Adios Visitors

TIME FOR THE NEIGHBORS

Snow Is Not A 4-Letter Word

very and cold are 4-letter words

View Toward The South Fork Last Night.

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.. Minus 15° F is on the border between cold and very cold in our neighborhood. Happily we are not sleeping outside.
.. The weather mavins missed this one! We're hoping they are correct about the coming warm up and the chance for some continued productive fishing.
.. As the pubs empty of visitors and their chatter about "too-cold-to-fish" and their comments about Siberia, the neighbors are geared-up for some spectacular catching.

The Evil Eye Of The South Fork

.. There are still 19 days of catching to be had among the forgotten haunts and holes of the South Fork of the Madison River. Here the fish are far larger than those that run up the Madison River into Yellowstone National Park.
.. The fish are mostly untutored in the ways of fly fishers and seem to be willing to grab any thing with a hook in it = even nightcrawlers and Mepps.

Easy Access

.. Many of the motels in our village are closed as the staff gets laid off and mom and pop head to Jamaica or Hawaii or Belize, or some such place. Visitors flee from town when there is snow and the temperature reaches single digits.
.. The neighbors feel blessed that they have this glorious time & water all to themselves. With the recent snow, access is easy on a snowmachine and the elk hunters can hear you coming.
.. The old adage about keeping your fly in the water is most appropriate when the air temperatures get below -10° F. Half a chicken worth of feathers becomes a colorful icicle very quickly with more than just a couple of false casts.
.. Most of the neighbors fish close and roll cast, (a forgotten art form among the testosterone laden Spey flingers.)
.. The neighborhood fly box is quite a bit different from the one that the feather merchants sell for the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park.

Hornberg For Now

.. Small and medium sized flies with gobs of "internal action" are the favored offerings of those that have fished the Fall run for decades.
.. As we've mentioned before, the old and dowdy Hornberg is a local favorite. So too, the small wet flies of bygone days. Flies like the Scarlet Ibis, Lead Wing Coachman, and Whitt's White Wing.
.. Mash them up good and separate the feather parts into individual strands. Not too pretty but very effective.

#4 / 2xl Soft Hackle

.. This year we've seen some giant soft hackles and some imitation salmon flies that seem to be working just fine. Most of the sizes are tied on extra long hooks of the 4 and 6 variety. Occasionally there will be a 4 / 2xl thrown into the mix.
.. The Fall run on the South Fork is a bit later, (by weeks,) than that on the main stem of the Madison River. It started just a little early this year, (to the surprise and delight of a few savvy kids in the neighborhood.)
.. Usually the catching heats up to mercurial dimensions about the last week of the season. The biggest fish are in the system by the second week in December and they draw some fish watchers, (the riverine equivalent of bird watchers.)
.. Well, it's up to 1° F on this sunny and balmy Fall morning. We've finished the huckleberry flapjacks and the second pot of coffee. There's a stale dozen "grocery store" donuts on the front seat of the car and the neighbor kids are tugging at our epitome to get there before the other old farts in the neighborhood do.

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The Glorious And Unmolested South Fork Of The Madison River.

Do It Right Now

BIG FISH FISHING

Little Fish Fishing

it's all good for five more days

Fishing With Bobber & Spinning Rig Is legal If There Is A Fly At The End Of Your Line.

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.. Join  the fun. Drive in the slush, and ice, and sleet, and rain, and snow, and enjoy the clouds and sun and wind and everything about the next few days. Soon we'll be counting down the 200+ days until we enter the fray of swollen rivers, mud, and potholes. All too soon this year will fade. All too soon the fish will grow and the pain subside.

.. The bite is on like in days of yore and even the Chamber of Commerce can't find words glowing enough.
.. The snows have come: wet, intermittent, slushy, and warm. This is typical for the Fall to Winter transition. It's a bit late this year but not out of the window.
.. The good thing is that the roads in Yellowstone National Park are mostly clear of the white stuff for propitious amounts of time. BUT: be prepared with tire chains and/or snow tires. A couple of more days of balmy 40's and 50's then some grunge for the weekend. How usual.

.. We're in the standard "Late Fishing Frenzy" mode. Folks are anxious and antsy about getting in a few more days of fishing. The fish are agitated and vigorously perusing their sexual mandate.
.. Park staff is eager to leave their summer posts and get gone to warmer climes.
.. Seasonal counter clerks, some on commission, are busy selling wash tubs for nets in an effort get the necessary gas money for a quick getaway on November 6. The scene is hardly that of the post cards portraying the idyllic fishing behavior that is rumored to exist in Yellowstone National Park.
.. There are places where fish are easy to catch. There are places where big fish can be caught. The two are seldom the same. Plan on wearing your cocoon outfit. Plan on cold fingers and the occasional frozen guide, (of the human and chrome and tungsten variety.)

