08-24 REELLIFE print digital - Flipbook - Page 11
food
A Pizza The Fishing Action By Matthew Carey
It’s great when strangers
become friends, those
who are passionate about
something can share that
passion with others and
the feeling of joyfulness
can be had by all. That
was certainly the case on
one of our recent fishing
adventures here in the
great state of Montana.
I’m in the not-so-unique
position of being an
avid fisherman and also
someone who enjoys a
good slice of pizza. I am
in the unique position of
having been able to fish
with some fine folks from
Mackenzie River Pizza Co.
and blend the two joys.
Amanda Thompson, the
general manager of the
Helena, MT location, and
Allison Collins, out of the
Bozeman, MT location with
some regional supervision
duties, spent the day with
Mike Carey and me on the
picturesque Canyon Ferry
Reservoir just south of
Helena, MT.
What I really enjoyed about
the experience was the
ability to share something I
am passionate about with
these two ladies who had
never fished using the
techniques we employed
for the day. Allison had
some experience with
fly fishing (who hasn’t in
Montana?) while Amanda
was a little more green
to the whole fishing
experience. Both caught
on tremendously quickly!
Changing gear when
needed or putting new bait
on a hook quickly became
an old hat for all of us. We
trolled the southern portion
of the reservoir for walleye
using a combination of
crankbaits and bottom
bouncers. Each person
picks out their lure of
choice, which colors and
patterns would hopefully
work the best, and of
course, goading the others
for their poor choice of lure.
After a little explanation
and demonstration on how
to ensure the weight had
hit the bottom and the gear
was set up properly, we
were off and fishing.
The bite was steady all
day. No huge fish, the
regulations actually state
only one fish over 15 inches
can be retained, but the
anticipation of the catch
with the thrill of the familiar
walleye “tug, tug” on the
other side of a bottom
bouncing set up more
than made up for any
lull. That, in combination
with an abundance of
beautiful weather, gorgeous
scenery, and light-hearted
conversation made for
a really great fishing
experience. It was one of
those days with the perfect
blend of sun and shade
from the clouds overhead.
