Crowded ?

VISITORS ENJOY VISITING

Bison Enjoy Lounging

fishers enjoy catching

FISH THE GIBBON RIVER GINGERLY

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.. The "HIGH SEASON" in Yellowstone National Park is upon us. A major spike in visitation is just two weeks away.
.. By the Fourth Of July behavior patterns of fish and people in the park will have reached maturity.

.. Right now motor home owners have learned to park on the double yellow line. Fish have learned to look up.
.. Bicyclists have already learned to ignore the bicycle lane. Fish learned to follow the shadows two weeks ago.
.. Photographers are learning  to scorn the life-giving rains. Fish have remembered to use the current in a tussle with upright featherless bipeds.
.. Changes in the learning process and park conditions will soon begin to take place. These changes should increase the maturation level of visitors, fish, and fishers. Lines at entrance stations will reach astronomical lengths. Fish will begin to avoid the warming waters. Fishers will need to fish at different times on different days with different weather conditions.

A BLOOMIN' RIVER

.. Sadly visitors will not learn to enter the park earlier or later. Interestingly fishers will gripe and grouse about the weather - rather than take advantage of it.
.. Fish, of course, will be in the most advantageous water for feeding and keeping cool: The fish mature faster than humans.

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.. The Firehole River has provided excellent catching over the past four or five days. Air temperatures have been below seasonal averages.
.. Along with a couple of decent showers, our cloud cover has been fortuitously conspicuous and has encouraged the hatches of Mayflies, Caddis, and other aquatic bugs and such.
.. The next few weeks will demand rapid maturation of the fishers if they intend to become successful catchers:  A WARMING TREND LOOMS.

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.. The Madison River has become slow, cool, and crystal clear. It is spewing forth little winged creatures that seem to be unappreciated by many visiting fishers: perhaps it's the combined vehicular and bicycle traffic.

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.. Grebe Lake is experiencing some heavy pressure. The early disappearance of the snow and the rapid drying of the trails has allowed happy anglers to spread the word about this normally moderately fished destination.

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.. Pistol packing fishers have been encountered on the Mary Mountain Trail. They had no bear spray. Apparently they have lost their light bulbs.
.. They were disappointed with the catching as well. Search the deep riffles and dark pools with drab nymphs and you'll do better than they did on Nez Perce Creek.

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Tough Casting On Grayling Creek

.. The larger fish seem to have backed down from Grayling Creek. This leaves the creek with an exuberant population of 8 to 10 inch fish and lots of elbow room - for both the bears and the fishers. There is even a small caddis hatch happening late on warm days.
.. The best catching is beginning to move from the rapid bits of water in the park to the lower willow thickets of the lower creek and the upper ends of the estuary at Hebgen Reservoir.

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Do It Yourself

.. The Upper Gallatin River is still being ignored by experts and feather merchants alike. Sparse hatches of mayflies have been reported. Sparse sightings of caddis are problematic. Big fish are being taken on giant nymphs, small streamers, and both soft and stiff hackles. Some of the deep holes along about mile-post 26 are clear and it's possible to to see the gentle inhalation of the nymphs: if you're sneaky.

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HAPPY CAMPER

As Suspected

"FIRE" HOLE FOR A REASON

Up The Hot Staircase

closure may be early this year

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.. We're watching the spikes on the Firehole River:

==> JUNE 15 = 75° F,
==> JUNE 16 = 76° F,
==> JUNE 17 = 77° F,
==> JUNE 18 = 76° F.

.. Them's a bit warm for this part of June. The extended forecast is for continued warming. The near term outlook is for moderating temperatures in the mid- to high 60's.
.. Fish now is the consensus.

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On Time - & - On Target

MOTHER'S CAPRICIOUSNESS

Pick A Place - Pick A Stick

it's better late than never

CONTEMPLATE THE CHOICES

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.. June, our historically wettest month, has arrived late this year. It's here now and bits of wetness and coolness are showing up. Both are appreciated by fish and fishers. Of course they bring a scowl to the faces of visitors in Hawaiian shirts, shorts, and sandals with black socks.
.. It would seem that there will be no chocolate runoff this year, (barring a deluge of biblical proportions.) That being the case, it's time to get serious about the place and manner for catching on the rivers of the west side of Yellowstone National Park.

.. We're going to fish them all with a single fly: the Big-Wing Sparkle Caddis. Small, Medium, Large, and VERY BIG. Drown it or float it: it's the simple road to catching success.
..The rivers are cooperating. The fish are cooperating. We hope that mom will show some understanding and cooperate as well.

