FinBonZ
Life Member
Went out to western Montana for a week of trout fishing and camping. Both times we have went out, we pass up fishing the more crowded blue ribbon streams (Madison/ Gallatin) and head for smaller streams (lots of trout/ no people). The first day we fished one stream for about 4 hours and kept 29 trout between 3 of us. All were brooke trout and we tried to only keep them if they were around 12" or longer. Sort of a shame to have them laying on a truck bed all discolored and dirty for the photo. It's about like duck hunting for me in that I want to almost take a picture of every duck because they look so cool. Even when we were catching 20+ trout I rarely took the time to take a quick picture but they were all extremely colorful. I didn't get any pics, but my buddy caught 2 greylings in what I think is the only stream that still has a native population in Montana.
That afternoon we headed to a mountain lake where we fished a little in the evening after we ate like kings for supper. Got a chance sighting of a wild moose too. The moose numbers have really taken a hit in that area over the last few years from the wolf population. The week we were out there the state had just announced that the amount of wolf tags had just been increased from last year's quota (of which very few tags had been filled).
Fresh fried trout, beans out of the can, and a bunch of cold beer!! Like kings I say! Well maybe not, but it was awfully good!
After coming down out of the mountains, we did a quick soak in a natural hot springs (106 degrees), visited the Big Hole Battlefield, toured around to see some wildlife (mule deer, sandhill crane, antelope, whitetail, elk, magpies, yellow headed blackbirds), and also did a walk through at a ghost town (Bannack). This was the original capital of the territory forming in the 1860's and only having a few years of growth. A lot of wild stories of hangings, street shootings, and close calls with indians. Below is a picture of the first school house in the territory. Was built and paid for by the Mason's who made a separate entrance for the upstairs where they held meetings. The town was closed off years ago by the state to leave it as an intact example of a gold driven town that went bust.
A quick picture of a fresh catch.
That afternoon we headed to a mountain lake where we fished a little in the evening after we ate like kings for supper. Got a chance sighting of a wild moose too. The moose numbers have really taken a hit in that area over the last few years from the wolf population. The week we were out there the state had just announced that the amount of wolf tags had just been increased from last year's quota (of which very few tags had been filled).
Fresh fried trout, beans out of the can, and a bunch of cold beer!! Like kings I say! Well maybe not, but it was awfully good!
After coming down out of the mountains, we did a quick soak in a natural hot springs (106 degrees), visited the Big Hole Battlefield, toured around to see some wildlife (mule deer, sandhill crane, antelope, whitetail, elk, magpies, yellow headed blackbirds), and also did a walk through at a ghost town (Bannack). This was the original capital of the territory forming in the 1860's and only having a few years of growth. A lot of wild stories of hangings, street shootings, and close calls with indians. Below is a picture of the first school house in the territory. Was built and paid for by the Mason's who made a separate entrance for the upstairs where they held meetings. The town was closed off years ago by the state to leave it as an intact example of a gold driven town that went bust.
A quick picture of a fresh catch.
