Submitted by Jim Craig

Our seven-day Montana adventure began on July 11 in Dillon, Montana, our staging point to some of the best trout fishing water in the West.  Rick Doerr, Jim Craig, Glenn Haake, Sterling Short and Charlie Trankler had been planning this trip for a year.  During the week, we fished the Beaverhead, the Big Hole, and the Red Rock Rivers, although the Beaverhead quickly became the star of the trip.  With its incredible population of large rainbow and brown trout, it’s easy to understand why anglers return year after year.

The Beaverhead has a character all its own.  The predominant technique—used by nearly every guide and most visiting anglers—is a double-nymph, drop-shot rig suspended beneath a large strike indicator.  While this setup unquestionably catches fish, it also creates a bit of a frustrating challenge.  Because the drop-shot weights are constantly ticking along the river bottom, the indicator is continually bouncing, skipping, and dragging across the surface, making it difficult to distinguish a trout’s subtle take from bottom contact.  That motivated us to break from the pack to try other presentations with better strike detection, and our efforts paid off.  At the right time and the right place, streamers, euro-nymphing, and traditional nymphing worked very well to fool and hook those big fish.

Like every FATC adventure, the week was filled with learning, laughter, memorable fish, great meals, and plenty of stories that will only get better with time.  One of the best stories is the super FATC-friendly restaurant we found in Dillon.  It was almost like they were expecting us.  Check out the first picture below.  Here are the highlights from each guy’s perspective.

Rick

• Catching more large trout in a single trip than ever before.
• Breaking one rod while landing a 20-plus-inch brown trout—and then breaking a second rod at the end of the final day.
• Successfully using two nets to land one fish, while simultaneously preventing the guide from falling out of the drift boat and still avoiding being washed down the rapids! 

Jim

• Once again proving that close observation of your environment can boost your success.  After discovering caddis larvae on our wading boots, switching to caddis larva pattern flies resulted in fish after fish.
• Enjoying Glenn’s outstanding breakfasts and dinners that fueled us for long days on the water.
• Learning that landing large trout on a 3-weight euro rod is not only possible in heavy current—it’s an absolute blast.

Glenn

• Experiencing the unique challenge of fishing the Beaverhead, where battling big rainbows and browns never gets old.
• Breaking a rod while attempting to land a fish on my own.
• Sharing another unforgettable week with close friends who are always eager to explore new waters—even if a day doesn’t produce fish (which, thankfully, never happened on this trip).
• Continuing to build lasting friendships with our Beaverhead guides and the outstanding team at Frontier Anglers. Guides Joseph, Daniel, Shaun, and Will have become much more than guides—they’ve become friends.  Their knowledge, hospitality, and enthusiasm make each trip unforgettable and keep us looking forward to our annual Beaverhead pilgrimage.

Sterling

• Spending another week with his FATC brothers.
• My guided drift boat trip with Shaun, owner of Frontier Anglers, from Buffalo Bend to Henneberry.
• Continuing to develop new ways to fish the Beaverhead.
• Successfully fishing the upper Beaverhead on our own without a guide.
• Fishing the scenic Red Rock River.

Charlie

• Developing new and effective ways to fish the Beaverhead—and, of course, catching plenty of large trout.
• Fishing the beautiful spring creek on the Red Rock River.
• The spectacular scenery, especially the drive to the Big Hole and the unforgettable sunrises over the Beaverhead.
• Staying in Dillon with its great dinner options and relaxing together in the basement each evening, watching vintage Ron White on YouTube and enjoying the fellowship.

Final Thoughts

Some fishing trips are remembered for the number of fish caught. Others are remembered for the scenery or the rivers. This trip had all of those things, but what made it truly special was the combination of great fishing, constant learning, wonderful food, plenty of laughter, and the fellowship of good friends.

The Beaverhead once again proved why it has become an annual destination for our group.  We returned home with countless memories, a few sore arms, three broken fly rods, and one unanimous conclusion:

What do you call a trip when you break three rods? ——— AWESOME!