Paul's Recommended Fishing Holes

Paul Vang is an outdoor writer and dedicated fly fisherman.

Butte's location right along the Continental Divide puts us at the head of a variety of watersheds.  My favorite is the Big Hole River which provides solitude and has lots of public access.  The river offers excellent fly fishing; I'd say ninety percent of the fishing is done by floaters.  And, the countryside is relatively unspoiled.  It's a priceless resource.

Butte is also convenient to rivers on the east side of the Divide, like the Madison, Gallatin, Yellowstone and Missouri.  Many smaller streams and creeks offer good fishing too.

Southwest Montana also is one of the nation's best elk hunting areas.  White tail deer can be found in the river bottoms; mule deer tend to be higher in the mountains.

With all the fishing around Butte, I told my wife Kay when we moved to here, "The moving van doesn't come to our house anymore."