The Waters of Western Montana
with Tony Reinhardt
7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
This month we're looking forward to Tony Reinhardt, a Missoula-based
guide with 15 years of experience on western Montana waters. The four main rivers
include the Blackfoot, the Clark Fork, Rock Creek, and the Bitterroot. Last year, Phil
Romans gave us a show focusing solely on the Bitterroot, so Tony will just cover the
highlights of that river. However, for the other three rivers, he will detail their
access points, hatches, fly patterns, best seasons, and the best methods specific to
each water. There are also some attractive lakes and smaller rivers
he'll mention. Missoula is conveniently located in the center of all
these waters, and offers more than the usual number of options for lodging, food,
shopping, and other vacation activities.
Tony Reinhardt is
one of the busiest and most respected fly fishing guides in western Montana. A native of
Iowa, where his father taught him to hunt and fish on the family farm, Tony picked up a
fly rod as a teenager to target the bass and panfish in the area. His first taste of
trout fishing came while attending college in Oklahoma and driving on weekends to the
productive tailwaters of Arkansas: the White, the Little Red, and the Norfolk. A summer
spent fishing Alaska convinced him that he needed to be in a trout Mecca, so he
transferred to the University of Montana in Missoula, earning a degree in English in
1997 while working at a fly shop.
For the past 15 years, Tony has spent as much time on the rivers of western Montana
as any other guide in the area, averaging more than 130 guide days a season. In
2010, Tony started his own outfitting business, Montana Trout Outfitters
(www.mttroutguides.com). During a rare day off, you are likely to find him
exploring some of the lesser known waters in the area or testing new fly designs
for his clients to use in the coming days.
Fly tying started as a passion for Tony when he moved to Missoula and he has become a skilled tier who
is often asked to demonstrate at local events. He tied flies commercially for area
fly shops and the majority of flies in his guide bag were created at his own vise.
Tony should offer us a great look at an area of Montana many of us miss. Join us this
Thursday evening, November 8th, at 7:30 p.m. at the San Marino Masonic Lodge, 3130
Huntington Drive, San Marino, 91108.
Seymour Singer