End of the Montana Ski Season

These days you don’t know whether to look for Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.”
That remark pretty well sums up the whims of spring weather.

This past week, my buddy, Tom Tripp, and I made what we figured would be our last ski outing of the season. We’ve been skiing just about every week since mid-January at Discovery Basin, Butte’s closest alpine ski area. This has been an El Niño winter, which generally translates to a winter without a lot of snow or cold temperatures to hold the snow on the mountain. While this isn’t a good combination for skiing, or stream flows later this summer, looking back over the last couple months, we agreed that we have had a great ski season.

There haven’t been many big dumps of snow, but there have been a number of light snowfalls, and we’ve been there for most of them, it seems.

Still, those balmy spring days have been taking their toll on the slopes, especially south-facing hillsides that catch that intense afternoon sun. On our last outing, a couple runs we’d skied the week before were closed. On the other hand, we had excellent skiing on “backside” runs that don’t get much direct sunshine.

A couple days later, I put on shorts and sandals, hooked up a hose, and washed a winter’s worth of grime off the truck. Washed and polished, it looked a lot better than it did after the last couple ski outings.

As I finished the truck-washing project, clouds were moving in and the air took on a bit of chill. The next morning we had new snow on the ground, and snow squalls moved through the area all afternoon. That’s spring weather for you.

These next couple weeks, most of Montana’s ski areas will be closing for the season. As spring storms move across Montana, often bringing heavy snow to the mountains, dedicated skiers often express frustration about their favorite ski areas closing when there’s all that new snow. Yet as ski hill operators will tell you, those season closings are more about economics than snow. As we get into spring, our interests turn from winter sports to other things, such as fishing, tennis, golf, wild turkeys, or even yard work. There may be new snow in the mountains but there are other things going on, and playing in the snow just doesn’t seem that important anymore.

Based on what’s posted on ski area websites, Discovery and Lost Trail ski areas will close on April 4. Bridger ski area at Bozeman will close on April 6. Big Sky will close on April 10, and Moonlight Basin on April 11.

Of course, if you don’t depend on a chairlift to get you to the top of a mountain, the ski season doesn’t have to end anytime soon. For cross-country and backcountry skiers, the ski season never has to end, or at least not as long as you can hike to where the snow is. In fact, I have one friend who fondly recalls the year he and a buddy successfully made an effort to ski in every month of the year. It sometimes took a lot of hiking to get up high enough to find skiable snow. On the other hand, they also had a couple outings when a passing storm dropped heavy snow on the mountain peaks, rewarding their efforts with a major powder day.

While the weather is often confusing, each day there’s an increasing length of sunshine, and, of course, this coming Sunday will be Easter Sunday, which this year will be the same date for most Christian churches as well as Orthodox churches.
Another spring ritual some people observe is to plant sweet peas on Good Friday. When we lived in Iowa years ago, some people subscribed to planting potatoes on Good Friday. On the first day of spring, March 20, it was so nice out that I felt compelled to scratch in the dirt, and planted some spinach seeds.

That’ll be food for the Easter bunny by late May.

Fishing on the Ides of March

Flyfishing, if judged by photos on magazine covers, is about the search for big fish. If you examine it a little closer, those fish may be the end object of the search, but to get to that point it’s more about the search for the tiny. Bugs that is.

Western trout streams become a magnet for travelers in early summer for one of the biggest bugs around, the salmon fly, that big stonefly that occasionally makes big trout lose all sense of caution while they seek out this juicy chunk of protein.

Those hatches are fun while they last, but after just a few days it’s all over. For a regular diet, trout don’t often get those t-bone and prime rib dinners. It’s more often about getting lots and lots of hors d’oeuvres. In late summer, tricos are that delicate little munchie. In early spring, when it’s still too early for the first mayfly hatches, midges sometimes get the trout into a feeding frame of mind.

The trick is to be on the river when it happens, as well as having the right flies, plus the luck to have some trout pick out your feeble imitation from the thousands of the genuine article that fill the air and water’s surface.

