On Day Two Group Two again battled the thermometer with highs topping out at near 90 degrees!! Today, Day Three, will be another story as right now Headquarters and most of the greater Missoula area is being pelted by a first class thunder, lightning and hail storm—showing, as only Montana can, the vagaries of weather in the Rockies. “Show Me” John Comyns was overhead this morning marveling that “only in Montana can you swelter one day and freeze the next!” which was on an equal (low) par with his cpa and fishing partner Steve “Montana Owes Me” Smith who started out the Day Two boat report by ignoring their two (count ‘em!) fish day by nominating his guide for “Most Valuable Player” for his stock car style race to and entrance into the Hooter’s parking lot, only to find out that the other guide that he was dragging with had already dropped off his fare at the Blackfoot House. “Woes Me” then bantered that his boat was really involved in a game of fishing low ball, whereupon, by white ballot, his Montana moniker was officially and on the spot changed to “Low Ball[s]”!!
Moving right along after this fifteen minute diversion, the balance of the Tattoos told of a(nother) day of “aces and spaces” with rising colder water combining with the “W Factor” to bring boats with great reports, like Tom “Squawfish” Thornhill and Joe “Campari” Ciatti’s 21 fish day that nonetheless cost them $20 in their wayward and otherwise foolish fish count with companion boat occupied by Adam Eichorn and Greg Livengood who boasted 25 fish and a dry run at the Blackfoot’s nude beach—it seems that Bare Assed Greg (now known as simply “B.A.”) so shocked the otherwise thronging naked multitude that they simply vanished—and all of this for a 16” best fish between the two boats—and from the fishing duo of Gisella “St. Mary” Carapia and Alia “Snowflake” Rodgers who netted 16 fish among them, the largest also being a Blackfoot 16 incher, that is aside from the 20+ inch snake that Alia also snared on a log. Also in the hunt was the ?SS Brad Miller and Tony Pantaleo who boated 10 trout including one or more small bull trout—their reporting was somewhat opaqued by the amount of wine that was being consumed by them at the moment!
Where volume was not in existence, size was---and, as you all know, around these parts size matters! Witness the Robertson/Hurd intake of a 17” cutthroat, the McLeran'/Popeye report 17”, 18” and 19” catches and, moving right up the charts, the landing of a 21” brown by Lori “Fawn Lady” Ware on the Blackfoot (with her fishing partner earlier doing “the grand slam”—catching five different species of fish in a single day)—winning Mz. Lori one of three Yellow Hats awarded to the Tattoos on their Day Two, the second being awarded to Scott Caldwell for his beauty of a 21 3/4 Blackfoot rainbow and, get this,the third for the landing of a 24 inch bull trout by Zane[y] Wiley Coyote just five minutes into his fishing day---congrats Zane[y]...you are the odds on favorite to wear yellow as your depart for the airport tomorrow morning...but watch out for his fishing partner Al “Good Earth” Balacq who, like Shanna Banana, did the slam on the Blackfoot reportedly losing a 20 inch rainbow in the process...right, Al!
Appropriately, Steve “Low Ball[s]” Smith was awarded with the nightly Cry Die Award, along with Doug “Popeye” Hamilton for his patience with the (continued) wining of his fishing partner Brian “Deerslayer” McLeran for having to pick up the Hooters bill even though they, as the last boat, arrived at 5:21—one minute later than the safe harbor time!
the evening continued with yet another wonderful repast and yet another wonderful presentation, this time by our good friend Grant Kier, ED of the Five Valleys Land Trust, who told tales of the great white fish (as he did the prior week to Da Ones) and of the wining of the battle for the preservation from development of the mouth of Rock Creek...all and all a great day in all!
Indeed, Hail to The Twos!!
RCR---<’///><
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