On the Road Report: Five Days With Dad Edition.

Over the past five days I was lucky enough to get my pops out of his office in Bellingham Washington, convince him to drive 12 hours and close to 700 miles with a few pounds of smoked salmon and a couple growlers for a weeks vacation checking out some Montana freestone streams. Considering he and my mom are busy with their own business and the shop is in full swing here, we were both pretty lucky to find some time in our schedules that matched up. He crushed the 12 hour drive in record time, more like 10, even after stopping in Missoula to load up on some big bugs from our buddies at Kingfisher Fly Shop (thanks guys) and after a good nights rest, we hooked up the raft and got back on the road. The plan was to get four solid days of floating and car camping in before I had to get back to the shop to give Jason a break from one of our busier weeks on the books. Things didn’t turn out quite as planned, but looking back on it, I think we’re both glad they didn’t.

First stop was my personal favorite, Rock Creek just outside of Philipsburg. I know I’ve already done a few posts on this place but the Salmonflies were out, it was at a friendly level to float and of course the local brew is always worth the drive. We pitched camp a few miles in, turned back to Gillies Bridge and got the rubber on the water. The short float from Gillies to the Concrete bridge, took us about 5 hours of mostly just making our way downstream, only stopping to change bugs. As far as bugs go, there were plenty. In addition to the big Pteronarcys california, caddis, drakes and a few smaller mayflies peppered the sky. Few fish giving attention to the bigger bugs, Chubbies, Cat Pukes & Chernobyl Ants all getting some love. But the show stopper all day, the caddis dry dropper. Almost every fish worth breaking out the net for came up, checked out the bigger bug, bailed and went for the caddis. We landed more sizable cutties and browns between the Outrigger Caddis & Hi-Vis UV Tan Caddis than anything else.

After two solid days floating Rock Creek and only a brief appearance at the Philipsburg Brewery, we set our sights on the next stop, the Big Hole River just south of us hidden by the Pintler Mountains. The weather Gods had other plans though. As we sat outside Sunshine Station enjoying our breakfast of hot coffee and mini-donuts, the skies to our west turned that ominous grey that when you look at it, pretty much says cold, windy, rainy crap. Which turned out to be the case. So instead of spending the day setting up camp and floating in what turned out to be a downpour, we pointed the rig north and went for Plan B: The Blackfoot River.

We rolled into Ovando the next morning picked up a few more bugs and headed for Harry Morgan F.A.S on the North Fork of the Blackfoot. After the quick thirty minute float down the N.F to River Junction, dad got his line in the water and it didn’t take long to get a fish to the surface. Foam piles mid river, structure on the banks, tail-outs below boulders, it seemed like everywhere you expected there to be a fish, there was. We showed up a bit late for the Salmonfly hatch but there were a few Goldenstones, Caddis; and PMDs around; the main course that day though, big Drakes. I’m talking #10 Extended Body Drakes and the fattest, most hackle ridden flies I could dig from the pit that is my boat box. Good number of what I would consider to be average size fish caught out of the foam piles and pocket water. Most of the bigger guys that day were hanging out closer to shore, coming out of cut-banks and in the softer seams below debris in the river.

Big shout out to my Dad who turned 59 yesterday and for someone who spends more time dropping crab pots, swinging for Silvers and cruising around the salt teaching folks the finer points of ship handling & getting used to being a grandfather, he handles a 3 weight glass rod like a pro. Thanks for kick ass campfire stories, strong beer, decent cowboy coffee, and for falling into the river at the takeout and not earlier. Next time the King men get together, we need to go international. I’m still thinking Mongolia, Taimen, 12 wts. & Muskie flies? Sounds like a good idea to me, I’m sure we can get Mom behind it too. Nothing says father/son bonding like AK-47s and Vodka. Trixi’s Antler Saloon is a close second if you’re lucky enough to get out with your dad this Father’s Day weekend. Cheers to all you dads out there helping raise the next generation of fly anglers.