Tag: rainbow trout

montana/Travel Review

Travel Review: Big Sky Country

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Montana is unreal, let’s just start with that. My wife and I just returned from a great trip to our good friend “Bearman’s” house in Southwestern, MT, where the Bitterroot Valley abuts two mountain ranges. It’s been a few years since I was out there and since then, Bearman has been telling me unbelievable stories of his outdoor adventures (some of which you may have previously read about). September is an awesome time of the the year to visit the mountains. The temperature is brisk in the morning, then typically warms up to a comfortable mid-70s.

What to do in September?

Fishing- Traditionally the Bitterroot river is most well known for it’s rainbows and once the water calms down after ice-out (later May/early June)  the action heats up. In September, fishing can fire up with larger trout hitting trico hatches. The pressure from tourists is limited and you can have exclusivity on certain parts of the river. During our trip, I fished the west fork a few times, but enjoyed non-stop action on some of the local mountain lakes. I primarily used elk hair caddis drys, but the cutties in those mountain lakes would have probably crushed anything.

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Epic Scenery and non-stop cutthroat action

Hunting- If you are from the Northeast, the time September comes around, the hunting itch becomes almost unbearable. Montana and many other western states, can be your remedy to get back into the woods early.  The more popular species for the 2016 Montana archery season shown below:

Elk- September 3rd – October 16th
Whitetail-  Same as elk
Black Bear- September 3rd – September 14th
Mulies- Same as elk
Antelope-  September 3rd – October 7th

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Bearman’s father with his first Archery Elk harvest

Hiking- Aside from the hunting and fishing options Montana offers for the outdoor enthusiast, the Bitterroot Mountain ranges provides excellent hiking terrain for beginner to expert trailblazers. Click this link to learn more.

Next year, I hope to get back out to Montana and fill an Archery Elk tag. The Big Sky Country is beautiful and I highly recommend a trip out there. If you have any questions about the information in this article or would like to be pointed to the right direction in planning a hunt, please feel free to contact me. Be sure to check out more stories and pictures on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Thank you for reading!

-Michael

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My wife and I, enjoying a nice Coors after a long hike

 

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Native Cutthroat

 

 

 

 

Ice Fishing/Winter Activities

Ice fishing Montana

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Ice fishing lunch
Bacon wrapped mule deer backstrap lunch

With the busy holiday season and end of the year sales financials coming to a close, I am pumped to post this successful ice fishing article from our Montana celebrity, Bearman. Sorry for being quiet the last few weeks!  Bearman  has been experiencing some solid fishing action during the start of the 2015/2016 Winter. Temperatures have dropped significantly in the Bitterroot Mountain range and the local lakes have started to solidify.

Ice fishing Montana
Good day on the ice

Bearman and his local crew had success on one of these lakes in mid December. Law requires a five fish per person limit with two lines per person. Worms on tip ups , and teardrop jigs tips with worm or soft plastic on jig pole got it done.  The trout were basically jumping out of the hole! Ice fishing can be a cold drubbing or a fun filled action day (pending conditions and ice). Be sure to dress for the weather and read the local regulations for every area you plan to fish. The Montana boys limited out and spent the day ice skating from hole to hole! I have personally spent many hours on the cold ice with little action to brag about, but if you prepare for a fun day outdoors with friends, you will enjoy yourself no matter the fishing outcome.

As the winter progresses, I will continue posting ice fishing, skiing, hiking and other short stories. Please feel free to share pictures or your stories on our Facebook or Instagram pages! Thanks for reading.

-Michael

Ice Fishing Bearman
Beautiful color on these winter Montana trout
Action Camera Videos/Fishing/massachusetts

It was a Swift River weekend

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http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUWLRUd21lc&feature=youtu.be

My goal for the last few years was to get a “go-pro like” action camera and bring it along on my outing adventures. Been chirping for years to my buddies about all the “unreal” things I’ve seen and sick of having them not believe me.

Swift River rainbow
Swift River rainbow

I did not want to spend $400 + on a camera that I will most likely beat the hell out of.  Recently I purchased the new DB Power action camera, cheaper equivalent to the popular go-pro. The first video I shot, is of a school of fat rainbows mocking me in the middle of the bend hole at the Swift River. I was hoping to get an action shot of a fly take, but they just looked at the camera and swam away.

I was able to land one fish before getting blatantly disregarded for the rest of the trip. It was a cool morning, probably around 43′ degrees and I expected the fish to be eating up a storm. They were biting from 7-8:00AM ish then slowed down. I kept going after them, but they stopped considering what I had to offer.  Thought it would be cool to try and get them on camera, so I slowly walked into the bend hole. I know the footage is a little shaky but its pretty cool to seem them underwater.  Thank you for viewing this post and be sure to follow our Instagram, YouTube and Facebook pages for more great footage and still photos.

Michael

 

Fishing

Cabelas Stowaway Rod Review

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Shawn casting a nymph/scud into a Millers River hole.
Shawn casting a nymph/scud into a Millers River hole.

My buddy Shawn, a Chronicles Pro-Staffer, and I trekked out to North Central Massachusetts this past weekend, with high hopes in landing a few fat rainbows, browns and native brook trout on the Swift and Millers River.  The night temperature was very chilly and the morning projections looked to be a misty and cold  nymph kind of day.  I was using my Temple Fork Outfitters  rod and Shawn pulled out his new Cabelas Stowaway 6.  It was a fun day and Shawn wanted to share his thoughts and opinion on this new rod. Read his personal review below:

“Over the years there has been many claims as to what the perfect dry fly rod is………………

Cabelas ReviewI live in New England and have recently purchased the Cabela’s Stowaway 6 rod 3WT – 8’, 6’’ with a combination of the Cabela’s Prestige Premier reel. A classy mix between stiffness, control, durability and aesthetics, not to mention it comes in a compact 6 pieces for easy transportation.

When looking to make a purchase I wanted something I could use locally on New England’s smaller streams and rivers with the capability of being used for the annual Montana fishing trip on the Little Big Horn River that I make every year. With a steady Dun and Trico hatch, the indigenous Rainbow’s and Brown didn’t stand a chance! The longer length than traditional lighter rods allows for cuts against the wind that usually a 4WT is needed for. Which is exactly what I needed since I prefer the fight (and the rush) lighter rods tend to provide during a hook.

Shawn with Montana fishing guide. Fat brown down!
Shawn with Montana fishing guide. Fat brown down!

I couldn’t be happier with this purchase, and definitely would recommend this rod to other anglers interested in having a quality tool without the price tag of Sage, Orvis, or Winston rods. If you have any questions about these Cabelas  products, please email us at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com.”

Thanks for the review Shawn. I hope you enjoyed this post and if you have any questions, please contact us right away! Thanks for reading and be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for awesome pictures.

Michael