West '05 Trip - Day 3

Posted: 2006-01-11
By: Randy Cochran

Today started early after an incredibly cold night in my car. I got going @ 5:15 am, 15 minutes earlier than planned, just to get warm in the heated air.

Driving up to the end of the passable road, I stopped short of an unmaintained 4x4 road and turned back to find bigger water. A few places I had noticed on the way up were calling me back down, so I motored down to the best of the lot to ply the water.

Layering in the cold morning air took a few minutes, and rigging up took a few minutes longer. It was almost time to lock the car and walk over to the stream, a short hop over the dirt road, when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.

Looking up I saw what appeared to be a medium-sized Cockerspaniel about 60-80 feet away, coming around the bend toward me. Then I saw its graceful movement and form more clearly - it was not a stray dog, or anything like that - it was a bobcat, or maybe a lynx. Gorgeous! It stood still, fixated on prey, then turned its attention to me.

I didn't move. I couldn't move. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen wildlife-wise, and I didn't want the experience to end prematurely.

The cat then walked towards me. 45 feet. 40 feet. 35 feet. Then it stopped, 30-35 feet away, crouched as if about to pounce but rather craning its neck from side to side, up and down, likely to see what I was and whether I posed a threat.

Our stare down eclipsed a minute until it saw me blink and decided to head back into the rocky jumble in the woods nearby.

Awestruck, it took me a few minutes to fully grasp what I had seen. Once I regained my composure, it was time to fish.

Stepping out over the water, I heard the whooshing flaps of a larger, unseen bird. Eventually it made its way downstream through the corridor of overhead trees to where I could get a good glimpse. A Bald Eagle! The first of a few I'd see this trip. What a day, and I hadn't even wet a line yet!

When I eventually got down to it, fishing was good in spurts. Beautiful fish again here at the Boulder, just like its neighbor a valley over. Very nice water! Deep emerald pools, knee high riffles, waste-high runs. A prototypical trout river if ever there was one. Splendid in every aspect, especially the scenery.

I'm not sure what compelled me to leave; maybe it was the feeling that I still had a lot of Montana to see, or who knows what... but by lunchtime I was off towards the Shields River and Belt Creek.

The Shields River looked to be dewatered lower down where I fished it. Up higher it would've been better to be sure, but I just didn't feel like I had the time to head too terribly far up, so I left to check out Belt Creek.

I started fishing Belt nearly at first sight. There is a ton of great looking water here, so there isn't a problem finding a spot. Paralleled by a highway for a good ways, there also isn't a problem with access - a plus or minus, depending on how much solitude you may want. There were no other people fishing this day, so I had the place and its many trout all to myself.

Many fish came to net on dries, including bows, cutts, cuttbow hybrids and brookies. Vibrant, saturated colors donned by all.

After a ridiculously good day, it was time to fix dinner. I found a roadside park and grilled up a few chicken thighs and corn on the cob, paired with a nice salad. Chatted with an older gent about fishing and such in the area before he retired to his trailer and I ventured off to Great Falls and beyond.