Racing around the 406

Guiding is not an easy job and it often makes me smile when people think it’s a dream job. Spending your days with certain personalities is not all cupcakes and lollipops. Don’t get me wrong, it’s better than most jobs. Work is work, right? I have worked a lot harder for a lot less. In the end, the icing (or scotch) is always sweet.

I hate to even think about the countless number of miles I have put on three trucks over the “guide” years. At the end of every tax season, I would gain clear cut clarity on the mileage I put on my vehicle. What’s not easy to gauge, is the number of years I took off my life while pursuing things that swim and don‘t even talk. Oil changes, truck repairs, new tires, boats, gear, and the list goes on… Fortunately, Uncle Sam will give the hardworking fishing guide a tax break.

The Madison, Gallatin, Jefferson, Yellowstone and Missouri - that was the core triangle of rivers we fished. That is not to mention all of the no tell ’em, tomahawk creeks, tiny tail waters and secret gems we only talked about in a soft whisper. We would usually put a blind fold on the client and have them stay low and keep quiet so as not to get shot at. Montana is still the wild, wild west in some respects.

Boulder River Beauty

Photo by Ryan Turner of Ryan Turner photography and angler Reno Walsh. The Boulder River originates in the Absoraka/Beartooth Wilderness Area at a elevation of 8,800 feet just south of Big Timber where it flows north in the Boulder River Valley. It flows 61.8 miles (45 air miles) north through the Boulder River Valley into the Yellowstone River at Big Timber at a elevation of 4,000 feet. This is a look at Montana at its best with a River Running Through It!
The Boulder River is appropriately named, as bread loaf sized boulders can be seen lining the river bed through its crystal clear waters. The beautiful Boulder River Valley is worth the drive to just view the magnificent scenery. The Boulder River divides the Absoraka Mountain Range and the Beartooth Mountain Range and is an edge geological area, therefore giving it a unique look and feel. Three forks of the Boulder River, West Boulder River, Main Boulder, and East Boulder River all converge near McLeod and then flow 20 miles until it reaches the Yellowstone River at Big Timber.
One of the best known scenic attractions on the main Boulder is the Natural Bridge, a rock formation through which the river falls before emerging into a beautiful 105 foot waterfall. The falls creates a barrier to all fish. There are no species of fish above the falls except Rainbow and Brook trout. The fish population below the falls consists mainly of Brown and Rainbow Trout, and Whitefish.
You can find excellent recreation opportunities on the Boulder River including Kayaking, Floating, and Fishing. You can also combine activities by Camping, Hiking, and Hunting in the Boulder River Valley.

Fishing the Boulder River

The Boulder River is a Blue Ribbon trout river where you can find quality rainbow, cutthroat, brook, and brown trout fishing. It provides more than 50 miles of what many believe is the finest trout fishing in the state. Most fishermen fly fish the boulder river, but take along your spinning rod and you will not be disappointed.
All streams on the Absaroka Range have "boulder bottom" and consequently very seldom are discolored even during spring runoff. The Boulder is of unusual purity and many people have no reluctance to drink the water even as far downstream as Big Timber, which gets its ample water supply from the stream.
There are good populations of rainbows in the upper river and a solid mix of browns and rainbows on the lower portion. Trout up th 10 pounds have been caught in the Boulder. Fly hatches are quite heavy, and fish really key in on the hatch. Caddis, mayflies, stoneflies are commonly fished in March, April, and May. Salmonflies and green drakes come of as the water begins to build in May. Watch for PMDs in July and August, along with terrestrials like hoppers and ants. In the fall some awfully large brown s move out of the Yellowstone and into the Boulder for the spawn. Try large weighted streamers at this time. There are many public accesses along the Boulder, one about every 8 miles. Access the the river is not diffucult, as the road parallels the river and signs point out the numerous access points.
The upper river can be described as a medium-sized stream that cuts through a glacial valley. It has a steep gradient that is laced with lots of boulders providing classic pocket water action. It has wide, rocky riffles that fish move into when the weather warms, and it provides a few glassy slicks where delicate dry flies are a must. The boulder river is open all year, with a two trout limit and only one over 13 inches. There is quite a bit of private land along the Boulder River Valley, but Montana laws give fishermen access if you stay below the high water mark. Since the Boulder River is not an ideal river to float fish, bring your waders and walk the river. A walking stick is recommended, as the bottom is rocky and can be hard to navigate.

