The song "Pancho and Lefty" tells the story of a Mexican bandit named Pancho and a more enigmatic character, Lefty. The song tells of Pancho's death and implies that he was betrayed by his associate Lefty who was paid off by the Mexican federales. Let me give a first hand guides account of what happened that fateful afternoon on the Madison River in Montana.
Here is a brief history. Pancho stood 6'7" and hailed from the great steelhead city of Traverse City Michigan. Lefty, a stocky fella was an ex Chicago Blackhawk hockey player. *The real names of Panch & Lefty have been changed to save them from future embarrassment of being left stranded on a Montana river.
This trip was pre arranged by a local Outfitter I was working for at the time and my assignment was simple. An 8 a.m. pick up at the San Marino cabins in Big Sky Montana followed by a day of drift boat fishing on the Upper Madison River. Easy enough, I do this all the time. As I whipped into San Marino I saw an old friend I had not seen in years and stopped to chat, so I thought. Pancho & Lefty spotted my rig towing a boat and began hootin' and hollering. "Over here"! Would I really dismiss this sort of foolishness before our day even begins? It usually takes me until sometime before we take off that the war wounds blister. Question to self. What does patience have to do with fishing? I told Jim, "see you again in five years, I've gotta bolt and pick up my dudes". Dudes they were.
These two sports were foaming at the mouth when I finally arrived five seconds later. Obviously, psyched to wet a line or drive an hour or something? I parked, got out, shook hands, grabbed gear and there was plenty of it for a day trip to the Madison. Pancho & Lefty were both sporting those trendy straw cowboy hats along with shwag from exotic fly fishing destinations like El Pescador and the like. This sort of showboating leads a fishing guide like myself to believe I have two strong sticks that can fish right? I was quite pleased with my talent for the day until we began rolling South toward West Yellowstone when Pancho lit a cigar in my truck. This was just the beginning.
This is a short excerpt from the "Book With No Title Yet". The book is coming along nicely. In the meantime, our crew is back guiding anglers with this beautiful weather we have been experiencing lately. We are taking reservations for the 2011 season so be sure to give us a call to reserve your spot for the upcoming season. Also, check the Blog for updated fishing reports and more from "The Book With No Title Yet".