.. There is fantastic surface action on the Firehole River with the Baetis imitation of your choice, (when the little darlings hatch in the dreary overcast fog.) Try BWO and CDC patterns in the smaller sizes = 16 - 20. We like the dinkers tied for the guys at Buzz Basini's shop.
.. When the bugs are not on the top the fish are still eating at a glutinously rate. Use a drowned Baetis and a Prince Nymph of the appropriate size, (= small!)
.. Of course the head hunters of the Madison River are out in force. Many are sporting double fisted Spey Rods that are useful for casting to the pools a full 30 and 40 feet away. It's not a herculean effort since the rod usually covers half the distance to the fish.
.. Most of these fishers have perfected the art of walking right through the deep dark water and kicking the fish in their belly. This is a technique rumored to produce greater spunk and fight in the submarines hiding in the deep spots.
.. Many of the neighbors are seeking fish away from the crowds. Up on the Gallatin River, (which is way too cold to fish,) there are places where only the bears and fishers go. The bears run from the boisterous neighbors and their raunchy limericks. The fish seem to run toward the screaming noises.
.. Try it: "There once was a bear from I stuck it . . ." etc. Best sung in a loud and lilting contralto.
.. Or, the neighborhood favorite: "Here bear! Hear Bear!" it seems that the bears do things opposite from folks.
.. We've been fishing and catching in none of the above mentioned places in Yellowstone National Park. They are not places worth mentioning because folks just don't fish there. So we do.
.. We like the idea of catching several dozen brightly-colored feisty Brook Trout that willingly come to whatever bits of fluff we happen to have. We like the idea of being shielded from the biting winds by a tunnel in the Lodgepole Pines. We enjoy getting in the car with no waders and no cold, wet boots. We enjoy getting home and popping a cold one without the hassle of undressing and re-dressing. We seem to have weird priorities. It must come with age and decrepitude.

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FISH THE WEEDS !!

Bluster At Last

FISHING HOT

Catching Good

weather colder and grunger

THE END OF AUTUMN IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

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.. It's been cool for a couple of nights. The low clouds have spit a bit and the sparse electric colors of our gentle and dry Fall are gone.
.. Mustard, brown, rust, amber, gray, leaden, and other late fall descriptors should be in your vocabulary if you visit here. You should also practice words like monster, pretty, giant, kype, streamer, rubber legs, woollywhatever, favorite Baetis, etc.
.. It's popcorn time on the Firehole River. Noses are everywhere and Baetis-Sipping can be heard for yards and yards. Splashing is the order of the day when the afternoon sun is just right and the Caddis take wing in frenzied flight to avoid the airborne trout.

.. The Madison River has been great, even in the sunlight, for the Fall-run fish from Hebgen Reservoir. Fishers have found the dark water in places never before fished. The books are obsolete right now. Some of the giant fish that have been pulled from the Madison River have left holes in the water that took hours to fill in.
.. Of course, if you are like us - and had your fill of the conga line, the upper Firehole River is yielding about 20 neon Brook Trout per hour to any competently presented fly, (above or below the surface:) fewer elbows and shielding from the wind by the dense lodgepole desert, are a Fall delight indeed.
.. The open secret of the week is the Gallatin River. A rig with two nymphs of the Prince variety, (different sizes - mind you,) is the current neighborhood choice. Surprisingly this also coincides with the advice from the counter help at many feather merchants.
.. Again this year, the neighbors are tying the KING PRINCE NYMPH. Runners seem to enjoy large nymphs as much as streamers and Woolly Worms Buggers.
.. The big bends of the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park in the now closed Bakers Hole Campground are being visited by folks willing to walk for their fish - there are many in the deep pools and undercut banks of this "fishy" bit of water.
.. Many of the neighbors believe that the biggest fish from the reservoir will not show until the snow arrives. That could be tonight, tomorrow, or as late as Wednesday. So be it.
.. The poor sister of Fall fishing is showing great form right now. The Gibbon River is nearly devoid of elbows above the falls. There are many unmolested fish eager for a dance partner. Drowned Caddis or Baetis cripples should accompany your standard Adams in the big meadows. Cute little bead head nymphs could yield a Grayling above Norris Campground on either Solfatara Creek or the Gibbon River's skinny, but dark, water. Of course the eager Brookies above Virginia Cascade will dance with any thing they can get in their mouth.

