by Merle Ann Loman | Dec 18, 2008 | Bitterroot, iiii Winter/Snow
Bear Creek is on the west side of the Bitteroot Valley near Victor. This week temperatures were about zero during the day and minus 16 during the night. We have plenty of water from the previous rains and now it is turning to ice. It is beautiful, but where are all the fish to go?
Click here to read a paper titled Role of Stream Ice on Fall and Winter Movements and Habitat Use by Bull Trout and Cutthroat Trout in Montana Headwater Streams.
An excerpt from the Conclusion: Complex mixes of habitat are needed to maintain suitable fall and winter habitat for stream resident bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout populations. Beaver ponds, deep pools, and submerged cover of large woody debris (LWD), boulders, and undercut banks are important components of this mix. Bull trout appear particularly susceptible to loss of habitat complexity. In the Bitterroot River drainage, bull trout are rare in watersheds with a high degree of disturbance (Clancy 1993) and without LWD or pools (Rich 1996). Shallow, wide streams not only lack suitable winter cover, but also promote subsurface ice formation (Chisholm et al. 1987; Brown et al. 1994). In degraded areas, activities that moderate fluctuations in winter stream temperature (i.e., riparian vegetation restoration) and that create deep water habitats (i.e., beaver reintroduction) may help alleviate poor winter habitat conditions.
It is a scientific paper, a dry read, but if you are interested in trout habitat, you will find it very informative, yet there is still much to learn about ice and trout survival.
After I created this post, I remembered a photo I had taken on Sweathouse Creek in November. This is from the property that butts against Forest Service near the trailhead for Sweathouse Creek.
There is a county bridge (actually culverts topped with road gravel) across Sweathouse right here. These people just bought the chunk of land that is on both sides of the creek. They can access all of their land by the county bridge, but they wanted their own bridge. They got permission to build it. In the process, they are reaming out an area of the creek where they will are building a winding road and footings and a bridge.
You are seeing some of the woody debris and plant material that they have removed. I find it horrific that they did this. After reading the paper above, I am more disturbed about it. Just my opinion.
by Merle Ann Loman | Oct 6, 2008 | Bitterroot
Click on photo to see larger version in a new window.
As our new friend, Nate, says, “Hot Damn!” The fishing was amazing today. I met Jack on the Bitterroot about noon. IT FISHED ALL DAY!
When we got on the river, the trico spinner fall lasted about 3 hours. It seemed every cutthroat and rainbow in the river were up. You had targets to cast to, too many. Using a fly with flatter wings and 5x tippet, it was difficult to see/follow your fly. We had some challenging places to put the fly so it would float drag free. We shot for fish hanging right on the seam — you needed to put the fly right in their mouth, as Jack said, “force feed them.” They didn’t know what fly to eat, but if they took yours, you had better lift the rod carefully, keep the tip high, and let them run for a while. Wow, it was fun. Needless to say, my finesse was lacking and I learned some lessons in line management and tension while I broke some nice fish off.
Late afternoon they seemed to switch to Blue Winged Olives and we could get away with a slightly bigger upright winged fly. You still needed to cast a long distance. When you raise the rod smoothly on a take, be ready to let them run. We were still on a small, 6x tippet. It was great practice for me as I learned to bring in the bigger fish.
When I post the slide show (later today), you will see amazing fall colors and reflections along with a deer crossing the river and a grebe (duck) diving.
For now, I will post a photo trying to show the trico spinner fall and a couple of fish.
Not a bad day. Start with office work at home, meet on the river at noon, get out by 6:00. Jack attends a Fish, Wildlife, and Parks RRAFT board meeting while I do some chores with my daughters in Missoula. Get home and run through the football game we taped. Life is good.
by Merle Ann Loman | Oct 2, 2008 | Bitterroot, iii Fall
Again, one of our favorite fisherman, Doc Bolton, floated with Jack. The day really turned on in the afternoon much to the liking of Doctor John. Here is one of his fish and it shows how beautiful the day was.
Liz and John are driving back to California in a few days. We wish them a safe trip home.
This trip is an example of tailoring a trip to the client. Doc wanted an afternoon/evening float as a single. Jack picked a “sneaky” stretch of river and they avoided flotillas. The result was a flexible, relaxing day and great fishing. There are still a lot of fall days to fish. Give us a call if you want to get in on the fun. 800-254-5311
by Merle Ann Loman | Sep 30, 2008 | Bitterroot, iii Fall
It is all about photos. What else can you say on a day like this!
Jeff and Jack floated the Bitterroot on another beautiful fall day. Above is a photo of Jeff.
by Merle Ann Loman | Sep 26, 2008 | Bitterroot
I am a little behind on the posts. I will try to catch up. Here is a photo of a couple of Pike Jack took out of the Bitterroot River.
We are going fishing today, so I will post more this evening and tomorrow. Jack has been fishing with clients all week and there are some nice photos I will be posting.
by Merle Ann Loman | Sep 26, 2008 | Bitterroot, iii Fall
Jim and Naomi came over from Washington and fished a couple of days with Jack.
They are so much fun, Jack really enjoyed seeing them.
I am posting a photo of Naomi and a slideshow of all the photos including Jim with his rainbow and Jack with his pike. All of these photos were taken by Jim or Naomi Shields.
