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Fishing Tackle
Montana - fly fishing on the Bighorn river
29 April 2009
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Anybody with any interest in trout fishing has either fly fished in the American West, or has serious dreams to. We waffle on in the UK about “real fly fishing” on such famous rivers as the Test, Kennet and Itchen, but how about checking out somewhere like the world famous Bighorn river in Montana ? A somewhat mind-boggling population density of trout, all living in one of the healthiest looking rivers I have ever laid eyes on. Nick Hart is as anxious as me to start the long trek downriver with our guide and his specialist drift boat. The Bighorn begins its marvellous life right behind Nick.
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Drifting nymphs down through the channels with the use of an indicator might well bring about a spluttering of hot drinks amongst some of the fly fishing fraternity, but who really cares ? When in Rome and all that, and Nick Hart was not about to ignore the local advice from our excellent guide. In many places we could stop and anchor the boat to fish these glorious runs, glides and pools in perfect peace, while other fly fishermen drifted on by behind us. You don’t come to this stretch of the Bighorn to look for solitude, but common fishing courtesy prevails throughout.
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Still one of the best looking fish you are going to see anywhere on this earth, the brown trout set against big blue skies does it for me in a big way. Sure, plenty of fish get a whole lot bigger, but so much of our fly fishing history is wrapped up with the brown trout, and they are a truly global species. Can you think of many places where browns can not be caught ? I would kill to spend a whole load more time out in Montana, indeed I spent most of our short trip there with my jaw on the floor. What a place.
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I love the mix of old and new when it comes to fly fishing for brown trout. Fantastically well designed fly rods, reels and lines bring about better fly presentation and more efficient casting for those good enough to take full advantage (not me !!). But you have still got to catch the fish. I am all for better fishing gear, but still the fish are going to beat us more often than not. Anybody who takes for granted that magical moment when you can slip the net under a good fish should be taken away to the funny farm and put out to pasture.
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We are close to the end of our perfectly magical day on the Bighorn, but our guide Clarke gets Nick to keep fishing hard right until the last moment. The local guides can move these drift boats with a high degree of skill to keep that fly moving at a perfectly natural pace, and then it’s up to the angler to do their thing. Nick Hart is bending into another spirited US trout as Clarke manoeuvres the boat and checks for more fish activity. Neither Nick or I wanted to leave the river that day, but I guess that places like this will keep one dreaming for a long time to come.