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Forgotten Riffles And Runs Of The Gibbon River Are Solace To Trout

Anomolies

WRONG TIME AND PLACE

Wrong Bugs, Wrong Fish

what's a fisher to do ??

SIZE 20, 22, 24 - THAT'S SMALL !!!

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.. It happens. Experts may have a fancy explanation. The fish figure it out very quickly. Fishers often remain befuddled. We got lucky.
.. Early morning is not our favorite time. The Firehole River and the Madison River have their compensations at this time of day. They are quiet, there are elk and otters, bears and moose, - AND - no tour buses.
.. We weren't expecting the damn fish to ignore the early caddis hatch. We weren't expecting to have to strain the peepers to get flies on the tippet. We weren't expecting an explosion of Tricos to clog our ears. But it happened.

.. Why would any self respecting trout ignore the perfect glut of caddis and BWO's? Why, given the smorgasbord of yummy morsels so dense that even we could see them, would they be sipping daintily on flies so small that they looked like dust in a maelstrom?
.. When we finally figured it out there were tourists of the "Granny Set" chugging around the pull-outs. We had to hike back to the vehicle and grab the miniscule box of microscopic flies.
.. Happily there were several flies that still had tippet tied to them by the kind and indulgent neighbor kids. We left the car. Galumphed back to the water. And wonder of wonders caught a 12" brook trout in a place that is currently being fished for 22" Brown Trout. That may just be better than a monster Brown! We'll take it.
.. Took a nap at noon and dreamt about spots of a different color.

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P.S. A skosh more rain. Rivers up. Color in some. Big fish racing upstream with new flows. Sky becoming leaden. No snow below 7,000' asl. Get on the rivers now.

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Short Fuse, Comments Needed

20 YEAR EFFORT

Comment Now

no whiners

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.. The NATIVE FISH CONSERVATION PLAN is designed as a major effort to respond to the diminished stocks of native fish in Yellowstone National Park.
.. The Environmental Assessment is now open for public comment.

.. Mark your calendars; only two public meetings are scheduled:

* Bozeman, Montana: January 5th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Comfort Inn, 1 370 North 7th Avenue
* Cody, Wyoming: January 6th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Holiday Inn, 1701 Sheridan Avenue.

.. Written comments may be submitted through the project web site, in person, by mail, or at either of the scheduled public meetings. Comments will not be accepted by phone, fax, or e-mail. All public comments must be received or postmarked by midnight, January 31, 2011.
..  Here are the important Links:
==> Project Home Page,
==> Project Plan Process,
==> Meeting Notices,
==> Project Links,
==> Document List,
==> Comment Form.

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.. The scoping meeting in West Yellowstone last April was poorly attended. No feather merchants were present, one local guide was present, and a handful of concerned fishers attended.
.. Input by these few interested parties helped shape the current document that is now open for review.
.. The EA addresses Lake Trout in Yellowstone Lake, other invasive species throughout the rivers in the park, the effects of climate change on native species, and disease.
.. Conservation efforts addressed include: increased gill netting in Yellowstone Lake, establishing barriers and weirs, removing non native species, restoring native populations, and a host of other actions including poisoning fish populations.
.. The key concept is conservation. The actions taken to implement this can be extensive, varied, and vast.
.. It's important that input at this time be concise, reasoned and rational. It will help steer the project and will certainly affect the fishscape of the future.
.. Please understand that, at base, this addresses the question of "What Is The Purpose Of Yellowstone National Park." Several guides have remarked that it does no good to replace one trout with another. They are just concerned with catching any fish.

.. Many guides and fishers of the park will be voicing opinions that catching fish, (the more - the better,) is what the park should provide.
.. There are others that feel it's important to remove all invasive species such as Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout and Brook Trout to foster the recovery of native Cutthroat Trout & Grayling(?).
.. Many feather merchants feel that the role of Yellowstone National Park is to provide fishing opportunities for recreational fishing, (and an economic base for their enterprise.)
.. Some conservationists believe that the only way to enable preservation of native fish is to "restore" the park to "natural" conditions, including removal all planted stocks of fish, (which is a large segment of the current fishable populations.)
.. Definition of terms and concepts will be argued and explored at the public meetings and in the submitted comments. Many oxen could be gored by this project.