Floating the Boulder River

You can float the lower portion of the Boulder River below the Natural Bridge Falls. There are several access points that parallel the road up the Boulder River Valley, so access is easy. The lower sections of the river takes an intermediate level raft or whitewater canoe skilled person to navigate. Floating on the Boulder is can be tricky as it is fairly shallow in the summer months and high during the spring runoff. Some people even take an inner tube and float sections. The lower section starts at 22.7 miles up from the Yellowstone River and ends at the confluence of the Yellowstone and the Boulder at Big Timber. If you are floating the river in a vessel, it is recommended that you use a raft or whitewater canoe.

Access to the Boulder River

There are many public accesses along the Boulder, one about every 8 miles. Access the the river is not difficult, as the road parallels the river and signs point out the numerous access points.
A number of campgrounds are located along the river, both private and public. The Boulder Road (Hwy 298 toward McLeod up the Boulder Valley) is paved for 30 miles and then turns into gravel road for the next 20 miles. Campground access roads to the Boulder Campgrounds south of Big Timber can handle larger vehicles. Parking spurs are also available for large vehicles. Camping areas have tent pads, fire grates, picnic tables, and restrooms in some areas. The campgrounds have easy access to good fishing and hiking trails in both non-wilderness and wilderness areas in the Gallatin National Forest.

Boulder River Statistics and Flow Information

Drain Area: 523 square miles
Average Flow 582 cfs
Max Flow 9,840 cfs
Min Flow 10 cfs
Gradient (drop) 4,800 feet in 61.8 miles
Lower Float Gradient 900 feet in 22.7 miles
Clarity Clear in all months-
clowdy in the height of
spring runoff from April thru June
Water Temperature Jan. 32 degrees
April 52 degrees
July 61 degrees
Oct. 54 degrees
Maps USFS - Gallatin NF -
Custer NF (Beartooth Division lower portion only)
Dangers 105' Waterfall at Natural Bridge Milepost 32.9

The Magic Hour

I have a little and I stress little guide guilt when it comes to the crawdad molt. It's probably a catholic guilt thing but in time, I'll get over it and I'm sure my clients will too.
You see, when the temperature is just right(usually between 62 & 65 degrees) crayfish like to shed their exoskeleton in order to grow just a little larger. Their hard shell becomes soft in preparation for losing it and regrowing a new one. The soft shell becomes a grayish color - a tell tale sign that this hunk of caloric goodness can easily be eaten by a fish with a soft mouth. Add some teeth to a fish and we're in business!
The problem if you want to call it lies in the fact that the prime window coincides with lunch time. If you're concerned with eating a shore lunch and sitting your ass on a fold up camp chair, great. If your cocern is rockin' fish and usually big fish till' your arm is tired, this is not a window to miss.
For years, I told my clients about "the window" whenever we were fishing the Missouri or Lower Madison. I suggested we eat an early or late lunch so we would not miss the magic hours. I'm not a very big guy and food is really an after though when there is good fishing to be had.
I remember one exceptional molt when it seemed as though I couldn't tie crawdads on fast enough. I had my dudes fishing 1X leaders with a tandem meal of crawdads - something I rarely did. It was an obvious choice and clearly what the fish wanted and were eating. When we reached the take out at 6:30 I asked my clients if they were hungry for lunch yet?
Funny how things just slip away when you're slaying big angry Brown's and fat Rainbow's. I apologized for missing lunch and the one client turned to me and said "CK shut it, that was hands down the best day of fishing I've ever had and one that might never be repeated".

