A section of the Upper Boulder River in Montana. Photo by Nathan Clement
The voices of the Upper Boulder River
‘A River Runs Through It’ filmed here
By Clara Caufield
www.nsweekly.com Dave and “Buzzy” (Luella) Morse, Hot Springs, S.D., have been coming to fly fish the Upper Boulder River in Montana for years. Together, they have over a century of fishing experience, much of that in Alaska where they lived for about 25 years. Thus, when they say that the Upper Boulder River is one of best “free flowing trout fisheries in the west” they know what they are talking about. On a recent beautiful June morning, Dave and Buzzy were kind enough to share some of their vast fly-fishing knowledge with this novice and largely inexperienced fly-fisherman. At least, I think that is the correct term. Or can you be a fly-fisherlady? A fly-fisherperson? Probably not, because political correctness seemingly hasn’t caught up with the wader-clad crowd, a refreshing change. “Please just call me a flyfisherman” says the diminutive and feisty Buzzy, who is fully capable of keeping up with her much larger spouse on the river. Fly-fishing, it seems, is the same sort of affliction that affects golfers, bowlers, hunters and other sportspeople who love the sport for the moments perfection, pitting themselves against that challenge. These sportsmen are ever in search of the perfect technique: the rhythm of the cast, moving in tune with the water, appreciating the fish and their habit while immersing themselves in the quiet solitude. But, details of the sport consume them. “If I am not fishing, I am reading or dreaming about fishing,” Dave acknowledges. Though there is great fishing in South Dakota, the Black Hills is the only true trout fishery in that state, says Dave. He tells how trout were imported to that area in the 1800’s, carted great distances, carried in barrels by horse-drawn wagon. Those rainbow imports took hold and now reproduce splendidly according to Dave. Yet, the ultimate thrill and challenge for fly-fishermen is the ever elusive and wily cutthroat trout, the indigenous fish of the Rockies, here when Lewis and Clark arrived. Their “cousins” the rainbow, brook and brown trout arrived later. Cutthroats live in cold, free-flowing rivers, an indicator of pristine and well oxygenated water. One of those is the Upper Boulder, where much of the classic fly-fishing movie “A River Runs Through It” was filmed. Dave and Buzzy have traveled to Montana for years to fish that wild and beautiful river runs through Hawley Mountain Guest Ranch, near Big Timber and McLeod, Mont. where I now work.
Read the rest of the story on the all new Native Sun News website: The voices of the Upper Boulder River (Contact Clara Caufield at acheyennevoice@gmail.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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