Monday, July 13, 2009

Black Tail Deer Creek, Montana


Last summer, my wife, my father and I took a trip to Montana to visit some of the most incredible fly fishing destinations in the Rocky Mountain region. If you have never been to Paradise Valley, you owe it to yourself to pack your bags. Unfortunately, we were a bit eager, and run off was still going on strong on many of the larger rivers.

What to do? Mope? Nope. Instead we headed for some of the lesser known creeks in the area, such as Black Tail Deer Creek, about 35 miles south east of Dillon.


View Larger Map

Black Tail Deer Creek is a tiny stream, that meanders through brushy willows. When we first arrived, I didn't think there would be any fish living there. The water was pretty cloudy, and you could jump from one side of the creek to the other.

Rather than driving back to Dillon with our tail between our legs, I did what any self-respecting trout bum would do - rigged up my fly rod and started thrashing the water!

I tied on a caddis, and tossed it in. A 10" rainbow hammered my fly on the first cast. That was the last Rainbow I caught all day (the rest were Brookies).

My father and I spent the next several hours throwing caddis flies around every bend in the creek. A stealthy approach, and careful casting to avoid the brushy willows was rewarded with a hungry Brookie.


Sometimes, the smallest creeks hold the biggest rewards. While the fish weren't huge in Black Tail Deer Creek, the location couldn't be beat. My wife doesn't fish, but does enjoy painting. She has produced some really great pictures, and are good reminders of my fishing adventures.

The picture below was the setting for one of her paintings. You can see how it turned out by visiting Sherri's blog.


No comments:

Post a Comment