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 Here's the current situation:
Madison River - still about 300 cfs below the seasonal mean. Cool, clear enough, bank full, fish with your normal early summer fly assortment.
Gibbon River - about 150 cfs below the seasonal mean. Warmer than usual and fishing very well in all river sections. Streamers in the big meadows. Soft hackles in the canyon, Anything small in the pretty stretches above the cascades and all the way to Grebe Lake.
Gallatin River - about normal for this time of year. Cold: clear in the park. Fan Creek is low and the willows are full of bears and moose. Swing a small streamer under the banks of the big bends in the slow sections. Soft hackles in the riffles. A few noses in the afternoon.
.. Firehole River - about 100 cfs below the seasonal norm. Rising a little toward the norm. The 76 degree spikes have abated for the moment. Cooling to perfection in temperature and flow characteristics. Bugs on the rise. Rubber legs in the canyon above the falls. Soft hackles in all riffles. Flies that float in the gentility of elbow central.
.. According to the mom watchers this coming weekend should be perfect for catching on all of the west side waters. Don't bother with Nez Perce Creek, it's full of bears and bear spray is more than useful. The big fish that have run up from the Firehole River are rested from their sexual shenanigans, rambunctious, hungry, and willing to dance. It's hardly sporting to take advantage of their compliance - even if we will

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Incubator - 01

The Great Debate

SOME SAY IT'S OVER

Some Think It's Just Starting

is the early season really screwed up?

DOUBLE REFLECTION  - WINDSHIELD SAFETY GLASS - DOUBLE GOOD ??

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.. There is an old adage about fishing in Yellowstone National Park. It goes something like this: "FISHING IN THE PARK IS JUST AS GOOD AS THE FISHERMAN."

A NOT SO SUBTLE INVITATION

.. Right now the fisher folks are grumbling - OR - rejoicing about the stonefly hatch on the Firehole River. Empty shucks have been seen. Does this mean the hatch is over? Bugs have been seen. Does this mean the hatch is starting? Ask the fish.
.. We infrequently chase the big bugs in the Firehole River Canyon  below Firehole Falls. It's hard on the pins. We've learned that it's about 300 feet down the canyon and about six miles back up.
.. There are boulders and deep holes in the water. All the good spots are always on the other side of the river. It's a nuisance. There are some pretty fish to be had. There are some big fish to be had. Bark your shins - have at it.
.. Yesterday we looked at the canyon. Reminiscence is a tough mistress. We got out of the car at several familiar places. We looked at some old trails and some new trails. We saw the tiny green shoots and red-stemmed beginnings of the wild strawberry plants. We thought long and hard about the descent, and the ascent. Pass!  Took a few pictures.
.. Up top, out of the canyon, we paused at a nearby familiar pull out. We thought about what we ought to tie on. Made the decision. And as we were about to leap into action, (or some such,) a winged monster landed gently on the windshield. It whispered to us in a very soft voice, "There are just as many of us above the falls as below." We knew that.

HOME OF THE STONES

.. We, as we so often are wont to do, ignored the invitation and tied on a gawdawfulbig yellow thing and went about our catching. We were chastised soundly for our fly selection, (it did gather up an insufferably large amount of fish though,) as the shunned arthropods slammed into our exposed body parts. There were quite a few dive-bomber kamikaze attacks that found our head and face.
.. Moral: Pteronarcys californica  is a sensitive creature with easily hurt feelings. By our reckoning the big bugs are hatching right now. This is just a guess on our part. Being battered by the flying monsters is not a definitive indicator. However, it will have to do for the moment.
.. The Firehole River is attracting all of the attention right now. Go figure. There are PMD's, Baetis, Caddis, and some funny little white winged beasties along the length of the river. The fish are enjoying it.

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.. The fish in the Madison River are enjoying being neglected. They are eating lots of good food and they can see it very well, thank you.
.. It's, for sure, not going to last much longer - BUT - there is a good 6' or more visibility in the river right now. It's not gin-clear but it's awfully pretty, nevertheless. Even the warm days have not turned the river to mud.

