Lake Agnes

My wife and I decided to forgo the rivers and head to a high mountain lake for some tube fishing. We headed to a Lake Agnes located above Brownes Lake in the Pioneer Mountains near Glen.

Having never been to Lake Agnes we consulted the RAM maps and looked over the hike. I then made a call to the Beaverhead National Forest Office for some quick information on the best way to get in to this lake. We found a 2 mile route that although very steep and rocky was less an hour hike up. After a creek crossing of Rock Creek and some frequent stops to catch our breath we arrived at Lake Agnes.

I wasn’t prepared to find a beautiful sandy beach to greet us at the lake. Wow what an unexpected treat! This is a beauty of a lake.

One great thing about this lake is how many grayling inhabit the lake and although the fishing wasn’t on fire we were treated to some spectacular scenery. No crowds here, no drift boats passing by, just my wife and I and about 4 other people spread out across the lake.

I had decided to pack in float tubes for my wife and I complete with flippers. So we unpacked them from the pack and started to blow them up. One of the tubes was my son’s which I had never used before. It did not have a blow up type of tube in it but rather a type that required a pump which of course I didn’t have. So we were down to one tube. I know I can hear all of you now…”you should have looked”. I paid the price of a 2 mile hike with the dead weight of a useless float tube and fins.

We ended up catching 10 fish 6 grayling. Here is a sample of them.

One of the most outstanding things of the day was yet to come; dinner at the Melrose Café, Bar and Casino. My wife and I had never been here before. (Mistake!) . Everything was excellent, from the tossed greens with raspberry vinaigrette, to the gourmet burgers, home fries and ice cold beer. To top it all off we had Sonya’s Strawberry Pie, here grandmothers recipe. We got the last two pieces.

So if you’re coming off the Big Hole or on your way down I15 take the time to pull off at Melrose and stop by for a great meal and great service. They win our EAT HERE award!

Best Day on the Big Hole

One of our employees parents came into town and my wife was leaving on a early flight out of Bozeman. So we decided to float the Big Hole. I would get them started on the raft, then jump into my pontoon and fish for the day.

I tried about 8 different fly combinations before I hit the mother load. The combo that was making it happen was a yellow stimulator with more of a dark body than a yellow body and a prince nymph dropper in a size 16.

I ended up having a forty fish day! I caught rainbows, brookies, and grayling. It was a fantastic day with lots of hook ups and fish landed. My best day on the Big Hole! I caught little ones and 2 rainbows over 20 inches. The fishing was so hot I never stopped to eat or take a drink of water. OK I did stop once to slug a cold beer and eat a piece of friend chicken. I still was casting in my other hand. I just didn't want to stop to eat when the fishing was so fantastic.

I stopped and talked to a couple from Oregon, they had not hired a guide and were true DIY fisherman. They caught 1 fish and floated the exact same stretch of the . The secret to fishing the Big Hole is try lots of combos before you find something that works for you. I told them they had just made an investment on learning the river so tomorrow they could really hammer the fish. They were very excited. I showed them the flies that were working for me. I hope they did well.

I also got a ticket for not having a PFD on my pontoon. The two wardens were floating the river checking licenses and PFD's. So $45 later I was still up to my elbows in fish. As a matter of fact as I pulled out from where I landed to recieve my citation I landed a nice 14 inch rainbow. So don't forget to carry your PFD on your pontoon boat!

Here is a sample of some of the fish I caught!