Gotta Be Flexible!

We booked the excursion and geared up at the local Sportsman’s Warehouse for our much anticipated float & fish trip down the Yellowstone River near Livingston, Montana. With limited experience in fly fishing, we were as excited about the lessons from our guide, Josh, as we were about being on the beautiful Yellowstone River as it meandered thru the foothills and lower valleys.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas in mind. The lack of rain this summer contributed to countless wildfires in the western states, notwithstanding Montana. Smoke filled skies yielded intense nightly sunsets. Recent lightning storms in the area only served to exacerbate the problem by igniting new blazes and dumping brief but heavy rain where little to no vegetation grew to shore up the riverbanks. Local kayakers took advantage of the now rushing, mirky waters for a day of “Fun in the Sun”, but with the beautiful clear water of the Yellowstone now mud-like our plans for fly fishing were squashed. 

Luckily, our guide proposed several other options, one of which included a backpacking trek into a somewhat remote location. The fishing holes will remain nameless to uphold our vow of secrecy and to keep others safe from the grizzly bear that paid us a visit that day. It seemed the bear was more interested in huckleberries than brook trout!

Spending the summer in Montana has been amazing and we must admit the prospect of calling it “home” someday has crossed our minds. The fact that Tom Brady has a place in Big Sky has nothing to do with it…well maybe a little! 😊