Jacquie and Jackie

White Sulphur Springs...ahh! We reluctantly left it behind and headed down Route 89 to Livingston. Our destination was the KOA that we stayed at before, so Jack could fish the Armstrong Spring Creek. This time Jack plans to fish the Nelson Spring Creek which is on the east side of the Yellowstone River. It's a very pretty spring creek that is well kept.  Jack was here last Monday getting advice and flies from one of the owners and guide Jacquie Nelson. Jack claims the flies and advice he got from Jacquie that day helped him land two fish on the Armstrong and one on the Smith River. He was so impressed with Jacquie's knowledge that he arranged to have her as a guide this Saturday evening, August 2nd.
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Morning Fishing the Nelson Spring Creek (by Jack)

We got up early Saturday morning, had breakfast in the RoadTrek, and then headed over to the Nelson. As we drove down to the creek, Carol and I noticed how different this creek is from the Armstrong. On Nelson all the buildings are well cared for and the lawns are all green and manicured. The Armstrong was just about the opposite. We were left with the impression that the folks running the Nelson cared for the stream and surroundings. I was the first fisherman on the stream and I noticed immediately that fish were rising. As I walked over to the stream, I recalled that Jacquie had told me that they had three sections where they raised trout. Yep, you guessed it, the trout I saw rising were in these sections where you were not allowed to fish.

Gorgeous view from Nelson Spring Creek.

I suited up and headed to the stream. Carol accompanied me with her binoculars and bird book.  A nice riffle flowed into a hole in a bend of the creek and that is where I got my first strike. I continued to fish that hole with no luck so I moved downstream. There is a hut on the creek with picnic tables and a toilet. I noticed three cars had arrived so I expected to find these fishermen downstream. As I continued downstream I crossed a small, one-foot wide bridge (plank) that spanned a small 3-foot wide tributary. To my surprise, I scared out two huge trout that scurried off. Once on the main stream again, I managed to scare a lot of trout that were lying next to the bank. All of this reminded me of my days of fishing mountain brook trout streams in Pennsylvania as a kid. We used to crawl up to the banks of the stream in order to not scare off the fish.

Having come to the posted end of the stream without a strike and without seeing any other fishermen, I concluded that there must be a lot more stream to fish upstream of where I had started. As I walked back upstream I found most of the fisherman in areas where the Nelson's had created nice long pools with large logs and pathways jutting out into the stream. I could see the trout in these waters and they were feeding on something. They were large trout and they continued to move about jostling for the best feeding lanes. It was that time for the Pale Morning Duns (PMDs) to hatch.  I targeted one large trout who stayed in one spot long enough for me to tie on and try every PMD imitation I had. In desperation, I started to search the water next to me and saw tiny bugs floating in the water that looked like Tricos, a very very small black and white mayfly. I found I had one with me in a size 22 or 24. I tied it on with a length of very small 7x tippet. I passed it over the trout I had targeted and, WHAM!, he took it. This was a big trout and he immediately took to the air to try to get rid of the hook. He made several large runs that likely spooked all the fish on both sides of me (probably to their dismay, both fishermen next to me left).

I netted this 20-inch rainbow. He had a large girth and weighed maybe 4 to 5 pounds. He had my small Trico in his mouth which I removed and gently released the trout back into the water. He stayed in the water about 4 feet away. I even went back and got Carol. The fish was still in the same spot feeding again.

Is this a Trico, two Tricos mating, an ant or what? All I know is that big rainbow trout sipped it off the surface.

Evening Fishing the Nelson Spring Creek

Carol made lunch (it's her turn to cook now) and we headed over to the hut. Other fishers came in and we chatted with them. One fisherwoman had gone to Sweetbrier College in Amherst, Virginia around the same time that Carol was at Mary Washington College, and she and Carol swapped women's college stories and birding experiences.

Around 4 pm my guide Jacquie Nelson showed up. Carol took our pictures together and played on the fact that we both had the same first name (different spellings, and my original true first name as Jackie is a long story). So Jacquie and Jackie went off to fish together. What an experience. At one point we were on the river when a sudden Montana storm, accompanied by serious thunder and lightning, came up. We got out of the water and tried our best to find shelter in low bushes. Jacquie's husband (also a guide) and his client had rain gear and both lay in the grass. Jacquie and I pretty much got soaked from the chest up (we both had on chest high waders and boots). I hooked two nice trout and learned a lot about targeting fish, getting drag free drifts, and how to set the hook to minimize missing strikes. The trout were still very choosey and would not take a lot of the flies in spite of my "good drag-free drifts" (according to Jacquie). We also got to chat about our lives. I admire the Nelsons. The family has been in Montana for seven generations. Jacquie and her husband are entrepreneurs and I admire Americans who create their own living and don't depend on the government.

Jacquie and Jackie

Jackie getting instructions from Jacquie.

 Carol's Birding on the Nelson

Carol here now. The Nelson Spring Creek had a host of varied birds feeding on the flies, fish and vegetation. I spent most of my day birding and managed to identify 17 species. Just one was a new one for our life list, the red-naped sapsucker, but it was exciting identifying that woodpecker-like bird.  I saw several but most were juveniles, which haven't gotten their full feathers in and don't look exactly like the pictures in the bird books, so it was challenging. It was a great birding day! I'm hoping to do some more birding on our trip to Texas, and from there back to Virginia. (Still on our quest to see the male painted bunting--maybe in Texas this time??)

Mountain Bible Church

Our pastor David Cox and his wife Ninette are missionaries from an organization called Village Missions, which helps to sponsor full-time pastors in small rural areas in the U.S. and Canada. I've been hoping to come across another Village Missions church to attend on our travels and it finally happened. Mountain Bible Church is in Livingston, and turned out to be just around the corner (maybe 2 miles) from our KOA campground. It's a small but growing congregation and they were very welcoming. I talked to the pastor Nathan Pittman and his wife Addie for a while before church and it was interesting comparing notes on the differences and similarities in our two VM churches. They have been in Montana for 5 years, coming here from Florida and never having been in Montana before, but they love it here and seem like a great fit for this very relaxed and down-to-earth congregation. A lovely service. Lots of young people and kids, which is encouraging.

Mountain Bible Church, Livingston, Montana, a Village Missions sponsored church, like our church back home.

View from Mountain Bible Church front door.

Jack with pastor Nathan Pittman (talking fishing!)

Now we're on our way back to Bannack State Park campground (the ghost town) so Jackie can try fishing Grasshopper Creek, a tributary of the Beaverhead River, which is the only Montana Top 100 river that Jack got skunked on... He's going to try again before we leave Montana, so he can check it off!