Hitting the Home Water: Montauk, July 2016

I don't know where August went exactly, but I just looked at my National Parks calendar, and apparently it's mid-to-late September already. Last week officially saw the first day of fall, but you wouldn't know that from the string of 90+ degree days we seem to keep having. I'm over summer. I am ready for pumpkin flavored beer and to make a big crockpot full of pineapple chili. August was one of those not so rare months that was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment in time. I didn't fish at all, and I don't even think I tied any flies. However, I did sneak in a quick day trip to Montauk State Park on the last day of July, and it was very fruitful.

As far as planing for a fishing trip goes, this one was pretty simple. I'd wake up in the middle of the night, drive to Montauk, and fish until I got tired or caught my limit. Simple. It was a sunny Saturday with big fluffy clouds lazily rolling in front of the sun every so often. I can't seem to remember what Emily was up to that Saturday. It seemed like it was our one free Saturday that entire summer. I was more than happy to spend such a gorgeous day hitting up my Missouri home water at Montauk State Park.

It's been a busy year, and I haven't gotten as much time on the stream as I wished. When I do find a chance to fish, typically I have been exploring new waters, or fishing catch & release. This has led to a perilous situation in which the number of frozen trout in my freezer is getting dangerously low. For this previous trip to Montauk State Park, I needed to catch some nice fat rainbows and actually keep them. I was there for meat.

I could not have picked a better day to go fly-fishing. Not only was the weather impeccable, with large clouds providing shade in an otherwise perfect blue sky, but the park itself was surprisingly uncrowded for a mid-summer Saturday morning. Sure, there were a good number of other anglers out there, but they all seemed to be families with children, and they stuck in tight groups. There were plenty of spots on the dam and low water bridge, and areas that required additional wading were practically empty.

Montauk State Park, July 2016