Greetings, Fellow 2015 Extravaganzers:
Now that I am officially on the north side of 68 years old, this is the first of a gaggle of 2015 email messages that you will be receiving highlighting and updating you on events surrounding Extravaganza 2015, our thirteenth foray into the flora and fauna of Montana Ritz Carlton style! Preparations are already well under way for your arrivals in Missoula, now less than five months away for your WTF Ones (yes, all, there is a story to be told [later] as to how the Ones got their WTF moniker) early details with respect to which are as follows:
1. Dates. Attached is our traditional Month at a Glance providing you with an overlay of E-15 events. As in the past, each group will arrive on a June Saturday, starting with the Ones on June 13th, Da Tattoos on June 20th and Dem Threes on June 27th. Also as in the past, each group will fish three days and depart on the ensuing Wednesday.
2. Travel. Soon we will be providing you with recommended travel information to schedule your incoming and outgoing flights. With many of you coming from afar this year, we will provide that info as soon as good business dictates, but there are changes afoot with Delta Air Lines (our preferred carrier) with them moving around their flight schedules to accommodate bigger planes now flying to/fro MSO. For those of you who want to make earlier arrangements, however, your goal is to arrive in Missoula International (MSO) as close to noon as possible on your arrival date and to depart as close to noon as possible on your departure date, as I will be personally meeting you upon your arrival and taking you to your departure flight and, with Headquarters 45 minutes from MSO, our goal is to make as few pick up trips as possible out of respect to your fellow travelers. For the moment, however, wait to book your flights—I will give you recommended flight data once things have settled out with the airlines.
3. Weather. As you seasoned veterans know, predicting weather in Montana is only for those not faint of heart. As we get deeper into winter, we will begin regularly tracking and apprising you of western Montana’s snow pack, as it is the snow that accumulates in its upper climes that will dictate our water levels and fishing fortunes come post-runoff E-15. Caution being given, right now things are looking pretty good, gang, as snow pack is the Bitterroot River Basin (the Bitterroot being one of our targeted rivers, along with the Clark Fork of the Columbia River and the Big “A River Runs Through It” Blackfoot River) is currently boasting numbers at 115% of 20 year medians with precipitation-to-date logging in at 123% of 20 year averages. We are a long way off and shall see what we shall see, however, but a good start is just that!
4. Der Blog. As we have done for the past ten (count em’!) years, we will be setting up a blog for E-15 where we will post announcements and updates just as this one…once that is done I will give you the contact info so that you can log it into your favorites. As in the past, we will provide a weather link as well as links to our favorite providers, our land purveyor The Rock Creek Mercantile and our seasoned outfitter Double Up Outfitters, each of whom have their own reports and links to tickle your fishing fancies.
5. Participants. I have attached a copy of the roster of participants for E-15 and, as you can see, there are yet a few slots open in each of our groups. Our target is to have 20 fisherfolk in each and, as you can see, we are right at 19 in both Groups One and Two and 17 in Group Three (with a party of four looking to grab those yet open slots). Bueno, bueno, bueno as we have a wonderful blend of seasoned veterans a-mix with a handful of rookies/pledges, not the least of which is Brad Miller’s 12 year old son coming in from Seattle to fish with us for the first time in Group Two and husband/wife combo of Mark & Julie Zion flying in to from South Carolina to fish Group Three in celebration of their 35th wedding anniversary just reached over the recent holidays. If you know of anyone who might like to fish with us, just let me know and I will reach out to them directly and fill them in on the pleasures and bounties that extravagantly await all.
6. Gear. As in the past, all fishing gear is provided to you for E-15. That being said, if (like me for my quickly upcoming excursion to Patagonia) you may want or feel the need for retail therapy and a 8 ½’ 5 weight and/or a 9’ 6 weight rod would nicely travel with you. And, as in the past, you can bet that you will return from E-15 with a bunch more fishing gear that you arrived with, as I have already been shopping for you and we have custom-made products coming your way après your arrival on the scene of it all. Hmmm, I wonder what Rock Creek Ron has in mind for you E-15ers!
7. New Construction. In addition to the two log buildings that currently occupy our Headquarters, I have reached out to Bruce the Builder and, over a napkin in September, we have divined and walls are currently going up for a new 1,000 sq. ft. caretakers home that we are building on the upper meadow of our Rock Creek property. The idea is to have someone on site full time to look after, maintain and care for our Headquarters site as well as to oversee our shared Blackfoot house—never a dull moment in Extravaganzaland!!
8. Questions. During the ensuing months, do not hesitate to either email or call me directly if you have any questions regarding your upcoming fishing extravaganza with us. For you wily veterans, the only thing that will change is the scenery that you will enjoy and the fish that you will catch and release and, as regards the latter, they are only bigger this year than they were last!!
Best to all in the early stages of it all,
Rock Creek Ron
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