The lower Madison River is one of those trout streams where midges are a mainstay of the trout diet, though there’s still that trick of being there when the action happens.
Joining me in that search last week was Joe DeGraw, a graduate student at the University of Wyoming. He was in Butte during spring break. Something about dating a Butte girl, meeting parents, and other complicated issues leading to a request, several weeks earlier, “Would you consider taking him fishing?”

The early morning was frosty, but there was a forecast for a warm afternoon. Almost amazingly, there were only gentle breezes coming down the Beartrap Canyon, and when we took a closer look at the river, we could see bunches of midges along the edge of the current. What we didn’t see was signs of fish feeding on them.

But, we’d come to fish and that’s what we did, though it wasn’t exactly fast action. After trying a couple different spots, Joe had picked up a couple rainbows with a pheasant tail nymph. That was a couple more fish than I had seen.

In mid-afternoon I suggested we try yet another spot, one where I’d had midge action in other years. It turned out to be a good hunch. There’s a stretch of water with several submerged rocks in a line that give fish a break from the currents and forms feeding lanes. On taking a closer look, fish were rising, picking off those tiny insects from the water’s surface.

So, we’d finally found the right place at the right time. The next challenge is to see if the trout could pick out our imitation bugs and decide it looked like lunch.
Even if the fish think the fly is the real thing, another angler challenge is to spot whether one of those splashy rises is from a trout coming up to the fake fly or to the real thing. It’s hard telling how many rises I missed, but several took one of half a dozen imitations that I threw at them to make the afternoon a success.

Angling success is, of course, highly subjective. Sometimes, just avoiding stumbling and drowning in icy March waters makes the day a success. If that’s the minimum criterion, then our day was a roaring success. We avoided icy stumbles, we picked up a little color from the bright spring sunshine to replace that winter pallor, and we each caught some active rainbow trout. All in all, we had a great day, certainly a better day than Julius Caesar had on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. The Ides of March on the Madison River was way better.

Now, whether Joe wins the hand of the Butte girl remains to be seen. On the other hand I have a return invitation to try the North Platte River in Wyoming.

Spring on the Montana Calendar

Spring happens, and it will officially happen at 11:32 a.m. (MDT) on this Saturday, March 20, marking the moment when the sun will pass over the equator, marking the equinox, when hours of daylight and darkness are approximately equal around the world.

For the next three months the hours of daylight in the northern hemisphere will continue to increase until we reach the Summer Solstice on June 21, when the process reverses and daylight hours will shorten.

The varying hours of daylight and our seasons are due to the 23.4-degree tilt in the Earth’s axis. In the coming months the northern hemisphere tilts toward the sun, receiving more direct sunshine, and after the fall equinox, we will tilt away from the sun. This, of course, gives us seasons, and makes it possible to grow gardens and crops at this latitude.

While the season officially begins on Saturday, signs of spring start much earlier, of course. At our house, I plant garlic in a vegetable plot along the south side of our house every October. Right on schedule, the first shoots popped through their cover of mulch on March 1. A few days later, tulips emerged as well. At our high elevation and cold, dry climate, it’ll be awhile before we can do much serious gardening, but some things are up and growing.

A week and a half ago, I spent a couple days in Billings, and enjoyed being able to walk around outside in a short-sleeve shirt, and noted that grass was beginning to green up in spots. That, of course, is not typical this early in the year. Returning to Butte in a snowstorm was more in line with the seasons.

Another sign of spring is birds returning north from their winter homes. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, snow geese began showing up in north central Montana a week ago. Freezeout Lake, between Fairfield and Choteau, is a major staging point for waterfowl, especially snow geese. If there is colder weather to the north, populations in the area can build up to over 100,000 geese, typically peaking near the end of March. It’s a favorite destination for birdwatchers every spring, just as it’s a fall favorite for waterfowl hunters. The sight of tens of thousands of snow geese filling the air is memorable.

FWP does note that people taking a trip to Freezeout should be careful about muddy roads. Those signs, so common in the Rocky Mountain Front country, that say, “Impassable when wet” don’t exaggerate. People who ignore those signs will, assuredly, be both older and wiser by the time they escape.

While we talk of spring, we shouldn’t forget that this is St. Patrick’s Day, and while my ethnic background is Norwegian, I’ve always enjoyed observing, to one extent or another, St Patrick’s Day, and a dinner of corned beef and cabbage will be on our table. A sentimental memory, perhaps, that much of Ireland was a Viking colony a thousand years ago. And we’ll close with an Irish joke.

