Montana
The West’s Best Fly Fishing Isn’t in Montana Anymore
Colorado holds a special place in my heart – it’s where I learned to fly fish and really caught the bug, so I try to get back whenever I can.
Recently, the opportunity came up to spend a few days exploring trout water in a part of the state that was new to me, and I jumped.
The Gunnison Valley, tucked between the San Juan and West Elk Mountains on Colorado’s Western Slope, is best known for two destination mountain towns – Gunnison and Crested Butte.
Both towns are great in their own right, but there’s a whole lot more to the valley worth experiencing.
My home base was Almont, a small town located between Gunnison and Crested Butte, where the East and Taylor Rivers meet to form the Gunnison. I stayed in a cabin on the banks of the Taylor, and it was the ideal jumping-off point to explore the whole valley.
The best known trout fishery in the Gunnison Valley is – you guessed it – the Gunnison River. It can be thought of in two main stretches: the upper river, winding through ranchland from Almont to Blue Mesa Reservoir, and the lower river below the dam, cutting through the rugged Gunnison Gorge and Black Canyon.
I spent a day fishing each, and the two stretches couldn’t look more different. On the Upper Gunnison, I fished long, slow-moving runs in wide open meadows filled with gold-leafed aspen trees. In the Black Canyon, the walls close in, the flows pick up, and everything feels much smaller. Two very different environments – both with excellent trout fishing.
I split another day between the Taylor River and one of its tributaries. Fed by releases from Taylor Park Dam, the Taylor runs cold and clear year-round – making it a great option for winter fishing.
That said, it’s technical fishing – and after a morning of dredging small nymphs, I decided to go up higher to find less sophisticated fish.
That afternoon, I was fishing a single dry fly on Spring Creek above Almont. The fish weren’t big – but after a few hours of constantly switching flies, depth, and weight, a handful of six- inch trout willing to come up and crush a hopper was a welcome change.
The Gunnison Valley is full of open space and public water, but it’s got a lively cultural side too. On my last day – after a few post-fishing beers at the Eldo – I caught a movie premiere at the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte.
It was the world premiere of Matchstick Productions’ new ski film. My mental shift from fishing to ski season usually starts in November, but this definitely jump-started it.
I was relieved to see that I wasn’t the only viewer who clearly had just come off the water. As you might expect, there’s a good deal of overlap between skiers and fly anglers in Crested Butte, and in the Gunnison Valley as a whole.
It’s a special community fueled by a passion for the outdoors, and I’ve a;ready started planning a return trip.
Where Khloe Kardashian Stands With Ex French Montana More Than 10 Years After Breakup
French Montana is done keeping up with reality TV.
In fact, he only agreed to appear on Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Kourtney & Khloé Take the Hamptons over a decade ago as a favor to then-girlfriend Khloe Kardashian.
“She said to get on the show,” he exclusively told E! News at the BET Awards on June 28. “And I got on the show. Shout out to Khloe.”
The “Ever Since U Left Me” rapper, who split with Kardashian in December 2014 after eight months of dating, said the experience was “fun” because her family kept it real.
“They filmed their real life,” he continued. “And we were part of something together that one time. So it felt great. It didn’t feel like work because they film what they do everyday.”
As for his future in reality TV, the 41-year-old said those days are over, shutting down any prospective offers with a simple, “Negative.”
Although the “Unforgettable” artist—whose real name is Karim Kharbouch—may not be returning to television anytime soon, he has no problem hanging out with his ex-girlfriend these days.
French Montana, Rick Ross & Max B Turn the BET Awards Into “
06/28/2026
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GREAT FALLS — For Staff Sgt. Brianna St. Lawrence-Brody, service does not only happen in uniform.
Outside the gates of the base, she works at Benefis as a nurse, Great Falls Public Schools as a school nurse, and comes home as a wife and mom of four. For the Montana Air National Guard, she serves as a command post controller with the 120th Airlift Wing in Great Falls.
(WATCH: Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition)
Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition
This year, St. Lawrence-Brody was named the U.S. Air National Guard’s Outstanding Airman of the Year in the Non-Commissioned Officer category.
She said the recognition came as a surprise, especially because her path into the Guard started later than others.
“I joined very late in life,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “I joined the Guard right before I turned 40. So for me, every opportunity that’s presented, I want to take the bull by the horns and just run with it and do the best of my ability.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she joined the Guard after finishing nursing school. She said she went straight from nursing school into helping open a COVID unit, while also working at Benefis.
She said that experience was the start of one journey, but not the whole of what she wanted to accomplish.
St. Lawrence-Brody joined the Guard for the opportunities, the challenge and to help build a future for her four children.
“It’s a little bit of a competition for myself,” she said. “Like, if I can do it, why not try my best to achieve it?”
120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
As a command post controller, she assists in helping move information during emergencies and major events.
“Outside, obviously, I’m a nurse. Inside the Guard, I have nothing to do with the medical field, which is kind of amazing,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “It keeps me on my toes.”
She explained balancing the Guard, two civilian jobs and four children takes support from her family, her employers and her unit. She said Benefis and GFPS have been supportive of her military service.
Her nomination included her deployment experience, training work overseas and involvement across the wing. St. Lawrence-Brody said she deployed to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where she worked with an operations center supporting entities connected to Africa.
But, she says this recognition is not the finish line.
“This award, it’s not necessarily a landing pad for me,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “I want to use it as a springboard.”
120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
St. Lawrence-Brody hopes her story encourages others to keep taking on new opportunities, even when they feel uncertain.
“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and be okay with doing things afraid,” she said. “I think when you get to be okay with doing things afraid, that’s where you’re going to find the growth.”
She has already won at the Air National Guard level, but she recently traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the broader Air Force Outstanding Airman of the Year process, which includes nominees from the Guard, Reserve and major commands across the Air Force.
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