Montana Fishing

While I was in Three Forks, Montana over the past weekend (Aug 8 -10). On Saturday I headed to the Lewis & Clark Cave just a few miles away. Amazing geology. Then on Sunday I fished the Madison and Gallatin Rivers. After obtaining my two-day fishing license from a Three Forks motel, I drove gravel roads to a fishing point on the Madison. Thinking a beautiful small rift would be over-fished, I started casting just above the slight rapids. One other flyfisher was casting upstream, hemming me in from progressing too fast. After a half hour of no luck, three guys dropped into the rapids. First cast, the loud obnoxious one hooked one on the first cast. Looked like eight inches, though he didn't get the fish all the way in. Then in the next two minutes, the same guy got two more. While no one else was catching, I knew it was time for me to get out of the place and head to the Gallitan. As I was pulling my VW Jetta out of the parking lot, college kids were pulling in for rafting. Then I headed to the Gallitan, the edge of the national forest and wilderness. The river was faster than I expected for a storied trout stream, but I decided to drop in anyways. Both the Gallitan and the Madison are beautiful rivers. It is a real treat to see the difference in how the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallitan are so different just a few miles apart.