Springing Into Slayfest Fishing
By Chase Coyle
Every spring, a 3-mile section of a mighty 2,341-mile river hosts anglers across the country, chasing monstrous Montana-Missouri River rainbow trout. This geographic phenomenon is labeled as “The Land of the Giants.” Fortunately, I had the opportunity to cast my line into these dark green pools and strong currents wrapped around towering limestone cliffs for a few springs while living in the Big Sky state. The picturesque views are as grand as the fishing.
However, one spring stands out: the spring of 2023.
That winter in Montana was harsh, seeing a decent amount of snowfall at the end of April. Cooped up and eager to fish, when whisperings of spring spawn begin, there is an alluring element to the river. You could even say this “itch” to hit the Missouri River is contagious, especially after you find yourself with what feels like half of Montana wading into the swift current, hoping to hook a giant. 2023 was my first-year diving headfirst into fly angling. As a novice, I had zero clue or angle of how I would attack The Land of the Giants. Oddly enough, this coincided with the beginning of my YouTube channel, Slayfest Fishing.
I struggled at first, like most would. If it weren’t for a fellow angler on the river who shared some needed advice, I would have had a rough spring and possibly dropped fly angling. Along with his advice, he gifted me a special fly from his box - a Pill Popper. The Pill Popper landed me my first Missouri River rainbow, and that bright chrome fish was the shape and width of a football. This one pebble-sized fly opened me up to a world unimagined.
A week later, it landed me the biggest trout of my life.
My best friend Jack and I planned on hitting the water after classes one day to film a YouTube video and test out our new fly fishing skills. Around this time, we made a collective effort to learn the craze of fly fishing. On this specific day, I went out earlier than Jack to get a head start on filming and steal an extra hour of fishing. Hidden by a stout boulder, we religiously fished a deep eddy on the rocky banks of the Mo. As I cast my pink indicator into the thick white foam line, it shot down into the darkness within a split second.
Setting the hook, I instantly knew I had hooked into a behemoth.
The line sang as the fish of a lifetime and I battled it out on the river. This powerful trout sat deep in the water, playing tug of war. If it weren’t for the gradual gains on my reel, I could have easily mistaken this fish for a snagged log hiding in the water. Reeling as my life depended on it, my battle with this monster became a war of attrition. Whoever tired out first would lose. Luckily, I won, or this story would never have been told.
My trophy trout barely fit in the net. Covered in black spots and an amazing pink stripe running across its body, this rainbow was picture-perfect. Not only was it enormous in length, but it was chubby. Surprisingly, it was caught on a tiny nymph. How a fish this size didn’t destroy a hook that small still blows my mind. The day that ensued was one of those days an angler dreams of. Jack and I slayed the trout that day, landing more than either of us can count, and it made for one amazing video.
