Growing up, my dad used to love to listen to John Denver. As the plane taxied into the airport at Bozeman I was reminded of the lyrics from one of his songs, Rocky Mountain High - "he was born in the summer of his 27th year, coming home to a place he'd never been before" it isn't strictly true as I have been here before but feel a real affinity with the place and every time I come back I understand what Denver was saying.
Bozeman is a fishing town. Probably one of the most famous fishing towns in the world that we fly anglers may be lucky enough to inhabit. When you collect your luggage you pass pictures of large cutthroat trout that confirms the fact.
As you walk outside of the terminal you take in the air, admire the view and as you hit the roads see the trucks, big trucks compared to what we see back home, many of which are towing drift boats driven by either guides or just people out fishing. I try and picture the guide behind the wheel of his truck preparing mentally for the day ahead. I often wonder how many calories a drift boat guide burns in a day. Most guides I have seen are super slim, have a permanent tan and that far away look in their eyes when you talk about the hatches that are coming off. Many have just snatched a few hours sleep after heading back to the river and catching a great spinner fall or have been ripping a big streamer through a pool where their gut tells them a big brown MUST live before heading off to work again.
August is a busy time in this fishing town and as we make the hour-odd long drive out to our base at Hubbard's Lodge close to the Yellowstone river we see many of the drift boats that were being towed along the roads now having been launched in the river. It doesn't look busy to my untrained eyes and with over 7,000 fish per mile there are plenty to go around.
There is something relaxed about the nature of the folk living in Montana. Many of the guides are not local though, they have drifted west in search of work on some of the big name rivers building experience, contacts and some fishing for themselves too, during the few quiet days they manage during the season.
Once the season ends then it will be guiding for hunting lodges or heading to Florida or South America to guide or fish in the warm climates. Sometimes they will do both.
The first day is always the same for me. Despite doing my best to remain calm I am excited. The strong coffee at the lodge has exaggerated my state and I am also shaking with excitement as I make my first few casts of the day. I must be old enough to know better by now but make myself a promise to pack fly fishing in if I ever lose this feeling. I am standing in a drift boat on the Yellowstone. Who wouldn't be?
I miss a couple of fish but don't mind. I'm pleased with the drifts I am getting and am happy, really happy, with the rod and line combination I decided to fish today. I haven't brought a lot of gear. It is easy to fall into that trap but after years of practice I have it all sussed. I'd much rather sacrifice clothes for a reel or extra rod anyway. I'm here to fish not be a clothes' horse.
The guide shouts "set" and I do just that and there is no need to cuss this time as my rod dips as I lift into a cutthroat. I never tire of seeing cutthroat trout. They are simply beautiful with the tell-tale slashes below their mouths and cluster of spots towards the tail. I look at the fish briefly in the guide's net before it is released back.
The pattern continues: fish are caught, some are missed. As we drift down the river I do my best to drink in as much of the view as possible. It is stunning, so beautiful it makes me feel a little emotional. It is often said that wild trout live in stunning places and this is the perfect example.
We are reaching the end of our day and are near the take out point. I can't recall how many fish I caught but I don't care too much. I feel a little jet lagged now but happy. Happy to be fishing here and happy to be back in Montana again and it is only the first day.
Our trip to Montana was booked through Mat Mchugh from Fly Odyssey
Pete Tyjas Devon Fly Fishing Guide