Jake and I were up fishing the Gallatin a few weeks ago. I had worked most of the day in another business we operate here in Bozeman, purposefully rising around five to get an early start (and catch east coast business contacts) so that I could fish later that afternoon.  (And no, the picture is not the Gallatin - it’s the lower Madison.)

We headed to a favorite series of pools on the upper Gallatin, and despite the wind, afternoon sunshine, and high pressure – proceeded to have one of the better days we had on the river all summer.  There are three nice pools in a row over about a mile of river, we each took one pool and fished up to the next, then walked down and started over.  Hoppers, crickets, and stims almost couldn’t miss, and brought to hand a couple of nice 16 inch fish among the nearly two dozen smaller fish – pretty healthy for the upper Gallatin. 

We had planned to stay a couple of hours only, and it seemed before I could turn around two hours had passed.  About this time the shadows were just beginning to lengthen and it clouded up a bit, and wouldn’t you know it, a baetis hatch started to come off.  A quick conference with Jake suggested we’d stay another half hour, quickly fish though the two best pools, and get me back to town for dinner with my wife. 

It’s amazing how time becomes of secondary import when fish are rising to small mayflies on a river; we caught and landed another dozen between us in the next hour – Jake managed an 18” inch rainbow out of the better pool (he always seems to end up there), finally we met and checked the time – another hour had vanished seemingly in minutes. 

Fishing was so brisk and the evening light so stunning we couldn’t leave just yet.  Fish kept rising to well presented flies, though not as routinely – the game became a little more intense as it often does later in a hatch.  A few Caddis mixed in – are they still feeding on baetis or emerging Caddis?  Another problem to solve (more baetis than Caddis) and more time passed. 

After working through the hatch issue I noted the light had faded a great deal by now – surely only 15 or 20 minutes had passed since I last checked.  Jake wandered down from the uppermost hole and suggested that we get going; it had been almost another hour.

I stood my ground and said just five more casts – if no rise or fish, we go.  Another fish.  Another five casts and then we’ll go.  Another fish. 

What was that splash in the pool below us?  Ok, I’ll stop here and then just five casts in that lower pool on the way out.  One rolled on the fourth cast – just another five. 

Damn, all the sudden it’s dark, my headlamp is in the truck, and there’s no cell service to call my wife and try and explain a late arrival yet again.  Now, finally, it’s time to leave.

Damn, that was fun. 

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