The one thing about which there has never been any doubt is the remarkable abundance of wildlife, including trout. Hemmed in by mountain ranges, the Beaverhead Valley is distinguished by a convergence of rivers, including the Big Hole, Beaverhead, Ruby, Jefferson, and Poindexter Slough. For the contemporary angler, the only confusion is deciding where to best limber a line and muddy a boot.
The Beaverhead River possesses more kinks, turns, and twists than a cheap garden hose. Although measuring a scant 43 miles on the map, in actuality it covers three times that much ground on its dizzying romp through a tunnel of matted vegetation and overhanging willows. Flowing at a very brisk clip, the Beaverhead makes a convincing show of lunging this way and that way, yet it just never seems to get anywhere. And that's the beauty of the convoluted stream: Any angler who bites off a map mile of the Beaverhead automatically gets at least two more river miles thrown into the bargain. < previous - next >