2021 Cast One for Hope

Last weekend, we participated in the 2021 Cast One for Hope (Cast One) event in Hamilton, MT on the Bitterroot River. It’s one of the major fundraisers of Casting for Recovery (CfR). This year’s event was different due to Covid-19. Normally, there is fly fishing and a banquet where items are auctioned. The event was cancelled last year because of Covid-19.

We decided to attend the guided fly fishing on the Bitterroot River this year because everyone had received their vaccine. Ten local guides volunteer their day and two anglers per raft provide a donation in order to fish. We were two of 20 fly fishers.

Jenny West of Go West Outfitters was our guide this year.

To say rivers are low in Montana and the rest of the West is an understatement. We left Montana in late July because of low flows and high-water temperatures, which is known as “hoot owl” where fishing was restricted from 2 pm through midnight. High water temperatures mean low oxygen levels for the fish, creating stress on them which could be deadly.

Returning to the Bitterroot Valley, we saw low flows, but water temperatures have lowered to 60 degrees.

Jenny suggested we get a later start to the day and hope for rising trout on dry flies. That was fine with us!

We launched at Wally Crawford access around 11 am. I was amazed at how low the river was.

Jenny spent a few minutes checking leaders and tying on the first fly of the day, a Mahogany Emerger.

Jenny walked the raft upstream to find deeper water before we stepped in.

Not long afterwards, we noticed trout rising. Insects weren’t really visible, and she guessed they were taking Tricos. Here she is selecting the right fly.

And a closeup of the fly on the end of my tippet.

It wasn’t long and trout began rising to our flies. I saw this trout move downstream and sip my fly.

And Karen casting to rising fish.

Jenny knew the river well, directing us to cast along rocks, seams, and banks where she knew the fish lived. We rose a lot of fish, hooking and landing our share.

Even a double.

Yes, my fish is the smaller one on top.

Remember my reference to low flows? The river gage at Bell Crossing was running around 245 cfs. We jumped out of the raft several times and I walked around shallow water by myself probably six more times. Here is Karen and Jenny making their way through a shallow riffle, hoping for some trout in the faster water.

We had a wonderful day on the river. Temperatures were in the low 80’s, which was quite a change from the last time we participated in 2019 when the high was 46 and winds in excess of 30 mph.

Read about our last experience in my post – 2019 Cast One for Hope

If you ever find yourself planning a trip to the Bitterroot and need a guide, I highly recommend Jenny. She is knowledgeable, low key, but excitable when the fish rise to your fly!

Here is her contact Information:

Why do we support CfR?

My wife Karen, aka dancingtrout, is a 14-year breast cancer survivor. She didn’t let cancer define her. She beat it and decided to give back by supporting CfR in a variety of ways, including our participation in Cast One.

She was a participant several years ago and now is the retreat leader for Southern Oregon CfR where I have been a river helper. In addition, she has been an instructor for the Northern Oregon retreat. Both of us have been river helpers too, which means spending a day with one of the participants to reinforce the fly fishing instruction they received and hopefully hook a fish.

Here are several links to previous posts about CfR:

• 2019 Casting for Recovery Oregon South Retreat
• 2018 Casting for Recovery Retreat
• 2016 Casting for Recovery
• Casting for Recovery River Helper
• Casting for Recovery

If you’d like to support CfR in general, contact them HERE 

There is another fund raiser in a few weeks, scheduled for some time in November. I’ll be providing more information about the online auction where some of the proceeds directly support the Southern Oregon CfR retreat.

Let them know I sent you.

Enjoy…go fish, stay safe!