Currently, there are wealthy (greedy) landowners who would like to see ALL BOATS removed from the Wade Stretch of the Madison River – Quake to Lyons. Most of these a-holes live, for less than 2 months a year, down in the Big Bend below $3 Bridge. They have gone to great lengths trying to get boats out of this stretch. They write letters appealing FWP regulations, they throw thewir money around in hopes that it will do something and they put up fences. There is a fence going into the river below $3 Bridge and if you walk around it, then get back on the bank as to not spoke the large trout eating dry flies on the bank, a Security Guy will come down and tell you that you are tresspassing and that he has called the Game Warden. The warden will not write tickets – he told me this back in May. From this fence down to the Pine Butte/ upper West Fork access, is private land. Some belongs to the $3 Ranch and some to a developement called Sundance Bench. However, there has been a trail down to the Big Bend for over 60 years, maybe longer. Nobody, in the past, has ever cared about walking the banks on the Madison River. The river is clean and well respected by all who come to fish.

About 10 years ago, maybe more, a different breed on landowners arrived in Montana…..greedy, weathly types…..”Get off my lawn” types. These landowners are trying vey hard to eliminate boats in the wade stretch because they want the river to themselves.

With a boat, one can float down (no fishing from boats from Quake to Lyons), park the boat and get out to fish. These landowners absolutely hate it when a boat is parked in “their” water. They will stand there with their arms crossed and glare at you. Some will even make snide remarks trying to provoke you. A few years ago, they started mowing a peice of ground, placed a picnic table down there and put up signs for NO TRESSPASSING and that walking the bank is illegal. These folks can drive right to the river and fish. Good for them, but fuck them too. As a guide, I rarely have been in there with my boat and clients (maybe 6 trips in 14 years), but the opportunity to do so (for everyone) should not be challenged because some weathly landowner wants the river for himself. If boats are removed from the wade stretch, this long piece of amazing water will be privatized.

Wealthy landowners have this perception that since they paid stupid amounts of money for a piece of land next to a river in Montana means that the river is now THEIRS. These types of folks want the river to themselves and firmly believe that you and I don’t belong there anymore.

My point is this: Privatization of our rivers will continue well into the future around Montana. These weathly folks will try to undermine the system for their own benefit. As Bob Marley said, “Get up, stand up. Stand up for your rights.”

http://ospreyoutfittersflyshop.blogspot.com/2010/03/mad-as-hell_27.html

http://ospreyoutfittersflyshop.blogspot.com/2010/03/little-calmed-down-today.html

http://ospreyoutfittersflyshop.blogspot.com/2010/04/time-to-stir-pot.html

The Bitterroot Conservation District began issuing 310 permits to the landowners on Mitchell Slough for various work since 1975 when the Natural Streambed and Land Preservation Act became law. That was an important point in declaring the slough open to the public because you only need a permit for natural waterways, not ditches. The east channel has moved away from the headgate and every year after highwater the landowners have to build berms to channel water from the river to the slough headgate. Without the channel work the slough would be mostly dry. This last work, pointed out by False Casts however, looks to have been done more for spite. The best article explaining the numbing legalities was “Muddy Waters” in the Missoula Independent in 2009.

Here’s the post I did on Mitchell in 2009 with a link to the Independent article.

http://buttonvalley.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/conservation-conundrum/