Matt Carey

There are so many moving parts in fishing. Fly fishing is no exception to this interwoven connection between man, reel, and fish. On a trip with CrossCurrents Fly Shop,Chris Stainer even commented on my happy feet when hooked up on a fish. My rocking back and forth on the boat didn’t make it any easier for him to row, no doubt. But, what would you expect? I had a blue ribbon trout on the other side of my line! This was clearly an added moving part to the entire fishing experience. Line screaming out of the reel, a trout head fighting, and me doing my best to shift weight in the drift boat. All this made for a memorable trip on the Missouri River outside of Craig, MT. 

Another graceful display to take in during the whole process of fly fishing. This beautiful river are the ongoing developing and vacating columns of tricos along the river bank. These mayflys make up a large portion of the diet for the fish in the section of the Missouri River. Their 24 hour life cycle made for an ever present food source during our late July fishing trip.

There were columns of bugs 10-15 feet high swirling and moving about. Some columns were next to one another, other columns were isolated as if they were exclusive to the most worthy tricos. These swarms of bugs were never annoying - no biting or buzzing around your head. They were part of the ecosystem a simple way that don't notice it unless an expert pointed out their significance.

Battling the Fish

The battle between you and fish is another dance to experience. Once the fish has been hooked, steering it as best you can through the water is a balance of both strength and finesse. Objects like weeds can be a challenge and weigh down the fish. This can give him “brass knuckles” as you fight him into the boat. Manipulating the fish is crucial. During a fight with an18 or 19 inch rainbow, it felt likea 10lb fish with all the weeds.

The same thrill can be had when you’ve hooked into an unwilling partner: the fish who wants nothing to do with your boat or net. The fish who turns and runs and pulls line out for what seems like a football field. These fish, you respectfully allow the opportunity to take as much line as they want. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of this rhythmic contest is when the fish takes flight. Seeing those trout leap out of the water with violent intentions and come splashing down is enough to hook anyone to the art of the fly rod. It is everything you expect and look forward to with a fishing experience like this.

The Technique

Of course, this all assumes you can get yourself on the dance floor. The level of technique required to fly fish isn’t much that a novice couldn’t figure it out. I certainly was able to with some pointers. But it requires a fine enough skill that one can’t have a “set it and forget it” kind of mindset. There is consideration of how much line to strip outthe required distance. Looking at your fly relative to the fish relative to the line and mending it to make for an attractive lure. All this even assumes that you’ve gotten the cast down. Too much power or not enough time to let the line get behind you on your cast and you look more like Indiana Jones with a whip than anything else. Rod tip out of position on the cast? Your fly isn’t going anywhere.

Chris’ dedication fly fishing stood out in two comments; one practical and one funny. An analogy regarding golfers. Say you’ve got an opportunity to golf at Augusta. Would you fly down there without having practiced and hope to do well on the course? Or would you expect to work on your short game and try to cut down on slicing your drive before the trip? The same practice goes into the technique when casting a fly rod. To the funny story - when talking about other techniques or ways to target fish - think bottom bouncing for walleye or using a downrigger for salmon, he said something to the effect of “Well if I wanted to do any of those things, I’d have to buy a spinning rod” with a grin and a chuckle. If you want to hone your fly fishing skills, see beautiful scenery and catch some awesome fish, there is no better place to do so than Craig, MT. And CrossCurrents Fly Shop in Craig, Montana can help make it happen. A word to the wise, leave dancing shoes at home when you go.

As outdoorsmen, we have a duty to continue to cultivate the resources that are our land and water. How many times have you pulled into a boat launch and seen it torn to shreds? Concrete half off the ramp, rope handrails cut and laying lifeless, no longer serving their purpose. What about the campsite with half ripped apart beer cases, food scattered around, and dog poop on walking paths? One of my personal favorites is seeing trash thrown in the firepit. It’s one thing if the stuff thrown into the firepit can burn up (I’m plenty guilty of that), it’s another when the material should’ve been disposed of properly. The old adage of “pack it in and pack it out” is simple in speech and at times aggravating in action. My college football coach had a saying, “do what you are supposed to do, when you are supposed to do it, and do it that way every time”. The lens in which that quote was said was more along the lines of eat right, study your playbook, and lift hard, but the message applies across the board. Leave it better than you found it.

This isn’t meant to be a tirade against littering (not that I’m pro-littering - there is a Seinfeld skit somewhere about this I’m sure) or some kind of political statement. Rather, just an observation from a summer that I’m sure many of you shared. Time with friends and family outside. Some of us are lucky enough to have boats to get out on the water. Others may hike up into the mountains for some serenity and isolation. Then, for a brief moment, you realize the person there before didn’t care enough to keep the place clean. It probably doesn’t consume much of your brainpower or ruin the weekend, but it’s enough to make you roll your eyes and sigh. Those are the kind of simple things we can all do to help one another continue to enjoy these shared spaces. 

Hunting Season

Another element that should be considered, particularly for those hunters among us, is the consideration of land water access. Familiarizing yourself with the public vs private land, access points, and limits on how many people can utilize certain access points are all equally important and part of our duty as conservationists. I remember during the last hunting season being continuously peppered by advertisements from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) about the importance of seeking permission for type II block management access (BMA). It certainly didn’t hurt that the advertisement featured a cameo from MeatEater star Ryan Callaghan. A quick sidebar for those who aren’t in the know - Block Management in the state of Montana is a partnership between private land owners and FWP to grant access to hunters on private land, sometimes adjacent to public land.

Type I BMA allows hunters to sign in on a card for hunting permission on private lands; you simply show up, fill out a card, and go hunt. Type II BMA often requires a reservation and is subject to availability from the land owner. Examples might be limiting the number of hunters in a day, hunting parties in a day, or what type of game is being hunted. The word partnership isn’t used by mistake. It takes action on all parties involved to maintain access to these hunting areas. The land owner to continue to be willing to allow hunters on the land, MT FWP to facilitate the opportunity for hunters, and hunters to respect the land and do their part to make sure their presence is continually welcomed. Leaving behind shell casings, wrappers from eaten protein bars, or other garbage is a quick way to find our access to otherwise great areas suddenly restricted. Maybe you don’t own 1,500 acres of land but instead a 1,500 square foot home. Would you be willing to invite back a stranger who tracked mud all along your carpets? Even worse, how about a buddy watching some football at your place who stains your couch with buffalo chicken wing fingers rather than wiping his hands. Why would we expect those land owners to welcome us back if we’re doing the equivalent?

Let’s continue to work together to make sure we can enjoy the outdoors we all know and love. It doesn’t take much to clean up that last bit of trash, keep debris and clutter out of the community that should be enjoyed by all and keep shared areas like boat launches in working condition. If not for you and I, how about for our kids who hopefully enjoy these hobbies, and sometimes obsessions, as much as us.