Of McManus, winter midges and ice shelves

Here lately I’ve been advocating for fishing in winter. A few people do it, others seem uncertain, and still others think it’s a bad idea.

It depends in part on your comfort level, I suppose, and how dedicated you are to maintaining it. Patrick McManus writes in They Shoot Canoes, Don’t They? of a friend who called him during the dead of a freezing Idaho winter, saying he had this terrible urge to go fishing.

McManus’ responded, “Well, that’s easily cured,” I said. “Just go out in your backyard and stand in a bucket of ice water while your wife shovels snow down the back of your neck.”

by Chuck Stranahan

I suggested to my grandson Nehi that he could employ this strategy if his deep-seated fishing temptations got the best of him on a recent family trip to Minnesota.

“But I’m not married,” Nehi responded triumphantly.

I told him his older sister could do it. He knew she’d probably be more than willing, even if he had no urge to go fishing. Nehi declined.

The winter midge hatch and ice shelves

Winter midges are hatching now – soon to be followed by snowflies, or winter stoneflies. Both bugs are about a quarter-inch long, if that, and imitated on #18 flies or smaller. The best winter midge patterns are black, skinny, and have sparse gangly legs from just a wrap or two of oversized hackle.

If the fish are on them, you’ll need the right flies. Until they are, continue fishing the nymphs – a

#18 red Perdigon or Copper John will do.

And whatever you do when fishing these flies, stay off the ice shelves along the river.

Consider the wise words of the venerable and unwashed old woodsman, Rancid Crabtree, to the young Patrick McManus: “You know how to check for thin ice, boy?” he would ask me. “Wall, what you do is stick one foot way out ahead of you and stomp the ice real hard and listen for it make a cracklin’ sound. Thar now, did you hear how the ice cracked when Ah stomped it? Thet means it’s too thin to hold a man’s weight. Now pull me out hyar and we’ll run back to shore and see if we kin build a fahr b’fore Ah freezes to death!”

Better recommendation: Don’t go out on ice shelves.

They can be thin, as noted above, or slippery, and they can slope a bit toward the river. Not the place to lose your balance, do a pratfall, crack a bone on the hard ice as you hit it and know, as you slowly slide toward the edge, that this isn’t about to end well.

River currents flow under ice shelves and can well up in one place, usually close to a bank,

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making the ice thinner there than it is further out, where it might seem thick enough to stand on.

A true (McManus-like) story

That’s what a friend of mine discovered one winter day when he was fishing on the West Fork.

He’s Canadian, grew up playing hockey, and is used to ice. He could see where he was going, guessed the ice shelf to be about three inches thick, plenty thick enough for a man to stand on. He didn’t need to do the Rancid Crabtree stomp to test it.

He tells me that he was out on this ice shelf, fishing away, and got this sensation that he was floating. Not what you want to discover.

He turned to check his bearings and found he was. The ice shelf had calved like a glacier and he was standing on an unattached ice raft headed downstream.

This had never happened to him, apparently, as a boy playing hockey in Canada.

On the West Fork you’re never that far away from the next riffle. What to do now? he thought, among other things. Fortunately, as he floated down toward the inevitable rough water, he came to a place where he could step off and wade ashore.

What to do to avoid such a predicament? Maybe it’s to choose your spots real carefully if you’re fishing in the winter, and resist the temptation to cheat a little bit to reach that promising water beyond the ice shelf.

And if you know yourself to be subject to such temptations, it’s probably safer to stay home, stand in a bucket of ice water, and have your wife or big sister shovel snow down the back of your neck.

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Montana 21st Judicial District Court, Ravalli County

In the Matter of the Name Change of Patricia

Zaft Anderson, Patricia Zaft Anderson, Petitioner.

Cause No.: DV-23-21

Dept. 1 NOTICE OF HEARING

ON NAME CHANGE

This is notice that Petitioner has asked the District Court for a change of name from Patricia Zaft Anderson to Patricia Joan Anderson.

The hearing will be on March 2, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.

The hearing will be at the courthouse in Ravalli County.

DATED this 19th day of January, 2023.

