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2017, Fly Fishing

Spring Fishing 2017

Another spring has almost flown by once again. In a few short weeks runoff will be here and our spring fishing window will be shut down and we will be back in the mountains chasing bears and turkeys. This spring we have gotten the privilege to wet a fly in eight different rivers here in Montana. Although the fishing wasn’t as good as previous springs we still were able to find a healthy number of nice trout and beautiful Montana views. Below are a few images from our spring travels around the state.

spring, fishing, montana, wild, flyfishing

Kicking off the early spring with a chucky bow.

Pulling for pigs on a mud line.

Mean muggin for the camera

Maddie with a nice streamer fish to start off a very windy day

Streamers saving a very slow day of dry fly fishing

Josh with a nice fish caught while filming for an upcoming project

Exploring some gin clear water before the snow started melting from the mountains

This fish was a serious moral boost on a slow day.

Travis fooled this great brown out of hiding in small pocket water.

Trout selfie

Warmer weather means more browns on the prowl

Travis product testing a new t-shirt. Appears to be working just fine

Josh stoked for days

The sometimes elusive spring dry fly eat

We now have a handful of new shirts and hats in our online store. To see more and shop click HERE.

-Zack

April 13, 2017/by Montana Wild

2015, 2016, 2017, Fly Fishing, Spring Fishing, Summer FIshing

FISH REEL 2017 – Fishing Cinema Reel

It has been a few years since our last FISH REEL. We originally started the “Fish Reel” back in 2011 to showcase some of our favorite shots in one short video. Well we’re back and so are the Fish Reels! These were some of our favorite shots from the past couple years.

Leave us a comment, let us know what you think and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for our most recent uploads.

–Travis

March 7, 2017/by Montana Wild

Fly Fishing

Bighorn River – Feels Like Spring

This winter has been exceptionally cold and snowy and the result has been poor conditions for winter fishing. For the last month I’ve been thinking about taking a few days and going to the Bighorn River to escape the frozen waters surrounding Bozeman. With a solid weather forecast I decided to pull the trigger on driving the three hours east and seeing if we could find ourselves a few hungry trout.

Big Horn County, Montana

A 5:30 departure put us at the Bighorn Angler right around 9AM. We dropped in to say hi to Steve and Pete, grab some bugs and get the keys to our room for the night. The Bighorn is basically in the middle of nowhere. The solitude is nice but plan on staying near the river until you’ve had your fill of fishing. Fortunately the Bighorn Angler offers some quality lodging right there by the shop which is about a minute from the boat ramp at Afterbay dam. Soon enough we had the boat in the water and our day had begun.

Travis enroute to the fishy waters.

The weather was prime. The sun was out in full force making for unseasonably warm temps and the wind was bearable. After watching the bobbers from the boat for a while without any luck we decided to anchor up and try some wade fishing. One of the keys for us on this river is to stop and fish the prime water on foot until you’ve figured out what the fish are keying in on. Soon we had a few patterns that were producing.

C’mere ya trouty

Maddie starting the day strong in our new Ladies Bison Trucker in Stealth

From there we stayed on the fish and the weather had us thinking it was the beginning of April. As always there were some boats on the water but plenty of space and fish for everyone.

Headed back to the homies

Beers and a boat box, a nice combo

Charlie Browntrout got fooled in the fast pocket water

Unfortunately we didn’t see any consistent rising action but the nymph fishing was consistent with orange scuds leading the pack and when the clouds rolled in the streamer fishing picked up a lot. As we pulled the boat out on Day 1 we were blessed with a double rainbow. God sure knows how to make some amazing places.

DOUBLE RAINBOW!!!

No bad days out here

After a full day on the river we headed back to Fort Smith and got settled into our room. We got our gear situated, ate dinner and proceeded to watch Planet Earth. Those guys do some crazy stuff with the camera!

Time to grab some zzz’s

The work horses

The next morning we awoke to clear skies and a light breeze. With a warm meal and some coffee in our stomachs we hit the water once again. We floated through the top mile once again without a trout which is frustrating but then proceeded to find the fish in short order the rest of the day.

