Matthew Dickerson, Addison Independent, May 27, 1999 (reprinted by permission)
Im supposed to write another article having to do with outdoors in Vermont. There is plenty to write about. With the exception of a few days of rain, weve been in the middle of a long stretch of ideal biking weather. Nice hiking and canoeing weather too, if you don't mind the black flies. Fishing has been pretty good too. I spent last Saturday and Sunday evenings from 7pm to 9pm on the New Haven River and Otter Creek witnessing one of the best hatches I've ever seen in Vermont. The air was thick with a mix of mayflies, midges, and even a few caddis flies. And though there weren't as many fish rising for the smorgasbord as I'd expect, I did manage to entice an 18" brown to take a hook.
However I can't seem to get my mind off of Montana. I spent three days last week fishing the Big Horn river in the southeastern part of that state. To give you an idea of what it was like, a river must boast at least 500 adult fish per mile to be designated a blue ribbon trout stream. The upper 12 miles of the Big Horn has 7000 trout per mile, mostly browns but with a sizeable population of rainbows. This makes the river the second most densely populated trout stream in the lower 48. Over the course of three afternoons fishing nymphs and streamers, I landed and released around 35 fish--and lost at least that many, several of which escaped by breaking my line. Now that number is not so impressive for three days of fishing. More impressive was the average size, which was about 18". Several measured over 20". My brothers caught fish of 21" and 22".
On our last evening there, my family witnessed an incredible fishing display from my friend Keith Kelly, a former Middlebury College student who has just retired as a professional guide and manager of the Eagle Nest Lodge in order to attend graduate school. In the course of 90 minutes, he hooked and landed 30 brown trout casting streamers along a bushy embankment while drifting downriver. Having just taken second place in Orvis' western guide flycasting competition, he was casting with both distance and incredible accuracy, often dropping streamers 60' away in a foot-wide gap between two overhanging branches.
Now in the process of casting so many flies, and catching so many big fish, we were pretty tired by the end of the week. My father and brother fell asleep almost at once on the plane flight home. By that time, we'd begun to see fish everywhere, even in our dreams. My brother had been asleep a few minutes when he laid a pretty wicked elbow into my dad's ribs. Both of them woke up. "Sorry," my brother said. "I was setting the hook." A minute later, they were asleep again. Once more, my brother hooked a monster. "Sorry," he apologized again, when the process of setting the hook on the dreamed-up fish once more landed his elbow in my dad's ribs.
"It's okay," my father said. "Just let me know next time and I'll get a net."
In my opinion, every angler should have--at least once in their lifetime--the experience of catching so many fish that they are still setting the hooks after they fall asleep. Speaking of which, if you want to try the Big Horn yourself, the river can be fished year round. It is a tailwater fishery coming out of the Yellowtail Dam, which provides water temperatures between 38 and 40 degrees year round. Summer months are the best (and most popular). In planning such a trip, my highest recommendation goes to both the Big Horn Trout Shop in Ft. Smith (www.bighorntroutshop.com) [See note 1 below] and the Eagle Nest Lodge in Hardin (www.eaglenestlodge.com) [See note 2 below]. Their hospitality was warm and their guides are the best on the river.
[1] Of all the many lodges, guide services, and outfitters in Ft. Smith, I was most impressed with the Big Horn Trout Shop. (Some of the other establishments in town seemed a bit seedy, if you know what I mean.) The rooms at the Trout Shop are clean and reasonably priced. They have a great little tackle shop with a nice selection of flies, rods, and miscellany. And good meals are aviailable at the dining room right at the lodge. Room rates are as low as $40. You can go there as a "do-it-yourselfer", renting just a driftboat for $75/day, or they can set you up with a guide which includes the boat, lunch, transportation, etc.
[2] If you are looking for a full-featured lodge--and willing to pay the price-- the Eagle Nest Lodge is one of the finest in the world. It is the only Orvis Double Endorsed (fly-fishing and wing-shooting) Lodge in the country. Nestled in a beautiful secluded spot right on the lower Big Horn River, they will feed you well, arrange for all guides, boats, and transportation, etc., and provide a warm and intimate lodge atmosphere for you to come home to at the end of the day. Their guides are the most knowledgable on the river.