Winter on the Lower Madison

I keep a running list of editorial needs, and top of the list was winter shots with anglers here in Montana. Called up some friends and got out on the water yesterday, on what proved to be a rather spectacularly windy day on the lower Madison.

Jake, an old friend from Headhunters days, brought along his dog Marley — a former stray who showed up one day at Headhunters and somehow during the summer the pair adopted each other. They make a fun team, and I’ve photographed the Jake / Marley combo for several magazines and an Orvis campaign. It was good fun to unite; the three of us have put in a lot of miles since the days in Craig, and I’m happy to report Marley is as fish-focused and intense as ever, but she’s looking a bit more plump these days. She’s earned it.

Our other angler was Paul, one of my housemates here in Bozeman. Paul guides on the Henry’s Fork and is wintering in Bozeman, and was testing several new guide fly patterns that looked pretty tempting. It’s fun having another angler in the house, and often kitchen conversation turns into trip planning and fly-tying tactics.

Despite epic-level wind (if we were standing on the bank ice, some gusts would literally blow us a few inches down the ice) and very cold water temps, we had a good time and got the images. Sometimes those miserable days can remind us why we do this… and sometimes just getting outside on the water is a cure for everything else.