Watching someone else complete your quest!

Friday was a scouting day for the upcoming weekend guide trips and it started out as a beautiful day. My good friend Shook stopped by the house and wanted to take the dogs out for a run. We loaded Trico and Tater into the back of the pickup and threw in a rod and a handful of midge adults in case I saw a few rising fish. I have been on a quest to get the first fish of the year on a dry fly for the past two weeks and this day was not shaping up to be the day either. The sun was bright and high with only a few wispy clouds hanging around. The midge hatch on the Lower Madison has been getting better and better each day but the weather has been to nice and finding a fish that doesn't spook has been a monumental task.

After stopping at the Beer Cave for a cheap 12 pack of Olympia we finally hit the highway and were on our way to the river. For those who might be wondering I prefer beer that was brewed in a vat the size of Rhode Island rather than a fancy micro brew beer. When we got to the river it was dead calm and the dirt road on the back side of the river was calling for the dogs and a quick jaunt alongside the truck. We traveled down the back road and once we hit the Indian Rings we kicked the dogs out of the truck to get a bit of exercise, Trico really needs some after spending a lazy winter inside. We took the lazy route and ran the dogs in front of the truck because we only wanted heavy breathing from the dogs. We arrived at what we call "Gagne's Box" and there were a dozen or so fish rising in the slow current directly next to the shoreline. The dogs took a drink from the river and I readied my rod with a Griffith's Gnat trailed with a Cripple Thor.

Once the rod was rigged I headed for the water and stripped out 30 feet of fly line. I started my cast and let a perfect cast fall just to the side of the rising fish with the fly floating right down the feeding lane. I thought the cast was perfect but after it made the drift the fish were done. The spot that they like to rise in is only about a foot of water and with the bright sun shining down I thought there was a good chance I would only get a couple of shots, and I was spot on in my thinking. I reeled up the flies and headed back for my ice cold beer. We waited and watched to see if the fish would come back up and after 10 minutes I knew that the quest was not going to be completed on a day like this. It was now time to take a few pictures and let the dogs burn off their pent up energy.

We spent the rest of the afternoon touring the gravel roads of the Gallatin Valley. The trip took us down the Madison with a quick stop at the Buffalo Jump and then on up to Logan. We took the frontage road up the Gallatin with a quick stop at Sir Scott's for a double tall Captain and Coke. After a quick fill up and another 6 pack of beer we headed along the East Gallatin and along the foothills of the Bridger's looking for "Snow Gophers" and to see if the elk were sitting on the "Running Elk Ranch". We completed the loop and headed back to the house so that I could tie up a few flies for my half day wade trip the next morning.

Saturday morning we were greeted with snow showers and socked in cloud cover that was ideal for a great day of fishing. I packed up my guide gear, filled the thermos with coffee and stocked the cooler with water and sodas. Reece and Moira were still asleep when I left the house to meet my client. I arrived at the shop and the client arrived ready for a few hours on the river. The customary introductions were made and we fitted him with a pair of boots and waders. While they were filling out his license I gave Rod the rundown on my plans for the day. I told him the weather was prime for the Lower Madison. Rod ask me if there was any chance we could fish the Gallatin instead, his in laws had moved to Bozeman last year and he wanted to get acquainted with some access points as well as get some pointers on fishing the Gallatin when he returned for visits in the future. I was happy to accomodate his request so we changed course and headed up the Gallatin Canyon for a tour mixed with a little bit of fishing. On the ride Rod told me off his fishing experiences and mentioned that he had not done much nymph fishing and the little bit he has done he did not really enjoy. I told him we could look for some dry fly fishing but that the Gallatin midges were just getting started and I had not seen a lot of fish rising on the river in the past week. I pulled off and showed him some of the productive spots along the river to fish and we finally made it up to the highway bridge that crosses over the Gallatin just north of the Big Sky turn off. There is a nice back eddy below the bridge and if there were going to be any fish rising they would be in the foam in the back eddy.

We put on our waders and headed for the spot below the bridge. I could not believe my eyes when we got to the spot, there were a dozen fish poking their heads out from below the foam. I knew that we could catch them and I was a bit disappointed because I was going to have to sit back and watch as someone else caught fish on a dry fly. The "Sipper Midge" I tied on for Rod entice a fish on the first cast and it was sure great to see a head finally take the fly from the surface. Rod set the hook and after a brief tug the fish was gone. We sat in the hole for an hour and Rod landed one nice feisty rainbow and lost another 7 fish that ate the fly. The rod guides were freezing and soon Rod's feet were feeling the cold as well. He had enjoyed the fishing a ton and wanted to see some other areas that he could fish on later visits. We headed back down the Canyon and I took him for a tour up the Squaw Creek Canyon to see the River Run's Through it Rock and show him the nice access that is away from the roar of the traffic on Hwy 191. His feet were still cold and he needed to get back to pick up his father in law and meet up with the family for a half day of skiing at Bridger Bowl.

I dropped him off back at his rental car and we talked about doing some more fishing when he returns in the summer. We had a great time and I am looking forward to fishing with him again even though I had to sit and watch him complete my quest for the one on a dry fly.