The first time I went back to Montana, after graduating from the University and a very long hiatus, we finally arrived in Bozeman. Then we drove on to West Yellowstone, where a friend had arranged lodging for us. Unfortunately, our flight to Bozeman left White Plains at 8:36 on the morning of September 11, 2001 and was diverted to Traverse City, MI. We were stranded in Michigan for two days before we could drive on to Montana.

We chose West Yellowstone for our headquarters, because it provided reasonably close access to several of the area’s famous trout rivers. They included the Madison, Gallatin, Yellowstone and Henry’s Fork of the Snake, not to mention several of the excellent smaller streams in Yellowstone Park. 

During our stay, which was shortened by three days because of 9/11, we fished every one of those rivers except the Gallatin. We also stopped in at Bob Jacklin’s fly shop, because he knew my friend Bert, whom I was with on this trip. While at Bob’s, I purchased a number of Prince Nymphs. Turns out Bob was a native of New Jersey, took a trip to West Yellowstone in 1967 to sample the fishing, and one could say, never left. 

At some point, he opened Bob Jacklin’s Fly Shop. One day, when we stopped in after a morning’s fishing on the Madison, Bob showed us some pictures of very large brook trout that he caught, and asked if we would like to fish for them. I can say without hesitation that when I saw those photos, my eyes got very big, because I had never seen brook trout of that size caught in the United States. 

When I asked, Bob told us some of those fish weighed four pounds!

When I heard that, I looked at my friend Bert, and said to Bob, “When do we leave?” So off we went. During the trip, Bob explained that the large trout he had caught came from a relatively small body of water called the Widow’s Pool, which is located in the Centennial Valley, about a three-hour drive from West Yellowstone. During the trip, which passed through some of the most remote and desolate flat country that I’ve ever seen, Bob provided some of the history associated with the Widow’s Pool. 

Way back in 1900, Bill and Lillian Culver and a son, Fred Hanson, created the impoundment by dredging unwanted soil with a large scoop, pulled by a team of horses. Next, they dammed Picnic Creek, a feeder stream, using logs and dirt. The flow of Picnic Creek is augmented by Picnic Spring, which comes out of a hillside next to the Widow’s Pool, providing a large quantity of very cold, clean water. The depth of Widow’s Pool averages about five to six feet.

The first fish stocked were the cutthroat trout and grayling, which were indigenous to the region. Later, eastern brook trout and rainbow trout were added to augment the fishery. 

Over the years, some very large rainbows, grayling and brook trout were caught. Originally, anglers had to pay a fee for the trout they wished to keep. The going rate was about $0.40 per pound. 

When we arrived, the flow from Picnic Spring was immediately evident. A large volume of water left the spring through a big culvert-type pipe. 

While we climbed into our waders, Bob handed Bert and me two size number eight bucktail streamer flies. They had green chenille bodies with green hair wings. We were told to fish in the area of the Widow’s Pool closest to the spring, wade out a bit, cast toward the middle, let the streamers sink, then strip-retrieve with short jerks. 

Then Bob walked off to the opposite side of the Widow’s Pool. Bert, on the other hand, headed toward the dam end of the pond. The water was very, very cold, with a fair amount of rooted aquatic vegetation and a soft bottom. Every once in a while, a trout would swirl on the surface, and that’s where I would cast my fly. 

After about an hour of casting, I hooked and landed a fat 16-inch female brook trout, adorned in fall spawning colors. A truly beautiful fish and the largest brook trout I ever caught. I immediately removed the hook and returned that trout to the water. 

Meanwhile Bob landed two very large “brookies” that looked to be at least 20 inches long, very fat and likely in the four-pound range. Other than in photos, I’d never observed brook trout that large caught on a fly.

All too soon, the late afternoon sun began its journey to the west while we called it a day in the dying light. For me, fishing the Widow’s Pool, on this early-fall Montana day, was a unique and likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A day when I caught my biggest brook trout ever, a feat I will probably never repeat, thanks to Bob Jacklin and the Widow’s Pool.

Sometime in the very early 1940s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took possession of the Widow’s Pool and the Culver property and incorporated them into the Red Rocks Lake Wildlife Refuge. As a result, public access to the Widows Pool for fishing is guaranteed in perpetuity. Interested anglers should check with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for current regulations.