Conservation

Zinke and BLM Lands in Montana Zinke promised something quite different than he left in his legacy. Legacy, a funny concept. I think he promised to leave Montana in better shape than he found it? Editorial from Tony Bynum in…

Your Trout Voice and Concerns Matter

January 10, 2019

The upshot from Walleye’s Unlimited is this: They want more big walleye in the reservoirs and river systems. Catch rates and average size has decreased in the recent past. WU would like FWP to encourage walleye growth. The complaint is…

#TBT Wolf Creek FAS Proposed Improvement Project

December 20, 2018

Comment PEriod, FAS, FWP, Improvements, MArch, Wolf Creek

Wolf Creek FAS Proposed Improvement Project Ed Note: Lots of conversation about the updated, paved, striped Wolf Creek Boat Ramp since completion late October. The WC FAS has been changed, to exactly the proposal below. It is identical to the…

Upper Missouri River Management Plan Scoping Meeting Tonight in Helena

December 19, 2018

Conservation, Future Fly Fishers, Headhunters Life

FWP, Montana Wild, Scoping Meeting, Upper Missouri River Management Plan, walleye

Upper Missouri River Management Plan Scoping Meeting Tonight in Helena Meeting tonight at Montana Wild in Helena at 6:30 pm. Your voice determines the future of our Cold Water fishery. This is the pan for the 3 reservoirs above Holter…

FWP Wants Your Opinion – Upper Missouri Reservoir Plan

December 9, 2018

Conservation, Future Fly Fishers

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is requesting comments that will help them define the future of Fisheries management for the Upper Missouri River Reservoirs as well as the Missouri River from Toston to Holter Dam. 20 years ago, it’s unlikely…

Rally on the Rivers Support I-186

August 23, 2018

clean water, conservation, I-186

Rally on the Rivers! Care about Montana streams, rivers, and clean water? On Saturday, August 25th, join supporters of I-186 who will be rallying and floating on exactly what I-186 is going to protect, Montana’s precious clean water. Come join us…

Clean. Drain. Dry.

July 25, 2018

AIS, ANS, Clean. Drain. Dry.

Clean. Drain. Dry. Every time you leave the boat ramp. Clean. Drain. Dry. That is the rule now. The means every time you pull out. Take time to clean, drain, and dry your vessel. Pay particialuar attention to pulling off…

Upper Missouri River Watershed Alliance Annual River Rendezvous

June 10, 2018

Upper Missouri River Watershed Alliance Annual River Rendezvous Upper Missouri River Watershed Alliance Annual River Rendezvous Saturday June 16th at the Craig Firehall. Come to the annual round-up with food, river information, what UMOWA has accomplished this last year and…

YNP Bans Felt Soles

March 15, 2018

Yellowstone Nat'l Park

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY –Aquatic invasive species (AIS) could have devastating ecological, economic, and recreational impacts on Yellowstone National Park. They are costly to manage and extremely difficult to eradicate. Due to the urgent need to prevent these destructive species…

Press release from Montana TU

February 22, 2018

Press release from Montana TU NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 21, 2018 Contact: David Brooks (MT Trout Unlimited Executive Director), 406-493-5384, david@montanatu.org Chris Schustrom (MT Trout Unlimited State Council Chair), 406-260-1198 chris@gardenwallinn.com Citizen Initiative Filed to Prevent Permanent Pollution…

UMOWA plans Streambank Restoration @ Prickly Pear

February 17, 2018

conservation, restoration, streambank, UMOWA

UMOWA plans Streambank Restoration @ Prickly Pear Ed Note: This just in from UMOWA. Their first stream bank project on the Missouri River. Progress from our local watershed group. Congrats. Look forward to seeing more projects like these here on…

Not Mine, Ours. Smith River Video from TU

February 4, 2018

Save Our Smith, Smith River, Smith River Mine, TU, video

Not Mine, Ours. Smith River Video from TU Super Bowl Sunday. Enjoy the game. Save the Smith. www.smithriverwatch.org

Chasing Coral Trailer

December 30, 2017

Chasing Coral, conservation, Trailer

A great film trailer today about coral conservation. Chasing Coral is dramatic. I will be watching it today on Netflix. Beats shoveling snow here in central Montana with outdoor temps currently at -12F. Got a couple more inches of snow…

Smith River Turnout Helena Scoping Meeting

November 8, 2017

Save Our Smith, Scoping Meeting, Smith River, Smith River Turnout Helena Scoping Meeting, tintina

