We have nearly made it through our first Montana February in a decade. Whew. The bitter cold isn’t that fun. Also, snow isn’t nearly as fun as the warm Caribbean currents. But, here we are, and when life gives you lemons, you buy some vodka and call your buddy. Our February has consisted of skiing at the local hills (Discovery and Maverick), cribbage with above mentioned buddies and vodka, and quite a bit of manual labor. And the good news, is that the spring thaw subsequent trout season is just around the bend.
Late January and early February had all of us wondering when and if it was going to snow. It was very dry. But, it turned around very quickly, with a big storm that left several feet of snow in the upper ranges. And, it has been (mostly) trying to keep snowing ever since. According to the USDA NRCS Daily Summary, the Big Hole Basin is sitting at 108% of normal for our snow pack, while the Beaverhead drainage is reading 92%. This is good news for the summer, and weather predictions are showing more precipitation over the next month. So, fingers crossed that it stays cool and wet for another 4-6 weeks.
Now is the time to get on the books for guided fishing! All of our guides are already looking forward to the upcoming season. Firm dates on the calendars put all of us at ease, and makes the anticipation of the coming year even that much better. You could be that angler pictured over there, wondering how you got so lucky to end up along a Montana trout stream. Shoot us a message or give us a buzz to visit about your Montana trip.
So..what manual labor project did we get ourselves into now? Well, this is a good one. We have teamed up with our extremely talented friend Morgan, to build a one-of-a-kind shop here in the Big Hole. What kind of shop? Without giving up too much, it will be a welding and mechanical shop. Specifically, a raft frame welding shop. These long winters put a lot of ideas into a persons head, and Morgan has the skill to put ideas to action. In the coming months we will be producing and hand building one of a kind raft frames. They are lighter and stronger than anything you’ve put on your boat, and they are pretty sleek too. To say we’re all excited would be the understatement of FU February! Stay tuned in the coming weeks and months to hear and see more about this.