I belong to a non-profit called Reeling in Serenity. We provide free fly fishing retreats for people in active recovery from Substance Use Disorders (SUD). The retreats give those in recovery an opportunity to build a new community of like-minded, clean and sober people who are looking to develop healthy activities to participate in while they battle their addictions. The fly fishing community is a tight-knit, supportive community, and a healthy model for these participants, or anyone, to be a part of. We host several of these one-day retreats per year, all over the country, from Georgia to Pennsylvania, North Carolina to Colorado, and last weekend, in Montana at the 320 Guest Ranch.
While I love being a part of these retreats, my stay wasn’t all business. I had to spend a few extra days extra in Montana to experience this wonderland for myself because, well, how could I not? I invited my friend and partner in fishing crimes, Michael, along as neither of us had been here before. While staying at the 320 Guest Ranch, between Big Sky and Yellowstone National Park, we fished the Gallatin River, as well as traveling to the upper Madison in search of those big browns that make their way upriver in late September and October to spawn. The big browns eluded us, but we got into some nice fish and had 5 days to wonder at the scenery. We were truly in awe at the magnitude of what we were seeing.
We landed in Bozeman Friday morning and were greeted by the mountain ranges encircling the airport in the distance. These were mountains, not like our mountains out east, but jutting out of the earth’s crust in jagged peaks with exposed cliffs of stone and covered in evergreen pine trees. Making its way north through these mountains were the crystal clear waters of the Gallatin River and Highway 191 that runs along side it. Driving into these mountains was difficult, mainly because I had trouble focusing on the road as I got lost in the sheer beauty of what I was seeing.
We fished our way up the Gallatin that morning toward the ranch to check in. Along Highway 191 there are pull offs at regular intervals providing ample access to the river. This section of the river, known as the canyon, is swift and deeper, full of pocket water with occasional pools scattered throughout. This freestone river is different from the typical rivers I fish in New York and Connecticut. It took a day or two to get used to it and while we did get into some fish, we worked hard for them. We fished from the canyon up to the Yellowstone National Park sign and watched as the topography changed and the Gallatin shifted from swift, deeper rapids, to slower shallow pocket water, to the winding grassy river that Yellowstone is known for.
Saturday we explored a tributary in the upper reaches of the Gallatin with some friends, which was also incredibly beautiful.
That afternoon, we checked into the 320 Guest Ranch. It is a lovely place and we were reminded that it is, in fact, a ranch. We were informed that the horses had the right of way at all times, and after checking in we walked outside to witness 60+ horses swiftly making their way toward the property across the highway for their daily run. They stop traffic on the highway to let the horses cross. It was quite a sight.
The weather was gorgeous for the trip, though we hit all four seasons every day. We woke up to 30-32 degree mornings with frost on our windshield. By 10:00 it was spring, summer by the early afternoon, and the evenings were a brisk fall temperature. The sun beat down on us every day, making the high 60’s temps feel more like the high 70’s.
The Reeling in Serenity retreat was wonderful on Sunday and every participant even caught a fish, whether it was on the stocked pond there on the ranch, or on the Gallatin River that runs through the property. It was a good day. After the retreat ended, we took the opportunity to rest. We knew there were a couple days full of fishing ahead of us and we wanted to have the gas to enjoy it.
We decided to head to the upper Madison River Monday morning, a little over an hour away. This is a tailwater, but still vastly different from our rivers out east. It was wide and shallow, with thousands of fish per mile scattered throughout the river. We looked for the soft water behind structures and were rewarded with some good fish on streamers. Mike got into a huge fish that day too, probably one of those browns we were looking for, but was not able to land it. I got into a few rainbows, one of which fought like a real bruiser at first, but ended up not being as big as it felt on the end of my line.
Tuesday, we headed back to the Madison for the morning session and while fishing was slower than Monday, I was able to land a good fish on a dry. It was the kind of catch that you dream of. Mike had seen a few fish rising to BWOs about 6 feet from the bank and had a couple chases on an emerger pattern. I spotted a fish rising just below those and dropped my fly ahead of him, watched him come up and take it and was able to land this beautiful rainbow. I was so present in the moment that I forgot I was wearing my GoPro and didn’t film the action, but the memory will linger for sure.
We had a friend visit us while fishing the Madison Tuesday as well. There had been evidence of bears with all the berry-ridden scat littering the trail along the river, but none of it was really fresh so we weren’t too concerned. But as I was throwing streamers I heard a very loud crow carrying on and turned to see what all the comotion was about. Up there on the hill was a grizzly making its way up from the trail. It ended up sitting down on a rock as we watched each other to make sure we each were safe. Mike and I left shortly thereafter.
On our way back to the ranch to pack up, we made a stop on the Gallatin to fish the canyon. We picked a spot in the lower section that was incredibly beautiful and ended up being successful. Mike got into a few trout nymphing a pat’s rubber leg with a purple perdigon trailing behind, and we both also landed whitefish, which are apparently in the river as well.
I was sad to leave, but this trip was one I will never forget. Fly fishing brings you to the most beautiful places in the world and gives you memories that inspire you and last a lifetime. The 320 Ranch was gracious enough to invite Reeling in Serenity back next year for another retreat, and you can bet I will be there! I love giving back to my community, especially when I get rewarded with memories like the ones I now have. Thank you Montana! Thank you Reeling in Serenity! And thank you 320 Guest Ranch! See you next year.
William Henry Outdoors 