Smith River Turnout Helena Scoping Meeting Good turnout Monday evening. Lots of attendees. Some interesting points brought up to the DEQ. All surrounding ground water, bonding, economics, and the like. It is not a popularity contest at these events so…

Smith River Mine Scoping Meeting Helena 6pm Monday Nov 6th

November 6, 2017

Black Butte Mine, DEQ, No Mines in Montana, Scoping Meeting, Smith River Mine, tintina

Smith River Mine Scoping Meeting Helena 6pm Monday Nov 6th Tonight in Helena a boat rally along with the Helena DEQ Scoping Meeting at the Radisson Colonial Hotel 2301 Colonial Dr Helena MT tonight at 6pm The boat rally is…

Smith River Mine Scoping Meetings GF Monday Night!!!

October 29, 2017

conservation, Please Attend!, Smith River, Smith River Mine Scoping Meetings, Tintina Resources

Smith River Mine Scoping Meetings Montana’s Smith River is renowned worldwide for its clean water, rugged canyon scenery, and the incredible trout fishery that many Montanans hold near and dear to their heart. The Smith River is a permitted river…

2016 UMOWA Water Quality Report

June 16, 2017

conservation, missouri river, UMOWA, water quality

2016 UMOWA Water Quality Report Yesterday we summarized the 2016 UMOWA Macroinvertebrate Report written by David Stagliano of the Montana Biological Survey. Today we are going to discuss the 2016 UMOWA Water Quality Report. Study Design In 2016, UMOWA began…

2016 UMOWA Macroinvertebrate Report

June 15, 2017

Bugs, Conservation

Bugs, conservation, fly fishing technique, missouri river, Nymphs, UMOWA

2016 UMOWA Macroinvertebrate Report On March 17, the Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) published the results of the 2016 bug study performed by David Stagliano of Montana Biological Survey. We are late in sharing the results, but with the UMOWA Annual…

Two Mussel Encrusted Boats Intercepted

June 8, 2017

AIS, boat inspections, conservation, Montana FWP, mussel

Over Memorial Day weekend, two mussel encrusted boats were intercepted in Montana. Invasive species pose a constant threat to the quality of our waterbodies in Montana. As anglers, it is our responsibility to be educated about invasive species and our…

UMOWA: The Case For Flushing Flows

June 4, 2017

conservation, flushing flows, missouri river, UMOWA

The Case For Flushing Flows The Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) recently released their spring newsletter. Within the letter, UMOWA discusses the history of Missouri River flows and the beneficial contribution that flushing flows have upon the health of the Missouri River.…

Kicking Plastic

May 26, 2017

bottle, kicking, plastic, water

After several years of threatening to do so, a few of our guides – myself included – are switching from store bought plastic water bottles to other methods of transporting and distributing water to our guests. Most guides I know…

Please Leave Redds Alone!

April 6, 2017

Conservation, Fly Fishing Technique, Nature

conservation, fly fishing technique, missouri river, redds, Spawning

Please leave trout redds in the river alone! Rainbow trout are actively spawning in the river now and will continue to do so for the next couple months. The Missouri River is one of the best wild trout fisheries in…

Paper or Plastic?

March 24, 2017

Conservation, Fly Fishing Gear

conservation, fly cups, fly fishing gear, fly storage

Paper or Plastic? Soon, you might be hearing this question at your local fly shop as well as the grocery store. AFFTA has announced that they are making recycled paper fly boxes available to fly shops as an alternative to the…

Mussel Update

March 15, 2017

conservation, fish wildlife and parks, invasive species, mussel

Proposed Rule Changes Last night, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks hosted a public hearing on new rules aimed at controlling the spread of invasive mussels. The new regulations include the following: All out of state watercraft would need to be inspected…

Friday Conservation Flicks

March 3, 2017

Eel, Methow

Methow Headwaters The Methow is not an incredibly great fishery, but it lies in an incredible valley in Washington’s North Cascades. If you’re a Washington Resident, it represents some of the best fly fishing for trout the state has to…

Clean. Drain. Dry.

