Dreamcatchers: First Fall Trip

The time had finally come to take a fall trip out west. I had made several trips in spring and summer but the fall trip had been eluding me for years. For 8 days I was planning to be in Hungry Horse, MT, right next to the famed Glacier National Park. I had visited and backpacked Glacier National Park several years before and it was incredible. On that trip I did minimal fishing, but this trip would put me right next to the South Fork of the Flathead River, perhaps one of the best remaining Westslope Cutthroat trout fisheries in the world. I was thrilled and excited to see what I could get into, however it should be mentioned, the purpose of this trip was not to fish or backpack, so I knew time would be limited. I was able to get up to the North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork of the Flathead river on my trip. I had mixed success. Some mornings the air was so cold I could barely cast without my guides freezing up. The crisp fall air made fishing quite a challenge! One afternoon I enjoyed tremendous success on the South Fork fishing beetle patterns. These were some of the finest cutthroats I have caught to date! Outside of fishing, I spent a few days hiking and exploring Glacier National Park. The beauty there is absolutely unreal! On one day-hike a friend and I bit off a little more than we could chew and ended up walking several miles on the trail in the dark. Any one who has been to Glacier NP knows one of the main guidelines is hike in groups of 3 or more and never hike at night! Well we broke both of those and came stumbling across something huge. Whether it was a Grizz, Moose, or huge elk, I will never know. but it was massive. Sounded like a tree was going to fall down on our heads. That was the scariest 2 to 4 miles I have ever hiked in my life. Bear spray pulled, shouting to make my presence known well in advance, praying for help. Lesson learned!!! Exploring Glacier NP was an absolute thrill. I was late enough in the year, that the crowds were completely gone. Just me and wilderness!! It made for a truly enjoyable and RELAXING trip to a national Park,which sometimes it hard to say with all the people! After spending time in Hungry Horse I had decided to travel down to West Yellowstone, MT to fish for big migrating brown trout on the Madison for a few days. The first day I arrived and geared up it was dumping snow. I sat on the river all day in heavy snow without even the slightest tug on my line. The next day I spent scouting new areas to fish. I wanted to drive up to the northeast corner of the park to see how the cutthroat fisheries were looking this late in the year. What I found was amazing. There was absolutely no one fishing and the fish were abundant, hungry, and willing! I decided to forego my big brown mission to travel up to the northeast corner the next day. I had it all to myself! Cutt after Cutt I pulled in on hopper patterns, grey wolfs, and almost anything I threw. By far my best day fishing in Yellowstone to date! I had some unfinished business on Soda Butte creek, since a year earlier I had lost a massive Cutt there. So after tearing up the Lamar River for awhile I visited that same place on Soda Butte creek that had conquered me before. I didn't find the same fish but I found numerous willing large trout. There is something about watching a large trout feed on the surface in about 5 inches of water that is truly unforgettable. That image has repeated in my mind several times since then and it continues to build the anticipation for my next visit! The day was a smashing success and I was glad I made the call to skip the brown trout fishing for a day in Cutthroat waters. This trip had come to an end all too soon, but I felt somewhat more confident that I would be back. It had taken 5 years between my first trip to Yellowstone and my second. And now it seems like I go every year! I hope the trend can continue! Enjoy the pics and til next til.

-Dreamcatchers