By Bay Stephens LOCAL EDITOR
BIG SKY – Ten and two, ten and two.
Keep your wrist still, use your arm instead. That’s it, pivot at the elbow.
Alright, now cast. Nice placement. Wait, wait, mend. Wait for it. Now cast over
on that seam.
These are the instructions a new
fly fisher might receive from an experienced angler while wading Southwest
Montana’s fabled coldwater trout streams. Traditionally an older gentleman’s pastime,
fly fishing is transitioning into a more inclusive sport—this is true in Big
Sky thanks to a smattering of initiatives and programs.
Hooked on the Gallatin is one such
program. A partnership between the Gallatin River Task Force and the Big Sky
Community Center’s Camp Big Sky, the course takes kids typically between the
ages of 7 and 14 for four half-days of learning about the river, conservation
and fly fishing on tributaries of the Gallatin River.
The program has been active since
2016, but this is the first year the camp will come in three sessions: beginner
and intermediate sessions in July and an advanced one in August. The beginner
session kicks off July 15.
During the four days, staff from
GRTF engage kids with a variety of hands-on activities, such as collecting and
identifying stream insects, teaching about invasive species, fish handling to
optimize fish survival after being released and making t-shirts with a Japanese
press art technique. The advanced session might even include a fish dissection
to learn about the creatures’ biological mechanics.
The rest of the day, campers ply
the waters of the West and South forks of the Gallatin River with licensed guides
from around the area as they impart to their students the technique and an eye
for stealthy fish.
“Fly fishing is this really
beautiful pursuit which teaches you how to connect with the river in a way
that, perhaps, other ways of recreating don’t,” said Stephanie Lynn, the task
force’s education and communications coordinator. “We really believe in the
importance of starting young. If you can help youth connect with the river
early, they’re so much more likely to develop into good stewards.”
Jimmy Armijo-Grover, a former Gallatin
River Guides guide of 17 years, played a crucial role in getting the camp’s
first year off the ground.
Armijo-Grover had access to rods,
reels and fly tying equipment through a fly fishing program he learned through
in Santa Fe, New Mexico, before he was hired at Gallatin River Guides and moved
to Big Sky.
“It was so great because fly
fishing gear is really expensive and the first year starting a camp there’s
just a lot of things you need to acquire,” Lynn said. “It was a huge hit and
we’ve done it every year since and we’ve grown it incrementally.”
Through funding from the Spanish
Peaks Community Foundation, the task force has since bought all of its own
gear.
In Armijo-Grover’s eyes, getting
kids outdoors is increasingly important as technology becomes more prevalent,
and educating them makes way for future conservation.
“These kids are going to be adults
someday that will get other people involved and be stewards of the river,”
Armijo-Grover said. “There’s a lot of stuff that needs to be protected and
these kids will be in our position. If we don’t have them, I don’t know what
will happen.”
Already, the camp is bearing fruit.
Finn McRae, 12, learned to tie flies through Hooked on the Gallatin, and has
participated in the camp every year since. This year, he will even help with
the beginner session. He and his friend Wats Littman, who learned to tie flies
with Armijo-Grover at Gallatin River Guides, have their own fly tying business
called Fish Outta Water that sells flies at the weekly Town Center Farmers
Markets on Wednesdays.
Among initiatives that get less
traditional user groups out on the rivers are Gallatin River Guides’ women’s
courses. In response to a growing trend of individual women and groups of women
fly fishing, the outfitter began offering an all-women’s course four years ago.
“It started with this realization
that—especially in the last four or five years—that we’re seeing more and more
women that are interested in fly fishing, and not only are they interested in
it, it’s becoming their thing,” said co-owner Mike Donaldson, who purchased the
company from Pat Straub with his father in March of this year.
When he began guiding for GRG eight
years ago, Donaldson said it was rare to see women fishing, or at least not
without male accompaniment. Though it used to be rare for groups of out-of-town
women to visit Big Sky with the chief goal of fishing, he said it’s quite
common now.
Headed by fulltime GRG guide
Kimberly Smith, the women’s course lasts three days. The first starts with a
morning at the fly shop doing “classroom” work, such as learning entomology,
rigging and casting technique before lunch and an afternoon fishing the Gallatin.
The second day takes clients for a full day of walk-wade fishing on the Madison
River between Earthquake Lake and Ennis, followed by a third day of fishing
wherever the group feels drawn.
From what Donaldson has seen, women
tend to gravitate toward the class for two main reasons: because they like having
female guides run the course—though male guides such as himself also guide when
needed—and because they enjoy learning and building friendships within a group
of women.
“They really seem to build a camaraderie
between themselves quite quickly,” Donaldson said.
He said helping out with the
women’s courses has always been a blast for him, offering a fresh perspective
on fly fishing.
“It’s possible that at times we
take the sport too seriously, or we take our fishing days too seriously, and we
forget that it’s not all about just getting in there and catching as many fish
as you can,” Donaldson said. “The ladies seem to be able to reflect more and
stand back more and enjoy the day.”
“It’s a great program,” Donaldson
added. “As new owner, I am so proud to have it be a part of Gallatin River
Guides.”
Visit gallatinrivertaskforce.org or montanaflyfishing.com to learn more about the Hooked on the Gallatin kids fly fishing camp or the women’s fly fishing course offerings at Gallatin River Guides.
