Sunday, May 17, 2020

Fishing on the Big Hole River





Dave has been very anxious to go fishing. He got his license earlier this week.   His fishing buddy hasn't been feeling well, so he asked me if I wanted to go along with him.  I wasn't going to fish, but I could enjoy the outdoors and I didn't want him to go alone. 
 
The place he normally goes is on a ranch that belongs to the family of one of his uncles.  They are fine with him going on their property.  When we got there,  we saw approximately 30 bulls on the route down to the river.  It is a cattle ranch and they keep the bulls away from the cows.  We didn't think they would bother us, but you never know. They were quite large and I don't think I can run quite fast enough to get away from a charging bull.  So we drove about 10 more miles to another place.
 
I went down to the river with him.  It was so peaceful.  There were no people or bulls but quite a few geese.  I loved listening to them and watching them fly around.  I sat down on the edge of the river area but there were a lot of ants.  After about 30 minutes, I went back to the truck and read my book while soaking in the beauty.   The weather was a bit cold, but as the day went on it warmed up considerably (Montana standards).  About five floating boats came by with people fishing.   They aren't allowed to have motors. To me, that looked like a lot of fun.  So different from floating the rivers in Arizona.
 
After about two hours, I couldn't see  Dave as he was walking down the side of the river trying to catch fish.  I got a bit worried so I decided to walk to try to find him.  The terrain was a bit rough but I had on a good pair of boots. I walked about a 1/2 mile and found him on the side of the river.  He was fine, so I worried needlessly.
 
He didn't catch any fish, but really enjoyed it anyway.  He said that after a few days of rain, that can cause the fish not to bite.  We are supposed to have rain all of this week, so it was a perfect day.
 
Only problem I had was there are no bathrooms out there. I am just a bit too old to try to find a bush, but I was okay.  We stopped in Wise River, which is a very small town, to get a drink and for me to use the restroom.  I walked into the little cafe and it was obviously totally locals as everyone had been laughing and talking very loudly.  When I walked in, it got very quiet and they all looked at me.  I just sat down and waited for Dave to come in and they resumed their "fun."
 
We got home about three.  The drive to the river is about 30-40 minutes away and it is truly off the beaten path--no cell service.  But it was an absolute beautiful drive.
 
I took this next picture from the car.   It shows how much snow there was earlier this week.  All in all, it was a beautiful day and nice to get out and enjoy nature.
 
 

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