by Merle Ann Loman | Feb 23, 2009 | i Spring, News bulletins
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announces availability of Montana’s 2009 hunting and fishing licenses—including conservation, fishing, spring black bear and turkey, upland game bird, deer and elk hunting licenses— now at all FWP Regional offices and license providers.
Sunday, March 1 begins the new 2009 license year for Montana hunters and anglers. The new license year is especially important for early-season anglers, and for those who enjoy ice fishing.
Most 2009 licenses are available on the FWP Web page at fwp.mt.gov. Click MT FWP Online Montana Licensing Services.
You can also find a link for MT-FWP online licensing at our Wapiti Waters website – http://www.wapiti-waters.com/.
by Merle Ann Loman | Feb 19, 2009 | Flies, Friends, i Spring
Billy Burk sent photos of these flies he tied. Jack thinks he did a good job on them.
Hey Merle! Just a note to say hi, and run my pattern past Jack for this years’ trip. Attached is my attempt at copying a leftover fly from our trip 2 years ago. The hook size is 8, barbless. I think it actually looks pretty good, (considering the source).
take care!!!!….Billy
by Merle Ann Loman | Feb 16, 2009 | Big Hole, Bitterroot, i Spring, Missouri
In this post you will see what some of our rivers are like through various years in the month of May.
May is one of the most unpredictable months, but if the rivers are not too big, the fishing is fantastic and the weather is nice, not too hot, not too cold. 
Which rivers will be best this year in May? It depends on the snowpack and weather, stay tuned or give Jack at Wapiti Waters Fly Fishing Montana a call at 800-254-5311.
For more photos, see the slideshow below. Click View Album to see them in a new, larger window and choose the slideshow option.
by Merle Ann Loman | Jan 31, 2009 | Bitterroot, i Spring
I said I would blog a slideshow of photos from the month of April. Here it is. I slipped a photo from the Clark Fork River in as well. What a spectacular time to be on the river!
Click Bitterroot River in April to launch it in a larger view.
by Merle Ann Loman | Jan 12, 2009 | Bitterroot, Flies, i Spring
In the “Banana Belt” of western Montana, anglers not only have one of the longest fishing seasons in the state but also some of the finest dry-fly fishing at a time the fly fisherman needs it the most – in early spring. Flowing through the heart of the Bitterroot valley, the Bitterroot River has a hatch that has excited anglers for a couple of decades particularly after many articles have been published. Obviously, it is no longer a secret. I am talking about the
skwalla stonefly hatch. The hatch is actually one of the several important insects to emerge in a typical western Montana spring.
by Merle Ann Loman | Jan 11, 2009 | Bitterroot, i Spring
For those who are interested in spring fly fishing on the Bitterroot River in Montana, I am posting a series of slideshows for March, April and May.
This blog entry is for March since we begin our new year of boat fly fishing in this month. The earliest photo I have is on March 13. On any given day, you can have sun, snow, sleet, rain or a mixture of all of it. When you are floating, it is important to know the river and your boat – understanding the type of water and the distance between put-ins and take-outs. We always take a thermos of hot coffee (or cocoa) and/or soup along, and we dress in layers. It can be exhilarating to experience weather changes, the related hatches and trout feeding responses, so hold on to your hat! Remember in this season, if today is not great fishing, tomorrow probably will be. The message here is be patient and plan for at least a few days. It will be worth it.
Note: one of the photos of Jack is from the Clark Fork. We also fish the Blackfoot, Big Hole and Missouri, depending on the weather.
These photos are varied in quality. To view the slideshow in full screen mode, click View Album and choose “Slide Show.”
A future entry will show the river in April. Besides featuring fish, it will have more photos of scenes including wildlife and birds. The river bottom is a “happening place” in the spring.
