A Bittersweet Week

I just wrapped up one of the most consistent weeks of guiding this summer, with fantastic fishing on both the Snake and the South Fork. The cold weather, cloud cover and moisture we saw this week jump-started many of the fish into early fall mode. Drakes, Mahoganies, Hecubas and Hoppers all worked well for the anglers in my boat. Even once the skies cleared, and the hatches cooled down, the fish were still looking up for the Hoppers. There were also plenty of Caddisflies in the mornings, particularly on the South Fork. The tragic news of the accident that took the life of local fishing guide Rob Merrill put a serious damper on the mood on the water, and reminded us of the realities of life and some of the risks in fly-fishing. Rob worked for the Jack Dennis Fly Shop for a lengthy period, in between guiding stints on the South Fork, Henry's Fork and in Russia. Rob was guiding Wednesday on the Upper South Fork, when one of his oars became tangled with his anglers fishing line. While attempting to loosen the line, the boat drifted into a willow and overturned. While both clients made it to shore safely, Rob did not. It was a cold day, and he had waders on. Not sure yet if this played a role in his drowning, but it's likely. One moment, three people were enjoying some great evening fishing, the next moment, an instant tragedy. My thoughts are with Rob and his family right now. While guiding on that same section of the South Fork on Friday, both of my clients (who knew Rob from the Driggs fly shop where he was currently working), and myself were thinking of him all day. The river is obviously very demanding, and even letting down your guard for a moment can have dire consequences. Although the fishing was very good for us that day, it didn't seem as fun...Rob lost his life doing what he loved: trying to put a couple of people onto some fish. I'm sure Rob will be missed on the river. Check out a new link on my link list below. Click on "Troutbugs" to view the blog of Montana angler Joshua Bergen and also don't miss his website. Good stuff. Here's a nice shot of Charlie Howorth from the South Fork with a typical Cutthroat...plump and colorful. Also, a shot sent to me from Dan Beistel from our day on the Snake last week. Nice fish guys!