GAWDAWFULBIG YELLOW THING - catched sum fishes too

.. This year's mid-elevation snow pack was dry, dry, dry. The snow moisture content has been rung out of the small snow fields in the mid-elevations and it's going to be a few days, (maybe 10,) before this runoff event kicks up a notch or two.
.. The Madison River is running at about 350 cfs  below the seasonal median discharge rate. It's cool but not cold. The Gibbon River is running at about 110 cfs  below it's seasonal discharge.
.. The Firehole River is very low and heating up again. Current discharge is about 200 cfs below seasonal median. Temperatures have spiked again to 72° F on June 1. That's enough to put the fish off their feed. Start looking at Nez Perce Creek and bears should you delay your visit much longer.
.. We're headed to the Gallatin River. It's cold, clear, low and full of fish that are avoiding the mud further down the canyon. Hell's bells, it's even running about 800 cfs below where it usually is at this time of year - a bit dirty down low though.
.. More to come  - - - - soon.

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BARNS' #2 -  ABANDONED AND FULL OF HAPPY FISH

Bits O' Fluff

BLESS THE HOOLIGANS

Flies Tied In Advance

don't use these right now

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.. So, the neighborhood kids have come through again. They heard us talking about the current magnificent hatches and easy catching on the Firehole River.
.. They took pity on us and gifted us with the appropriate flies for the soon to be encountered "other fishing."

Yellow Belly Parachute

.. The "other fishing" occurs immediately after the poor fish get hammered to a bloody pulp by the current crop of visitors. Despite rumors to the contrary - fish in the Firehole River will not eat just anything.
.. Very, very soon now they will become fussy. They will eyeball your flies and not eat them. They will confuse the experts by eating anything but the stuff sold over the counter at the feather merchants' shops.
.. This fishy behavior will engender a tying frenzy by pros and amateurs alike. They will invent. They will innovate. They will create. There will be a new crop of latest and greatest flies. New materials will be incorporated into old flies. Old flies will be re-named and called something catchy - contemporary merchandising - dontchaknow.

Copper Nice-N-Easy

.. The kids in the neighborhood just made a raid on the local fly shops. They were well behaved. They didn't smirk or giggle. They didn't guffaw 'till they soiled their shorts.
.. They gently cruised the musty aisles. Aisles filled with bins of flies. Aisles decorated with cute gadgets and plastic packaging. Aisles surrounded by pink and chartreuse pastel shirts designed for the liberation of $100.00 or more.
.. And, then, (with eyes as sharp as the visiting ospreys,) they have decided what they should tie, (or modify, or copy.)
.. These kids are on the water every day. They see stuff. They remember stiff. They tie stuff. They fish the stuff. These are just scraps. They call the stuff  "Bits O' Fluff."

Brown And Tan Flossy Spinner

.. They tie these flies while watching old movies or the "X" Games. on HULU. Sometimes they rent a "tying movie," such as an old Abbot & Costello flick - easy to follow without watching.
.. They crank out buckets of flies. On rare occasions there are even two or three flies that are the same. (or nearly so.)
.. Mostly the flies are quick to tie. Mostly they are devised from scraps and other readily available bits currently strewn across the tying bench, (or whatever.) Bless their hearts, they give us some. A dozen of each, more or less.
.. These flies are in no way standardized. They are often too small for us to understand. They infrequently have names. When they have names they are certainly not names that would entice most of the sophisticated technical fishers of the fly.

Loop Wing Cripple

.. As we've mentioned before, the flies usually come with a foot or so of monofilament securely attached. Bless the kids. We asked them for a few without tippet material for some photos.
.. This time they did soil their shorts. The thought that some serious anglers might see the flies and actually use them made the kids roll on the floor holding their sides. They thrashed our miniscule living room to a froth.
.. Happily, not many serious or technical anglers read these posts. They are too busy avoiding catching by fishing the correct flies. The flies fished by the bejeweled and highly decorated, and heavily armored fishers  have names that would make any advertising executive swoon.

Itty Bitty Caddis

.. These flies are presented here for your amusement. They come with no guarantee or implied warranty. We've censored the names in the interest of modesty and our lack of prurient interest.
.. We can tell you that they, (or reasonable facsimiles thereof,)  have been fished by the kids.
.. The kids have caught fish with all of them - BUT - they fish where most do not - AND - they do things unheard of in the guide books and expert publications.
..  Carry, in your hand, bear spray, and by the way, watch for signs like those shown below.

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Medieval Knights

Frequent Pastime

In Praise Of Gray

A LOVELY OPENER

Just The Perfect Overcast

bazillions of bugs and noses

PERFECT OVERCAST ON SUNDAY & VERY BRIGHT FOR THE AFTERNOON CADDIS

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.. Not too much to report. Saturday dawned clear and bright without a cloud in the sky. By noon the white wisps had filtered over the continental divide and by mid afternoon the sun was shielded by high thin clouds. The breeze was constant and persistent.
.. A bit of midnight drizzle brought more dense clouds and Sunday was right out of the guide books. It was bright with layered clouds for the first 2/3 of the day and a bit broken in the late afternoon. By 8:00 PM there were patches of blue between the dense gray clouds and the air stilled to dead calm - ruined our casting stroke.

