Retreat into Memories

I'm nearly out of words for the week.  I'm confused and knotted up.  So, time to throw up the shields and surround myself with the good thoughts, before Daily Affirmation #7 takes over:

I can change any thought that hurts into a reality that hurts even more.

Let us now mindfully retreat into our happy place: a few fishing memories.  Eddie Rivard composed these photos of me when I was lucky enough to meet up with his brother, his father, and the artist himself on the North Tongue River in Wyoming last week.

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by Eddie Rivard.  As always, click any photo to enlarge.

(Thank you, Eddie.  I don't know if you can understand what these mean to me.)

Photo by Mrs. Fading Angler
Taken near the Big Horn Medicine Wheel
Elevation approx. 9600 ft.

And Now, Back to Fishing...

We just rolled into Ennis, Montana and parked the Mobile Hotel® a couple of long casts from the banks of the Madison River.  It's currently raining and gusting 40+ here, plus the Madison is under "hoot owl" restrictions, so no angling after 2 PM because the heat is hard on the trout.  It's nice to get a little moisture and cooler temps.

Yesterday was a designated angling day for me.  Mrs. Fading Angler and The Offspring went panning for sapphires in (surprise!) the Sapphire Mountains east of Missoula.  Lest you begin seeing visions of grey beards and pickaxes, this is a tourist trap commercial establishment that is happy to loan you equipment when you buy buckets of dirt ore mined material to sift through.  I think they had fun.  Here's what happened to me on Friday, wading on Rock Creek:

• Big Horn sheep
• Brown trout
• Cutthroat trout
• Rainbow trout
• Cutbow trout (no, I was not fishing with Hank Patterson...)
• Bull trout (sadly, found deceased in the creek)

Off My Chain

Attempting to migrate past Hungry Horse reservoir

I got up at 5 AM Sunday morning and drove 2.5 miles away to the Middle Fork of the Flathead River for casting practice.  On the way back to the Mobile Hotel®, I stopped for milk and donuts.  The Offspring were already eating when I returned so I showered and finished my coffee.  When I saw the bottom of my mug, the Warden Mrs. Fading Angler arrived with news: parole was granted, I was free to take the truck and leave for a day of solo angling.

My plan was to take a LOOONG drive (nearly 3 hours each way): the South Fork of the Flathead River.  This river flows from the Bob Marshall Wilderness northward into Hungry Horse reservoir.  The Hungry Horse dam prevents rainbow trout, brown trout and other invasive non-native species from migrating up into this fork, protecting the native West Slope Cutthroat trout and also native but endangered Bull trout.  I'm a bit of a purist: Scotch should be single malt, trout should be native.