Montana
The western Montana hot stove fly tying league
The meetings are probably coming to order – in some sort or another, all over western Montana.
For about 16 years on Tuesday afternoons we held a meeting that would qualify for the hot stove fly tying league in my shop. A typical session might go like this:
The guys would start rolling in about two in the afternoon and we’d exchanged greetings. They’d get settled into their customary places around the fly tying table, plug in their lamps, set up their vises and fuss with their other tools.
“What are we tying today, Chuck?” one of them would ask.
“Let’s tie some Caddis Variants,” I might say – or I’d name another pattern.
What we did weren’t really fly tying classes; they could be called seminars, maybe, or in another sense, club meetings. There was a sense of fraternity among us. They were there to learn and I was there to teach. Sometimes the teacher learned from the students.
We called our meeting sessions. Seminar sounded too formal, meeting sounded too formal, and class sounded too bookish, too lifeless.
Sometimes when I visit friends during the winter I bring some fly tying tools and materials. Sitting and tying flies, sharing secrets, fly recipes, materials and stories in just about any warm setting on a cold winter afternoon would qualify as a hot stove fly tying league meeting.
This league, insofar as it exists at all, is loose and far-flung. When a couple of buddies get together to tie flies at one of their houses, though, we know we’re connected to something bigger.
It’s not ethereal or transcendent; it’s more like simply knowing you’re not the only ones.
A fly tying hot stove league meeting can be those couple of guys getting together once, or it can be a tradition that’s older than the one held forth at my shop until it closed.
One of the oldest is the Fly Tying Roundtable that the late Doug Persico and his wife Carolyn started at the Rock Creek Fishermen’s Merc in Clinton. I was surprised and pleased to learn that Doug and Carolyn’s grandson John is keeping up the tradition when I read the following announcement:
It’s that time of year again to fire up the fly tying vises and create some new buggy goodness! The first Fly Tyer’s Roundtable of the season begins this Saturday (1/6/24) starting at 11AM here at the Mercantile!
We will be hosting Roundtables every Saturday through the winter. For more information, please contact us or check out our webpage in the link below. Happy New Year and happy tying, anglers! https://rcmerc.com/fly-tyers-roundtable/
The Roundtables at the Merc weren’t classes per se and probably still aren’t. Basically you’d come, set up, and watch somebody tie and learn from them.
If Carolyn and John don’t mind, when the roads clear a bit I might devote a Saturday to joining them.
Until then I’ll fuss here at home, and maybe have some friends over to tie. Eventually I’d like to re-start the sessions I held at my shop on Tuesday afternoons. There are logistics to deal with but I’m working on it.
There’s a certain pull, an attraction to the notion of spending cold winter afternoons where it’s warm, hopefully where it’s heated with wood, to tie flies. We inevitably tell stories. We show each other the new materials we’ve discovered and maybe share them.
There are so many new materials on today’s market that keeping up with all of them, even if you own a fly shop, seems nonsensical. You can’t do it. But hearing from your buddies what works and what doesn’t is a short-cut to knowledge that could drive you insane if you tried to discover it all by yourself.
Back to that Caddis Variant we were going to tie at a Tuesday afternoon session. We’d devote several sessions every year to that fly. Why? It’s deceptively simple – and easy to get wrong. When I announce that it’s Caddis Variants again, I might hear:
“Caddis Variants again, Chuck? Will you show us how to flare the wing this time?”
“He showed you how last time,” somebody answers. “You just weren’t paying attention.”
“Yes I was – I just got stuck on getting the dubbing right.”
We all laugh and eventually we practice flaring the wings. It takes time and practice to learn – and the camaraderie is a catalyst to the learning and the reason why we’re there.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 10 drawing
06-22-28-31, Bonus: 08
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 10 drawing
01-03-20-35-46, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The Socorro Independent School District honored and celebrated its top two educators at the 2026 Teacher of the Year Gala on Friday, May 8 at the El Paso Convention Center.
Cristina Garcia, a fifth-grade teacher at Mission Ridge Elementary School, was recognized as the 2026 SISD Elementary Teacher of the Year. Javier Esparza, an audio and video broadcast teacher at Socorro High School, was named the 2026 SISD Secondary Teacher of the Year.
https://www.ktsm.com/news/socorro-isd-honors-top-2-teachers-at-gala-celebration/
EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A proposed high-voltage transmission project in far East El Paso is raising concerns among residents in the Montana Vista area, as developers work to determine a potential route that could impact private property.
The project, known as Pecos West, is being developed by Grid United and would create a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line connecting El Paso to southeastern New Mexico.
According to the company, the goal is to link major parts of the U.S. electric grid, specifically the Western and Eastern interconnections, allowing electricity to move in both directions between regions. Developers say the project could strengthen energy reliability, expand access to power markets, and help prevent outages during extreme weather.
Grid United also describes Pecos West as a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure investment that could bring jobs, tax revenue, and long-term economic benefits to communities along the route.
However, for residents in Montana Vista, the immediate concern is not the long-term benefits, but what the project could mean for their land.
At a community meeting Saturday morning, several residents were able to voice their concern, telling KFOX14/CBS4 they feel they have not received enough information about the project’s path or timeline, especially as discussions about a preliminary route continue.
“We haven’t got anything from you,” said Armando Rodriguez, president of the Montana Vista Landowners. “Not one quote.”
Others echoed concerns about communication, calling on the company to directly notify homeowners who may be affected.
“You need to go to these houses, give people information, and say this could affect you,” one resident said.
Grid United says the project is still in the planning and development phase, and no final route has been approved.
The company says construction would only begin after securing regulatory approvals and negotiating land agreements with property owners.
Company representatives also emphasized that landowner participation is voluntary.
“Pecos does not have eminent domain,” said Alexis Marquez, community relations manager for the project. “If a landowner does not want it on their property, we would look at alternate routes.”
Developers say outreach will continue as planning progresses, but residents are asking for more direct communication now, especially those who believe they could be directly impacted.
The project is not expected to be completed anytime soon, with Grid United estimating that Pecos West could become operational in the mid-2030s if approved.
For now, the conversation in Montana Vista reflects a familiar tension seen in large infrastructure project, balancing long-term regional benefits with local concerns about transparency, property, and community impact.
RECOMMENDED: Circle K: Diesel mistakenly delivered into premium gas tank at El Paso Zaragoza Road store
Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox.
-
Wisconsin3 minutes agoSuspected human bones found in northern Wisconsin
-
West Virginia9 minutes agoWest Virginia delegate candidates in Wood County split on top issues, from manufacturing to health care rules
-
Wyoming15 minutes ago(LETTER) ‘Wyoming Advantage’ is disappearing for Gillette residents
-
Crypto21 minutes agoBitcoin Holds Above $81,500 as $135M in Leveraged Crypto Positions Get Liquidated
-
Finance27 minutes agoMorgan Stanley sees writing on wall for Citi before major change
-
Fitness33 minutes agoThis simple strength training trick builds more muscle and better technique—here’s how to try tempo training in your next home workout
-
Movie Reviews45 minutes ago‘Given Names’ is a Fascinating Exploration of Who We Are (Berlinale 2026 Film Review)
-
News1 hour agoVideo: Americans Exposed to Hantavirus on Cruise Ship Arrive in United States