# Montana Trip - (Long, Pics)



## WMU05 (Oct 16, 2004)

A week ago today I was in Montana, standing in the Madison River. What a difference a week makes. The view out my office window in suburban Chicago is not quite the same as Montana!

With help from members on this site and Kelly Galloup, I planned a trip last winter to take my dad to Montana for three days of fishing on the Madison. We flew out of O'Hare last Thursday afternoon and landed in Jackson Hole, Wyoming about 8:00 PM local time. Getting the rental car was a fiasco, but an hour later we were on the road. We drove through Jackson Hole and over the Teton Pass into Idaho as the last light of day was fading. We did spot three moose and a couple of mulies on the way. We stayed Thursday night at Teton Valley Cabins in Driggs, Idaho. 

Because of the time difference, we were up early and on the road by 6:00 AM Friday. We had a good two hour drive to the Madison Valley. Shortly into our drive we had to slow for a group of elk crossing the road. We were definitely out of the midwest!


We stopped along the way at the Angler's Inn for breakfast. This lodge sit's on the bank of the Henry's Fork of the Snake River in Idaho. Our table offered quite the view.


The remainder of the drive was smooth and by mid morning we arrived at Galloup's Slide Inn. We stopped into the shop to check-in and meet up with our guide. We were going to be doing a float trip Friday afternoon from about 1:30 until dark. Before our trip we walked out to the river behind the lodge just to see what we were getting into.


It was definitely different than the fishing we were used to on the Big Man. I did manage to hook into a fat Rainbow that came off the first time it came out of the water. I spent the next two hours before our float casting to a small group of brown's and rainbows in a side channel that ranged from 14-18 inches. They were feeding but had no interest in the half dozen different flies I put by them. I would later learn from our guide that these fish are fished to by everyone that comes to the lodge and are practically un-catchable. 

Our float trip started about 2:00 PM with a stiff breeze and picture perfect skies. 




The fishing was slow during the hot part of the afternoon. I landed a Rocky Mountain Whitefish and we caught a few smaller trout. As the afternoon wore on, storm clouds started to gather in the Western Sky. 


http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/551/Dad_and_I.jpg


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## WMU05 (Oct 16, 2004)

We anchored the boat and hunkered down under a bush on a small Island in the river. The rain came down hard for awhile but we were fairly protected. After about 45 minutes the rain and lightning subsided, so we got back in the boat and pressed on. The fishing steadily improved as the day wore on. My dad and I both tied into some nice fish including this healthy rainbow. 


As afternoon turned to evening, I hooked into my biggest fish of the float. This hefty brown hit a mayfly spinner and the fight was on. He came out of the water three times, dancing across the surface like a rainbow. Smiles all around as we finally got him into the boat.


The fishing continued to be hot as the sun went down. 

We ended up having three different spinner falls throughout the afternoon and evening. The rainbows were still rising and we brought a few more to the net before the night was over. 




Saturday morning we slept in after spending so much time on the water the following day. We were both sore and I had blisters on my casting hand (that was a first). We decided to take a drive into West Yellowstone to look around and pick up a few things at the store (along with gifts for the wives). The scenery was unbelievable along the drive including this shot of the Madison River as it comes out of Yellowstone National Park and heads west.


We fished the wade section of the Madison Saturday afternoon and evening, down stream from Three Dollar Bridge. Once again, as evening wore on, the action picked up. As the caddis started to come off, the bank started to boil with risers. We caught just about every rising fish around with a size 14 or 16 green elk hair caddis. Both of us landed numerous nice browns and my dad hauled in a few rainbows as well. We left the water at dark laughing at our success. It was too good to be true. 

Sunday morning we decided to rise early and hit the same stretch of river as the night before. We were out at 6:00 AM as the sun begain to rise. 


The fishing was slow as the temperature had cooled considerably the night before. I did however hook into what was probably my biggest fish of the trip, a large brown that hit a yellow sallie nymph along the bank. The lengthy brown came out of the water twice before heading out into the heavy current where the fly popped loose...this one might have been a 20 incher. 

I took a spill Sunday morning while trying to turn around in the water. I see why so many guys fish from shore. Luckily I fell backwards instead of forwards, saving my camera that was around my neck in the front of my waders. My dad wasn't so lucky later that afternoon. He went down, falling forwards, upstream, filling his waders to the knee's. I was also fortune enough to take my fall in privacy, unfortunately for dad, he had an audience! 

