It’s winding down to the last few days of a week’s worth of fishing through central Montana. I began the first few days hiking up Bear Trap Canyon, into the wilderness area several miles up on the Madison River to fish my way out. The wind was blowing about 15 to 20 miles an hour with hoppers popping up everywhere. For the first couple of hours I had a hard time holding on to any fish, as they were furiously taking the fly. A couple of Rainbows took delight in throwing the hopper pattern right back at me. Finally after about 2 hours of them having their way with me, I managed to hang onto a small Rainbow.

At about this time, a hatch of olives began and the wind kicked it up a few notches, which was possibly an indication to put a small #16 light pink soft hackle trailer behind the hopper. I proceeded to land another 3 Rainbows on the soft hackle over the next hour. Over the next day and half, I landed 23 trout on the combination with the biggest being 18 inches! The next few days, temperatures reached into the 90’s and high 80’s, which was rarely seen all summer. I traveled from small streams to spring creeks in the area, landing fish every day.

One day in particular, the wind was hitting 30 to 40 miles per hour. Clouds of olives were blowing by and hoppers struggled to stay on land. I took off hiking a couple of miles upstream to find one of my favorite stretches on a small stream outside of Bozeman. It was one of those afternoons where deer were bustling from the brush. Bumble bees were buzzing and caterpillars creeping at every patch of wild flowers. As I reached my favorite run and pool, fish were rising everywhere! I decided to sit upon the bank and watch for a while, instead of disturbing the river habitat bliss. After about twenty minutes of sitting quietly, I could not stand it any longer. I quietly slid down the bank and carefully worked my way to the center of the stream onto the gravel bar to where the fish were rising in the tail out. I started false casting to the side so as not to spook the rising trout and on the very first cast; I hooked and landed a 14-inch Brown Trout.

For the next hour and half, I proceeded to hook 15 fish and land of 9 of them. It was an awesome display of acrobatics and sheer laughter as the trout plainly put me in my place, throwing flies at me and just flat running away with everything. This ended a perfect week of hiking and wading small streams in south central Montana.

Off to the next trip. Tight Lines.

ZZ Troutski

Popularity: 6% [?]

By Tom Ski 

This time of year I love to travel to the Slippery Ann Elk Viewing Area north of Lewistown, Montana.  It’s about an hours north of town on Hwy. 191.  I’d call it a scenic drive, passing various ranches, antelope, deer and maybe a coyote or two along the way.

Once we crossed the James Kipp Bridge, we took a right on a gravel road for 5 miles into the viewing area. Slippery Ann Elk Viewing Area is part of the Charles M. Russell National Refuge.  In recent years records show that nearly 500 elk visit the area in September.  Numbers remain high through early October, and begin to thin out as harems break up and the bulls begin to feed once again to store up reserves for the winter ahead.

Elk Herd, Photo: Tom Ski

As we approached the Elk Viewing Area, we began hearing the bugling bulls, a sound that is music to my soul.  We drove another mile down the road past several vehicles to a spot elk within 30 to 50 yards off the road.  The viewing area is about 2 miles long and backs up to the Missouri River; viewers are not allowed to leave the road.

We set up our cameras and recording equipment and sat back to watch the show.  I find it very interesting to watch the bulls challenge each other as they round up their harems of cows. While all of this excitement is going on, the spring calves are mostly minding their mothers.   Even more interesting, is that the cows actually pick the bull to mate with, most likely to choosing the biggest bull, which can weight as much as 1,000 pounds.

As mating season winds down, the elk separate in their groups with the cows, calves, and spike bulls hanging together.  The bigger bulls go off in their own direction until next mating season.

Elk Viewing Area, Photo: Tom Ski

In the spring, elk feed on the new grasses after a long winter of eating dry grass and shrubs.  In Montana calves are born between May 21^st and June 12^th.  Twins are very rare.  Calves are tan colored and spotted, so they blend in with their surroundings.  The calves give off very little scent making it difficult for predators to detect them.

As dark approached, we finished our picnic dinner and sat back to listen to the bugling blasts and blunders of the bulls, as well as cow squeals for well beyond an hour, a symphony of nature at its best.

It would have been fun to stay all night, but we politely packed up our equipment and ourselves up and drove back to the Yogo Inn, an excellent base camp for our adventures and the best Sunday Brunch I have had in awhile.

Till Next time, fun travels and tight lines.

