Blackfoot River

Rivers Fished: Blackfoot River
Fish Caught: 0
Outing Date: 9-5-02
Weather: Partly Cloudy to Cloudy
Air Temp: 70's
Water Temp: N/A
Water Level: N/A
Water Color: Clear
Fish Species: There were fish?
Pattern Fished: San Juan Worms, Streamers (including Whitlock's Hare Sculpin), Terrestrials
Pattern Color: Assorted
Fishing Quality: Would have been better if we saw fish ;)

Alright, so it's a year later and I'm sitting writing this report; the "report before the reports" ever started! Why? Why not?! Afterall, this is the trip that got me back into Fly Fishing with a PASSION. This was the trip that finally got me seeking out LOCAL trout fishing opportunities, which rapidly (in a week's time) lead to salmon fishing, trib fishing, TSS, posting reports, and eventually this website, MP's Rambling Reports. So in a way this is kindof the "what started it all" story. Yes, I've fly fished since I was 10. I've fished out west before whenever I could. But this is what I would say is the true start of the last year's fly fishing life that you've all shared with me. So there's "WHY?" :)

Basically this was the first time my buddy Dan would be fly fishing...he had a friend in Missoula that we'd be staying with so off we went on one of the best road trips I've ever been on.

We started our drive on 9-4-02, maybe even 9-3, drove through the night, stopped at Mount Rushmore, and eventually found ourselves IN Montana.

So 9-5-02 was our first day out to fish. Neither of us were familiar with the area and the Blackfoot came suggested by a few of our local connections. A quick stop at the Kingfisher Fly Shop in town for licenses, fly recommendations and a map of the river and we were on our way.

Well there's not much to be said about the fishing. We tried the first 2 access points in as you head upstream, Sheep Flats and Thibodeau. We were skunked for the day..I honestly can't even recall SEEING a fish in the crystal clear water. Oh well, it was our first day and probably the first time I had been fly fishing in a couple months, let alone my first time fishing for trout in a year or two (at least). Tomorrow will be better....