Maddie putting the rod and Travis’ net skills to work once again

Brown trout’s stoke level: LOW

Bighorn green with a touch of gold

Maddie had also decided she was going to put to bed the theory that bananas on a boat are bad luck. We had three whole bananas in the boat on this day and Maddie proceeded to crush it and was the star of the day catching nice fish on nymphs and then going on a streak with the streamer.

Bananas on a boat is totally in right now

Swinging streamers in the riffle water = bent rods

Crushing it in the new hat once again

Thanks for the ride dude!

Travis putting one back in sight of the take out.

Overall it was a killer couple days on the water. If you haven’t made it to the Bighorn River you should do yourself a favor and scratch out a few days on the schedule and go. If you do be sure to talk with the guys at the Bighorn Angler. They’ll have a great selection of flies and gear, offer drift boat rentals and have some great lodging right there in Fort Smith. With winter back in the forecast we’ll be back inside behind the computer but these trips go a long ways in helping keep your sanity during the long Montana winters. Also be sure to take a look at our new Ladies Bison Trucker and either treat yourself to a new fishing hat or get that lady angler in your life a little something! Shop here > Montana Wild Hats

Photos by Zack & Travis Boughton

February 22, 2017/by Montana Wild

2016, Fly Fishing

10 Great Online Fishing Films

Fly fishing film. It’s come a long ways in the last five years yet also remained surprisingly stagnant. Technology has helped put the tools to create great film in almost everyone’s hands and documenting the sport has never been easier. With a younger crowd pushing into the industry the look and feel of the content has slowly began to shift. On the other hand it seems little progress has been made towards new and creative content. Each year’s film tour is filled with the same storylines, slow-mo tarpon jumps, and exotic locations only the rich or connected few will ever see. Some would disagree but hey that’s just my opinion. The emergence of quality fishing films really started about 5-6 years ago in my opinion and since then there have been thousands of films made. As filmmakers we continually look to progress the realm of fishing films and to some extent I think we have although not without ruffling a few feathers. The fishing community can be a touchy bunch. As such though we try to keep an eye on what other films are coming out and we appreciate the work others put into promoting the sport of fly fishing. At the end of the day that is really what fishing film should be about, promoting the sport and passion for catching fish and as a result of that passion we want to protect the places those fish live. With that said here are 10 of our favorites from over the years. Over half of them are now two years old and to me that says something, I’ll let you interpret the meaning for yourselves. Without further ado watch, enjoy and please leave me a comment below with your thoughts on remarkable fishing films you feel we may have overlooked!

Trout Is All

Rolf Nylinder is one exceptional filmmaker and storyteller. He graces this list twice and for good reason. His films have style and this film merges much of why we trout fish into one beautiful short film. No egos, just fishing, beautiful places and rising trout.

Double Down

Shot five years ago this film is one that hasn’t lost any appeal since then. Still moody as ever and filled with great fish and some great shots. The underwater shot a 2:00 is still a personal favorite.

Mighty Mouse

Mice, trout, AK. Need we say more?

Breathe

RC has become a beast behind the camera over the years. From competing against him at the Simms Shoot Out in 2012 his progression has been rapid. This film of his came out about 4 years ago but still rings true as ever. Fishing is good for the soul and sometimes all you need is a deep breath and a fly rod in hand.

New Zealand – Dream Come True

Great music, big trout, & beautiful New Zealand. This is a more recent piece and many fishing films have come out of NZ but this one we seemed to like a bit more than the rest. Did we mention we’ve got a trip in the works?

Early Morning Jungle Poon

The music and editing might be a bit jarring but the shots at 1:40 and 3:00 are easily worth the admission.

Plan B

Faceless Fly Fishing has been around for a good long while and this film from 5 years ago is a classic. Cutties, bull trout, browns, brookies and falling buildings.

The Field Coffee Diary – Ep4 – A Late Hatch

Rolf with more poetry in motion.

Streamers Inc.

Breaking the mold here with a funny parody about streamer fisherman.

