It’s no surprise that the weather in SW Montana has been swinging from heavy snow storms to calm warm days ~ It’s March after all and this has given me some great opportunities to wet a line! I’ve been taking advantage of the warmer days to ’scope’ out the local fishing. One of my favorite holes on the Madison River has been hard to resist and I’ve caught some incredibly healthy trout.I was a little nervous about actually getting to my hole. With the Madison River’s winter gorging, I wasn’t sure I would even be able to get into the water, since the banks have been barricaded with snow and ice build up. Luckily, I was able to crawl in/slide in and rewarded for the entry.I first temped the wild trout with a old stand by of the Madison River, the brown girdle bug. WOW ~ did they ever respond! For the 2 hours I was on the water, there was non stop action on my line.While the trout had great girth indicating a healthy winter over, what really had me thrilled and telling tales to friends around town was how incredibly feisty these trout were. I had two large browns that actually leaped out of the water! I certainly expect that from rainbows and even smaller browns, but was delighted with the fight these large browns gave after the long winter!I’ve been getting out at least 3 times a week, and will continue to keep you all updated as we transition into the excitement of spring fishing out here in SW Montana. Reporting from the river, Chef Scott Warren