Glacier Outdoor Center Blog

Some say Glacier Raft Co/Glacier Anglers co-owner Darwon Stoneman is way too dang lucky.  Whether it’s hunting season or fishing season, he always bags the big one.  The thing is, he’s lucky so often that there’s a chance that there could be a bit of skill involved as well.

March came in like a fluffy, warm little lamb on Monday, so Darwon and guide Marc Evans hit the river with a few good friends.  Former guide Bryan Anderson rowed Darwon into a honey hole that delivered big time.  Yep, that’s another monster.  Check out the great pictures taken by Marc.

Bryan wrote about the day in this blog post featured in Flyfish Magazine.

Here’s an excerpt from the Flyfish Magazine blog post:

The morning started out with heavy valley fog that burned away by noon to reveal bright skies and the snow-capped Rockies. Throughout the day, layers came off as the sun became hot on our backs. In equal intervals the layers went back on and a good winter coat came in handy as the sun eventually left and kept us wishing for July and a pair of flip flops.

The cutthroats here in the Flathead River are developing spawning colors and getting ready to make their annual trip to the tributary streams that surround Glacier National Park. The idea is to intercept those fish before the pilgrimage begins. When the timing is right, you’ll see sizable average fish in decent numbers.

Although we did see two fish rise to something on the surface, a dry fly never hit the water. In the end, MFC’s streamers and nymphs worked well and brought nice fish to the boat. We pulled the Flathead Trifecta–cutthroat, rainbow and bull trout. With the run in its infancy, there are most certainly better days to come.

You can read the rest of the post and see more of Marc’s pics by clicking here.

We’re lucky to live where we live, but we’re excited to share it…so start planning your fishing adventures with us!  Also, we’ve got great deals on fishing gear including rods, reels, flies, fly boxes and more in the fly shop at Glacier Outdoor Center.  And we’ll see if we can talk Darwon into letting some of his luck rub off on you!

Dylan Freed having a poor day of skiing in the Wasatch.  Photo by Jay Beyer.

A cooler spring along with a cooler summer and an occasional rain storm has helped to keep water levels at a normal level this summer.  Great boating and excellent fishing so far this summer. 

A big thank you to all you up and coming fishermen for attending my fly fishing class last week!  We raised $170 for the Hooked on Fishing Program through FW&P!!!  yea!  Thanks!

I had wonderful feed back on the content of the course.  One great comment was, “please title your next class ‘now that I caught it, what do I do with it’”.  So, keep your eyes open for the next class…  send me an email if you would like me to add you to my mailing list, rachelv@glacierraftco.com.

Rivers are on their way down for the season.  We have had some great fishing lately and it will only get better as we move closer to August.  With the flows dropping, more holding water and warmer water temps only improve the fishing.  Some great dry fly action is occurring on both the Middle and North forks of the Flathead.  Guides have been out often with great reports.  Glacier Raft Company’s full service fly-shop and guide service can answer all your questions and get you on the water.  Call  800-235-6781 for the latest reports of the season.

July 2, 2009 @ Glacier Outdoor Center 5-8pm

Contact Rachel at rachelv@glacierraftco.com for info or registration.

Fee- $10 donation collected for Hooked On Fishing- a FWP fishing education program for children; register by June 30; class size is limited

Through all my years of teaching introductory fly fishing classes I inevitably find there is never enough time during these classes to cover everything as thourally as I would like.  I am always thankful to have full day or two day classes to cover all topics but may folks don’t have that much time to devote to a class.  Not to mention extended classes are hard to come by…  For a short intro class I usually cover the topics of:  equipment, casting, finding fish and choosing flies.  While covering the topics of finding fish and choosing flies I usually touch a nerve in students; you just can’t spend too much time talking about actually catching a fish– there are questions a plenty!

This has instigated my desire to host a class devoted ONLY to finding and catching fish.  This class is great for you if you understand the basics of your equipment; can cast with reasonable effectivness; and have fished enough to become frustrated… oh, wait, that is all of us!  We will talk about fish species, what they eat, where fish live, insect identification and characteristics, choosing flies and specialty equipment.

Want to catch cuts like this? Spring is the time to make it happen. Call us at 800-235-6781 to schedule a fishing trip with one of our talented fishing guides. Or check out our fishing page.

First Drop

Castle Lake

Here’s some photos of an Upper Middle Fork trip I took last year with the McCrane family. We had an awesome time and it sounds like we’re going to do it again this year. Call now to book this four day Bob Marshall experience. We are offering 15% discounts for Upper trips booked for the month of June! That is a deal we probably won’t be able to talk Darwon into again, so jump on it now. June is excellent for whitewater. http://glacierraftco.com/specials.htm

Spring has sprung and now is the time to get on the water before spring runoff occurs.  We typically have a 1 month period of time before the waters blow out with spring runoff.  Fishing is great during this time.  The weather is variable and can be cold, but the fishing makes up for it.  Call us about the spring trips and availability.  Lets go fishing!!!

25-50% off waders, wading boots, reels, etc….   Simms, Cloudveil, Ross, Lamson, Galvin, Sage, Winston…  these deals are hard to beat.  Call for questions 406-888-5454; we ship!