Paige Trautwein Clerk of Court BY: Catherine di Gleria Deputy Clerk of Court BS 1-25, 2-1, 2-8, 2-1523.

TANKO LAW OFFICE BRIAN C. TANKO, ESQ. Montana Bar No. 5194 392 - 1st Avenue East North Kalispell MT 59901 Tel: (406) 257-3711 Fax: (406) 257-3722

Email: btanko@tanko.law. com Web: www.tankolaw.com

Attorney for the Estate

MONTANA TWENTY-FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT

COURT, RAVALLI COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF DONALD J.

D’HONDT, Deceased.

Case No.: DP-22-65

HON. LINT

District Court Judge

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that the undersigned have been appointed Co-Personal Representatives of the above-named estate. All persons having claims against the deceased are required to present their claims within four (4) months after the date of the frst publication of this Notice or said claims will be forever barred. Claims must either be mailed to SYLVIA L. NOLAS-

CO and FELIPE NOLASCO, the Co-Personal Representatives, certifed with return receipt requested, to ℅ Tanko Law Ofce, 392 - 1st Avenue E.N., Kalispell MT 59901, or fled with the Clerk of the above-entitled Court. DATED this 12th day of January 2023. /s/ Sylvia L. Nolasco, Personal Representative /s/ Felipe Nolasco, Personal Representative BS 2-1, 2-8, 2-15-23.

NOTICE OF ERROR IN STEVENSVILLE’S PUBLIC NOTICE

The recently published Notice regarding the Town of Stevensville’s MOTION TO AMEND STATEMENT OF CLAIM 76H 214635-00 incorrectly stated that objections must be fled by March 6, 2022, the correct date is March 6, 2023. A corrected Notice is provided below.

Notice to Mainstem Bitterroot River and East Side Subbasin (76HA) – Bitterroot River Water Users MOTION TO AMEND STATEMENT OF CLAIM (Pursuant to Section 85-2233(6), MCA) A Motion to Amend Statement of Claim 76H 214635-00 has been fled with the Montana Water Court by Claimant Town of Stevensville, seeking to amend the place of use for claim 76H 214635-00 to its projected service area encompassing the boundaries of its reasonably projected growth. Stevensville’s Motion to Amend requests an enlargement of its place of use based on projections of population growth through the year 2075. Stevensville does not seek any other modifcations to Claim 76H 214635-00. By fling this Motion, Claimant is asserting that this amendment is necessary to accurately refect the service area Claim 76H 214635-00 is entitled to. The entirety of Claimant’s Motion may be viewed on the Montana Water Court webpage at: https://courts.mt.gov/

Courts/Water/Notices-Info/ PublicNotices

OBJECTION DEADLINE

Any response or objection to the Motion to Amend must be fled with the Montana Water Court, P.O. Box 1389, Bozeman, MT 59718, 1-406586-4364, within 45 days of the date of the last newspaper publication of this notice, by March 6, 2023, in accordance with Section 85-2-233(6), MCA. Please indicate “CASE 76HA-6002-A-2022” on any response, objection, or other correspondence related to this Motion to Amend BS 2-1, 2-8, 2-15-23.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Thursday, February 9, 2023, 6:00 pm

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Stevensville Town Council will hold a public hearing on Thursday February 9, 2023, at 6:00 pm during their regular scheduled meeting at Town Hall, 206 Buck Street, for the purpose of hearing public comment on the proposed Subdivision Regulations. Comments to be considered may be given orally at the hearing, submitted in writing via email to jenelle@townofstevesnville. com<mailto:jenelle@townofstevesnville.com> or mail to Town Clerk, PO Box 30, Stevensville, MT 59870 before 5:00 pm February 9, 2023. Questions, comments or more information may be obtained by contacting the Town Clerk at 406-77-5271 ext. 102. The drafted subdivision document can also be found by visiting our website on our community development page under supporting documents.

Attest: Jenelle S. Berthoud, Town Clerk BS 2/1, 2/8/23

John S. Masar

LionWood Law, PLLC 115 W. 3rd St., Ste. 103 Stevensville, MT 59870 (406) 625-2682 jmasar@lionwoodlaw.com

Attorney for Personal Representative

MONTANA TWENTY-FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, RAVALLI COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF: RITA LOUISE NEUSTROM, Deceased.

