Hello all,
After getting out of our long backcountry we found a beautiful campsite overlooking the Sun River. We camped beneath the towering rock formations in the area and had an early bedtime, exhausted from the long day of fishing and hiking. The next morning we treated ourselves to a long awaited sleep-in and began the drive to town to complete showers and laundry. This was our first experience in civilization for the past four days and we took advantage. We went to a fair put on by the fire department right next to the laundromat. There we observed "firehose hockey," indulged heavily in free hot dogs, and enjoyed the cool mist from the firehoses. After taking long overdue showers and stopping for some ice cream, we headed back to our campsite for some afternoon fishing on the lower Sun River — similar to our time in the backcountry, there were plenty of eager fish waiting to take our flies. In the evening a big trico spinner fall prompted fish to rise all over the river. After dinner we played bottle cap baseball and indulged in a Lillard classic, buffalo mac.
The next morning we woke up refreshed and ready to hit the river again. We headed down to the river right in front of our campsite in the morning and were able to pick up some fish on nymph rigs. We returned to camp for lunch and cooled off in the stream running through camp. In the afternoon we headed lower down on the Sun River and were able to find much more productive fishing, with some campers catching big healthy 17-18" fish. At this spot we were also able to see one of the most prolific spinner falls I have ever seen, with thick clouds of mayflies high in the air above us coming down on the water to be eaten by huge pods of fish.
The next morning we began what could be the part of this trip I was most excited for: the overnight float. We opted to head to the world famous Missouri River to do our overnight float. This is one of the most prolific fisheries I have ever fished, with some of the most bug life of any river in the world. It was a welcome change of pace for the boys to go from catching dozens of small fish in a day to being able to target a few larger fish. It also taught some valuable lessons in how to fight big fish and some heartbreaking lessons in how not to fight them. The first day was a full day from 9am until 5pm and was filled with big rainbow trout, whitefish, and a couple of brown trout. This was a new type of fishing for a lot of the boys and it was fun to help them learn how to fish from a boat. In the hot afternoon, as the fishing began to slow, we swam in the river to cool down. In the evening we camped on the banks of the Missouri, and after pizza the boys went down for some more swimming in the river. The next day followed a similar blueprint — some swimming, lots of big fish, and lots of fun.
As we head back towards our headquarters in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, we reflect on the incredible adventure that we just completed. This was an amazing trip in some amazing places and one that I will remember for the rest of my life. What really made this trip was the incredible group of boys who completed it with us. Getting to know a bunch of awesome kids and seeing their awe and appreciation of the wilderness and the fish is my favorite part of these trips. It was awesome to watch the guys grow as individuals and as one close-knit group that learned not only new fly fishing and outdoors skills but how to make new relationships and coexist as a group of close friends. Everyone improved not just their technical fishing and camping skills — they also grew as leaders and young men.
We'll check in one more time after we send the boys off on Friday. Until then, we're gonna go have some more fun!
Evan, Adrian, Gavin, and the boys
