With Extravaganza 2009 being the seventh in the series of Extravaganzas, there ARE a series of frequently asked questions, the Top 10 of which are listed below each designed, especially for you rookies out there, to make your final preparations for this year's event a bit easier:
1. Where the bleep is that Packing List that you sent me a while ago??
A. Check out the May 2nd posting to Der Blog, where this and all other pertinent/extravagant E09 info is posted.
2. What will the Weather be like while I am there??
A. June is the wettest month in Montana; the later in the month the less that is an issue. Like the Bay Area, the areas that we will traverse are a series of microclimates--it could be windy,raining and bitingly cold in the 50's on the Blackfoot River while, at the same moment, down right hot and in the 80's a few miles away on the Bitterroot River and, in the course of any one day, it could be both on the same river. The only accurate MT weather report is that which happened 15 minutes ago, so come prepared in layers and be sure to bring (a) a dry bag with a change of clothes to take on the boat each day and (b) a true rain jacket to protect against to-be-expected afternoon thunder cells.
3. Do I need to bring any special Fishing Gear with me??
A. NO, each boat will be equipped with rods, reels, and flies, but if you do have your own rods, reels, waders and/or wading boots please feel free to bring them along at your discretion. 5 and 6 weight rods with floating lines are the order of the day and, feel free to ship your gear via either UPS or FedEx in advance to the house in advance--address and contact info to follow when more relevant.
4. What happens on Arrival Date and do I need my own Transportation??
A. I will personally greet you upon your arrival(s) at Missoula International Airport (MSO), so all you have to do is stumble off the airplane and head downstairs to the airport's main level where you will be so personally greeted! We have our own fleet of Extravaganza cars that will be (y)our source of to and for during your stay with us, so, unless your are driving or would prefer to pay more for the same group experience, "leave the driving to us"! For those of you who are driving in, please know that, once all bags have been accounted for, there will be a Welcoming Luncheon for each group at the Montana Club on Reserve Street in Missoula. At that time we will get you acclimated to the 3400 elevation with plenty of beer, go over the events of your Group (Group A traditionally tends to focus on drinking; Group B will host our film crew this year, and Group C will host our annual Fourth of July Guide Appreciation and Annual Fly Casting Tournament), from where we will stop by our new yet under construction Blackfoot house on the way out to the Rock Creek Mercantile, where we will license up and you can make any last minute purchases with your 10% store-wide discount (plus, there is no sales tax in MT, so that is the equivalent of a 20% discount for your Extravagant Ones). From there we will head up Rock Creek for a late afternoon of fly casting lessons and making sure each of you are adequately checked out on our always-open house bar!
5. Where will we be Housing?
A. As we have done for the past several years, half of each group will be staying at our Rock Creek home and half will be staying at the Ranch on Rock Creek--a 3500 sq ft "Bunk House" located a half a mile up the road from our house. Our Rock Creek home serves as Extravaganza Headquarters--resident to the famous Extravaganza Bar, horseshoe pit, fire pit, and casting lawns--and that is where we will spend each evening enjoying Kocktail Kathy's fine cuisine which, again, will feature the incomparable bbq talents of Cowboy Jeff Freeman. One of the great blessings of where you will be staying is that there is no cell coverage at the house(s). So, no need to check those Blackberries, iPhones, or Palms (other than checking them into your bag); we DO have dsl coverage at the Headquarters (only) with two separate computers for your usage. Leave your laptops home, however, as (intentionally) we have no wi-fi connections at or around either Headquarters or the Bunk House.
6. Are there Bugs there that I need to worry about??
A. This is not Minnesota, gang, so do not expect swarms of pesky bugs interfering with you fishing and evening enjoyment. That being said, however, DO bring some bug spray if you are sensitive to the little buggers, as, with the high amount of water this year, there WILL be some mosquitoes in the evening hours and, sporadically, on the rivers. Beautifully, all of the bugs that we will be around and fishing imitation flies of DO NOT have mouths, so they can't and don't bite. They are out of the water for such a short period of time to mate and then expire that mouths aren't a required commodity. There are bees and a healthy contingent of yellow jackets about, and we do have several Epi-pens at the house in case of an emergency; Headquarters is at the 3900' elevation.
7. What is all this Yellow Hats and Yellow Shirts stuff that I have been reading about??
A. Just as we have no alcohol on our boats, we discourage any serious fish counting and wagering for fishing trivia. That being said, however, we are very serious about our bigger fish that are caught and released and, as reported nightly at our fun-filled outside deck "Reports From The Boats", the longest "fish" (and, yes, Group A's Rich "PP" Kotoff, that is TROUT, not that smelly squawfish that you tried to count several years past!) caught and released each day is recognized and awarded with a custom-embroidered Extravaganza 2009 Yellow Hat proclaiming "Biggest Fish Of The Day", as well as posted to Der Blog for all to admire, perpetually. The awarded Yellow Hats are yours to keep and, rookies, as you travel inbound look for folks wearing faded yellow hats, as they are our badges of courage for past trophies caught (and released). The Yellow Shirt is awarded for the longest fish (see above, PP!) of the Group--which, obviously, is accompanied by a Yellow Hat. In the case of any tie(s), multiple hats/shirts are awarded.
8. And what is this Twenty Inch Club that I have been hearing about??
A. In an effort to award/reward those who have accomplished something spectacular, during our nightly Reports From The Boats, every Twenty Inch fish ("trout", PP!) is logged into and on our Twenty Inch Club board and so reported on Der Blog. This is a major league fishing accomplishment (often achieved by the most petite and least experienced fisherfolk, btw), highlighted last year by this year's now-veteran Jamie "Bulltrout" Grassi, who, with cameras all around her to document the event, hooked, netted and released a 31" bulltrout on the Blackfoot ("A River Runs Through It") River in her first 45 minutes of fly fishing (ever!).
9. Why is Der Blog important to me and my family and friends??
A. Der Blog is (y)our blogsite dedicated exclusively to Extravaganza 2009. As we have all the way along in the ramp-up to Extravaganza 2009, all email communications (such as this one) are permanently posted to Der Blog and, on a daily basis, we will post pictures and updates on the hilarity of it all so those of you in later groups can see, on a daily basis, the experiences of earlier groups and those of you in earlier groups can continue to live the experience viscerally and blogishy. On Der Blog you have a local area weather link, a link to the runoff discharge, and a link to our outfitters and preferred entitles. Encourage your friends and families to follow you on your Montana adventure, an adventure that is then posted for your post-trip review. The photos on Der Blog can be downloaded onto your computer, btw!
10. Do I need to bring my Camera(s) with me??
A. NO. As we have done in the past, we provide 5.0 megapixel digital cameras on each boat for your usage. We encourage you to take many, many pictures with these durable and excellent quality cameras, which we then put onto discs for each group and send them out to you together with fingernail proof sheets as the post-trip chronicle of your Extravaganza 2009 experience. Our strong preference is that you use these cameras only, as that allows us to capture all of the magnificent images from each group for all to enjoy. Also, if and when the camera gets wet/falls overboard, you have no downside because RCR simply doesn't care if that happens!
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So, there you have it gang, Extravaganza's Top Ten most frequently asked questions. As things get closer, if you have others just let me know as we will bring crystal clarity where clouds may exist!
Best to all,
Rock Creek Ron
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