Big Hole River 2180 cfs, temp. 58
We caught quite a few fish today mostly on streamers with a 22 inch brown trout with shoulders on him to top the day. I started out with a salmon fly pattern and a nymph dropper just for the heck of it and we had three small fish hit the top fly (fluttering stone). The girdle bug dropper picked up some nice fish. When it became mostly overcast I suggested the streamers again to try to pick up some big fish and that’s when we got the 22 incher. Steve had not streamer fished much before but by the end of the day even the Bugger Man would have been proud of him. There were a few caddis on the water but only small fish feeding on top.
The folks I’m taking tomorrow just informed me that they want two boats the following two days also. Since I’m already booked I told them their chances of me finding a couple more guides on this short notice are slim and none. I won’t hire just any guide. There are a lot of guides who know how to row the river but that alone doesn’t cut it.
Art only sent his renewal application in yesterday so he called the game warden and told him since it’s in the mail is it ok for him to guide. The game warden (who we know personally) said “Art if you are on the river guiding without your license in hand I’m going to write you a ticket”. Art replied with “ok I might have to go with the ticket, how much is it?