.. Gentle rain and a spit or three punctuated the day and into the evening. The rivers are clear, cool, and slow. Three to four feet visibility in the Madison River and up to six feet in the Firehole River. Nifty. By nightfall there were blessed rains and a few thunder boomers in West Yellowstone.

.. We saw mayflies all day, (even through lunch,) on both the Madison River and the Firehole River.

Green Sparkle & Yellow Traditional - Fish Eat Them

.. Sunday evening produced 18 different kinds of caddis. There were big brown ones, little brown ones, gray ones, tan ones, flying ones, walking ones, big white ones, flying white ones, stationary white ones, variegated ones; ones with battle stripes on their wings, some with short feelers, some with long feelers, a few with no feelers, there were even smashed ones and crippled ones, and swimming ones, and fluttering ones, and floating ones.
.. How do the fish keep track of which ones to eat? We foiled them with a pair of commercially tied soft hackle flies. They flew through the air when we cast them. They floated when we greased them. They sank when we weighted them. They were big to begin with. They were small when we plucked them. They skittered when we stripped them. They caught too many fish to count. We wonder what they were imitating?

CHANGES AND CLARIFICATIONS IN REGULATIONS THIS YEAR

.. The National Park Service has once again re-classified the waters in Yellowstone National Park.
.. The regulations have new wordings and limits of take.
.. Killing is a "must" rather than a "should" in some additional areas. It's best to read the regulations.
.. The regulation book is very clear this year. There should be no questions, (except for the note about disposing of fish in park trash cans.)
.. One note that is very interesting states that tributaries to the West Side Rivers are not restricted to fly fishing. Unless, of course, we read it wrong, (pg. 8 of this year's regulations.)

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Lovely Dark Holes Along The Bank - Six Fish - Four Whistle Pigs (one in lower right corner.)

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.. We found our opening day, isolated, dark holes guarded by Whistle Pigs this year. We watched for a while. They weren't fishing so we tromped through their living room and gathered in some fish. Given our current count of lustra and the state of our non-bionic wheels it's nice that there are so many places to fish that are less that 50' from the car door. Seems that folks just drive by without a look or glance. Fine by us.
..  The Mary Mountain Trail is officially closed. Access to Nez Perce creek from the bridge is possible. If you fish here be sure to understand the bear closure and fishing access rules. Carry, IN YOUR HAND, bear spray. Fish with a hoard of singing Girl Scouts, and do not run if you encounter a bear. The river is clear and cold and has some large fish if that's your cup of bile.
.. More to come in a day or two. It's time for stories and some vitamin "B." There's a new pub in town that's open right now. Another one is opening in a day or two. We suffer by fish and vitamin riches.

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WHISTLE PIGS GUARD THE APPROACH TO EASY FISHING HOLE ON THE MADISON RIVER

Prognosis = Practically Perfect

COME THE DAWNING

Enter The Faithful Hoards

it could be the stuff of stories

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Legal fishing opens tomorrow in Yellowstone National Park.

Here's the neighborhood outlook:

Weather: Mild - high in the 60's, mostly cloudy overcast, occasional and scattered  or widely scattered heavy drizzle or light rain, breezy not windy, bright.
Madison River: Lightly colored, visibility up to two feet, rising slowly, way below seasonal discharge levels, pretty river.
Gibbon River: Cold and approachable in the upper reaches, some slight color in slower sections, noticeable color in canyon and big riffles, stable discharge, below seasonal runoff levels, pretty river.
Gallatin River: Well into runoff regimen, cold but fishable near the banks and back eddy areas, especially attractive in confluence meadow near Fan Creek, pretty river.
Firehole River: As good as it gets this early, below seasonal discharge, rising slowly, fish moving and vigorous, visibility up to five feet, wonderfully cool, very pretty river.
Nez Perce Creek: Distinctly attractive, bears, bison, moose, dangerous.
.. Bugs? Yes, all day long on the Firehole River. Possible in early afternoon on all other west side rivers.
.. Flies? Soft hackle in shallow riffles. Stiff hackle in deep riffles. King Prince Nymph in deep and dark water. Small Pink San Juan worm in meadow sections. Surface and film = size most important.
.. Traffic? Probably not as bad as you'd think but gawdawful anyway. Visitation is lighter than in recent years past for this weekend. Visiting fishers will be happily surprised. Parking possible in most pullouts - if you arrive early.
.. Lodging? All wader friendly lodging plumb full. Rooms still available at plush-carpeted motels and cabins.
.. We had little time to explore the rivers away from our west side environs. Check PARKS' FLY SHOP for rivers in the central, north, and northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park.
.. We may visit some of the best places tomorrow. We may wet a line. We may catch a fish. We probably won't encroach on your elbow room. There's a couple of nice dark holes that we haven't explored since last year. Hope not to see you there.

