Go West, Young Man

I LIVE IN TEXAS. And with the exception of a few put-n-takers in a couple of dam-fed rivers, we have no trout in Texas. And if you’re a magazine editor, or an art director, or a publisher who has perused my stock archive, you’ve probably noticed that trout and trout fishing images are relatively scarce when compared to the bulging folders of saltwater species that I’ve shot over the years.

Given that conspicuous dearth of images from authentic mountain streams, I typically jump at any opportunity to photograph them. When Frontiers called last month and asked if I was available to shoot six lodges over twelve days in Montana and Idaho, I took the job without hesitation when I saw the list of rivers I’d be visiting: the Blackfoot, the Big Hole, the Missouri, the Henry’s Fork, the Yellowstone, and the Madison.

Color me gone.

From September 16-27, I put 1,089 miles on a rent car, filled up 200 gb in memory cards, and met a bunch of great lodge owners, guests, and guides. The weather was perfect. The photo-ops were outstanding. And aside from the fact that I looked like a disheveled bum because I never actually unpacked my duffle, it was an epic assignment.

Below, you’ll find a sampling of images from the shoot. Clients: If you’d like to see my entire newly-updated trout fishing archive (now available for immediate license) please click here.

Anglers: If you’d like to visit one of these iconic western locales, call Frontiers and they’ll hook you up for the same price as a direct booking, with flights and detailed pre-trip planners, to boot. They’ve been arranging fly-fishing trips for 45 years, and they’re really good at what they do.

Handrail homage at The Blue Damsel Lodge

Releasing a cutthroat on the Blackfoot

Unplugged at The Blue Damsel

The fly shop at Big Hole Lodge

A master’s hands: Craig Fellin ties on an attractor

Bankside relics in Wise River

Hints of fall

Working the flats at Missouri River Ranch

Hopper ‘bow from the Mo

Yes, please

Closing the deal on a Missouri River brown

Fish stories told here  – Three Rivers Ranch

Wearing down a cutthroat on the South Fork of the Snake

Upper Mesa Falls on the Henry’s Fork

Warm River rainbows

Sunrise tops the Absaroka Range at Yellowstone Valley Lodge

A fall brown fattened up before the spawn

Towering cottonwoods on the Yellowstone

A spot to hang out at Madison Valley Lodge

Rob Kessler and Anne Miller on the Madison

Bringing a brown to hand at Palisades

This entry was posted on Monday, October 13th, 2014 at 5:17 pm. It is filed under Assignments, Freshwater Fishing and tagged with Big Hole River, Blackfoot River, brown trout, cutthroat trout, fly fishing, Henry's Fork River, Idaho, Missouri River, Montana, Rainbow Trout, Snake River, Yellowstone River. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.