Montana: The Arrival

“Do you need a bag man I asked?”, looking enviously in the direction of my traveling partner Mike.

“Yeah,” he said. Trying not to over exaggerate the bend in his rod.

Like many battles, this westslope cutthroat trout fought with the ferocity of its lineage, naive to the fact that it was anything but a survivor. It was held captive at the end of the line, not yielding to the pressure of an anxious traveler. This trout was a native fish. This trout was from Montana..

I didn’t really know what to expect making the long drive north from Colorado. Although, I did expect some good fishing if nothing else. Trout Unlimited afforded me this opportunity, and I was going to make the most out of my time. Not only on the water, but also learning about an organization that works so hard to protect the places and fish I have grown to love.

Elk Lake Lodge sits quietly in the Centennial Valley of Montana. and is home to the headwaters of the Missouri River, or to the those in the know, the “Fountain of the Missouri”. So it makes sense that Trout Unlimited chose this location to bring four passionate bloggers to educate and show the importance of coldwater conservation. This valley feeds life to one of the longest river system in the country, and supports some of the most famous trout habitat in the west. I for one, am excited to experience Trout Unlimited’s work first hand, and am interested to learn how their organization is fighting to make cold water fisheries a priority in a world where there is no middle. In a world where the politics of the extreme (right or left) have left it harder to make meaningful change. And leaving organizations like TU navigating down the middle of the road, hoping common sense prevails in this never ending cycle of yes or no.

The net slid under the nose of the native fish, as I was greeted by Mike’s right hand and a smile the size of the big skies Montana is famous for. When it was all said and done, the cutthroat went 17”, and was one of the reasons we were here. It was going to be a good three days.