Knocking On The Door

The next generation is here. These guys are all about stoking out the next generation and embracing the next wave of anglers to take up fly fishing.

Picking only 10 makes it tough so please share with us in the comments some of your favorite fishing films that are free and online!

–Zack Boughton

February 7, 2017/2 Comments/by Montana Wild

2016, Fly Fishing

BIG GULPS – VIDEO

The Salmonfly, one of the biggest meals on a trout’s menu. It’s one of our favorite times to be on the water. Last summer we took the camera out for a few days to capture a bit of why we love that time of year. BIG GULPS is descriptive of the big eats that these bugs elicit from the trout that call Western Montana home.

If you missed the blog post giving a bit more info about the film and our fishing see the other post right HERE.

Also, if you didn’t quite get what you had hoped for this Christmas please visit our store and consider some of our branded apparel. The purchase of this gear helps us make more free films for you in the future. Shop here > MONTANA WILD STORE

-Zack Boughton

January 9, 2017/1 Comment/by Montana Wild

2016, Fly Fishing

BIG GULPS – Salmonfly Fishing SW Montana

Pteronarcys californica

Late each spring salmonfly nymphs begin their migration towards banks, rock walls, logs, boulders and any other good structure where they can hatch. The largest of stonefly here in Montana mean big food for all the fish in the river. The hatch exists across the Western part of our state and in many areas across the Western half of the US. It’s something anglers wait for and anticipate. My first good taste of this hatch was in 2013 when good friend Dan “Rooster” Leavens, owner of the The Stonefly Inn, called me and said it was on. I grabbed my camera and showed up for two great days of fishing. Those days proved to be enough for a short film and Bareback Rider was created (watch below).

Since then we’ve fished the hatch in many places and had many memorable days. This year we wanted to return to some of the areas that were quite renowned for their salmonfly fishing and take the camera out for a few days. Fishing a massive dry fly is something I enjoy and love to capture. This year we were able to get out ahead of the hatch and try to watch it progress and learn more of the intricacies of this impressive bug.

Where they at?

Early on the fish didn’t key in on the dry. As a few adults would begin to hatch you’d think it would be popping off at any second. An hour later and you hadn’t had one fish rise to the big bug. Nymphing, streamers and other small dries were the ticket to getting fish in the boat those first few days out. As to be expected when the fish started looking up for the salmonfly the word got out. It wasn’t unusual to see 10-20 trailers at all the main fishing access sites along the river. Fish were to be had but catch a few and pull over for a quick photo and you just might get passed by a handful of boats.

Travis kicking the morning off with a slab of butter.

Some days I didn’t know which was better, be out in front and be the first bug the fish see or sit back and let the other boats create the hatch. We had big fish eat both ways and regardless of pressure you’ll always have those fish sitting in the spot that only 10% of anglers can either cast to or get a good drift through.

Sunny, warm days, salmonflies and pretty women in the front of the boat. Life is good.

The “if you’re real lucky” salmonfly eater

At the end of the year we’d gotten enough shots to piece together a short film. Monday the 9th we’ll release our latest fishing film, BIG GULPS, here on the website!

–Zack Boughton

January 5, 2017/2 Comments/by Montana Wild

2016, Fly Fishing, Hunting

10 Great Outdoor Instagram Accounts

Instagram is hands down our favorite social media platform. We love photos so we inherently are drawn to it and it cuts out most of the worthless garbage you get on other platforms like Facebook. Get on, scroll through some photos and your done, day not wasted. With that said there are some individuals that crush it on Instagram and we thought we’d share a list of 10 Great Outdoor Instagram Accounts. Take a look and enjoy!

#1 – Steven Drake (@stevendrakephoto)

Drake is one of the best photogs in the outdoor industry and can hang in the most remote and brutal conditions all while snapping epic photos. He’s a force to be reckoned with and we’re stoked to see images from his next adventure.

#2 – Brad Christian (@bradschristian)

Brad helped lead the charge while at Mathews by utilitzing captivating, unique and beautiful images of the hunt to help shape the industry for the better. He’s also one talented dude behind the camera himself and he now works with the fine folks at Sitka meaning you’ll be seeing more awesome work from him in the future.

