Something Fishy in Montana

By: Peter Maer
Topics: White House

(AP PHOTO)

Belgrade, Montana - Known more for his devotion to basketball and golf, President Obama is trying his hand at the classic Western sport of fly-fishing. Mr. Obama will cast a line into cold Montana waters at O'Dell Creek Ranch.

A White House official says deputy chief of staff Jim Messina will be the president's guide for a few hours of trout fishing. Messina, who grew up in Montana and Idaho, had been angling for an opportunity to show the president the wonders of the great outdoors. It will be the president's first opportunity to use a fly-fishing rig that he received as a birthday present from friends. An aide says while the president has fished in the past, he's not an avid fisherman.

Mr. Obama and his fishing party will hope for luck in an area known for fighting Rainbows, Cutthroats and other trout varieties. The National Park Service says nearby Yellowstone National Park is home to 16 species of fish. Spokesman Robert Gibbs says Mr. Obama will practice "catch and release."

It's a rare opportunity for the president to escape what he has described as the "container" that goes with his office.

With or without bragging rights to a catch, a few hours gazing at the crystal clear waters that lure thousands of people to "Big Sky Country" could provide a welcome respite from the health care reform debate and other presidential pressures.

That prospect left one White House aide jokingly wondering if Mr. Obama would contribute to the tranquility needed for a successful fishing expedition by switching his Blackberry to silent mode.

(CBS)

Peter Maer is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here.

Peter Maer
Peter Maer is a CBS News White House Correspondent.
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by sjc_1 August 14, 2009 5:55 PM EDT: Cheney shot his hunting companion in the face and the guy apologized to Cheney. Now THAT is power.; Reply to this comment

by notsouthern August 14, 2009 4:12 PM EDT

Fishing is hunting, although a bit more civil. Gun hunting is a dying recreational activity across the USA. However it remains popular in places where there are no libraries, no colleges, and no internet. The Internet has had much to do with killing off the hunting by gun industry by giving rural folks access to expanding their minds, rather then go kill animals just for sport.

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by 1notrub11 August 14, 2009 5:23 PM EDT: notsouthern's comment is just ignorant.

It shows just how ignorant you are when you state that "rural" areas of the country have no libraries, colleges or internet. It is a sure sign that you have never been there and thus speak without any basis.
If you had ever taken the time to visit, you would find most places like the Montana area, quite scenic and inhabited by friendly people who would no doubt treat you with a great deal more respect than you have treated them, or their chosen lifestyle or hobbies.
How sad that the internet, which you seem to use, hasn't "expanded" your mind appropriately.


by IdahoCowgirl August 14, 2009 11:46 PM EDT: You are truly a city dude!
Get over yourself and your anti-hunting rhetoric. Maybe you should have to figure out how to get your next meal other than walking into a grocery store or a restaurant. Then, maybe you would have a better understanding of WHERE food comes from!
I don't advocate those guys who go to a 'farm' to hunt for trophies; but regular hunting to put deer or elk in your freezer should not be 'narrow minded'. Maybe you need to expand your mind.
PS, by your statement pre-internet times people must have been complete morons.....oh, how did we ever survive or invent anything?

by donnerwetter August 14, 2009 3:40 PM EDT

So, is he on a business trip of pleasure. Who is paying the 500 K travel expense on Airforce one? Mixing business with pleasure seems to be the way to go for our politicians.

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by woeisme1 August 14, 2009 4:25 PM EDT: Oh please grow up you partisan mouthpiece and get a brain. Geeeeesh


by the_majesty August 14, 2009 7:05 PM EDT: Obama said he supported the Second Amendment before he was elected.
He LIED. Obama has put into place people to kill the Second Amendment.
Many Hunters and American Patriots in Montana are now against Obama.
This is the truth. Any reports that dispute this are simply not true.