Two leprechauns went to the convent and begged an audience with the mother superior. "Well, how can I help you little people?" asked Mother Superior. The larger and more intelligent looking of the leprechauns asked, "Oh Mother Superior, would you be knowing of any midget nuns here at the convent?" "No," says Mother Superior, "I don’t have any midget nuns here at the convent"

"All right than, Mother Superior, would you be knowing of any midget nuns in all of Ireland then?" "No, no," replied Mother Superior, "I don’t know of any nuns who are also midgets in all of Ireland at all." "Well then, Mother Superior, in the whole world of all the nuns, would you be knowing, then, of any midget nuns?” "No, I would not; there are, to my knowledge, no midget nuns in the whole of the world!" replied Mother Superior, "and would you please tell me what this is all about?"

The asking leprechaun turned sadly to the stupid leprechaun and said, "See, it’s as I told you all along, you’ve been dating a penguin"

It Isn't Just Hunting and Fishing

I'm a long-time member of Kiwanis International and the Silver Bow Kiwanis Club of Butte, Montana.

As a Kiwanis member I am the Kiwanis adviser to the Montana Tech Circle K Club here in Butte. Circle K is a college-student affiliate of Kiwanis. Circle K members are a great bunch of people who do a tremendous amount of community service, both on campus and around our city. Attending their weekly meeting is always one of the highlights of the week.

The Circle K District of Montana had their annual convention recently and to my happy surprise, they honored me as a "Distinguished Kiwanian" and the Montana "Kiwanian of the Year."

Circle K District Governor Nicole Loehr is pictured here, presenting the awards at this week's Kiwanis meeting.

My thanks to all those great Circle K'ers of Montana, especially the Montana Tech students who nominated me for this award.

Flyfishing in Liquid Ice

It’s hard to appreciate just how cold water can be until you spend a little time standing in it. Just ask Flicka, who was standing next to me in the river, shivering, how cold it was.

When that last weekend of February turned unseasonably warm I decided it was time to load up a flyrod and head to the Big Hole for some flyfishing. My last fishing outing was back in early October, after which chasing pheasants, ruffed grouse, ducks, and other critters seemed more important than fishing.

Now that we’re approaching the end of winter, flyfishing is again moving up on my list of priorities. I’ve put in some afternoons at the flytying bench, but there comes a time to get back to reality—even if that reality means standing in a river of liquid ice.

If an afternoon of fishing from a popular Fishing Access Site brings up summer memories of crowded parking lots and the hustle and bustle of people gearing up while waiting for their turn at the boat ramp, winter fishing can be eerily peaceful. The access site is deserted, except for my black Lab, Flicka, and me.

While we’ve had a mild, dry winter, you wouldn’t guess it by looking at the river right now. The river is low and crystal clear, but it’s flowing through a narrowed channel, flanked by great slabs of shelf ice, two and three feet thick and topped with a couple inches of snow.

It’s a long step down from the top of the ice into the water, and once in the water it feels a bit awkward wading in the river after that long layoff. As the cold radiates from the water, through waders and into feet and legs, it’s a powerful reminder to wade carefully. Taking a dunking in a trout stream may be a part of flyfishing. In August, it might even be refreshing. In February, an unscheduled fall could lead to all sorts of complications that I’d just as soon not experience. Flicka evidently agreed with that sentiment and headed back to shore, where sitting on a slab of ice was evidently warmer than standing in flowing water.

While my expectations are low when I go fishing this early, the sensation of a fish hitting my fly was a happy surprise. In the icy winter waters, fish are sluggish, so there’s not a lot of fight in the fish. Nevertheless, landing and releasing that 10-inch brown trout made the outing a success.

For the past half-dozen years, or so, I’ve been participating in the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Fishing Log program. It’s simple and easy to participate. After each fishing outing, you just make a quick entry in a little booklet telling when and were you fished, and what you caught. At the end of the year you send the log into FWP headquarters. I’m sure the people entering the log data into that big database program don’t give a darn as to what kind of success we had on any individual day. Still, I personally feel better about it all when I can report some positive result. It’s lots better than confessing to getting skunked.

