Craig gets to go fishing!! And why is it 9:30 at night and not sunset yet!!

It’s been a few weeks now and the house is looking like a home. We have had lots of minor repairs for contractors to fix and things to fix ourselves. We replaced a couple leaky toilets, tore off some awful peach wallpaper borders, replaced some 1970’s lighting and had rain gutters installed to correct some damage that the rain had caused. We even have chosen a contractor to build us a small garage, (something I guess we need here judging from last year’s photos.)

The house in winter

It had been a long time since I was able to go fishing. I had major surgery on my shoulder in December and wasn’t really able to fish much in the months before. I am enjoying Montana immensely but I do miss my fishing/photography buddy Scott and it probably has been almost a year since we had fished last. I am sure I will see him before long and we can have some new adventures.

In California a regular fishing trip usually started @5:30 am in order to beat traffic and get to the lake or stream at a decent hour. Scott and I would usually fish till @2 and then drive back to our respective houses. Oh and if it was a race day near Sears Point forget fishing altogether!

Her in Montana we finally felt like we were settled in and at a point where Erin needed some alone time. She suggested I probably should go fishing. (She does this from time to time to help her creativity and I think it’s why our marriage is successful, that and the fact that I will fish at any opportunity) The only problem was that I needed a fishing license and to get one you need to be a resident and have a driver’s license from Montana. Great,…I am a resident, but I wasn't able to get my driver’s license because you have to make an appointment, and I couldn’t get an appointment for over a month and a half!! The other problem with that situation was that it is illegal to be a resident and not have a driver's license after 30 days!! What a catch 22!! Well I gave in and bought the out of state fishing license for $120 rather than wait to get the resident one for $30. I’ll save money next year, fishing is more important. Erin and I also vowed to drive super safe to avoid being pulled over until we had our licenses.(we finally got them and they are good for 8 years!!)

Finally the morning came to head out and fish. I picked nearby Echo Lake that is known for its Smallmouth Bass. I woke up at 6 ate breakfast watched birds on the deck and gathered my stuff together. I was out the door by 7 and on the lake by 7:30.

Echo Lake

What!! Wait, no long drives, no getting up at O dark thirty, no driving around in the dark and it only takes 15 minutes to get to this lake. I must be dreaming. I don’t even care if I catch anything I am finally on the water again after almost a year. I get comfortable cast a few times then whack.. a fish. I had been fishing less than 5 minutes and I caught a fish already! No way!! I proceeded to watch Osprey admire the surroundings and catch and release (As I always do) @12 fish that day.

Echo Lake

Some small, some bigger and after 5 hours texted Erin I would be home for lunch in 15 minutes. Amazing!

Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth Bass

A few days later I tried my luck again. I got to fish a Lake that my fishing buddy Scott had told me about on a trip to Montana that he took with his wife a few years back. One where he was able to catch a Grayling, a fish I had never caught. From his photos and description to me over the phone I couldn’t wait to get there. This lake was farther away, a whole 40 minutes from my house😉. Lake Rogers is a beautiful lake on the west side of Kalispell.

Rogers Lake

As I arrived I saw the lily pads were blooming and there wasn’t another person in sight. The weather was beautiful as only a few clouds dotted the sky. I was happy to get to fish in such a beautiful spot and I saw a loon with two chicks just off shore. I got my stuff and kicked my float tube out from shore only to scare a few yellow headed blackbirds out of the reeds. There were lily pads all over and I saw just enough of a clear spot to cast my line to stretch it out. As I tossed it out, I applied my sunscreen and got comfortable hoping for some luck. My first strip of my line and a large Cutthroat trout surprised me by grabbing the fly.

Cutthroat Trout

 I got him in, released him, and quickly casted again. Boom another nice fish! I was amazed at my luck but greedily I wanted my grayling. As I was trying to get through the weeds, a homeowner called out and asked me to fish a little deeper as she was afraid I would hook her waterline. Now realistically my tiny fly on a line that doesn’t go anywhere near the bottom wasn’t a threat but I assured her I would move out. (I don’t think she can ask this but my car still has California plates and I heard everybody here has guns so I figured I would play nice)As I moved out she thanked me and wished me good luck.

I moved out further and as I did I was constantly getting tangled in the lilies. I started cursing the lady who made me move. Nothing for over an hour but then I saw a fish jump near the far shore so I kicked over. I still got nothing, so I figured I would change flies. I put on a fly with a golden sparkle and I soon got a small bite. It fell off but maybe I was onto something. Over the next hour I caught a few more cutthroats and as I was trying to convince myself how great I was doing, a bald eagle flew overhead  checking me out and looking for any fish I might have released. I was still depressed I hadn’t caught any Grayling. Then finally I cast through a small opening in the lilies and a grayling came to my net. I was so happy and as I tried to take a photo it slipped back into the water. Darn it nobody will believe me. Then I remembered a phone call a few years ago as Scott was at this same lake catching Grayling and him telling me ”they are so slippery I can’t take a darn picture they keep falling back into the water…You will never believe me!!” I laughed at the similarity and proceeded to catch 10 grayling in a row photographing them in my net just so I had proof. I had to call Scott while I was there and tell him the story and he remembered his fondness for Lake Rogers.

Grayling

Now every lake isn’t as great as these two (I don’t think) as I found out while trying to catch my first Northern Pike. Smith Lake is about 30 minutes west of my house and I tried my luck there after the fishing report said “A great place to take the kids to catch small pike!). 

Smith Lake

I fished Smith on a Sunday morning and there were a handful of people and boats around. They were all eager to tell me a few tips and as I had never caught one I think they were interested to see if I could unhook one.(they have lots of teeth.) Another nice day, a few more eagles and hundreds of casts later I gave up. As I came to shore others followed and it was all the same thing. Nothing, no idea why but at least it wasn’t just me. I took a few photos of another beautiful Montana lake and vowed to return to get my first Northern Pike….someday.

Since I had gotten to go fishing, I needed to try and see something else I had always wanted to do. See The Northern Lights! Randomly the solar flares get so big that they can be seen in Montana. Winter, spring and late fall are the best times. I have an app on my phone that lets me know if the flares are big enough and if that coincides with the new moon I have a chance. So the weather was cooperating except for the small wisps of smoke from the Canadian wildfires. I got my photo gear ready and prepared to head up to Glacier National Park and Lake McDonald. The best times to see the lights are after 12 midnight but I wanted to see the sunset so I left early. Now, we have been messed up by the daylight up here since we moved. If you don’t have a clock you can run errands work outside and come in for dinner and it’s already 9:00 pm!! It just never gets dark! One night I wanted to photograph a sunset at Flathead Lake so I ate dinner watched TV and began to head out at 9:30pm. Sunset is @9:30 and Sunrise is around 5 am so that’s @16 hours of Daylight compared to Petaluma California 13 hours. Now I know it doesn’t seem like a bunch but it’s really different. Here you can go out for an afternoon hike and catch the sunset and if you aren't careful you might as well eat at a gas station because everything is closed at 10 pm. So I leave to attempt the Northern Lights at Glacier at 9:00pm and I’m in the spot at Lake McDonald by 9:45.

Sunset Lake McDonald

At 11:00 a Ranger stoops by for a chat and we talk for a while and I make sure they are cool with me being there. As long as I don’t sleep where I was he said I am good. The Ranger leaves to look for something more interesting to do. Soon I am joined by a group of college kids enjoying the night sky. We talk about the constellations and they head out to the pier to wait and see if the Northern lights appear. They make a good comp for my photo so I am happy. At 3 am we all give up and I head home. A very neat experience but no Northern Lights this time, I will try again.

Night skies over  Lake McDonald