Beaverhead River – St. Andrew’s Corner

November 30, 2009 – St. Andrew’s Day back to My Fishing Journal

This day and this location have special meaning for me. It’s traditionally the last day of the season on the upper Beaverhead River. I named this section of the river “St. Andrew’s Corner” in honor of my beloved father-in-law. Our many hours together on the rivers of southwestern Montana ended here a decade ago. He was a local legend as a fisherman, catching monsters on this and other stretches of water in the region. St. Andrew, the younger brother of the Christian apostle Peter, was a fisherman by trade. Jesus offered to make him and Peter “fishers of men”. This traditional holiday is especially notable in Scotland, where St. Andrew is considered the patron saint of the country.

This year St. Andrew’s Day fell on a Monday. I got up early to get chores done and bolted to Dillon for a few hours on the river. We had driven by going north less than 24 hours before in returning from Thanksgiving in Boise. No problemo. The weather was good, the drive was beautiful, and the traffic was light.

Water

Once again, the weather cooperated on St. Andrew’s Day. It was in the mid- to high 30’s, though the wind blew strongly from various directions through the late afternoon. The river was abnormally high, as it has been all season. Clark Canyon Reservoir is high, too, so I suspect that the Bureau of Reclamation is trying to dump a bit to make space for spring flows. Nevertheless, the water was crystal clear and cold. I’m not exactly sure how cold, but it sure put a numbing on my feet.

Fishing

The browns were running. Traditionally, they start preparing to spawn now. There were a few redds and many trout hovering around. A lone fellow from Idaho was my only competition on St. Andrews Corner. He did well, having apparently figured it out before I arrived. We chatted a bit and I noticed that he was nymphing.

I worked streamers, mainly, hooking several and landing two nice browns.