Ever pick up a magazine and find your favorite waters exposed to the world? I wasn't sure what to expect as I pointed my pickup and raft to the Big Hole Valley in Montana. I started going over to this Montana river a few summers ago, and now make an annual pilgrimage each year. Sounds pretty crazy for a steelhead flyfishing guide, but for me it is a real vacation from chasing the anadromous fish on our local streams for the past six months.

My wife and I traveled with friends and made the 14-hour travel in an easy two-day run. I didn't even bother to buy a fishing license for the weekend. Instead I looked at the water, and watched where the guides were putting in and taking out. The only noticeable change was there seemed to be more weekend traffic. By Monday morning I had a favorite riffle to myself. My mode of operation is to work my way up the riffle with a dry fly, then fish my way back down with a nymph. I am constantly amazed how the Big Hole Browns have an affinity for laying along the shorelines when undisturbed. These bank sippers can take in a fly so quietly, you swear your fly was there and then it was gone. No ring no nothing! The largest Brown of the trip came this way. I was floating a ten-mile stretch of the river up above Divide. The river formed a series of shallow moguls along the west bank. PMDs in a #16 were coming off. I was fishing a parachute Adams with a pale yellow body. Third mogul up, I was fishing in about 4 inches of water. the current seam pushed next to a tuff of grass about the size of your hat. I managed to make the reach cast land slack line along the inside current seam barely missing the grass, and the fly was washed under. I lifted thinking the fly had sunk and the line just stopped. The next second the river turned butter yellow and I knew I was into Leroy Brown. I hollered for Scott as the fish bolted for mid current. He never jumped but bullied his way around the shallow river. The tippet held and minutes later I was admiring my largest Big Hole brown to date. 25.5 inches.

How good was the fishing? I hooked rainbows, browns, grayling, cutthroat, and monster whitefish everyday. I caught them on dries, nymphs and streamers. Rainbows to 20" and browns to 22'' is a daily occurrence, and every day, sometime in the day, I would raise or hook a fish that would make the hands of a steelhead guide shake.