediately even though I was 2,000 miles from where I live. The small talk was what you’d expect but was comfortable nonetheless: Where are you from? What brings you here? What are you doing this week? Jake regaled those of us who’d just arrived with a truly stunning mountain lion hunting story. Lest you should think he was telling tall tales, the mountain lion was mounted above the living room along with other impressive hunting trophies. When we asked about the other trophies, he was quick to nod to a couple of the largest elk heads you’ve ever seen and brag that the nicer looking one is Donna’s: “She’s a much better hunter than I am”.

I understand “dry or die” purists. There’s something special…etc. etc. I totally agree! (More on that later.) That said, I’m perfectly capable of going out and getting skunked in my local waters. I don’t need to come all the way to Montana for that. So for our first day out on Montana’s water, we were mostly nymphing. And boy was it effective.

Our first spot was just below the Ruby River Reservoir, an artificial lake large enough to attract motorboat recreation. Below the dam holding it back is a rushing mountain river, maybe 40-60 feet across. With relatively easy wading as long as you stay out of the main current, rocky sage-covered hills rising up on both sides, and cold blue-green water flowing from the bottom of the dam, this is a stunning introduction to Montana fly fishing. When we got to the first pocket, our guide pointed to a deep channel with a couple of rocks on either side and said, “There’s probably 5 trout right there.” At the time I don’t think I really believed it, but I was about to.

The rest of the morning continued pretty much like that. Those Montana brown trout were hungry - I don’t remember how many we caught that morning but we were "on the fish" every minute of it. Before we broke for lunch, my sister and I got a double hook-up, with her catching her first rainbow trout of the day and me reeling in my biggest of the day, an 18-inch brown.

After lunch we moved to Judy Lane, a spot further down the Ruby River valley to lower, slower water. Not only would this be a taste of something different, but it would afford us an opportunity for dry fly fishing. In fact, I got my first Montana dry fly fishing experience immediately upon arrival at Judy Lane.

At this location, a small bridge passes just a few feet over a smaller section of the Ruby River. The water is already considerably smaller due to the irrigation takeoffs upstream. We stepped down the riverbank into the water on the downstream side of the bridge. Peering upstream under the bridge, we saw a fish rise under a tree just upstream of the bridge. The rise had been on the same side of the river we were on, so we went into stealth mode, waded across the river, and then slinked (slunk?) under the bridge to bring us almost, but not quite, even with our target (who continued to gently pick PMDs off the surface). As soon as I got a PMD in the right spot, the fish took it. While I thought I got a good set, the fish darted downstream, turned back up, and I promptly yanked the hook right out of its mouth. My first Montana dry fly fishing experience resulted in a draw.

For the next few hours we had as successful an afternoon nymphing as we'd had in the morning, but now I had my eyes peeled for rising trout and was a little disappointed not to see any more lifts that day. But my dry fly angling was far from over.

Here's a recipe from our blog archive for a great all-around nymph:

Upper Canyon Outfitters offers more than Montana fly fishing. There is hiking, backcountry tours, and horseback riding (including equine-based therapy). My sister, an erstwhile horseback riding enthusiast, used the second day of our time at UCO to go on a horseback backcountry tour riding up nearly 5,000' of elevation.

Meanwhile, Izzy and I got back on the fish down below the Ruby River Reservoir. The previous day we had been fishing just a few hundred yards below the dam. On the second day we moved further downstream to an area called Vigilante (this region of Montana has a long and storied history of outlaws, and outlaw justice). Here, there is still the full flow of the river coming out of the bottom of the dam - very little has been taken off for irrigation. However, the valley is widening so the river is beginning to widen and meander, slowing down the current and creating opportunity for a wide variety of angling techniques.

In order to get to our first location, we had to cross a meadow and scurry through some thick brush. I was impressed that Izzy was able to get through the brush carrying a rod and with a long-handled landing net holstered in his backpack. It was all I could do to get through with my hat still on. Izzy would also call out "Here we come!" as we worked our way through the brush. If you're going to encounter any wildlife, its vastly preferable not to surprise them.

While Izzy promised me we'd keep our eyes open for good dry fly opportunities, he got me to work nymphing. I enjoyed the variety here - it was a great learning opportunity for me. I think I could get a thousand lessons in how to read a river and still need help when I get to new water. It was also a fun opportunity to get a little more targeted with my casts. This section had a mixed bag of river terrain - narrow long pools along grassy undercuts, small deep pools at the bottom of short cascades, wide riffles, and more.

Here's a good caddis recipe from our blog archive:

Our last day fly fishing at Upper Canyon Outfitters was a different flavor. We told our guide that we'd sacrifice fish count if it meant getting to experience some mountain creek fly fishing. One of the claims to fame of this small corner of Montana is the Upper Ruby River, which comes down from between the Snowcrest and Gravelly Ranges before flowing into the Beaverhead River, and then the Jefferson River and finally the Missouri River (then its a looooong way to the Mississippi River). Up in the valley where the Ruby originates, it's barely a small mountain creek but one so beautiful and secluded that it already has an entry in our blog.

Unfortunately, the Upper Ruby River was completely blown out by the thunderstorms we brought with us on the first day. The fly fishing guiding team at Upper Canyon Outfitters was very apologetic that we wouldn't get to fish the Upper Ruby. While we couldn't get onto the Upper Ruby, we instead opted for Warm Springs Creek, which ran down a canyon to meet the Upper Ruby right before it passes the lodge.

For me, this was Montana fly fishing at its best. The beauty of this stretch was uparalleled. Over a more relaxed lunch, we got Izzy to tell us hunting stories (in the fall, he will put down his fly fishing rod and pick up a rifle as a hunting guide). At the end of the day, it was the least productive (by fish count) of our 3 days fishing, and probably the most memorable.

Finally, here's a handy PMD recipe from our friends at Fly Tyer magazine:

I will also recall evenings in the Montana fishing lodge of Upper Canyon Outfitters, surrounded by Jake's and Donna's hunting trophies, getting to know the people that make it one big happy family. It takes a special family to create such a special place, and an amazing team to actually make it all work.

Our many thanks to everyone at Upper Canyon Outfitters for making our stay incredible!