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The Beginning: 1997 Trout Fishing Expedition "Fish all the Best Rivers of the West" aka "Trout Fishing the Lewis & Clark Trail" aka "The Thelma & Louise Trout Fishing Trip" Al Miller & Andy Batcho
The 1997 Expeditioners were Andy Batcho and Al Miller - First Time Expeditioners!
Rivers fished on the original 1997 expedition:
In the Spring of 1997 Al Miller was at Andy Batchos’ house. The two were working on a Miller Creek Stream Restoration Project as President and Stream Restoration Director, respectively, of the Des Moines Chapter of Trout Unlimited. During a break in the planning and strategizing session, Al picked up a copy of a Trout Unlimited Magazine and was leafing through the pages. Looking at a beautiful picture of the Madison, or was it the Yellowstone River, Al said, "One of these days I’d like to fish that river." Andy thought, "One of these days", "One of these days", I’ve seen too many friends leave this earth with "One of these days" on their breath, why not now? Al, here’s a calendar, pick a week and we’ll not only fish that river, but we’ll fish them all! So started the "Fish all the Best Rivers of the West before we’re too old to do so Trout Fishing Expeditions"! A week in mid-August was chosen, Andy’s 1985 Chevy Pickup loaded with gear and we were off. No Plan, just "Fish all the Best Rivers of the West". 2800 miles later we had the following experiences, and started a tradition of Fly Fishing Adventures that have resulted in the memories of a lifetime. The key is "No Plan", just a goal. Significant research (G2) is done each year prior to our trips using the internet, email, conversations with fly shops and friends, and reading. But, as each day unfolds while on the trip, the choice of fishing locations is decided over a cup of French Roast Coffee and a sweet roll at the local coffee shop. This "Thelma & Louise" approach is the essence of our Adventures. After several of these trips we’ve discovered no one that does trips like this, but many who would like to. The only thing holding them back is "doing it".
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