February 25, 2017

Clean. Drain. Dry., conservation, FWP, video

Clean. Drain. Dry. Do this. Commit. Clean. Drain. Dry. Make it part of your daily routine. But only if you like fishing Montana waters. Honest. Do this. Do not spread Aquatic Nuisance Species to non-contaminated waters. Clean. Drain. Dry. Wash…

Case of the Mondays

February 20, 2017

conservation, hawks

Welcome back to the cubicle! Monday morning and we’re all recovering from a busy weekend. The sun came out, and so did all of the Montana anglers who’ve been secluded under a blanket of snow for the last few months.…

Front Lines – Public Land Transfer Win

February 3, 2017

See? It Does Work! This week, public land rally’s were held in Helena, MT and Santa Fe, NM opposing the transfer of Federally owned and managed lands to states. Above you can listen to MT Governor Steve Public rally the…

F3T Time – Convergence

January 25, 2017

Conservation Hawks, Convergence, video

The Fly Fishing Film Tour is starting it’s way across the country, and here’s a trailer for one of the features titled “Convergence” from our friends at Conservation Hawks. CONVERGENCE, the new film from Conservation Hawks, explores the essence of…

The Super Salmon – Worth your 25 minutes

January 13, 2017

peterson, salmon, Super, video

The Super Salmon by Ryan Peterson is a fantastic conservation video featuring Alaska’s Susitna River and threats it faces from a proposed dam. Following the incredible journey made by a Salmon, the film features the people and places that call this river…

Bud Lilly Passes

January 8, 2017

Bud Lilly, Legend, Madison River, West Yellowstone

Bud Lilly Passes I personally did not know much about Bud Lilly. I do know he was revered and loved by many. I have visited his fly shop, sold a few times over the years, in West Yellowstone. Cool place.…

BHA Quiet Waters Initiative

December 14, 2016

BHA, boat, motor, power, Quiet, waters

Above: Headhunters guide Capt. Ryan McCourtney running his powerboat downstream from Cascade. “Montana’s rivers and streams comprise less than 1% of our landscapes, but are valued and used disproportionately by people,wildlife and, of course, fish. They are the focal points…

Yellowstone is more valuable than GOLD!

September 21, 2016

Conservation, Uncategorized

Consevation, video, YellowStone River, Yellowstone Valley Business Coalition

Yellowstone is more valuable than GOLD! We keep saying NO to mining in Montana. We still say NO. Not too much more to it that that. No mining near our National Treasures. Period.

River Nomads Video

September 15, 2016

bull, Trout, video

Pat Clayton – CEO at Fisheyeguy Photography – and I put together another “Life Aquatic” nature video, this time featuring some of the original Montana natives… Bull Trout. Took some work and some bushwhacking but we got some very nice footage,…

UPDATED 9/2: The latest info on the Yellowstone River Fish Kill

August 31, 2016

Yellowstone River Fish Kill

Yellowstone River Fish Kill Here is the latest info. The Yellowstone is open, partially. Read carefully. The latest info on the Yellowstone River fish kill includes updates from the governor, the guides, and FWP. We have spoken to a…

State of the Missouri River Craig Montana 8.26.16

August 26, 2016

Birds Bugs and Wildlife, Conservation, Fishing Report

BWO's, Callibaetis, Fall, Fly Shop HOurs, Hatches, Temps, Trico's, Trout, UMOWA, Water Flows, Weeds, www.craiglodging.com

State of the Missouri River Craig Montana 8.26.16 Bringing you the State of the Missouri River Craig Montana 8.26.16. Headhunters is the information source on the banks of the famed Missouri River. Keep it tuned here for your daily bite of…

Aquatic Nuisance Species Reminder

August 21, 2016

Aquatic Nuisance Species Reminder

Aquatic Nuisance Species Reminder Before moving to a new body of water you must wash your boat, waders, boots, or anything that may carry Aquatic Nuisance Species. This has become habit for many in the last several years with the…

Real Scary Shit

August 20, 2016

Conservation, Fly Fishing Travel

ANS, Scary Shit

Real Scary Shit This developed yesterday. Actually the day before the signs were in place. The entire stretch of the Yellowstone, the trout fishing reach, is CLOSED TO ALL RECREATION. That is serious. Read it all at RT News, or…

Recycled Anchors

August 3, 2016

anchor, recycled

A few years ago Jason Fowler walked in our shop and asked if we wanted to buy some “used” drift boat and raft anchors. When I asked him where he got used anchors, he told me he dove for them.…

UPDATED HOOT-OWL CLOSURES

August 1, 2016

Conservation, Fishing Report

closures, hoot owl, restrictions

Recent warm weather has increased water temperatures and decreased flows on a number of Montana rivers triggering Hoot-owl restrictions. It seems the days of complete closures are over. Here is the most recent update for those wondering which rivers are under restrictions.…

The Montana Story 40 Years of Success Video

July 12, 2016

The Montana Story 40 Years of Success Video, Trout, video, Wild

The Montana Story 40 Years of Success Video Awesome. A great story about this great state. It is why we have trout like no others. Period.

