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Sarasota and Venice
Capt. Rick Grassett
September 28, 2003
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Crane Meadow Lodge, MT Fishing Report for 9/20 through 9/27/2003
I hosted a group of fly anglers at Crane Meadow Lodge near Twin Bridges, MT last week. Nick Reding, Bob Reynolds and Bob Harness, all from St. Louis, MO, young Nick Reding from New York City, Jim Breckenridge, from Greenwich, CT, Dennis Kinley, from Lebanon, NJ, Dick Walden, from Sahuarita, AZ, Rich Walden, from Silverthorne, CO and David Ralls, from Tempe, AZ joined me for a great week of fly fishing on some of Montana’s best trout streams.
We fished the Big Hole, Beaverhead, Ruby, Jefferson and Madison Rivers, several spring creeks and mountain lakes. The weather couldn’t have been better with crisp mornings, lows in the 30’s and frost a couple of mornings and high’s in the 70’s. We had bright blue Montana skies and brilliant fall colors.
The wildlife was unbelievable. One morning a pair of bull moose locked horns in the meadow right behind the lodge. Whitetail deer were so thick you had to be careful when walking the riverbanks, particularly on the Ruby River. We also spotted mule deer, antelope, big horn sheep and elk. Waterfowl and pheasants were also thick and were being flushed constantly.
Anglers caught brown trout to 24”, rainbows to 22”, grayling, cutthroats and brook trout on 4 through 6-weight fly rods. It was technical fly fishing that sometimes required reach casts; roll casts and mending to get the proper presentation to fool the fish, but the anglers were up to the challenge. Jim Breckenridge, who had never fly fished before this trip, did very well. After receiving some casting instruction from guide, Gary Avis, Jim moved on to fish some still water on Miller’s Pond, where he caught a dozen or so rainbow and brown trout to 17”. He nymph fished on the Jefferson River on his last day where he finished with an 18” trout! That may not sound big to seasoned saltwater anglers, but put that fish on a 4 or 5-weight fly rod in a fast river and you’ve got you hands full!
Other highlights from the week were when Dennis Kinley and Bob Reynolds fished a high mountain lake at 7400’ on the Meine summer ranch with guide, Jerry Meine. They caught about 100 trout, mostly cutthroats and a few rainbows. As they drove up to the high country they put a few beers in a mountain stream to cool down and enjoyed them as their reward on the way back down. The Ruby River also fished very well. Nick Reding and I had a great day on the Ruby with many trout in the 18”-22” class. Other anglers caught brown trout to 22”, with many fish in the 14”-16” class. Mill Creek, which empties into the Ruby, produced browns and rainbows averaging 16” and as big as 21”. The upper Ruby River was hot for grayling, rainbows and browns, although not as large as on the lower portion. Anglers also had great fishing for brookies on the upper Big Hole and caught browns and rainbows to 24” on the Madison near Ennis. See the photo gallery of my web site for photos from the trip.
We fished a variety of flies and techniques during the week. Some of the most exciting fishing was with dry flies, such as a Parachute Adams, hoppers or Chernobyl Ants. We also fished with nymphs and streamers, usually in tandem or sometimes a pair of streamers. Pepperonis, Yuks and Woolly Buggers worked the best. Proprietor, Cody Meine, does a great job. The variety of fishing on private water, the option to float or wade and the level of accommodations sets Crane Meadow apart from other lodges.
Although the trip couldn’t have been better, it was bittersweet for me. We lost a family member, Bear, our almost 14-year old Brittany on Tuesday. Even though he was elderly, his death was unexpected. He was diagnosed with cancer and had to be put down within 48 hours. He was my shadow at home, following close behind me while I prepared for my fishing trips in the morning, waiting for a piece of cheese or lunch meat as a reward. Every day when I returned his face was in our picture window waiting for me to come home. We’ll miss him terribly, but we’ll meet again.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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