I love catching and releasing wild trout.  I've been an avid fly fisher for almost 40 years.  During that time I've come to know the sublime pleasures of stalking wild rainbows on a backcountry stream, or thrilling to the rise of a big cutthroat on Slough Creek in Yellowstone.  The friendships made through the years will last forever, and the trout always keep calling me home. When you fly fish Montana, you'll share the magic of this "Last Best Place" and hopefully a few great trout. bj
About The Author

Truths Discovered in Youth are Usually Ignored... 
to be Embraced Later in Life

After growing up in the heartland (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and  North Dakota), my family moved to Montana in 1962, just after I graduated from junior high. My father was a manager for the International Harvester Company at the time, and I remember wondering if that's how Lewis & Clark felt when we piled into the family sedan to have our first look at our new home. Billings has sandstone cliffs surrounding 3/4 of the city called Rimrocks. That was the first thing that caught your eye.  It's a community devoid of heavy industry, except, of course, for the two oil refining facilities in the area You can stand on the Rimrocks and see for days. Look to the southwest and there they are, the Beartooth's, and the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone Park (not in view, but always on my mind). 

In the spring of 2002 my wife & I finally made the move into our new home on the Stillwater River near Nye, Montana.  I can't begin to tell you what it's like to have realized a dream that we've shared for a long, long time.  Even though our home-based business keeps us plenty busy, there's still time to walk the river frequently for another chance at some nice Rainbows and Browns, and to enjoy the abundant wildlife in the area.

To the west, fabled trout streams stack up like cord wood. Journey to the west on I-90 to the spectacular Boulder, south of Big Timber, then on to Livingston and the mother of all fly fishing rivers, the Yellowstone, winding it's way out of Yellowstone Park and through the spectacular Paradise Valley. 


Twenty five miles west of Livingston, and over the "Bozeman Hill", then south a short distance on 191, will put you on the Gallatin. Ennis and the famed Madison are now within reach. Continue your western tack from Bozeman toward Butte on I-90, and discover the Ruby, Jefferson, Beaverhead, and Big Hole, to the west and south.

My first Montana fishing experience is lost in my memory, but I do recall exciting days spent on the Stillwater and the Boulder with my trusty Garcia spinning rod & reel, and a box of Thomas Cyclones, Mepps, and Rapallas. In the 60's it was unusual not to limit-out within an hour or so.
 
Fish were so plentiful...big Rainbows and scrappy Browns. The limit was "seven and seven" (seven fish at least seven inches long). I think back then you could keep two Rainbows, but they had to be under 14 inches. The problem was that you couldn't catch one that small. I distinctly remember being awestruck by the magnificence of the upper Boulder River region. I spent special weeks exploring "upside down trail", a twenty mile back-breaker that leads to Horseshoe and Rainbow lakes. The trail to the east fork of the Boulder rises from it's origin just above the Lutheran Bible Camp to skirt Baboon Mountain and descend to the stream. It was here that I paused to observe a family of woodchucks playing on large rocks in the warmth of a sunny mountain meadow. There was movement further up the craggy, steep cut. A large dark brown and black Grizzly male was working his way down the opening toward me, pulling up stones to uncover roots and insects. Fortunately, he hadn't picked up my scent. I could have been terrified, and should have been concerned, especially since I was alone, and three miles back from the trailhead with only my fly rod and a 4" knife for protection. Strange that all I could do was watch the bear. Several extraordinary minutes passed. I was overwhelmed by the grandeur of the scene, and the fact that I felt at one with the environment, and the bear. Then, a chilling realization shattered my pleasant introspection, specifically that I could become a Grizzly's lunch. Continuing the hike was uneasy at best, but the east fork was piled high with 8-12" Rainbows and the weather was good. What a great day!

Late that afternoon, crossing the same meadow where I had seen the bear was a much more cautious undertaking. The experience left me somehow knowing that I was finally home, and that I belonged here. For me, there is a divine presence in the wilderness. It is compelling, peaceful, beautiful, simple, and complex, all at the same time. It is the wilderness that teaches us who we really are and constantly calls us home.

Thanks for visiting the site.  Montana Fly Fisherman has received many messages from active fly fishers around the world.  I hope you have some fun here, and I would appreciate any feedback you might want to contribute. 

Click the E-Mail link to contact me and please, stay in touch! 

Good Fishing,

Bruce Jensen
 bj@montanaflyfisherman.com