All Messed Up

EYES WATERING

Nose Running, Neck Swollen

tongue hanging out

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.. Runner fever is competing with the elk rut. Interestingly, the elk have just barely started to mill around while the fisher folks are all pretending that there are runners to be had. Such a sorry state of affairs. Patience, in this case, is more than a virtue: it's a necessity.

.. The giant elk are still in the high country. The giant runners are still podded-up in the estuary arms of Hebgen Reservoir. We've not even had a spit of snow, nor a really hard freeze, (31° F is not a hard one at all !!)
.. For the time being there is great fishing to be had - both inside Yellowstone National Park & around the periphery. There are still gulpers on the lake, and the monster Trico hatches seem to just be starting.
.. The Firehole River is beginning to behave like a Fall river. There is fog and mist in the cool mornings and surface fishers are competing with streamer fishers for the once again active fish. Many fishers are still wearing out the drag on big fish in the tribs. The concentration of fish moving out of Iron Spring Creek and the Little Firehole River is drawing a symphony of elbows in and around Biscuit Basin.

.. Hoppers persist in the meadows of the Madison River. They are also all along the park line from The Barns Holes to Baker's Hole - and a bit beyond at the edge of the trees on The Flats.
.. The muck and mire of the Grayling Creek estuary and the Duck Creek estuary show the post holes of knowledgeable fishers as they cast to the staging fish waiting to sniff their way home to a sexual frenzy.

.. We've been on the Gallatin River of late. The purple San Juan Worm, little Purple Beetles, and Elk Hair Caddis with a Feather Duster Dropper are all excellent choices for catching.
.. Some of the die-hard surface-fishing neighbors swear by a Royal Wulff or a Royal Coachman. Others fish a Humpy and call it a Goofus Bug, (oldsters they are, some even tie the Goofus Bug.)
.. The bears seem to be everywhere. A sow grizzly and cub are around Specimen Creek - still! There is a giant cinnamon colored black bear near and around the confluence meadows of Fan Creek. Remember to fish with a friend, sing very loud ribald songs, and have your bear spray in your shooting hand.
.. Finally, (for now,) Nez Perce Creek, above the thermal features has been producing some outsized fish to rather large soft hackles in hues of yellow and orange. The local fishers prefer to call the colors "Dark Mustard," and "Burnt Umber." We've seen them. They are yellow and orange. Certainly not available at any self-respecting feather merchant in this neck of the woods.

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Coming 'Round

INDIAN SUMMER?

Maybe Yes, Maybe No

lovely days for fishing - and catching

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.. The weather is perfect. For most folks a thundershower is a nuisance. For the Fall visitors to our neighborhood the overcast days and cool evenings come as a surprise. For fisher folks it's a beautiful blessing. We're loving it.
.. The rumors and verification of lake-run fish in the rivers and streams around Hebgen Reservoir are pregnant with anticipation. There are big fish being caught, (a few.) There are brightly colored fish being caught, (god bless PhotoShop.) Fisher folks want giant fish: it's a disease.
..  There's no doubt that anticipation and desire often trump actualization and fulfillment in the game of fishing for runners on the Madison River. Fishing is one thing. Fishing for runners is another. The mindset often destroys a lovely day on the water.
.. Right now the fishing and catching in the neighborhood is very good. The fall feeding frenzy is on. Waters have cooled, flows have been maintained, rains bring oxygen and nitrogen to the rivers, and the fish are exuberant and frisky. What's not to like?
.. A few of the neighbors are happy to take 5 - 10 fish an hour - no matter what their size. A few of the neighbors take 40 - 50 small Brookies in an evening and fry them up for dinner. They are happy and content.
.. Others with the same experiences feel disappointed because they could not exhaust & molest a giant fish; then remove it's slime by holding it out of the water for a photo, while squeezing it's guts into it's gullet, and then bring home a bit of fish porn to impress someone with their prowess. Different strokes!
.. It's early Fall. We may have an Indian Summer. We may not have an Indian Summer. Whatever the case, a few elk are bugling, the bow hunters are stalking the woods and meadows, and vest-pocket prairies, the migrants are migrating and catching is happening all around the neighborhood.
==> Gulpers are still going strong!
==> Hoppers are hopping!
==> Caddis are hatching!
==> Fall mayflies are abundant!
==> Terrestrials are doing the backstroke!
==> Fishing on all Yellowstone waters is as good as it gets!
==> Should you choose to scare a lot of fish on the off chance of catching an early runner use the fly below.

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Good Grunge

RAIN, SLEET, GRAUPEL

Very Sweet Weather

pansies stay home

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.. There's been enough sun to let us know it still exists. There's been enough snow to decorate the mountains. There's been enough cool to keep the cold at bay.
.. There's been enough rain to mess with the rivers. There's been enough fish to make it a joy for those that really want them.
.. There's been enough absentee fishers to make the water inviting. And, mom says: " . . . another 6 days of about the same."
.. The Firehole River above it's falls is full of eager fish just waiting to eat the last soft hackle of the year.
.. The fish above Old Faithful are waiting for nothing and ravenous for anything that floats or sinks.
.. The fish between the falls and the confluence are tired of being stabbed in the lip - but still taking Soft Hackles and Woolly Buggers. Even the sacrilegious 'Gob-O-Worms' is scoring big time. We must be in the terminal stages of Fall!

..On the Madison River 'runner fever' has finally made itself apparent. The density of plump Rainbow Trout and slithery Brown Trout is finally at the "CAN'T MISS" point. Fishers haven't figured it out and are staying away in droves. It's just plain nice on the rivers right now.
.. The willow bottoms of Grayling Creek, Duck Creek, and the Madison River are currently hosting hunters, bears, moose, elk, ducks, and fish. Few fisher folks dare brave this jungle - that's probably best.

.. We've another few days of fishing in Yellowstone National Park. The weather is miserably inviting and the fish are cooperating with a frenzied style that beckons us.
.. We've no time for gallantry, gentility, flowery prose, or fantasy fishing - we're off to the water. Torture, maim, and frighten the little devils: 'tis the season!
.. If you need a Yellowstone fix before the snow flies in earnest get here however you can. The roads are empty, the bears are prowling, the elk are screaming, the fish are biting, and all is well with the world.

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Fair Chase

LESS THAN 40 MILES
FROM HOME

On Horses

no fences

(click to appreciate)

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.. Just a note about the neighbors. Get up early. Pick your spot. Ride quietly. Stalk correctly. Aim well. Shoot. 85 yards.
.. Not a fence in sight. Not a fence for 10 miles. Just 35 miles from home. Should score near 400.
.. Back to fishing tomorrow.

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Drive By Shooting In Yellowstone

PREGNANT MOTHER SHOT DURING EVENING MEAL: CULPRITS ESCAPE UNHARMED AND WITHOUT PURSUIT,

It's an all too common occurrence in our nation's first national park. Unsuspecting residents are preyed upon by gangs of interlopers in large black sedans wielding high-tech weapons. The busy summer season is the worst and many, if not most of the residents avoid the roads at that time.

It's the early springtime days and the gentle Autumn afternoons that pose the greatest threat. Residents return to their lowland gardens to find the ambuscadoes around every turn. What's a mother to do?