#3 – Sam Averett (@samaverett)

Sam was one of our very first interns and he quickly became one of the dudes. His solid skills with the camera have since then progressed quickly and now he’s one of our favorite guys to keep up to speed with. He’s hard to pin down but we hope this won’t be the last time he will be showing up on our page.

#4 – Nick Kelley (@ngkelley)

Nick works at Outside Magazine and lives up to the level of skill one would expect from an employee at such an inspiring brand. He’s an exceptional photographer and his work takes him across the globe shooting and documenting the outdoor lifestyle.

#5 – Jordan Gill (@jordangillphotography)

Jordan is another young gun with a mean eye for sick photos. His work has been utilized by powerhouses YETI, Sitka and Mathews to name a few. He has a strong beard game, need we say more?

#6 – Puffin (@swishersweetswag)

Mixing it up here at #6. We’re not even sure what this guys real name is but he’s darn fishy and doesn’t adhere to any standard fly fishing trends in the appearance department. He’s a fresh look at fly fishing in an industry filled with old guys who think they know it all. If you like looking at dandy fish, there is no shortage.

#7 – Jerrin Uecker (@jerrin_uecker)

Another young guy making a name for himself is Jerrin. His skill with the camera is beyond his years and his work is typified by great use of natural light and color.

#8 – Sean Kerrick Sullivan (@sully_land)

Sean crafted a spot in the snowboard community as a talented photographer and still shoots some of the best snowboard images year in and year out. He also has a nack at taking great fishing images and is one that will keep you on your toes as to what his next post might be.

#9 – Derek Olthuis (@derekolthuis)

Derek is one of the fishiest dudes we know, possibly only surpassed by his good friends. Whether it’s brown trout, bull trout, brookies or any other trout species chances are he’s caught one bigger than you and had a heck of a time doing it. He keeps things fun and isn’t afraid to share some knowledge to make your next trip on the water more enjoyable.

#10 – Chris Hood (@chrisjhood)

Last but not least is Chris Hood. He’s just wrapping up a long, long trip around the country in his van and the images are breathtaking. Whether it’s hunting, fishing, landscape, portrait he can crush it on all fronts.

Written by Zack Boughton (@zackboughton)

October 17, 2016/1 Comment/by Montana Wild

2016, Fly Fishing

Stoked On The Smith – VIDEO

Stoked On The Smith is now live!!! This spring we had the opportunity to float the Smith River in Central Montana. We wanted to see this resource for ourselves and document the trip to help raise awareness about the Smith and the current situation with a copper mine proposed for Sheep Creek, one of it’s main tributaries. To read about the trip you can start with Part 1 right here > Smith River Trip Part 1

Informative links regarding the Smith River:

–www.saveoursmith.com
–www.tintinaresources.com
–www.smithriverwatch.org
–www.backcountryhunters.org/sign_smith_river_petition

-Zack

July 21, 2016/1 Comment/by Montana Wild

2016, Fly Fishing

Summer Fishing is Tight!

We’re now in the midst of summer and it’s a great time to be outside for most of the country. Here in Montana its been a great summer so far. Even though it’s not technically summer we think of June as summer anyways. That’s when we start getting back out on the water in full force. It’s a time for salmonflies, early mornings, brown trout, big dries, streamer eats, laughs, roadtrips, sunscreen and lots of great scenery. This year we got to explore some new water in Southwest Montana and it didn’t fail to impress. Did we mention summer fishing is tight!?

June is all about stoneflies!

Maddie with an early morning brown trout caught on a salmonfly.

The salmonfly hatch is one that is no secret here in Montana. It happens in most of the Western half of the state but at different times. Trying to chase the hatch and learn what makes the bugs hatch and what makes the fish eat is something that you could spend a lifetime learning. Whether you know what your doing or not it’s damn fun to watch a fish rise to a bug the size of your pinky!

The days menu.

Early morning on the Madison. Sometimes it pays to be out early and other times it doesn’t.

Travis striking gold on one of the first few days where the fish were looking up.

