Win a Sweetgrass Bamboo Rod!!

As Winter breathes its final breaths, and the occasional warm breeze wafts across the surface of our home waters, it’s time to start planning some fishing trips. Whether you are fishing the Big Hole, the Madison, the Ruby or the Jeff’, the LCTU Board wishes you success both on the water and off.

The past year has been successful for LCTU as measured by a review of the priorities set in June of last year. At that time, we agreed that the chapter would focus on the following priorities:

1) The Beaverhead and its tributaries with special attention paid to Poindexter Slough;

2) The bridge access document;

3) Participation in local watershed groups;

4) Increasing membership by adopting projects, by rotating meeting venue, and by having quarterly guest speakers;

5) Fundraising.

We have a Board Member on the technical advisory committee to the Poindexter slough engineering analysis which is being run through the Beaverhead Watershed Group. We have attended most of that group’s meetings as well as those of the Ruby Watershed. We are still working on the bridge access document, but hope to have something soon. We have met in Dillon twice, Sheridan twice, and Twin Bridges three times. We have had 3 guest speakers at these meetings, and have managed to accomplish a few things along the way.

One thing we have yet to focus on is Fundraising. Perhaps this is because of the inherently uncomfortable sensation that comes from requesting that which we would prefer to earn. We now feel like we have earned the right to ask. Therefore, we are embarking on a two-pronged approach to fundraising this year.

First, we are proud to be the recipient of a 7’9” three-piece, two-tip, six-strip bamboo rod from the Booboys at Sweetgrass. Sweetgrass has donated numerous rods to other TU chapters and organizations, but this is the first three-piece rod they have donated. I am proud to work for this outstanding company, and happy that our chapter will be able to raffle off this $2500-retail-valued rod. Tickets will be sold for $20 each, 6 for $100, or 20 for $300 and we will draw for the winner on October 2, 2010. We will sell a maximum of 300 tickets. Contact me at Sweetgrass Rods to buy your ticket. You can call at 406-684-5440 or email me at booboys@3rivers.net and we will arrange for you to receive whatever number of tickets you wish.

Second, we are bringing back the LCTU Banquet in the form of a “wine & food pairing”. This will be a limited affair with a maximum of 75 tickets sold. The event will include a four course Italian dinner with each course paired with a particular wine. The event promises to be both informative and fun, and we hope you can make it on October 2. We will draw for the winning Sweetgrass bamboo rod and we hope to have several items for a silent auction. If you have an item that you think would be well received and would like to donate it to our cause, we would appreciate it very much. Again, contact me to make arrangements.

With thanks to those who have made us successful over the past 10 months, and thanks in advance to those who continue to assist, we’ll raise a glass and hope you’ll buy a raffle ticket and that we’ll to see you at the banquet, if not on the water in the coming season!

Welcome to Kustich's Corner. 

It has been over ten years since back-to-back wet years kept Montana rivers flowing worry free throughout the summer. 2008 and 2009 have been a welcome relief after relentless low water years set in at the turn of the century. For several years after the wet years of ‘97 and ‘98 the fish counts on both the Ruby and Big Hole Rivers were notably high, so this latest period of high water does give rise to much optimism.

Thanks to drought management plans enacted by the Ruby Watershed Council and the Big Hole Watershed Committee in the 90s, the table was set for trout populations to rebound upon the return of increased flows. From the onset of both watershed groups in the mid-90s, Lewis and Clark Chapter of Trout Unlimited was involved with the Ruby Watershed Council and the George Grant Chapter was a vital player with the Big Hole.

With much hope, our Lewis and Clark Chapter lead the charge to get the Jefferson River Watershed Council established in the late 90s with the hopes that a similar rebound would occur in the river’s dire fish counts that had steadily declined since the river dried up in 1988. National Trout Unlimited took this project so seriously that it provided funding for a full time fishery biologist to work closely with the Watershed Council to address the many problems facing the river’s trout. TU biologist Bruce Rehwinkle worked closely with ranchers to provide more water, improve habitat, and develop new spawning areas all the way down to Cardwell below the city of Whitehall. And though low water continued through 2007, the river always flowed thanks to the efforts of Bruce and many cooperative ranchers along the Jefferson. Additionally, rainbow trout numbers have increased the past three years despite meager flows, and the increase of rainbows in the lower Big Hole has been notable as well. We can now only wait to see if this spate of water over the past two years will result in a more widespread increase in trout numbers. Bruce, ranchers, and the Jefferson Watershed Council have been nurturing the river for the return of normal flows. Only time will tell if all their hard work will pay off. Many believe it already has.

Because I have been very vocal about the Jefferson’s health since 1988, I couldn’t be more pleased with the management plan that has evolved. When we started the Lewis and Clark Chapter in 1993, one of its prime objectives was to address the needs of the Jefferson. Thanks to the efforts of so many a community has come together to unite for the sake of a wonderful river.

Fishing Conditions and the LCTU Reports Page can be found here.

Visit our Area with Microsoft Virtual Earth and plan your next fishing trip!

Take time to visit our Chapter Waters of Lewis and Clark Trout Unlimited in the Twin Bridges area. From the winding Beaverhead River to the famed majestic Big Hole, these rivers provide us here in Southwest Montana with quality trout fishing practically year round.

We hope you find the site useful in finding information about the great trout fishing in our area, and our ongoing conservation efforts to keep it that way. If you've never experienced casting a fly into a Montana river, maybe we can convince you to come here and give it a try. See you on the river!