2011 River Guardian Crew!
It is hard to put into words the joy, anticipation and excitement that was shared on day five of the 2011 River Guardian Fly Fishing School. After four days of learning about the Yellowstone watershed, the importance of native indicator species (such as our beloved Senor Blanco), the art of fly fishing, and the importance of becoming active guardians of the Yellowstone River and its tributaries, we put it all together with a full-day guided float on the meandering waters of the Yellowstone River. Floating through the majestic Paradise Valley, under the shadows of the rugged Absaroka outcroppings towering 11,000 feet into the skyline, the Bird Float (as it is known by guides throughout the region) offers some of the most spectacular scenery on the entire 670-mile stretch of the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states.
The day began with an 8:15 a.m. meet-up at Anglers West Fly Shop in Emigrant, Montana. With nine guides, four mentors, and 18 students--all sleepy-eyed after a restless night’s sleep in anticipation of the day ahead--the energy and excitement was palpable. After a meet and greet, followed by a review of our River G core values (passion, attitude, courage, compassion, love, commitment and respect), we split into nine groups, with two students to a guide, rigged up our rods, packed our lunches, prepped our drift boats and journeyed to Gray Owl for our launch onto the hurried waters of the Yellowstone River.
An electric buzz filled the air as we pulled into the Gray Owl fishing access site with nine big rigs-- Toyota Tundras, Dodge Rams, and Chevy Suburbans, all with beautiful McKenzie River-style drift boats in tow--readying ourselves for the ultimate conclusion to what has been a powerful and jam-packed week. Knowing how special this day is to the participants, and desperately wanting everything to go smoothly, my mind runs as wild as the waters of the Yellowstone in the midst of spring run-off, made worse by seven days of 16-18 hour days and just enough sleep to bring the heat each day. I am humbled, and feel a great sense of pride when I view the launch site and witness nine drift boats stacked against the willow-lined river banks--with nine of the best Yellowstone area fly fishing guides happily working with our River G students, all of whom wear the look of a child on Christmas morning.
With this year’s high water and abnormally swollen river flows, it has been a hard summer on the fly fishing guides and outfitters, costing many guides over $5,000, as it is just within the last week that we have finally been able to run trips on the historic waters of the Yellowstone River--often described as the Yankee Stadium of trout fishing. So when I see nine guides and outfitters (eight excluding myself) giving up a day’s wages (a value of over $450) to help make the final day of our River G program so special and memorable for everyone involved, I am moved and inspired. This year we also saved hundreds of dollars when Ms. Toots from B&G shuttle generously donated all nine of our shuttles from Gray Owl to Mallards, giving me great peace of mind, and further demonstrating how far this program has come.
Before launching, we give one last motivational, locker room talk to the River G participants, which includes a discussion of the importance of showing much love and respect to our friend, the native mountain whitefish throughout the day’s adventure. Our concern that the other guided trips might express frustration and animosity when they see our flotilla of nine boats launching on the river was quickly alleviated when the other twelve boats prepping to journey downstream shared in our excitement once they observed the glee radiating from our crew of guides and students.
This final day of the program is the hardest logistical day to pull off; but witnessing these students--who just five days earlier could barely throw five feet of line--catch and land dozens of spirited whitefish, several feisty rainbows and multiple 20-inch browns, demonstrates the power of what we can all achieve when we remain focused and dedicated to a vision, when we are truly on a mission.
But, as we have shared with these students all week long, it is not about the numbers. It is not about the catch. Instead, it is about the overall experience of being on the water, and becoming active and knowledgeable guardians, while falling in love with a new passion.
While the fishing was tremendous, I suspect the most memorable part of our final day of the 2011 River G program was the epic rain, thunder and lightning storm we found ourselves in after lunch. We could see the storm brewing during lunch, and after sitting out a heavy downpour, we all loaded into our boats and, like our own little Spanish armada, forward rowed into the belly of the beast. Drenched to the core as the rain pounded our boats, bodies and the river itself with a religious fervor, it wasn’t until the lightning began to accompany the thunder that we boogied to the shore and found our own place to wait out the storm.
