Fly Fishing the Clark Fork River with Doc and Bo
Jack fished Doc and Bo Oldstone for a couple of days. These photos are on the Clark Fork River. They fished for trout and pike and caught both! You can probably tell that this was a bright, hot day.
Meet Jacob Shemper – Captain with Key West On The Fly
Jacob shared these photos with us and if you frequent this blog, you know I can’t resist sharing fishing photos people send in. These are great. Thanks, Jacob.
To the left is a photo of Dan and Jacob Shemper sharing a brotherly moment with a very nice Bitterroot rainbow trout in Montana.
Below is one of Jacob’s fishing clients in the LA Marsh near New Orleans.
Our connections with Jacob are fly fishing and music. Jacob attended the University of Montana, was a guide in western Montana, and currently is a fly fishing guide in Florida and Louisiana. His next event – his wedding in Montana and Jack will be playing music for it.
Jacob is a Captain with Key West On The Fly. You can see their website at http://www.keywestonfly.com.
About Jacob: If Shaun White can be nicknamed ‘the flying tomato,’ then surely Jacob may be known as ‘the fly fishing tomato,’ a quote by Captain John O’Hearn…. Click Jacob Shemper’s Guide Profile and scroll down (there are 4 captains listed) to read more about him.
Fly Fishing The Big Hole River with Dave and Gary
Dave and his friend, Gary, met Jack on the Big Hole for a few days. The water levels are dropping some but the fishing is great. Always there is the spectacular scenery.
Dancing Trout Ale helps celebrate Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited’s Success and Future on Sept. 12, 2009 in Missoula
Here is a post dedicated to our neighbors, Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited in Missoula, Montana.
A message from our friend, Jerry O’Connell:
For the past 20 years, our Big Blackfoot Chapter Trout Unlimited (BBCTU) has done more watershed restoration and preservation than any other chapter in the US. It has gained national acclaim and recognition for the hundreds of miles of restored and protected tributaries of the Big Blackfoot River. Over the years, BBCTU has set the standard for designing, managing, and executing boots-and-shovels projects at the grass roots level.
BBCTU has done all of this without a single fundraising event. However, we feel it’s time to break that tradition as we celebrate these two decades of progress. Thus, we’ll be holding our 20th Anniversary Party on Saturday, September 12, 2009, complete with bus tours of some of our projects, cocktails, a pitchfork BBQ and an auction with some very unique items (need a steer?). It’ll be at the Rolling Stone Ranch in Ovando, right in the heart of the Blackfoot Valley.
Please come! Pass the word to your friends – the more the merrier. You can call me (244-5612) or the BBCTU offices (677-6454) to make reservations. It’s a bargain at $25 each (or $50 will get you dinner and a Monte Dolack print of the Blackfoot). Email Jerry at joconnell@blackfoot.net.
Merle’s note: What a way to break tradition. If you can make this event, DO IT! It will be an amazing gathering loaded with fun and you will mingle with some of Montana’s interesting, caring and socially and environmentally involved people.
About Trout Slayer and Bayern Brewery
The original brew was called Trout Slayer Ale but in 2007 on the 20th anniversary of Bayern Brewing, the oldest brewery (and in my opinion the best) in Montana decided to give Trout Slayer Ale a new face to best reflect Bayern Brewing’s environmental company philosophy.
Their search for a more appropriate name kept them coming back to “Dancing Trout.” Whether as a fishing term or in various spiritual expressions of music and dance, Dancing Trout became a symbol of celebrating life and the lifestyle embraced by Montana.
So, they also endorsed Montana Trout Unlimited. The name change to Dancing Trout Ale was not merely a cosmetic one. They knew that it was time to brew a beer with a cause. We presented the idea of making Bayern Brewing’s Dancing Trout Ale the official beer sponsor of Montana Trout Unlimited (www.montanatu.org) and were met with the organization’s immediate support and enthusiasm. Bayern Brewing pledges a portion of all merchandise and every case of beer sold to Montana Trout Unlimited to support the preservation of Montana’s trout habitat.
Click here to learn more about Bayern Brewery and Dancing Trout Ale
To order Dancing Trout gear click here
To order Dancing Trout Ale online click here
For a signed print of the original Dancing Trout artwork contact Kate at
406-543-0054 or kate@montanatu.org
Bitter Root TU Commissioned Artwork by Monte Dolack
By the way, visit another post about Dancing Trout on the fantastic Missoula beer blog, the Grizzly Growler.
The Lower Bitterroot on a Hot August Day
The lower Bitterroot is wider, flatter, slower, and shallower then the upper or middle Bitterroot. We were actually looking for Pike on a bright August day, yet in the morning, we had trico fishing, later we had hopper fishing. We did throw to some pike, too, and though they chased the flashy wet flies, we never pulled a pike into the boat.
We did see floaters (meaning warm water), birds, and we caught rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout.I rowed for Jack quite a bit, so my camera was put away. I didn’t take as many photos as I usually do. These photos give you the drift of our trip on Friday.