If you’re interested in participating in the Fishing Log Program, just call FWP at 406-444-2449 and get yourself on the list.

As for winter flyfishing, it’s always a good idea to check the regulations before you cast that fishing pole. Some waters are closed to fishing during the winter. Others are open for catch & release fishing, and some waters are open for catch & fry. And, as I wrote last week, don’t forget to get your new fishing license before you go anywhere.

Another note on wading icy waters; a basic truth I’ve learned over the years is that waders leak. If not at first, the day will still come when you’ll have wet feet after a session in the water. Again, it’s no big deal in August, but a big deal in March. So, a big thanks to my wife for that new pair of waders under the Christmas tree last December.

Spring Fishing Here - Get Your License First!

Happy New Year!

Okay, I really didn’t oversleep for two months and just realized that it’s now 2010. And, no, I didn’t sleep through the Chinese New Year, either.

This New Year, however, is one of the most important dates on the outdoor calendar. It’s the beginning of a new fishing and hunting license year in Montana. Every year, on March 1, our licenses for the previous year expire and before we head out to a favorite fishing hole, liquid or frozen, we need to go on-line or stop at a local license vendor and get a new license.

Here’s a short review of Montana’s fishing license requirements.

First, children under age 12 don’t need any license at all. Youths, age 12 to 14, need only a Conservation License ($8). People age 15 to 61 need both a Conservation License and a Fishing License, which could include a two-day license for $5, a full season license for $18, or a special $8 season license for youth ages 15 - 17. Resident Sportsman and Youth Sportsman licenses also include a season fishing license. For residents age 62 and older, all that’s required is that $8 Conservation License, which also covers upland bird hunting, as well.

For nonresidents age 14 and younger, no license is required if they are accompanied by an adult holding a valid Montana fishing license, though any fish kept counts toward the license holder’s daily and possession limits. Nonresidents age 15 and older will need a Conservation License ($10) and a fishing license for two days ($15), ten days ($43.50) or full season for $60.

That Conservation License is, of course, the gateway to all those fishing and hunting licenses and/or special permits as we progress through the coming months. It’s a valuable piece of paper.

There are some special license deals for free or at a reduced rate for Montana residents with a disability, VA Hospital patients, Legion of Honor members (resident or nonresident), care facility residents, and Purple Heart awardees. For more information, check with any FWP office or with license vendors, or online at http://fwp.mt.gov.

While the calendar says it’s still winter, spring is definitely coming, as we can see every evening when the sun keeps shining a minute or two later. Tulips should be popping up in sheltered spots about now, though they’ll likely have to survive a lot more snow and cold weather before they send up flower buds. Daylight Saving Time will begin on Sunday, March 14, and suddenly those evenings will be light for an extra hour.

This, for many, is also the season for tying flies and getting ready for a new season of flyfishing. It’s a fun and relaxing activity on weekend afternoons.

On that note, if you haven’t already seen other publicity, the George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited is currently sponsoring flytying workshops on Wednesday evenings at the HPER building at Montana Tech, starting around 6 p.m. It’s an informal gathering, with local flytyers demonstrating how to tie some of their favorite flies. TU has flytying equipment available, or you’re welcome to bring your own tools and materials. Incidentally, on the evening of March 10, I'll be the featured flytyer, demonstrating how to tie soft-hackle wet flies.

Currently, the TU chapter, working with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters agency, is conducting a beginning flyfishing class for some of their Bigs and Littles, repeating a program they did a year ago.

These are both continuing outreach efforts of the TU chapter to get more people involved with positive outdoor activities such as flyfishing—and to sneakily get some more people indoctrinated with some conservation ethics. Make no mistake—I heartily endorse this strategy. One of the most important things we can do is to get more young people involved with outdoor activities such as fishing, as those younger people are the future of conservation and responsible stewardship of our environment.

And that’s a lead-in to another sign of spring; the annual fundraising dinner of the George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited. It’s scheduled, appropriately, on the evening of the first day of spring, March 20, at the Star Lanes community room.

Alas, another early sign of spring is tax returns. I think I’ll go fishing.