The Molt

I finally got this fly fishing thing down

The other night my brother in law Scott asked if I missed Montana and up until last week I would have said "not as much as you think". I'll always miss Montana as it was my home for well over a decade. I then talked to my good friend Sean. He was about to embark on Spring off season road trip #2. He was then returning to Montana for a Summer of guide work. He was looking at the next five months where he would be "bailing hay when the sun shines" as we use to call it. It's a lucrative gig but taxing both mentally and physically.
I don't necessarily miss the guide work as much as I miss being "in the know". After fourteen years I finally had it down or so I like to think. I kept track of snowpack levels which really affected the amount of water we were dealing with for the season. I studied the weather religiously especially the wind. The W is your nemesis and should be avoided at all cost. I learned that the Tobacco root mountains soaked up the W - hence the reason I spent so much time on the Jefferson. I found the fishing to be pretty damn good too. I'll call it a happy accident. I also learned of a notch in the Absaroka Mountains in Paradise Valley that would buffer the stiff winds of Paradise Valley on the Yellowstone. If I noticed numerous boats heading East, I would head West. If I got to the put in and the lot was full of trailers, I would opt for a different river beat. If the boat in front of me was pounding river left, I would hammer river right. More on the molt next post...

Transition Update

It should come as no surprise that we are loving our new life in North Carolina! It's warm, comfortable, sun shines and rains. Yes it rains and it's not the frozen variety. We're use to very little of the above but most of all, we love the tree covered lofty mountains! I'm in seventh heaven with this weather.
Things here in Western North Carolina are finally settling down. We've been running full tilt since the beginning of April. A lengthy and exhausting move cross country, lot's of family visits and settling into our new house. It's time for a break now.
We are going to keep the Blog going until we are told to give it up. We enjoy writing the Blog and hope you enjoy reading it. Take care until the next post.

P.S.
Alex is doing great and growing like a weed. He's loving all the family time and enjoying playing with his cousins!

Change Of Hands

CK Outfitters has changed hands and is now Efferson Outfitters Fly Fishing. I have worked closely with guide & Outfitter, Sean Efferson over the years. Sean brings a new style and enthusiasm to Montana fly fishing! With my five star rating in excellence, I guarantee you will be in good hands. We appreciate your support over the years and look forward to our continued friendship. Caroline, Alex and I have relocated to the Asheville North Carolina area. After fourteen years of living and guiding in Montana, it was time to turn the page. It was hard saying "see ya' later" but it was the right move for us. We will miss Montana greatly and will forever be in our hearts. Please keep in touch. We wish all of you the very best. On to the next chapter...Craig KalpinskiAsheville North Carolina406-539-6582

Fifth Street, The River Card

Montana Hold ‘Em was the poker game played on the river but the competition became known as the GHC invitational. I have no idea what GHC stands for and am afraid to ask but I do know, the trophy was acquired somewhat illegally the same night the competition got its name.

The game was played like this: At the beginning of every morning, the guide and his party of anglers would receive a fresh deck of shuffled cards. We would then embark on the launch site. After the trash talking and razzing would subside, we would finaly hit the river. The guide was the dealer and it was up to the anglers to keep the game alive. For every trout caught, a card was dealt. For every whitefish caught, it was my idea to retract a card of their choice. Unfortunately my idea never took flight. Cigars were smoked, laughs were shared and fish were caught. If by chance your guide deck was dry and not covered in fish guts and blood by lunch time, you probably had a painfully slow morning. At least the company was always good!

At the end of the day, the crew would gather at the take out and compare hands. The best hand won for that day! An official score card was kept for the tournament and the loser bought dinner that night. At the very end of the competition, the official GHC Invitational results were Blogged for public record - fish caught, numbers, length, size, angler position in the boat, winning hand, etc., This was serious stuff.