Troutski and Road Trekin Adventures

Male Elk, Photo: Tom Ski

One Male Elk at Viewing Area, Photo: Tom Ski

Elk Grazing, Photo: Tom Ski

Elk Herd Grazing, Photo: Tom Ski

Popularity: 4% [?]

In Deer Lodge, healthcare administrators, doctors and local community leaders gathered at the future site of a new $18 million hospital.

Hospital CEO Alan Bird, representatives for Senators Baucus and Tester Congressman Rehberg, and Hospital Board Members were present at the groundbreaking for the new Deer Lodge Medical Center. A large crowd gathered to see the event, complete with a helicopter landing, and probably drawn by the promise of the BBQ.

The groundbreaking is the symbolic first  step after many years of discussion and preparation.

The new privately funded facility will cover 40 thousand square feet, allowing more local surgeries and improved technology.

Medical Center groundbreaking

See stories at mtstandard.com and Groundbreaking For New Deer Lodge Medical Center

The Medical Center should take around a year to build.

Popularity: 19% [?]

The Forest Service says it will apply insecticides in recreation sites throughout the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest over the next few weeks.

There is a mountain pine beetle epidemic, which has heavily affected many areas throughout southwest Montana and has already impacted some individual trees within popular recreation areas.

“We’ll begin with individual tree treatments in those places that we know a large majority of Forest visitors and users will be this summer – campgrounds, day-use areas and trailheads.”

- Bruce Schuelke, Reforestation Forester

The green trees must be sprayed before the beetles fly again in mid-summer, because they lay eggs in new-found trees. The pesticide used to kill the beetles is Carbaryl, which is not safe to use near water. In areas close to water, 2”x2” packets of Verbenone or MCH are instead stapled to trees, as a way to repel bark beetles.

For the next few weeks, depending on the weather, (not windy or raining) Forest Service workers and contractors will spray Carbaryl to protect individual pine trees in these ranger districts of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest:

Dillon, 406-683-3900 in Dillon
Lemhi Pass to Jackson:
Dinner Station campground and picnic area
Reservoir Lake campground and picnic area
Sacajawea campground and picnic area
Pioneer Mt. Byway:
Maverick Ski Hill day use area
Grasshopper campground
Price Creek campground

Wise River, 406-832-3178 in Wise River
Pioneer Mt. Byway:
4th of July campground
Boulder Creek campground
Lodgepole 2 campground
Grand Vista day use area
Little Joe campground
Lupine snowpark/warming cabin
Pettengill campground
Willow campground
Lower Seymore campground
Pintler picnic area

Wisdom, 406-689-3243 in Wisdom
May Creek campground
Miner campground
Twin Lakes campground
Steel Creek campground
Mussigbrod campground
Van Houghton North campground
Van Houghton South campground

Butte, 406-494-2147 in Butte
Low Eagles Nest picnic area
Highland trailhead
Beaverdam campground

Madison, 406-682-4253 in Ennis
Cliff Point campground
Wade Lake campground
Madison campground
Mill Creek campground
Potosi campground

Jefferson, 406-287-3223 in Whitehall
Pigeon Creek campground
Toll Mountain campground
White House campground/dispersed sites
Homestake picnic area
Delmoe Lake campground
Delmoe Lake picnic area

Pintler, 406-859-3211 in Philipsburg
Orofino campground
Racetrack T2
Spring Hill campground
Spring Hill administrative cabin
Echo Lake picnic area
Cable Creek campground
Red Bridge boating site
Pebble Beach fishing access
Philipsburg Bay A campground
Philipsburg Bay B campground
Philipsburg Bay C campground
Rainbow Bay picnic area
Piney Loop A campground
Piney Loop B picnic area
Badger Bay fishing access
Flint Creek campground
East Fork campground
Spillway campground
Copper Creek campground
Moose Lake fishing access
Stony campground
Stony rental cabin
These sites will be closed during spraying and reopened the following day.

Signs will be posted at locations where work is occurring with information on the chemical used, closure period, including a potential time when the location can once again be used. Exposure of the public to Carbaryl spray, verbenone packets and MCH packets should be minimal to non-existent.

Weather will affect the spraying schedule as application will not occur on windy or rainy days, nor will it be done within 75 feet of water. Picnic tables, fire pits and restroom doors will be covered with plastic during spraying.

Further information about these activities can be obtained from the Elisa Stamm at 1820 Meadowlark Lane, Butte, MT, 59701, or by calling 406-494-2147.

Popularity: 100% [?]