Hey families,
We've been hard at it — covering miles of water, catching plenty of fish, eating well, and laughing lots. Here's what we've been up to...
We kicked off the float portion of camp with two days on the Missouri River. While the fishing was a bit slow due to the hot, sunny conditions, it made for a great classroom on the water. Our focus was on teaching these future guides efficient push-and-pull rowing strokes, matching productive drifts, and understanding everything that goes into a successful day as a guide — from preparing gear the night before to cleaning, de-rigging, and loading boats onto the trailer at the end of the day. By the time we wrapped up in Craig, every camper had successfully rowed another camper into a fish, helped load and unload both rafts and drift boats, and developed a strong foundation in basic oar strokes and boat handling.
The following morning, we were up bright and early for a half-day on the Madison River, giving campers a taste of a guide's typical early start. The dry fly fishing was outstanding, with hatches bringing fish to the surface throughout the morning. Once again, every camper rowed another camper into a fish, and there were very few bumped oars or encounters with rocks. The Madison provided an excellent opportunity to build on the rowing skills learned on the Missouri, with campers matching drifts through tighter, rockier water to give anglers the best possible dry fly presentations. Last night, after a long day on the water we enjoyed some carnitas tacos and quesadillas for dinner, which were a huge hit with everyone!
Today we're taking a break from the oars and spending the day on the Ruby River, where campers are practicing walk-and-wade guiding techniques and getting the chance to spend a little more time fishing themselves. This evening we'll set up camp at Varney on the Madison and -if time allows- squeeze in a game of ultimate frisbee before bed.
The next two days will be some of the most technically challenging of the session. Tomorrow we'll row one of the upper sections of the Madison, where the water is faster, narrower, and more demanding. The following day we'll tackle the walk-and-wade section, which requires constant rock avoidance and quick, efficient boat maneuvers. These sections will provide an excellent opportunity for campers to put all of their rowing skills to the test.
We'll also be attending a seminar led by the Salmonfly Project, where campers will learn more about aquatic insects, their role in healthy river ecosystems, and why understanding them is such an important part of successful fly fishing. We're having a blast and learning a lot. The time has flown by, hard to believe we're about halfway finished. Glad to have another week with these guys.
Until next times,
The guides
