Montana 2022
In September of 2022, I had an opportunity to go to Bozeman, Montana for a few days. This would be my 3rd trip to Montana in the last 4 years or so. This trip was special not only because it was in a new town in Montana for me, but because Hope and her parents got to experience it with us.
We stayed with a couple friends of mine who had just bought a house in Bozeman that summer and were anxious to break it in. Their names are Jim and Diane. They actually lived in Granite Falls about 5 minutes from the house I grew up in. Jim and Diane are some of the sweetest people you would ever meet. They are both outdoor enthusiasts and have treated me like family over the years. Huge shoutout to them for opening up their home to us and for the opportunity to explore Montana.
Upon arrival at the house we immediately noticed the landscape and views of the Bridger Mountains right off the front porch. It was breathtaking. When at the house we spent a lot of time gazing at the views and relaxing. I would need all the rest I could get considering the next morning I would be floating the Yellowstone River with my good friend Brewer.
The next morning we got ready to head out towards Livingston to meet Brewer. Jeff (Hope’s Dad), and myself would be floating this day while Hope and Jeanna (Hope’s Mom), explored Livingston, MT. As we drove over to Livingston it was still early morning and we couldn’t help but notice the landscape. One thing about Montana that sticks with you after visiting is the vastness of the landscape. It makes you feel so small. Many times, when returning to North Carolina after these trips, you feel claustrophobic simply because the landscape is totally different. Here in North Carolina the buildings, roads, cities, trees, etc. are right on top of each other.
After we met up with Brewer we drove into the Paradise Valley section of the Yellowstone River. This valley is exactly what it is named. Absolute Paradise. Second only to Heaven itself. Once again while driving though this section you can’t help but notice the openness of the landscape. Mountains towering over the valley on all sides. After admiring the scenery, we put the boat in and began to fish. Almost immediately we started catching whitefish. The whitefish population in the Yellowstone was kinda mind blowing. While we were floating I actually caught a whitefish that was roughly 19-20in. This was one of the biggest that Brewer has ever seen. I was so locked in on the trout that I quickly threw it back before getting a picture of it which I now regret. Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout and Cutthroat Trout were also getting mixed in with our catches. The whole way down the float we were crushing them. About 2 hours into the float we had caught all the species and had some pretty good numbers on the board already.
At this point we approached a rock cliff on the right side of the river and noticed a few fish rising. The water wasn’t boiling with fish but it was enough to catch our attention and tie on a hopper to throw at them. First cast with the hopper a Cutthroat smacked it. For the next 15-20 minutes I was catching fish as fast as I could cast to them at this rock cliff. It finally died down and we floated past. The rest of the way down we took in more scenery than actually fished. It was a nice change of pace and relaxing. Below are some pictures from that day.
The next few days we spent in Yellowstone National Park. One of those nights we stayed in the Old Faithful Inn right at the geysers. That was a super cool experience being able to wake up and see Old Faithful erupting. At night we could also watch from the balcony as Old Faithful erupted.
In 2 days we did the full loop of the park and saw as much as we could see in the limited amount of time that we had there. On the way out we stopped at the Madison River and fished for a few hours around Three Dollar Bridge. Fishing was not the best at this location due to the high traffic of this section, but the beauty was amazing. I did catch a few brown trout but nothing to brag about. It was hard not to stop at other locations along the Madison on the way back to Bozeman. The entire river looked fishy and beautiful.
This was definitely a trip to remember. Some of my favorite recent memories are from this trip. Hope and I had just found out we were expecting right before we left. Jeff had never been to Montana before. Lots of firsts on this trip. Once again, memories in my opinion are way more valuable than items or belongings. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.
Huge shoutout again to Jim and Diane for making this trip possible.
