The BilletHead's most excellent adventure 2015

[DaddyO]

This is Cool!  Looks like a great trip!

[Flysmallie]

Holy bull trout those are some nice fishing spots. Great pictures.

[Mitch f]

Too bad we can't have a sign that Bull Trout all over over smallmouth streams, just a different mentality in other states.

[Lancer09]

More?

[Chief Grey Bear]

Excellent trip!

[mic]

I so want to be you when I grow up.

[BilletHead]

   More you say Lancer?

This last fish on the list would be somewhat the hardest to find/catch. We wanted to catch an artic grayling. Montana has two types of grayling which I suppose are one and the same fish. The Adfluvial and the Fluvial. We really wanted to catch the Fluvial in the last stronghold for them, the Big Hole River. The fish is in the river in places and in it's tributaries. The best places were from just upstream of  Wisdom to the Dickie Bridge. One of the books I had been reading also told of a couple little creeks in the Wisdom area also. We found the creeks but they were low and very dry. Did some more searching and found a small plot of BLM ground to camp on and stomp around. This section of the river was shallow, weedy/ mossy and slow. Once and a while you could see a ring where a fish of some type had hit something. We ate a bite of stuffed cubanelle peppers,

   Than hit the stream. Nothing, nadda a couple of hits is all. I suspected whitefish. We did this until just about dark then found a deeper hole with lots of fish hit rings. Here we proceeded to catch some rather nice whitefish.

 

Hummmm? What now? Next morning we drove down river early towards the Dickie Bridge looking around. At one access we found a couple of young men/teenagers leaving the stream. Residents of Anaconda MT. Not far off. We visited and told them of our quest. Oh my they are hard in the river they responded. One had never caught one and the other only one in their short lives. They recommended we go to a lake high in the Pintlar Anaconda wilderness. Said it will be easy pickings, sure I thought   We left them and on the way back towards Wisdom seen one corner in the river where there was a dozen fishermen. Looked like Bennett Springs! Back at Wisdom we stopped at a forest service office. Visited with a lady and then a worker "Bob" that looked like he had just got off of a trail ride. No cowboy hat but did sport an old Simms hat that needed it's oil changed. He said there is a deep corner in the river where you might stand a chance if you beat others there. Seen it we told him. Other than that you might try Mussigbrod lake. Same lake the boys had mentioned. The Mussigbrod creek outflows this lake and it is one tributary that feeds the Big Hole. We made a plan to try here but first seen another little creek we wanted to try on the way. This creek was La Marche creek. A tiny stream. We found a place, rigged the rods and dropped in.

We found some Brookies and little rainbows in the deeper pockets,

  A fun distraction  but grayling were on our mind so twenty miles later on a slow bumpy ride on County, BLM and forest service roads in the rain we made it to the lake. Set up the camper and while it was raining made heavous rancheros (sp) Beans and eggs. This dish really hit the spot in the cold rain. Beans, three over easy eggs covered in home made green pork chili and then topped with shredded smoked cheddar cheese!

Sadie keeping watch,

  Soon the rain stopped and we went for a walk along the lake. Big and daunting.

So how does this work? We see a fish ring. I told Mrs. BilletHead to cast to it and she did. Fish on I screamed and she brought it  in. When I seen it I was bummed. A Brookie? What the heck we were told all that was in here was grayling. Crapola we then started seeking a deeper drop off. As the water started calming we seen more rings and we started casting. Then it happened Grayling for me and later one for the Mrs. Hitting little dries. The fish would come clear out of the water like a dolphin I thing either hitting the fly on the way out of the water or on the way back in? It did not matter how it happened just that it happened. A couple of views of the lake fish,

  Hard to get them to extend their fin for a good look. Then we hit the creek below the lake and caught there too again a tributary tot he big hole so technically we caught an Adfluvial and an fluvial fish by default. Hard to hook with their tiny mouths. Many fish missed. Whatever works I thought. So when done there was a campfire and a blue moon to be had,

  Sadie seen something we did not?

   The quest for native fish had been done and everything else would be gravy and here was gravy to be had. More later,

BilletHead  

 

[Terrierman]

One of the best threads ever.  A MOST excellent adventure indeed.  Keep em coming.

[Smallie Seeker]

Great thread! Awesome pics!

[BilletHead]

     With our wish list done we decided to book it back to Livingston MT. Would like to fish the Yellowstone. We have done it in the past some but wanted to do it again. We called ahead to the KOA again and made a deal for three nights. Well this is what we saw when we go to the river,

Our hopes went muddy just like the river had. So much rain up the drainage. A mud plug or as some call it a slug of mud. After checking in we hit some of the local fly shops to look for bargains. While at one the fellow behind the counter asked many questions of where we had been and caught. We told him and he took notes, that was a change being asked questions instead of the other way around. The fellow was amazed we caught bulls on dries, He had never done that. Asked what was next for us and I told him a few days messing around and then to Cody to fish with our friend Tim Wade. Man he said that guy is a legend. Ha we thought I will be getting many miles from that remark when we get to Cody   This shop was the Sweetwater fly shop. The guy has his own line of glass rods and when he found out where we were from he asked if we knew Chris Barclay. No but we know of him. He had a lot to say about Chris including that he had ordered one of Chris's rods an thought it was the best. Hit a shop in Emigrant and the lady asked some of the same questions. Told her what we had done. Then she asked what guides we had used in our catching? No guides and she did not believe us? We don't need no guide just research and exploring. Anyone can do what we do and I mean that. I will help anyone on here do the same just ask. Then to Gardner to poke around some then back to the KOA to eat.

I want you to check out the fancy wine glasses there. Seared Mallard breast on the charcoal grill. Tasty my friends, tasty. Also want all to know Mrs. BilletHead likes the cheap stuff. A good thing! Up early to hit Big creek a trib to the Yellowstone opposite side of the valley to Mill Creek first place we fished. I will make it known this day was our 38th wedding anniveresy day. YES 38 years with the same woman. I got a keeper the first go around. I am one lucky guy. I have fished this creek a couple of times before and it is the Mrs. first time. So we get geared up,

  We then slipped into the creek to fish,

    Mrs. BilletHead working up the creek among boulders and deep pockets. We were smart to use our wading staffs,

All we caught this trip was rainbows, fat little fish,

Lots of raspberries to be picked for a taste treat,

 Back to the KOA to see if we could get out of the third night because of the muddy Yellowstone. Tomorrow was another day and more places,

BilletHead