by Merle Ann Loman | Sep 15, 2008 | Bitterroot, iii Fall
Today Jack is on the Blackfoot. Fishing can become a chore when you do it every day, all day, but the Blackfoot with its faster flows, boulders, and intricate runs still gets Jack excited. More on the Blackfoot in a day or two after his trips with clients.
About this blog, the lower Bitterroot. In contrast with the Blackfoot, it is a big wide section of river, but slower and in many places much shallower. That makes for flat water, more rowing and during a full moon, very picky trout!
Jack had yesterday off and in a generous gesture, he took me on a float fairly close to home. One of the reasons he wanted to do this stretch was to research the northern pike that thrive there. 
Pike are a predatory fish and a highly prized game fish. They are not native to the Bitterroot and prey on all other species of invertebrates. That being said, they can get very big and very fun to catch and we are interested in catching them. Let me tell you, we found them, but didn’t do so well in the catching of them. We have much to learn in that area, but are willing. When we catch them, we will not be putting them back. Click this northern pike hotlink to see why.
I took quite a few photos in between catching a few finicky trout. Hold your cursor over the arrow and click to speed it up. See the slide show or “view album” to see all the photos. To see the rising trout and details on other photos, it is best to view the slide show in full screen in a speed that will load the photos, but move along fairly quickly – a speed of at somewhere around 4 seconds per photo.
If the links don’t open when you click them, right click and choose “open in new window.”
by Merle Ann Loman | Sep 13, 2008 | Big Hole, iii Fall
The Big Hole is a wonderful river. It is quite a bit higher in elevation than the other rivers we fish with much of the Big Hole valley floor above 6000 feet. Today Jack is using his raft because the water levels are also lower than the Bitterroot, Clark Fork and Blackfoot. A raft doesn’t make much noise when it hits the rocks, etc.
Bob and Peggy are heading back to Ohio next week and we are having this years last fishing fling on this amazing river.
View Bob and Peggy’s Album on my Picasa website
Click the link to see a closer view of Bob’s Trout.
by Merle Ann Loman | Sep 11, 2008 | Clark Fork
Missoula, Montana – article from eCurrents of the Clark Fork Coalition
Beyond the breach: A guide to Milltown down
The Milltown dam is officially history this fall as the last of the spillway is removed. But how has the river fared during this massive construction project? At the Clark Fork Coalition, we’re dedicated to bringing you the facts about what’s going on at the former Milltown Dam site as well as downstream throughout the Clark Fork basin. We’ve started a new online resource page for the public to use, summarizing data from the breach and beyond on fisheries, water quality, groundwater levels, and sediment in the river. The pages are under construction, and we’ll update as new information becomes available.
For a full presentation of the impacts and benefits of the breach, plan to attend the upcoming public meeting on the Milltown cleanup on Tuesday, Oct. 14, in Bonner. EPA, state, and local officials will be on the bluff south of the Clark Fork overlooking the project starting at 4:00 PM to answer questions and point out the work to-date. At 6:30 PM, the meeting will reconvene in the Bonner Elementary School gymnasium.
by Merle Ann Loman | Sep 10, 2008 | ii Summer, Other, Take Your Kids Fishing
Jessa is using the X2S, Scott saltwater rod in a 9 weight.
We were fishing for trout, pike and small mouth bass. The photo was taken south of Buffalo Bridge (south of Polson, Montana). The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes manage this wonderful fishery.
To see more Scott Rods visit their site at http://www.scottflyrod.com/
by Merle Ann Loman | Sep 9, 2008 | Bitterroot, iii Fall
Yesterday was a beautiful day on the Bitterroot. We had too much fun to be taking many photos but I did snap two. Here they are.
by Merle Ann Loman | Sep 8, 2008 | Bitterroot, Blackfoot, Clark Fork, iii Fall, Take Your Kids Fishing
September is an amazing time to fish western Montana. The weather is cooler, the fish are feeding and variety is the spice of life. Boyce Tollison and his sons, Mike and Tim fished with Wapiti Waters for three days in September. Jack Mauer and Dave Heimes guided them on three rivers. I want to post a few photos, one of Boyce’s trout from the Bitterroot River and then Mike and his trout from the Clark Fork. Next, see a slide show with photos of Boyce, Tim and Mike. Thanks for coming guys, Jack and Dave had a great time with you!
I am posting a slide show of all the photos. Click on the slideshow or “View Album” link below to see them or download them.
Pike are a predatory fish and a highly prized game fish. They are not native to the Bitterroot and prey on all other species of invertebrates. That being said, they can get very big and very fun to catch and we are interested in catching them. Let me tell you, we found them, but didn’t do so well in the catching of them. We have much to learn in that area, but are willing. When we catch them, we will not be putting them back. Click this northern pike hotlink to see why.
