Well, if you believe in talismans, we have a good one in our E-12 pocket. As I mentioned to you in my "A" message to you, (y)our very first Extravaganza-related boat has been on the Bitterroot River (our targeted river for E-12) and, under the guidance of our Double Up Outfitter John "The Great but Propaneless" Gould, the results so far have been stunning. Take a gander at Propaneless, featured in the attached photo with Group One's Nicholas "The Tsar" Shepard [it was he, not his brother Josef "Fear The Beard", who wingmaned with father Brian "Moraine" this week, btw]who is holding THE largest fish we have ever landed (and released, btw) on The
Root--a 24 1/4"{yes, at this size, every extra quarter of an inch is monumental [German] brown trout. Congrats, Tsar--you have both found our talisman and set a very, very high bar for all of your fellow Extravaganzers to attain come Opening day, now in just 2 1/2 months.
Not only is "B" for BIG fish but it also is for two of the primo western Montana rivers that we look to fish each year: "The Root" and The Big ("A River Runs Through It") Blackfoot River.
As you fly into Missoula from the west, the last 52 miles of your approach into MSO is along the fabled Bitterroot Valley. Glacier carved eons ago, the meandering Root is, indeed, our E-12 targeted river (more than 75% of our 110+ boats will fish that river), as it is easily navigated and boasts over 5500 trout per mile. Rainbows, cutthroats, browns and cuttbows (a cross between the first two of these) reside there in their natural habitat which is supported by abundant flora and fauna and accompanying bug life (the basic meal plan for these pure-bred trout...no planted fish live in these-here parts!). On a typical day, each of our boats will drift about 10 miles of this river, giving opportunity to dance with over 55,000 trout [yes, you will ALL catch fish yes, even you, Group Two rookie CPA Steve "Montana Owes Me" Smith!] with our average daily tally being somewhere well north of 20 fish/day/boat.
The Root is yet a young, wild river. Each year the runoff radically changes its course such that those portions of the river that today Propaneless is fishing with the SS Shepard a decade ago were just tributaries and/or side channels or barren ground. Fallen aspen and cottonwood trees (some by erosion resulting from the river's constantly changing course, some by beaver) populate its path, providing cover to huge brown trout [see attached photo and then before you put TWO rulers end-to-end to see the massive size of that beauty] and perfect habitat to massive throngs of mayflies, stone flies, terrestrials and other aquatic insects that set the plate for the river's finely finned fetch. Fame abuts The Root as well, as Lewis & Clark's second winter was spent near its Lolo, MT banks: "Traveler's
Rest"--a now underwhelming site that each of you will drive by on more than one occasion during your E-12 stay with us.
An equal match to The Root is the massive and marvelous Big Blackfoot River. Contra to Da Root (that uniquely flows from the south northward towards its confluence with the Clark Fork of The Columbia [see "C" is for Clark Fork to follow]), the Blackfoot flows from the north southward to its confluence with the Clark Fork at the town of Bonner, just a handful of miles east of Missoula. Year after year, THE biggest fish of the Extravaganzas have come out of this wonderful, robust and enervating river: In our 2008 Extraganza movie (see Der Blog for a link), we were able to catch on film Jami Grassi's hooking, fighting and landing of a 31" bulltrout, 34" the big brother of which was caught a few years earlier by yours truly (pictured on Der Blog as the link to "The Ode To Rock Creek Ron".
The Big Blackfoot became world famous (as did the fly fishing industry) by Robert Redford's wonderful pictorial accounting of Norman McLean's classic novella "A River Runs Through It" starring Brad Pitt (who began his movie fame therefrom). Of all the rivers that I have fished over the last two decades, the Blackfoot is my absolute favorite--every day is an adventure into a splash of natural beauty, complete with soaring eagles, diving ospreys, wildlife galore and, on a good fishing day, a fishing bounty to match none other. To float "the upper canyon" of the Blackfoot is to enter fishing nirvana, something that many of you, subject to water, weather and fishing conditions, will have the opportunity to experience in the not too distant future.
For you rookies out there, if you want to get a taste of just what this wonderful sport is all about, in addition to viewing our own movie, grab/rent/steal a copy of this iconic movie and you will get the Extravaganza spirit well before your arrival!! Also, the book (25th anniversary copies of which we gave out during E-11) is a marvelous read and easily available via Kindle.
So there you have it: "B" is, indeed, for Da Root, the Big Blackfoot and for The Tsar's BIG fish--congrats, Nicholas...too bad that you caught it too early to have it logged in on our E-12 Twenty Inch Club board!!! But, then again, you DID release that beauty and know (or, at least Propaneless knows!) from whence those twenty four [count 'em!] inches came!
Stay tuned for the next edition of E-12: "C" is for "Clark Fork"!!
Best to all in eager anticipation of it all,
Rock Creek Ron-----<'///><
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