Fellow Extravaganzers:
As we quickly approach the commencement of our sixth Extravaganza, primarily for the benefit for you rookies out there as well as for the tantalization of you seasoned veterans, annually, I write on the rivers we fish and why we do so. The Extravaganza focuses on three of Montana's most pristine rivers (a) The Clark Fork of the Columbia River; (b) The Bitterroot River and (c) The Big ("A River Runs Through It") Blackfoot River. Depending on the weather conditions and the water conditions of each of these rivers on the day(s) that you are with us, you will definitely fish one of these rivers and, for those of you in Group Two and Group Three (who each fish three days), some may have a chance to fish all three--"the hat trick".
The Clark Fork of the Columbia River runs east to west right through downtown Missoula. It is what I refer to as "the freeway river", as it not only follows I-90 for over a hundred miles but it is also the river into which each of the others flows. It is "the big river" with wide girth and steep banks, whose pocket and recirculatory water is legendary for the size and volume of the huge rainbows that it holds. This year, it is also the river that has been diverted--a diversion like no other in the history of this area--where, at the confluence of it and the Blackfoot River five miles east of Missoula, a side channel has been constructed over the last several years so that the hundred year old Milltown Dam (one of the largest Superfund sites in the country) can be removed and the thousands of cubic acres of polluted soil beneath and behind it removed--spoilages from the rampant Anaconda mining efforts of the last century where mercury and other poisonous metals were used to leach out gold upstream. Often our "go to river" in previous Extravaganzas, this river will be under careful watch as how the now embroiling runoff is going to play havoc with its downstream fish and aquatic life, the full impact of which we may well be the first to assess.
Our second of the trilogy is the Bitterroot River. As you fly into Missoula from Salt Lake City, the last fifty miles of your flight will traverse this wonderful river on the shores of which Lewis and Clark pitched their second winter's camp, "Traveler's Rest" near the current town of Lolo. This is a masterful river that flows from the west eastward to meet the Clark Fork right in downtown Missoula, with a wonderful blend of brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout. Over the years, many of our twenty inch fish have been netted from these waters, memorably Group Three's Cam "Mend" Carlson's 22' brown of two years ago and, later that same year, son Tyler's 23" cutthroat landed in the post-Extravaganza fall. The Bitterroot is still "an active river" in that, unlike either of its two brothers, its channels change from year during and after the runoff period. This year it will clearly be our "go to" river, particularly for Groups One and Two, as the Blackfoot is often the last of the three to clear up from the sediment spoilages of the runoff season currently upon us.
The third, and the subject of the wonderful McLean book and equally majestic Robert Redford movie "A River Runs Through It," is The Big Blackfoot River (to be distinguished from The Little Blackfoot River which drains westward from the Continental Divide 60 miles eastward near Deer Lodge). Like the Little, the Big flows from east to west and is, in addition to being the swiftest of the rivers that we fish, it is the home of legendary brown, rainbow and bull trout. Just ask Group Four's "Down River Dave" Studeman about his experiences on the river with wife Lynn last year, when, during their two days of Group Four fishing, DRD landed a 22" Blackfoot rainbow, TWO 23" pike AND a 21" rainbow, not to mention wife Lyn's 20-1/2" rainbow--not bad for two days of Blackfoot fishing!! This river is our most fickle, however. Inasmuch as most of its riparian banks are unprotected, a little bit of weather does a whole bunch of sediment damage, often making the river a "long shot" fishing option.
On any one day, you will only fish one river during the Extravaganza. You will put in and take out, often up to ten miles down stream, on that river of choice. Your guide will make the selection on "which one?" each day that you will be fishing (it is fun to watch the guides in the early morning hours playing what I now call "guide roulette"--checking river flows, fishing reports from the previous day(s) and with each other what the other is going to do, only to get in their cars and change rivers enroute to trick the others. and, sometimes, themselves). Each of these guides has your best fishing experience in mind, however, and, like with all professionals, it is best to let them each decide, on a daily basis, "which of the three rivers shall we fish today". Our experience last year bore that true, as our 80 boats collectively caught (and released) over 1,750 trout! (Believe you me, the winner of our coveted yellow hat for the largest fish landed that day provides bragging rights for guide and winner alike!)
So there you have it: The (three) rivers that we fish; oh, and as to "Why We Do So?", I leave that to your individual fertile envisionment for completion--if you have any doubts, go and rent that movie referred to above!!
Best to all,
Rock Creek Ron
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