Once you’ve started throwing the salmonfly around it’s sure hard to put anything else on the end of your line. Jumping from river to river though means you might be ahead or behind the hatch. Sometimes you’re early or the fish are just too full to look up that day and things slow down considerably. When you’ve had enough you tie on a streamer and see what happens, it usually works out to your advantage.

Who says you can’t fish streamers mid-day under the sun?

Back to running banks with the salmonfly

Don’t expect to have the rivers to yourself this time of year. Still plenty of fish and fun times to be had!

With summer comes our love for the smaller water tucked away in the backcountry of Montana. It’s where we first developed our love for fly fishing and it seems we always carve out a little time to get back and throw dries to hungry trout. The scenery isn’t bad either.

A little work is necessary to navigate some of these waters.

Enjoying the appetite of these native fish and the great places they live!

Even though we had a pretty solid winter, it seems our snowpack has burned off quickly. Rivers are getting low and Hoot Owl is out on quite a few rivers now. We generally shift our mindset over to hunting and scouting this time of year, but if you do get to spend some time on the rivers be sure to remember the fish are already worn down with the warming water and low flows. Be looking for a new film to be dropping here next week!! Also, thanks to all who read and support our content. As a small thank you we will be offering free USA shipping to you through the remainder of July. Just use coupon code: FREESUMMER at checkout!

-Written by Zack Boughton

July 14, 2016/by Montana Wild

2016, Fly Fishing

The Spring Fish Window

May is one weird month for fishing here in Montana. The weather is warming up and the rivers tend to be all over the place. Some years your only real option is the Missouri. Other years you can fish in town the entire month of May with exceptional fishing. It’s a month where staying local with the ability to hit the river at a moments notice can really pay off big. This spring we had a big push of water come through for a few weeks. Rivers were up with okay fishing if you knew all the right spots to target. The Missouri was the obvious choice for many anglers. It was crazy busy at times, but exceptional dry fly fishing could be had when the conditions lined up. This past week though, all the local Missoula rivers dropped hard over the course of a few days. Cold temps up high shut down runoff momentarily and the fish took note. When Josh called saying I needed to fish tomorrow I listened. Over time I’ve learned that when Josh says we need to fish he’s almost always right. We met up early the next morning and took the raft out for a rip.

The brown trout were on the prowl.

More aggressive browns.

Montana Shark

Chunky dude. Going into summer strong.

Patience with the fly allowed Josh to hook this beast and a wild rodeo ensued. Fortunately he found the net.

We made an extra long float and I’m glad we did. The action wasn’t consistent throughout the day. The morning was hot and then things tapered off. Sticking to the gameplan and fishing hard through the cold water kept us in the game and at the end of the day we’d definitely caught a healthy number of big brown trout. Life is good!

Written by Zack Boughton

Images by Josh Rokosch and Zack Boughton

May 23, 2016/by Montana Wild

Spring Fishing 2017

FISH REEL 2017 – Fishing Cinema Reel

Bighorn River – Feels Like Spring

10 Great Online Fishing Films

Trout Is All

Double Down

Mighty Mouse

Breathe

New Zealand – Dream Come True

Early Morning Jungle Poon

Plan B

The Field Coffee Diary – Ep4 – A Late Hatch

Streamers Inc.

Knocking On The Door

BIG GULPS – VIDEO

BIG GULPS – Salmonfly Fishing SW Montana

10 Great Outdoor Instagram Accounts

#1 – Steven Drake (@stevendrakephoto)

#2 – Brad Christian (@bradschristian)

#3 – Sam Averett (@samaverett)

#4 – Nick Kelley (@ngkelley)

#5 – Jordan Gill (@jordangillphotography)

#6 – Puffin (@swishersweetswag)

#7 – Jerrin Uecker (@jerrin_uecker)

#8 – Sean Kerrick Sullivan (@sully_land)

#9 – Derek Olthuis (@derekolthuis)

#10 – Chris Hood (@chrisjhood)

Stoked On The Smith – VIDEO

Summer Fishing is Tight!

The Spring Fish Window

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