An hour before dark- Montana

[David Unnerstall]

On ‎4‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 10:15 PM, Kayser said:

Made a couple hour drive West from Billings to look at some gear at a price I couldn't pass up, which put me in a town I've passed through, but never explored- or even stopped in, for that matter- Livingston.

The river and town are fairly well known, and I had done a quick bit of reading before I hopped in the car. Some reports claimed the river was murky and high, but with the main goal of the trip complete, I couldn't resist heading to an access point to check for myself.

The air was cold, the sun was sinking, but the river here was braided through a gravel bar- calm enough to wade, and clear enough to tempt me into postponing (and eventually skipping) dinner.

The first hole was running faster than I had initially thought, with the current barreling down the center. But the edges were calm enough where it dumped in to drift a heavy stonefly, and get it deep. After about half a dozen drifts and going deeper to tick rocks, the yarn indicator shot under!

It's been a long winter, and the fish felt good- holding strong in the current, hard runs, and not showing itself. After a fight that I wish could've lasted a while longer, I landed a nice, fat ... whitefish. And I couldn't be happier. A quick picture, and back he goes.

Several more casts and misses didn't produce a hookup (probably small whitefish), but the other side of the hole looked too good to not fish. I moved upstream and crossed. The second cast into the seam produced another take, but it wasn't the rocket into the current like a whitey, and it was right at my feet.

The hookset was awkward, with the rod too high and far too much line out. But the hook stayed, and after some flailing an backpedaling across the shifting river rocks, a decent rainbow came to hand. Another picture, and off it swam.

After a couple more whitefish and a rainbow, I moved downstream to another hole, seeing if I could pick up one more- a small rainbow took the stonefly, and that was it. Around that time, the gentleman I had bought the gear from appeared in the bank above me, out for an evening walk. We chatted for a bit, and he headed home for dinner.

The fish were all near the head of the holes, with the whitefish in the main current, and the trout in the calmer water on the side. Brought 3 spunky whitefish to hand, and 3 somewhat lazy rainbows, while the mountains passed in and out of the clouds. Not bad for an hour before dark.

 

Congratulations, Kayser, that is so cool.