Probate No.: DP-23-09 Dept. No.: 1 HOWARD F. RECHT

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed Personal Representative of the abovenamed estate. All persons having claims against the Decedent are required to present their claims within four months after the date of the frst publication of this notice or said claims will be forever barred. Claims must either be mailed to STEVEN D. NEUSTROM, the Personal Representative, return receipt requested, at c/o LionWood Law, PLLC, 115 W. 3rd Street, Suite 103, Stevensville, Montana 59870, or fled with the Clerk of the above Court.

DATED this 30th day of January, 2023.

/s/ Steven D. Neustrom Personal Representative c/o LionWood Law, PLLC 115 W. 3rd St., Ste. 103 Stevensville, MT 59870 LionWood Law, PLLC

/s/ John S. Masar Attorney for Personal Representative BS 2-8, 2-15, 2-22-23.

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC

SALE Notice is hereby given to the people hereinafter named and to whom it may concern. For enforcement of liens in the amount of $850 and $930, Venture West Storage, LLC, located at 1008 Hwy 93 N. Victor, MT, 59875, will sell the contents of storage units E7 and E16 occupied by Raquel Murray (E7) and Melvin Vogt (E16), at auction to the highest bidder. Auction will be held at Venture West Storage, units E7 and E16, on Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. BS 2-8-23.

MONTANA TWEN-

TY-FIRST JUDICIAL DIS-

TRICT, RAVALLI COUNTY In the Matter of Guardianship of Jack Donovan Powell, Bryan and Lisa Brizendine, Petitioners Case No. DG-23-07

NOTICE OF GUARDIANSHIP HEARING

Notice is hereby given that the guardianship hearing will be held on March 9, 2023 at 1:30 pm in Ravalli County District Court #2, 205 Bedford Street, Hamilton. Dated February 1st, 2023.

/s/ Jennifer B. Lint District Court Judge BS 2-8, 2-15, 2-22-23.

David T. Markette Dustin M. Chouinard Megan S. Winderl MARKETTE & CHOUINARD, P.C. 601 S. First Street P.O. Box 515 Hamilton, MT 59840 (406) 363-1110 DavidM@mcpcattorneys. com

Attorneys for Petitioners

MONTANA TWENTY-FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, RAVALLI COUNTY N RE: THE PETITION FOR INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION OF LANDS IN THE DALY DITCHES IRRIGATION DISTRICT IN RAVALLI COUNTY, MONTANA Heather Villarreal; and Henry L. Tintzman and Wendy J. Tintzman; and Henry L. Tintzman; and James F. Shaw, Jr. and Diane M. Shaw; and Mary P. Wetzsteon and Joseph W. Wetzsteon; and Bitterrooters LLC; and Leonardi Farms Inc; Petitioners Cause N. DV-82-95

Dept. No.

NOTICE OF HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that a public hearing has been set in the courtroom of the above-entitled Court at the Ravalli County Courthouse, Courtroom No. 2, 205 Bedford, Hamilton, Montana, Ravalli County, Montana, for the inclusion and exclusion of land in the Daly Ditches

Irrigation District, the 23rd day of March, 2023 at 1:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, at which time and place all persons interested in the Petition of Heather Villarreal; Henry L. Tintzman and Wendy J. Tintzman; Henry L. Tintzman; James F. Shaw, Jr. and Diane M. Shaw; Mary P. Wetzsteon and Joseph W. Wetzsteon; Bitterrooters LLC; and Leonardi Farms Inc; to add and remove certain lands described in the Petition to the Daly Ditches Irrigation District in Ravalli County, Montana, may appear to be heard. Said Petition is on fle with the Clerk of District Court and is open to public inspection.

DATED: January 30, 2023 Paige Trautwein Clerk of Court By: Barbara Beavers Deputy Clerk BS 2-8, 2-15, 2-22-23.

LEGAL NOTICE

The Daly Ditches Irrigation District will be holding its regular meeting