This is going to be more a request
for information than a rant either for or against something.
The question is; Where are you people? I've noticed over the
last month that the number of people fishing Rock Creek is way
down from what it was in July and August of other non fire
years. There are a few people fishing and camping but nowhere
near the numbers that we see most years. I had occasion a
couple of weeks ago to drive down the creek from Phillipsburg
to my house. There were four campsites occupied counting both
the Forest Service campgrounds and the individual marked camp
sites. I counted fewer than twenty people fishing that day.
Wondering
whether this was just a Rock Creek phenomenon, I started
asking around. Most of the reports I got were of conditions
the same as Rock Creek. Fewer people than other years. At the
same time, the Montana Tourism folks are telling us that
tourism is up, at least over last year. But, since last year
was a bad fire year, that's not really much to brag
about.
Most of the
people I talked to were in business. Like me, they make their
living off people coming to Montana and spending money. All of
them had their own measurement of how far their traffic was
down and they all had their theories about why tourism is
down. I heard about gas prices, the economy in general, bad
fishing and hot weather and the threat of more fires. Some
people even think that interest in fly fishing is
down.
But these
opinions are not from the people who really know why there are
less people here than usual. And I really want to know just
what is happening. So I'm asking you, my customers and
readers. Where are you and why aren't you here in Montana in
general and Rock Creek in particular. It's important for me in
making plans for next year and beyond to know what's happening
and why it's happening.