The fishing Sunday night was not as good, the fish were rising again but no one around could match the hatch. They appeared to be hitting caddis that were smaller than anything we had on us. We switched to streamers as dark approached and landed a few fish, including a brightly colored 18 inch Brown my dad caught just before we got out. 

We made the drive back down to Driggs, ID that night and were up at 4:30 AM Monday to head to Jackson Hole to catch our return flight. The time flew by, but it was definitely a trip to remember. The fishing was fantastic and the scenery was breathtaking. We left Montana promising to return!


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## Firemedic (Apr 5, 2005)

What a great way to spend time with the ole' man. Looks like both of you had a great time. Thanks for sharing!


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## Adam Peterson (Mar 20, 2006)

Nice report, im driving out to montana tomorrow morning and going to be gone for 2 weeks. We are stopping at the bighorn on the the way out then probably the madison, then who knows from there! I cant wait!!


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

Great post and pictures. Thanks for sharing.


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## Chuckgrmi (Nov 6, 2007)

WOW!!!

What a great trip and a life time of memories.

Thanks for sharing your trip. I really enjoyed it.


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## WMU05 (Oct 16, 2004)

Adam Peterson said:


> Nice report, im driving out to montana tomorrow morning and going to be gone for 2 weeks. We are stopping at the bighorn on the the way out then probably the madison, then who knows from there! I cant wait!!


 
Completely jealous. Next time I'm going for at least a week! 

Make sure you have hoppers with you. We just missed them as the weather had been unusually cool and rainy during July. They should be going by now. 

Tight lines!


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## QuackerWhacker (Oct 9, 2007)

Adam Peterson said:


> Nice report, im driving out to montana tomorrow morning and going to be gone for 2 weeks. We are stopping at the bighorn on the the way out then probably the madison, then who knows from there! I cant wait!!


They just dropped the river down to about 3000, from 7000. The fish there are freaking unbelievable this year. Have fun while the rest of us are at work back here in MI.:lol:


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## brookid (Aug 25, 2004)

Nice work!...looks like a great trip.


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## Splitshot (Nov 30, 2000)

Looks like you had a great time thanks for sharing. That western senery is pretty dam nice.


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

I haven't been out in about 10 years and haven't had much of an urge, but seeing your pics really makes it hit home how enjoyable the trip is.


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## MT406 (Nov 18, 2007)

WMU05 said:


> The fishing was fantastic and the scenery was breathtaking. We left Montana promising to return!


Nice. Glad you had a good time! Great pics and memories for sure.


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## bucketmouthhauler (Sep 24, 2005)

Hey, you guys were staying right in my neighborhood. I live one street over from teton cabins. looks like you had a good time. We have some pretty good fishing in the valley too! should have stayed an extra day and hit some local rivers.


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## WILDCATWICK (Mar 11, 2002)

Great trip WMU05! I've been waiting for some reports from you. Nothing like spending time with Dad out on the waters of the west. 

We'll be heading up to the Ausable and the U.P. every weekend until the end of the season from here out. If you get an open weekend drop a line.


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## duxdog (Apr 13, 2008)

Nice pics, thanks for sharing. I made my first trip to Montana a few weeks ago oon a whim. A part of me is still there and will never leave. You can tell people what it is like but unless you have been there they don't really get it.


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## Litehen55 (Apr 2, 2006)

Have been spending two weeks in MT and ID for the last 20 years each summer. Pretty amazing. You will find that like anything else, you will get better at it as you go again and again. We always devote a week in Ennis to the Madison and Gallatin, and a week in ID to the Henry's fork, South fork and Teton.


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## WMU05 (Oct 16, 2004)

bucketmouthhauler said:


> Hey, you guys were staying right in my neighborhood. I live one street over from teton cabins. looks like you had a good time. We have some pretty good fishing in the valley too! should have stayed an extra day and hit some local rivers.


I don't doubt it. I would have loved to stay many extra days!


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## WMU05 (Oct 16, 2004)

WILDCATWICK said:


> Great trip WMU05! I've been waiting for some reports from you. Nothing like spending time with Dad out on the waters of the west.
> 
> We'll be heading up to the Ausable and the U.P. every weekend until the end of the season from here out. If you get an open weekend drop a line.


 
Thanks WC! Good luck up north. My fishing is done for the year. Dad is heading up once more in a couple weeks, then it's onto archery season for us. 

Also recently found out my wife is expecting our first...good thing we did the big trip when we did!


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