Trout,Governor's and Gigs

 It seems like all my travel plans have been focused on the Big Sky Country. Sometimes what I took for granted is now what is best.On my second trip out to Montana this year I had some of the best experiences as of yet.From fishing with Jon Stiehl ( Owner of the Trout Hunter Lodge) to having The former Governor ( Brian Schweizer attending my show in Ovando @ Trixies ) and running into a fellow musician ( Calumet Steve) from Michigan at Rainey Lake Campgrpund  it was a tour filled with surprises.There were great times staying with Scott Kelly( Owner if the Gravel Bar) in Virginia City to catching big Cuthroat in Henry's Lake and fishing with Eric Sommers on the Missouri. Basing myself in Wolf Creek for a bit with Pat and Pickles set the trip in motion. A snow packed Hgwy 287 in Reynolds Pass added some excitement and of course Phillipsburg Brewery was awesome as usual. By the time I arrived in

    Missouri River

  Eric Sommers

            Aurthur

 Darby @ Trout Hunter

 Henry's  Lake

Governor Scwheizer

Calumet Steve

Whitefish I was getting a little beat up but quickly recovered the next morning being the first through the entrance at Glacier. Thanks to Harbor Grill in Lakeside for my best show and dinner of the tour and a farewell until 2022.

Return to The Treasure State

 A famous writer once said if you can't beat them join them.It seems everyone has descended recently on my favorite place.The good is the club's are packed , the bad is the rivers were packed.Add to that extreme heat waves and fires and disaster was looming at any minute.Also a Bear Attack outside a new venue for me in Ovando ,(Trixie's, ) and it was sure to be an action packed tour. There are great Lakes with excellent Damsel hatches and they were fishing well especially at night. The Flathead also had plenty of great cold water and few people.There are great Brook Trout (not native but still beautiful)and native Cutthroat up North.You still can't beat the local people and I was lucky enough to spend time with Todd Tanner who is a world renowned journalist.His wife Molly set up a tent for me on their property in the Flathead Valley after my concert and when they went to sleep I promptly moved into my car for a safe nights rest.Besides the scenery mostly being obscured from the smoke and the cascade of out of state license plates and Rv traffic jams it was still great to be back , 

 K.S.

Nothing like a Dark Night in Northern, Mi.

 I will say this with conviction.There is no feeling like fishing alone on a river in Michigan on a pitch black night.You are at the mercy of the   river and what it brings after the sun sets. My friend advised me  that I need to be at a certain place on this night in June .In fact he ordered me under the strictest confidentiality with extreme penalties for breaking the sacred oath of trout angling. Alone I was on a perfect moonless night with tons of bugs and no people for 2 hours until a noisy raft showed up and then I promptly left. I pretended not to speak English as well.It was a perfect night with the best fish coming at the end.I never actually measure anything but it was  20 inches in my book!!

Smallmouth Heaven

 Well the first post of the year is going to focus on a more Urban environment.After years of Isolating in Bear country I was happy to be in Grand Rapids for some spring fishing and great Thai food. With a 4 weight and 1 black wooly bugger I managed to land almost a dozen small mouth and my first Pike on a fly. Luckily some local fisherman obliged with photos for yours truly!!!!