You ever have a day of fishing that starts out like that? Weather looked bad, not quit motivated to get on the road and I know I don’t need to drive two hours over the Continental Divide to catch fish this time of year, but screw it I’m going. This time of year I’m generally content swinging flies on the MO before the inevitable crowds of summer descend and it becomes a madhouse. It’s also the time of year I get, well bored. Living so close to one of, if not the single, best trout streams in the West is a blessing and a curse. The Missouri will spoil you, especially when you live 5 minutes from its banks. So yesterday I loaded up the 4 wt, some foam flies, loads of big freestones nymphs and jumped over the pass to kick it for a day with Wolf Creek Angler guide Brock Long on one of my personal favorite semi-local freestones, Rock Creek. I mean screw it, worse comes to worst, I know the beer in Philipsburg will at least be worth the drive.
By the time I rolled into P-Burg the rain had mostly let up and the wind had died off. The valley we’d be fishing was still shrouded in very gray, very ominous clouds, but I’m here, semi-prepared, so screw it, we’re going. Our initial attempt to find some open water along the Rock Creek road was 
sidelined by road conditions that reminded Brock of goose-snot on a bowling ball, to say the least he didn’t feel like putting his new guide rig into a ditch so we stuck to the main road and jumped in at Gillies Bridge (now the Kyle G. Bohrnsen bridge). Right off the bat, the Pat’s Rubber Leg got some action followed by a surprising surface eat by a beautiful cutty. I say surprising because the end of February is hardly the time for Skwala to be coming out but by the end of the day we had several eats on the surface. By early afternoon the sun was breaking the clouds up, and it had warmed up enough the road along the creek was a little less snotty so Brock and I headed into the canyon.
If you’ve never wet a line on Rock Creek I have two pieces of advice, especially if you head into the canyon. Its easy, Studs & Guns. Studs for the slick wading conditions and guns for the wildlife, primarily the Moose. After being kicked in the ### (literally)by an ornery mama moose two summers ago I learned a valuable lesson. Yes they are awesome, majestic creatures, but they’re also pricks. I’m not saying shoot the things, but a friendly warning shot across their bow is a good deterrent. Carry spray if you think you can let one get within 20 yards of you before you turn tail….
After a few more fish the gray closed in again and from the looks of it, we were in for some nasty looking weather. Instead of just throwing on another
layer of Gore-Tex and staying on the river Brock and I came to the conclusion of screw it, we’re going, to the bar. It’s a short skip over the hills back to P-Burg and the brewery where the beer is always worth the drive. Make sure you check out Brock’s blog The Montana Drifter for updates from the mind of one fishy fellow as he prepares for another season guiding some of the most spectacular waters all over Montana. And make sure to keep up with us here on The Running Line for more reports from the road as spring makes an appearance and rivers all over the state start shaping up.
~Cheers, Chewy.
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