Railroad Ranch

Within two weeks of moving to Montana, this so called trout bum had two jobs, a cushy pad to call home and a girlfriend… sort of. My tread lightly "rough it" plan was failing and I needed to put the breaks on before I spiraled out of control. I packed up the truck with fly rods, reels, waders , camping gear, fly tying equipment, a case of beer and headed South to the Henry’s Fork. It was time to put my life back in order. The Railroad Ranch would never be the same. Never fished here before, just been told to fish downstream with dry flies only! Quite a statement to abide by for a guy that loves to catch fish and knows that trout spend 90% of the time feeding on sub aquatic insects. Anyway, I was here to clear my head and get back to trout bumming.

In two days, I had gotten skunked, lost a rod, broken up with my sort of girlfriend via pay phone but still had two jobs and a place to live. I would work on losing one of the jobs later. I’m here to fish and I’ll be damned to go skunked. Who cares about the majestic Grand Teton purple mountain majesty or the moose sipping water from this legendary spring creek harboring giant, wild rainbow trout? Who really cares about the sweet smell of sage brush bordering the banks of this volcanic wonder? I was here to fish and at this point, a fish would do the soul some good. "Stupid Henry’s Fork, this place is over rated I screamed"! I had to regroup. I’m not going to let this over hyped river get the best of me.

I stormed out of the boiling river and made a B-line for Osborne bridge. I did something I’m not very proud of and short of dynamite, I tied on a size #12 Prince nymph. That’s right, I was nymphing one of the greatest dry fly rivers in the world and I was killin’ it. It makes perfect sense. These fish don’t see many prince nymphs drift by their head, if ever. They were curious and I was catching fish, big Henry’s Fork fish. I felt a little dirty at first but who cares really? I got over the guilt pretty quickly. I’m not a purist, just a self taught fly fishing kid from the Midwest. I’ll justify my behavior as simply a skillful means of catching fish without the use of dynamite.

2011 Season In Review Continued...

2011 was a fantastic season! It was a different season for me personally as I stepped into the role as Owner and Managing Outfitter. No more guide work after 13 seasons. It was a good long run but also time to take CK Outfitters in a new direction.
I want to give credit to my hard working, ass kicking and ace crew who worked tirelessly providing quality guide trips throughout the season. Thanks to: Sean Efferson, Steve Wilson, John Sniscack, Austin Trayser, Jordan Corcoran, Ennion Williams and Ben Jantzen. You are some of the most solid guides I have ever worked with and could not have pulled off this season without your help.
We are looking forward to the 2012 season. We hope you all winter well and look forward to seeing you next season.

Craig Kalpinski
Owner & Managing Outfitter
CK Outfitters Fly Fishing
Bozeman Montana

2011 Season In The Books

The final days of the season are always bittersweet. Currently, there is an arctic cold front hanging around that with any luck will loosen its grip soon! It's the kind of cold that makes most fishing guides think twice about their profession.
We wrapped up our 2011 season a few days ago on the Missouri. Fishing was a bit tough but I suspect it was operator error? If you could rip a streamer in front of a nose or two, you could of moved a few fish and probably even got one to the net... quite a few but that was not the case this past weekend.
The Ritchie family blew into Montana in September and tore 'em up everywhere they fished. My ace crew of guides shined and we could not have pulled off this trip without them. Steve Wilson had my long time client and good friend Mark Baker out on the Upper Madison recently and they had a fantastic day!
It was a late start to the season due to the abundance of snowpack but once the rivers settled, the fishing was solid from start to finish. This is not the last post but one of several before we give up on the cold and are Southbound. Check back in a few for more of the 2011 season in review. To be continued...

Kids, tweak your brim please!

Call me old school but these straight brim fly fisherman scare me. You might as well wear a straw cowboy hat on the river. Plain and simple, these hats scare fish.. and me for that matter.
The 2011 fly fishing is winding down. Just a couple more trips on the books and then it's out like trout. It has been a great, interesting. long, watery, hot and most recently cold season. All in all, it really has been a great season. We will keep you updated on things relevant to fly fishing with CK Outfitters and report on the end to our season. In the meantime, tweak those brims and tip up!