Four club members; Ron Zambor, Tom Duym, Van Mauney, Al Roy along with two friends, traveled to the Missoula area for some early season trout fishing. The lodge is a converted yoga studio that served very well as an upscale fishing lodge.

In mid-June the rivers were high from the seasonal snow melt, but the trout were hungry after having survived the winter with fewer food options. We quickly found the Clark Fork provided the best fishing option over the Blackfoot and Bitterroot Rivers and concentrated our efforts there. 

Mornings started with nymph fishing until the hatches of mayflies and stoneflies began. The cutthroat and rainbow trout took a variety of nymphs and worms throughout the day. In the afternoon, some hatches developed and provided some excellent dry fly action. Included in the hatches were some monster size Salmon Flies and Drakes that drew the attention of the fishermen and even a few fish.

The Clark Fork provided good numbers of trout each day to each angler. Approximately 2/3 of the catch was West slope cutthroat with most of the remaining being rainbows. A few brown trout and, of course, the ever-present whitefish to keep us in practice for the trout bite.

Lodge meals were prepared by Kyle Baumgartner who provided a fine dining experience with a wild game influence. Wild turkey and elk were featured items at dinner on two of the days.

Guides Anthony (lodge owner), Connor, Chandler, Sam and others did a fine job of handling the boats and developing fine methods of enticing bites either subsurface or on top. 

The cost of the trip was a discounted $2400 for 4 nights and 3 days of drift boat fishing.

Tight loops and tight lines,

Al