Rick Grassett

I hosted a group of friends and clients on a fly fishing trip at Crane Meadow Lodge (www.cranemeadow.addr.com) in Twin Bridges, MT last week. We fished the Beaverhead, Big Hole, Jefferson, Ruby and Madison Rivers, a couple of spring creeks and a high altitude alpine lake, either wading or floating, where we caught and released numerous brown, rainbow, cutthroat and brook trout. Many fish were caught with a variety of hopper dry fly patterns.

This is an annual trip for me and was our 13th year at the lodge. Nick Reding, from the St. Louis, MO area, Mike Perez and Dennis Kinley, from IN, Tony Merlis from NH and I met up in Bozeman on Friday afternoon, 8/8 and made the 90-mile drive southwest to the lodge in Twin Bridges. We ran into Jimmy Carter in the airport. He was on the same flight from Atlanta with Tony, who said the former president traveled in coach and made his way through the entire plane shaking everyone's hand on board. The fly fishing world is a small world!

I floated the Jefferson with Tony Merlis one day and the Big Hole with Nick Reding another day with guide Dan Allen. We caught and released rainbows and browns on both trips. We saw a moose along the Big Hole and a couple of eagles locked talons in a battle that almost put them in the river! Nick and I waded the Ruby with guides Tom Caffrey and Matt and I caught my first cutthroat! The variety of fishing available is one of the best things about Crane Meadow Lodge. As long as I have been going there, I fished new water every day except for one this trip.

Mike Perez and I floated the Beaverhead with guide Dave King and had good action catching and releasing browns to over 20". Mike and Dennis Kinley also had a good day wading with guide Dave King, catching and releasing numerous rainbows and browns over 20". Dennis and Nick had good action with brookies on the Big Hole with guides Tom and Matt another day. Tony had a couple of good days with guide Dan including some big brown trout.

The last day was one of the best when the entire group fished a high altitude alpine lake with guides Dave, Tom and Dan and Crane Meadow Lodge operator, Cody Meine. Cody and his staff of guides have become good friends over the years, which makes it even more enjoyable. The scenery was amazing as we took an hour-long drive up to about 7500'. We caught and released cutthroats and rainbows and grilled burgers for lunch. A great way to end our trip!

The weather and scenery in southwest Montana is outstanding. Temperatures ranged from a very comfortable low to mid-50's in the morning to 80's in the afternoon with low humidity, a welcome relief from SW Florida's heat and humidity in August. In addition to beautiful valleys surrounded by rugged mountains, the wildlife is amazing! We saw whitetail and mule deer, hawks, eagles, ducks, geese and sand hill cranes to mention a few. We also saw numerous moose and lots of whitetails around the lodge most mornings. In addition to great fishing, we enjoyed some outstanding meals prepared by Chef Nick every evening.

Back in Sarasota, catch and release snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges and trout, blues and more on deep grass flats should be good options. Reds should be schooling up on flats of Sarasota Bay and there should still be some tarpon in the coastal gulf. You should also find tarpon in upper Charlotte Harbor and areas of Sarasota and Tampa Bay. Juvenile tarpon in canals and creeks or around bridges are also good options.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett

IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor

Orvis- Endorsed Outfitter Guide

CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year

Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

(941) 923-7799

E-mail snookfin@aol.com

www.snookfin-addict.com

Fish Species: Rainbow, brown, cutthroat and brook trout
Bait Used: flies
Tackle Used: fly
Method Used: fly fishing
Water Depth: 2'
Water Temperature:
Wind Direction:
Wind Speed:
Crane Meadow Lodge guide Dave King with a Beaverhead brown
Crane Meadow Lodge guide Dave King with a Beaverhead brown

Crane Meadow Lodge guide Tom Caffrey with a Ruby River cutthroat
Crane Meadow Lodge guide Tom Caffrey with a Ruby River cutthroat


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Rick Grassett

About The Author: Captain Rick Grassett

Company: Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

Area Reporting: Soutwest Florida

Bio: Capt. Rick Grassett, owner of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc., is a full time fishing guide and outdoor writer based in Sarasota, FL. He has been guiding since 1990 and is an Orvis Endorsed Outfitter fly fishing guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters in Sarasota. Specializing in fishing with flies and lures on light spinning tackle, Capt. Rick fishes the bays, back country and coastal gulf waters from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor in his 18' Action Craft flats boat. He is a Federation of Fly Fishers certified fly casting instructor. Destination fishing trips are another specialty of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service. Capt. Rick has lead groups of fly anglers to remote fishing locations around the world. Crane Meadow Lodge, MT, Los Roques, Venezuela, Andros Island Bonefish Club and Bonefish Bay Club in the Bahamas are several destinations where he has hosted groups in the past. Capt. Rick is a field editor for Saltwater Angler magazine and a monthly columnist for the Tampa Tribune. He has written articles for The Fisherman magazine and Orvis News. In addition to writing for these publications, he has been featured in articles in Florida Sportsman, Sportfishing, The Fisherman and Fly Fishing in Saltwater magazines. Capt. rick's web site, www.snookfin-addict.com features weekly fishing reports, current photos and and monthly fishing forecasts. He also maintains a second website that is specific to fly fishing and fly casting instruction, www.flyfishingflorida.net.

941-923-7799
Click Here For Past Fishing Reports by Captain Rick Grassett