I am a few days behind with blogging, because I've been in remote areas with no internet connection, and because I've moved camp two days in a row. I put most of this post together last night but am publishing it now (Wednesday afternoon Mountain time) on my way past a hotspot, on my way to the lower Big Hole River. Last night and this morning I fished the Upper Big Hole River, more on that later. These pictures are from my last day or two on the big lower Madison River, in a beautiful valley in "big sky country."

This picture looked a lot better before I sized it down for the web. I thought it was a pretty little ranch nestled in next to a rocky crag in the valley, but then I realized, there's no way that barn is "little" which gives the whole thing some perspective.



Some of the slopes are grass covered, others have pine trees, and it doesn't seem to depend on moisture or elevation or anything else I can identify.

I really like the rocky formations.

This is how most of the valley looks, lower grassy rolling hills near the river on both sides, backed by high (snowy, tree covered, grassy or rocky) peaks in ALL directions.
Nice vacation cabin with a view of the snowy mountains and the river. Of course, us po' folks that stayed in the campground in the bottom of the picture got treated to the same views.

Another vacation spot for the rich folks.

I passed a sign that said I was in a wilderness protection area, with special restrictions on the lion season. Some time later I came across this track. I learned that the 3-lobed rear pad ("heel") plus the lack of any claw marks in the soft dust, meant this was a feline track (retractable claws) and that it's several times to big for a lynx or bobcat, so it's a lion track.
I later came across a pronghorn that had been killed by some predator(s) in the past day or two. I couldn't find tracks near it, as it was on a grassy area. The ravens were all over it by the time I got there and they were NOT happy that I came close to look for tracks. I was fishing and didn't have my camera and it's probably just as well. Without getting into specifics, I was guessing something big like a lion or several wolves might have been feeding on it.

Typical view of the lower Madison. Much of it is shallow and easy to wade. They sometimes call it the "50 mile riffle" which is an exaggeration of course, but the point is, there are many shallow riffly areas (which are easy to fish) and while the riffles on most rivers contain mostly the smaller fish except during extreme hatches, this stretch of the Madison has so much riffle and so little else, that the big fish are in the riffles, too.


Part of the valley is ranches, some of it is vacation homes and cabins, but a large percentage of it is national forest land (so to speak, not really forest). I drove over cattle guards to get in, and then saw many small herds of branded cattle, different brands, all grazing together on otherwise unfenced open land. Then when I came to the wildlife management area with restricted lion hunting, there was a fence, another cattle guard, and no cattle in that area, hmm. :) In both the grazing areas and the wildlife areas, I drove miles and miles of these Forest Service "roads" consisting of two ruts through the grass.

In many places, I could park quite close to the fishing.



I took this picture because I was amazed that tree ever grew that big right out of a little crack in the rock, and I could hardly tell the wood from the rock. When I looked later at the picture, I realized part of it looks like a wolf.

Green and orange moss or lichen or something grew on this rock. I sat on it anyway to change flies.


I don't know how they measure the sky to claim "big sky country" but there's some pretty pictures of it over the valley.

Often when I take a vacation, I entertain fantasies of moving to the place and never going back. I went through that with Hawaii, and with Colorado the first time we went. Not so much in Orlando, too hot and too many people. This trip, the area around the Henry's Fork in Idaho seemed like a great place to visit but i wouldn't want to live there. Ditto the West Yellowstone area, only (other then the fishing in the park) I wouldn't be that excited about visiting the town again. It's much like Branson in every bad way. Branson is another town I visit because it's near good fishing.

So the lower Madison River area, this beautiful valley, was the first place this trip where I had that "I wanna live here forever" experience. I liked the locals I met, the small towns were alive and vibrant, with an agricultural feel as well as a fishing/tourist economy presence, and the July weather was very pleasant. I'm sure if I'd visited in January, I would have gotten a different experience.

So after three days I'm leaving this valley even though I like it a lot. I've caught bunches of fish, some nice ones, out of that 50-mile riffle, and caught some on dry flies and even a few on the famous salmon flies.

While considering weather to stay or move on, I asked some fellow fishermen about the Bitterroot River, several hours further west. I got some favorable opinions but everyone asked "have you fished the Big Hole?" Everyone seemed to think it was equal or better then the Bitterroot. And, it's a few hours closer which counts at this point in the trip. I'll be headed home in a few days, which will be a long trip as it is. I have time for one day on the upper Big Hole, up in the mountains, and then either a second day up there or else a day on the lower end. I have been told the upper end is pretty, and lush and green, but the access is not the greatest (long walk in to the best fishing) and that the mosquitoes will be bad up there, due to beaver meadows and standing water.