I have fished Montana for over four decades and even have had conversations with legend Bud Lilly. I have fished with the author who completed George Brook’s final book, Rand Oslund. I’ve fished the Gallatin, Madison, Jefferson, Missouri, Big Horn, Smith River, Yellowstone, spring creeks, creeks in Yellowstone National Park and pretty much everywhere in the State, including several high mountain lakes.
We stay at a beautiful new development in Red Lodge called The Spires at Red Lodge. It has a beautiful trail system, views of 12,00 foot peaks and even a creek with trout in it in their large 12 acre park.
There is a beautiful Red Lodge, Montana real estate development called the Spires at Red Lodge. We came here because it is some of the last, best priced resort real estate in the Rocky Mountain region.
Let’s get on with the fishing. Our little smorgasbord begins right in the middle of town, it’s a walk to fishing trip; no windshield time whatsoever. Rock Creek is a free stone stream and all of the standard stuff works because these fish don’t get worked very hard at all. Go north of town and the fish size increases.
“Where The Hell Is Roscoe?” is a slogan on a t-shirt at The Grizzly Bar just 15 miles west of Red Lodge. Just the drive out there takes you past some of the finest Montana real estate available. Several miles south of The Grizzly you cross over East Rosebud Creek. This stream has been know to produce an occassional 20 inch plus fish, so don’t be surprized if you get one. Buggers in the deep holes or little dries and small nymphs in the slow stuff.
There is a lake called Arch Lake that is a boulder-strewn 2,500 foot plus hot foot (not trail) hike straight up out of the East Rosebud Valley. There are some monstrous cutthroat in this lake many of them don’t see an artificial fly or lure more than once every few years.
Take 78 west for another 14 miles past Roscoe and you arrive in Absarokee. Go west out of Absarokee along the Stillwater River. It is best to fish it from a raft and pullover to fish the runs, but you can do alright wading from bridge areas as well. It is great grasshopper and terrestrial fishing in late July and all of August. In the spring and fall it’s back to streamers and nymphs. This river gets a lot less pressure than the western Montana streams.
For another great high mountain lake head south out of Red Lodge on Highway 212 and turn right up the Glacier Lake Road, near the base of the Beartooth Pass. After about 7 miles of slow going dirt road you will arrive at the base of the Glacier Lake trail head. The trail is a two mile grunt up to 9,000-plus feet out of the parking lot. There are some very large cutthroats, especially along the cliffs on the western shore. You’ll need a sink tip line to fish with flies or a weighted line with a bunch of worms on a treble to go after the big one down deep. Just get it down deep and reel it back slow.
In one hour and one-half you can be at one of Montana’s most legendary tailwaters – The Bighorn River. Thirty fish days with a couple of fish over 20 inches are not unusual here and the only people that think it is crowded are those of us whiners who have fished it forever and live here in Montana.
The Bighorn River is only about 90 minutes away from Red Lodge across the Crow Indian reservation from Pryor, Montana and is probably one of the best tail water damn fisheries in the State, but it is usually quite crowded (I say this tongue in cheek because it is crowded by Westerners standards but not by many others).
This is one of the reasons that owning a second home or a piece of Red Lodge, Montana real estate is so appealing. The vast amount of recreational opportunity that is right at your doorstep is unbelievable and Montana’s largest city is under one hour away.