In typically River G fashion, the students confronted the challenging weather with big smiles, laughs and stories of fish caught and those that got away. As shared with me in an email I received today from one of our YCG rock-star’s, Kelley, a 17 year-old-girl from Livingston, these programs are about much more than becoming a guardian of Yellowstone Country, or in this case the rivers and watersheds. These programs teach important life skills that can transform the way these young people look at themselves and, in turn, the world around them. In the words of Olivia, one of the newest members of the YCG family, “Yellowstone Country Guardians is an amazing program! It has taught me new skills I can carry with me forever such as commitment, respect passion and being a river guardian. Thank you for starting such an amazing program!”
With soaring spirits we all landed together at Mallards Rest with the sun bursting its way through the thick cumulonimbus clouds, gently basking upon the summit of and cirque of Mount Cowan and the legendary river bottom of the resplendent Paradise Valley. While we faced many obstacles and challenges throughout the week, with the abnormally high water forcing us to find fishing refuge elsewhere, a deep sigh of relief released from my belly as I observed all of the students gathered in a group, horsing around and sharing stories of the day.
As with all YCG programs, we end with one last motivational presentation, which leads us to the powerful, moving and inspiring testimony period. With the rain showers off in the distance, bathing in the soft evening light, each student eloquently shared how the River Guardian program has changed their life, the way they look at the river and its inhabitants, and how they feel about their role as a guardian of Yellowstone Country. One young man spoke with great reverence about the Mountain whitefish and how saddened it made him every time he caught a senor blanco—just to think of people disrespecting this important member of the river community—and another local student said he was always taught to bank release the whitefish or give it the Montana handshake, but he has now learned how wrong this was and that he is committed to spreading the senor blanco gospel. Others spoke of the power of the experience and their reverence for the river environment. This was something I wish all of our supporters could experience firsthand.
These inspiring young teenagers are not only the future guardians of Yellowstone Country and the waters that are the lifeblood of this region, they are the here and now. Life is full of questions, and if we are not questioning ourselves regularly I am not sure if we are pushing hard enough to inspire positive change. And while I often find myself contemplating what is the best way to make the biggest impact possible, while inspiring stewards of this big watery planet and wild landscapes like Yellowstone Country, the final hour of each YCG program, where students wear their emotions on their sleeves and express the power of their transformation and hopes for their Yellowstone odyssey, is a gift that I will forever cherish for the fact that it confirms the importance of this work and the impact of these programs.
Much love to everyone who helped to make this year’s River Guardian Fly Fishing School such a tremendous success and a journey we will always remember.
For the rivers,
~Michael Leach, Director and Founder
Paul and Nick getting jacked with the rest of the students about our big day with the guides.
Guide Big Josh straight out of Seattle with Ryan and Jarrett on the Yellowstone.
Mr. Chuck Borg getting after it with Ricky and longtime YCGer Bubba.
A stoked out Ricky with volunteer guide Chuck Borg and a fat Yellowstone River brown trout landed in front of the entire crew pulling into lunch.
The calm before the storm. A bank full of drift boats and guides donating a day to the YCG River G School.
Hunkering down with big smiles in the midst of a wicked storm. Wow, when it rains in August in Montana it really dumps.
Daniel riding high after landing a beautiful rainbow.
Tristan trying to contain himself with outfitter, fly shop owner, guide extraordinaire and major YCG sponsor Matson Rogers from Anglers West Fly Shop. As if the nearly $1,500 worth of gear wasn't enough, Matson takes his support to another level by donating a day to the program.
Not to be outdone, nothing beats a boat launch fish and while there was still 200 yards, this was how Mizz Olivia ended her day on the Stone.
A very happy crew of River Guardians at the take out after an amazing day.
2011 River G guide crew minus the man Mr. Ben from Parks' Fly Shop who had to take care of some business after a long day on the water. Mad props to this years team. Special thanks to Montana Troutfitters, Sweetwater, Anglers West, Parks', Dan Garbowski and Chuck Borg and all eight of our top notch guides.
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