So this is happening...

Fish on a higher plane.

Available May 2017.

(I'm writing a book.)

Montana's high country is the final frontier of the last best place, which is why Wilderness Adventures Press is bringing out this all-new guide to flyfishing the mountain lakes of southwest Montana.
     These pristine fisheries have incredible fishing, from different strains of wild 5-pound cutthroat to golden trout to the elusive arctic grayling. Mix in the occasional trophy brookie and all the 12-inch cutts and rainbows you care to catch and... just trust me, you want to know.
     Author Joshua Bergan has spent innumerable summer days exploring and writing about these highland gems. From fish and bugs to water conditions, hiking difficulty and effective flies, this book fills you in.
     A selection of drive-to lakes, short(ish) hikes, and several-mile overnight treks are laid out in full detail with GPS coordinates. Detailed driving directions get you to the trailhead and Wilderness Adventures Press' detailed best-in-class maps take it from there.
    This comprehensive first edition covers well over 100 lakes from the Absarokas to the Idaho border, including the Absaroka Mountains, Gallatin Range, Madison Range, Gravelly Range, Tobacco Roots, Pioneer Mountains, Beaverhead Mountains, and other smaller ranges in between.
     Mountain lake fishing isn't for everyone, which is why it should be for you. Familiarize yourself.

Softcover, 6x9 inches
250+ pages, 50 maps
B&W, 80+ photos
ISBN: 978-1-940239-12-5
UPC: 8-09206-39125-3
Retail Price: $29.95
Case Quantity: 16
Available May 2017

Montana mountain-lake ice-out schedules

May 14, 2010 at Hebgen Lake.

Of the insights gained from doing research on mountain-lake fisheries, the ice-out and ice-up times are among the most valuable. No angler wants to to hike miles uphill, possibly through snow, to an iced-over lake. The risk makes hitting a mountain lake at the lustful ice-out days a task that many won't try.

Ice-out depends on a number of factors; it's not quite as simple as ice peeling off uniformly as you go up. The factors include recent weather, the prior winter's weather and snowpack, exposure to the sun, the amount of water flowing through via inlets and outlets, and of course the lake's elevation. For example, note in the list below how Hebgen Lake at about 6,500 feet actually tends to ice-out two or three weeks before nearby Cliff and Wade Lakes, which are at about 6,250 feet. My guess is that this is due to the fact that Hebgen has a good push of water flowing through via the Madison River, while Cliff and Wade have small insignificant tributaries and outflows (both get adequate sunlight and would have had similar weather).

One way to get a rough idea if the mountain lake you have in mind might have iced-out is to drive to a lake like Hebgen Lake or Hyalite Reservoir. It will at least give you an idea about other lakes at that elevation, and you can estimate uphill from there. Very approximately, ice out ascends about 5,000 feet every couple of weeks.

May 20, 2008 at Hyalite Reservoir.

Expect earlier ice-outs and later ice-ups as climate change continues, but the following is what I have learned.

From earliest to latest: 

• Hebgen Lake (about 6,500 feet): End of April-Early May
• Cliff and Wade Lakes (about 6,250 feet): Mid-May*
• Hyalite Reservoir (about 6,700 feet): Mid-late May
• Yellowstone Lake (about 7,800 feet): May 20-ish.
• Pioneer Mountains at 7,500 feet: June 1
• Pioneer Mountains at 8,000 feet: June 10
• Bell Lake (about 8,750 feet, Tobacco Roots): Mid-June
• Pioneer Mountains at 8,500: June 20
• Gneiss Lake (9,554 feet, Tobacco Roots): July 1
• Pioneer Mountains at 9,000 feet: July 1
• Twin Lakes (about 8,200 feet, North Meadow Creek in the Tobacco Roots): Early-mid July, though this might be an anomaly
• Pioneer Mountains at 9,200 feet: July 10

Of course this schedule is about as predictable as the annual salmonfly hatches, but it's something. Hike with slightly more confidence!

*Heard a report this year of Wade Lake being ice-free on May 3.

Fishing on the prairie

Another sensational weekend in Phillips County, Montana, on and around the American Prairie Reserve. Best believe we caught some dandy trout in the brown-water BLM reservoirs, and that we weren't the only ones doing so.

The whooshes of songbird swooshes can startle a person, far from the relatively metropolitan vibe of southwest Montana. Boges, who started with two good eyes and four good legs, plundered about without worry of endangering the neighborhood. Sunrises like the one below decorated each morning.

If only we can convince the powers that be to stock the reservoir on the private property at which we stay - it has a large forage base of scuds and probably fathead minnows. I'd happily fish for anything - even the weird fish native to this area like sauger, channel cats, paddlefish (yes, please), or sturgeon.

But the Madison River's nice, too.

Nearly driftless

"Depending on conditions" is a popular caveat around here - conditions being anything from fishing pressure to flow rate, clarity, hatch activity, road conditions, accessibility, et cetera. Oh and weather.

If you fish outside, you're aware of the role of weather. Especially if you are planning a trip, and especially if that trip is to a location with extreme weather, you better load up forecast.weather.gov. As a matter in fact, Liz and I witnessed the impact of extreme weather on our recent trip to the Driftless.

We were able to find fishable water by the end of our week-long trip, about six days after 7 to 8 inches of rain fell around Decorah, Iowa, causing flooding and dark-chocolate water. Our plans for lots of exploring were thwarted, wading wasn't easy, the water wasn't see-through, and the wind wasn't absent.

Most of the streams here are small and overgrown, but the water isn't tricky to read. The trout we found were small, but there is some natural reproduction and a few brood stockers. Rolling hills, lush greenery, and thick humidity distinguish the Driftless from the West, but the trout fishing is reminiscent.

Decorah is worth visiting, and the nearby fisheries are not necessarily the bland, cookie-cutter-stocker-filled waters about which you just read. We consulted a couple of friends who spoke highly of the area, and while there, stopped at the Highland General Store where a small box of film prints revealed big trout (the shop also had a selection of well-tied flies, fly lines, leaders, tippet, et cetera). Ethan and Jason at Northeast Iowa Flyfishing Guide Service kept us apprised about access laws and conditions - they are fishy folks who undoubtedly know where the big ones lie.

Between the trout, we camped at free public streamside sites ablaze with fireflies, met and caught up with family, dined at some old favorites, sampled the local drafts and even witnessed a brief aurora in southern Minnesota. Despite conditions, it was a fantastic trip.


Upon our return to Montana, we appear to have entered the nothing-but-90s-and-sun period of our season. Hopefully we haven't missed the day or two of fishable post-runoff pre-hoot-owl fishing (if that occurs this year) on some favorite rivers. Depending on conditions, we'll find out soon.