.. The subtext of comments will be interesting to observe, as will the rationale behind the proposed actions in those comments.
.. Some fishers of Yellowstone have opined that since Brown Trout have been in the rivers for over 100 years that they are "native."
.. Does that make Lake Trout native if they survive another 70 years?
.. In another 100 years what will the descendants of those fishers say about Rock Snot, New Zealand Mud Snails, and other yet unforeseen invasive species?

.. As the waters warm will we see Yellowstone become a trophy fishery for Carp and Chubs and Largemouth Bass?
.. What will happen if some fool decides to dump Northern Pike or Muskellunge or Lake Trout in Hebgen Reservoir, right at Yellowstone's door?
.. Your input is necessary for the decision making process. We're talking about the future and how history will view the legacy that we leave.
.. Make no mistake about it, this is a significant project. It will last for 20 years, (1/5 of the next 100 years.) It will significantly affect the definition of Yellowstone National Park and it's role in species conservation and recovery.
.. It will also determine who fishes where and for what in the park. It is an historic effort that demands you input and your concern for how Yellowstone is defined: a fun and profitable fishery for visitors seeking "non-native," invasive trout or a refuge for indigenous species - or both.

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.

Up A Lazy River

NO ONE AROUND

Pleasantly Cool

dance card filled

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.. Took a ride in Yellowstone Park Saturday. It was leisurely and enjoyable. The girls were out enjoying the sunny spots as the sunlight rained down between the dark heavy clouds hanging low in the sky.

..The ride to Norris Junction was pleasantly uneventful. No construction delays and no crowds. Fall's gift to the Autumn visitor is a gentility of pace and place.
.. Above Virginia Cascades, along the scary one-way road, the Gibbon River was clear, cold, and full of eager Brook Trout.
.. We fished 'Da Chutes' and in the meadow. By the time we arrived the clouds had thickened and the imminent rain was a very real presence. The heavy air demanded notice.
.. Small holes between the clouds let enough yellow sunlight through to make the woods and meadows look like the butt of some sort of grotesque Appaloosa stallion. It was nice.

.. Fish of the small and twinkling variety could be seen ghosting between weed beds and debris piles.
.. Nothing so large as 8" was apparent on our first saunter down river among the downfall and rusty grasses. Both soft and splashy rises were everywhere and we were blessed with solitude.
.. Elk squeaks and mewls from above us went unanswered and we wondered why the bulls in this part of the forest were ignoring the girls

.. Not three cars went by us in the two hours we spent exploring the hides in the shallow and clear water. Fall is oh so different from summer when dogs, kids, strollers, constant traffic, and other bits of noise permeated the narrow canyon.
.. After more dances than was seemly we fished back up river toward the meadow, still accompanied by mewls and rustling of unseen elk. A couple of the same fish graced us with a dance for a second time as we probed different and darker spots as well as the familiar ones.

.. The meadow at the end of the road is as pretty as any in Yellowstone National Park. It's small enough that you can see from side to side and end to end. It's large enough that the willow clumps hide mysterious views from site.
.. Right now the meadow is a golden color that belies the impending winter and it's rush toward white. Soon the grass will be dull brown and mashed flat. But right now, it's upright, golden, and wispy like a carpet with too long a nap.
.. There are bigger fish in the meadow. Some giants have been known to reach 14". The midges and caddis were in the air and on the water. Occasionally a swirling zephyr ruffled the long grass, but it was mostly a still afternoon.

.. We fished the lazy bends and undercut banks with a nonchalance unbefitting the stream, we apologize. There was no need to hurry. There was no rush to avoid the fishers up or down stream - there were none.
.. We sang loudly to the unseen bears and periodically fingered the heavy canister at our hip. They are out there. They hear us. They want the berries that failed this year. They want the Whitebark Pine nuts that also failed.
.. They are eating grass, occasional bits of carrion, roots, ants, and other meager fare. No matter how soft the winter it's going to be hard on the bears.

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.. It really shouldn't be called rain. The small drops so widely spaced and infrequent that they went unnoticed at first began about five O'clock. The fish all came to the surface at once. We could not decipher what they were after - but, after it they were.
.. The amount of dimples on the surface surprised us. All those fish; most of which had ignored our offerings, were down there just waiting to embarrass with a carnival show. Oh well, we'd fooled the idiots and there were many of them as well.
.. It really shouldn't be called snow. A few minuscule ice crystals followed us as we fished our way back to our trusty steed. The ephemeral zephyrs had disappeared from the meadow. The bears were silent as ever and the elk were quiet too. It would be dark before we got to the new bridge. We were pleased. There would be no wait and it's less than an hour's drive to the barn.

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P.S. most images are large enough for wallpaper - just click.