11-12-24 REELLIFE digital - Flipbook - Page 22
gear
Boats are in my blood.
From my early years as a
young man, I have always
had some type of floating
vessel with which to explore
(for me) uncharted waters.
The curiosity of what lies
around the next bend
was as important as the
fish that I was pursuing.
Thankfully that curiosity
has not diminished with
the passing of the years.
And now, in my third year
living in Montana, the flame
burns as bright as when I
was younger.
To pursue my passion
properly, years ago I realized
that a one-boat family
would just not cut it. My
fleet gradually grew, one
boat for saltwater and lake
fishing, one boat for rivers,
and one pontoon boat
for peaceful floats. The
diversity of boats allowed
me to explore many of
Washington’s lakes, rivers,
and saltwater fisheries. I
was (and am) truly blessed.
The Missouri River by Ulm
is a slow-moving, deeper
version of itself. A couple
dozen miles upstream the
trout fishing is renowned,
and a day of catch and
release for trout is generally
the norm. But here the river
slows, with deeper pockets
that attract a more varied
selection of finned pursuits
to target. As the trout
populations drop off, the
warm water fish make their
appearance. This is the river
of pike, walleye, sturgeon,
and catfish. To search out
these noble warm water
fish requires a different
strategy. Drift boats are
great for the Craig area
trout, but from Cascade,
downstream to Loma, and
onward to the Missouri
Breaks requires a boat that
can safely navigate shallow
runs, rocks, and sunken
logs. A jet boat is the
preferred vessel of choice.
I had given my first jet boat,
a 15-foot Klamath, to my
son Matt several years ago.
It was a boat that saw
much use on the Cowlitz,
Skykomish, and Satsop
Rivers of Washington
where I targeted coho and
steelhead. I loved skimming
over the shallow runs,
dodging rocks and log
snags, and learning how
to use the lack of a prop to
my advantage as I “Tokyo
Drifted” my way through
narrow passages. More fun
could not be had!
Back on the Missouri, Matt
and I were fishing for pike,
and I had just caught a
nice 26” specimen. Don’t
get me wrong, I enjoy flyfishing for trout, but having
a pike slam your lure in
mid-retrieve has its place
in my heart as well. While
admiring my fish, Matt
casually mentioned that he
and his wife were looking to
buy a house in Helena, and
of course, would no longer
need to store the boat with
us in Great Falls – meaning
– no more jet boat for me to
use whenever I felt like it.