Montana Hoot-Owl Restrictions

July 3, 2016

closures, drought, hoot owl

Here we go. July 1 and we’re already seeing some “Hoot-Owl” closures around the state. That means that June was a little warmer than we like it. Or than the trout do. It seems early, and it also seems like…

Wilderness Cutthroat – Video

June 22, 2016

Conservation, Fly Fishing Video, Nature

cutthroat, Fisheye, Guy, photography, video

I’ve spent a little time walking around in the woods with Pat Clayton this spring and early summer. Fishing the mountains and looking for interesting things to take pictures of. For those who don’t know, Pat Clayton is the worlds…

Upper Missouri Waterkeeper sues EPA over Water Quality

June 1, 2016

EPA, Upper Missouri Waterkeeper

Our friends at Upper Missouri Waterkeepers filed suit this week against the EPA over it’s approval of a so called “variance standards” for nitrogen and phosorphus pollution in Montana’s waterways. Excessive levels of Nitrogen and Phosorphus are leading contributors to the…

Trending: Stream Access & Gubernatorial Race

May 30, 2016

Gianforte, Governor, stream access

You can’t really call attacks on our Stream Access Law here in Montana “Trending” because the attack is constant. If you live in Montana and follow the news or social media, you may be aware that Republican Gubernatorial hopeful Greg Gianoforte…

Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance Annual Meeting April 29th 6pm

April 27, 2016

Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance Annual Meeting April 29th 6pm This from the UMOWA website. The Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) would like to invite the public to the annual members meeting and barbecue to be held April 29th 2016 at…

Public Land Water Access PLWA.org

April 25, 2016

conservation, PLWA

Public Land Water Access PLWA.org Public Land Water Access PLWA.org is a great organization fighting to keep some of your land open. Commonly private interests insert themselves into our fishing and hunting life by buying, owning, and changing your land…

UMOWA Spring Meeting April 29th

April 12, 2016

Annual Meeting, April 29, conservation, missouri river, UMOWA

UMOWA Spring Meeting April 29th This is the Newsletter from UMOWA as posted on their site. Missouri River UMOWA has set the date and program for the annual member’s meeting. The gathering will be April 29th at the Craig Fire…

How a River Shuttle Saves you Money & Time

March 30, 2016

Conservation, Headhunters Life, Travel

conservation, Family, Money, Savings, Shuttle, Time

How a River Shuttle Saves you Money & Time All the fly shops have shuttle businesses. So before I get too far down this road of this math equation I will let you know that I am not yelling from…

Missouri River Summer Water Update

March 8, 2016

Missouri River Summer Water Update

Lots of talk about the upcoming summer season including water predictions. The Missouri River Summer Water Update can be explained easily with a couple charts. That chart above shows the probable water levels for the year ahead. You have seen…

An open letter to fly anglers from Snake River Water Keepers

February 15, 2016

Buck Ryan, Op-Ed, Snake River Waterkeepers

Received this in my email box last week. This Op-Ed piece penned by FS Buck Ryan of the Snake River Waterkeepers. His intro is below with the article following. A good read and truly valid. We all have to make…

Chrome F3T Trailer

January 29, 2016

Conservation, Fly Fishing Travel, Fly Fishing Video

Chrome, F3T, steelhead, video

A cool one this Friday. Friday Foto moving style. West Coast Steelhead rule. A conservation slant on this one. We totally agree. This week Save Our Smith, and this film by Conservation Hawks Chrome.

Save Our Smith

January 27, 2016

Conservation, Nature

mine, Missouri River Tributary, Save Our Smith, Smith River, tintina

Our postion on the proposed Smith River Mine. No. No thank you. We could get into the long and short of it but you can do your research here. John posted a great blog about the Smith River Mine issue…

Macroinvertebrate Report from UMOWA

January 5, 2016

fly fishing technique, missouri river

& Wildlife, Birds Bugs and Wildlife, Bugs, Conservation, Fly Fishing Technique, Nature

On December 22, the Upper Missouri River Watershed Alliance (UMOWA) released the Baseline Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Report 2015 for the Upper Missouri River, MT, prepared by David Stagliano. The purpose of this study was to provide baseline macroinvertebrate (bug) monitoring data in order to assess…

Utah Stream Access Win!

November 10, 2015