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Dirty Stuff

WHAT'S A WATER SPOT WORTH?

Happy Anniversary

just another stick of grass ???

Mismatched cork, Water spots, Jordan Seat, Simple Walnut, Casts Great, Catches Fish

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.. Time was when utility was dismissed in favor of aesthetics.
.. Discounting utility for 'the pretty' is still a fairly common practice among fly fishers. Pretty fish, pretty flies, pretty cast, etc.
.. Members of the cult of Arundinaria Amabillis can be heard extolling the beauty of: grain, finish, craftsmanship, taper, uniformity of joints, etc. Oh, by the way it's possible to catch fish with it too.
.. The Orvis "99" rods sneak under the radar of pretty fishers. They look just like a conventional Orvis Impregnated Rod, (from a distance.) But upon closer inspection cult members dismiss the rods as substandard. Water spots in the bamboo are accentuated by the impregnating process, (ugh, dirty stuff.)

Serial Number - Duh

.. Red thread wraps scream abomination to the cult members that extol the aesthetic value of the dark brown thread that is "properly" used for the Orvis rods.
.. The NINETY NINE is a commemorative model. It was introduced in 1955 to commemorate Orvis's 99th anniversary. It's price point was below that of the then existing Battenkill models.
.. The quality of  bamboo, tapers, and construction is all the same. It just wasn't as pretty. There were water spots. You could see, infrequently, some small amounts of joint glue that barely was visible. It had Super Z ferrules, etc. Just not pretty. It catches fish though.
.. The 99's could be had with one or two tips and persisted in the Orvis offerings through 1966. This old friend is a late iteration and just had a birthday: April 1965, made by George Reid and Calvin Skinner. It's a fairly rare eight foot model with one tip section. It casts a 7 weight line and weighs a hefty 4 3/8 ounces. It catches fish just fine.
.. If you are not overwhelmed by pretty, this model can be had for, (in American Dollars,) far less than the pretty rods. It catches fish with the prettiest of them.
.. Orvis bamboo rods, (all of them, even the pretty ones,) are sturdy and meant to be fished. The lower grade rods feel just like a bamboo rod should feel. If you find one that matches your casting style, and can appreciate it's wonderful utility rather than it's pure beauty it can be had for a song in today's market. If you 'collect' sticks these are not for you. They catch fish.

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.. More dirty stuff. The Madison River in Yellowstone National Park is gaining a bit more color. We've had some blessed cool weather and some slow and soaking rains. The west side rivers are at, or below, their seasonal norms and still in the early runoff stage.
.. We suspect that they will all provide catching possibilities for the opening day this coming weekend. We're headed into the park on Thursday and Friday. We shall return with a final and late update. Check the sidebar links to feather merchants for the appropriate flies.

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Diversions & Plans

ABOUT ONE WEEK TO GO

Indy 500

yellowstone opens for fishing

BEST WITH BUDS - OF BOTH KINDS

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.. It's that time of year. Hoards of visitors are already arriving in the neighborhood. They bemoan the gentle drizzle as if they would melt. We're loving it to death.
.. The Firehole River is cooling with the overcast and the manna from above. The runoff event, in the other neighborhood rivers, is slowly building to the supposedly "unfishable" stage.

PHEASANT AND BLUE

.. We've got some very large dark flies that cast both a shadow and produce a fine silhouette. It's not a secret. It takes fish. It takes time, patience, covering lots of water and lowered expectations in the numbers department. Size of fish is no problem.
.. The lowland Madison River is coloring up nicely and it takes a sage fisher and/or savvy guide to gather in the trout.
.. Right this instant there is about 3/4 mile of perfect conditions on the Gallatin River. It snuggles in between the northern boundary of Yellowstone National Park and the Taylor Fork. This is that section that the gentleman fishers in the region call too cold to fish. So be it.

Gift From Da Kids

.. The neighbors have migrated from the lake edge to the weed beds of the estuaries and the prominent points along the periphery of Horse Butte. Leeches and midges may seem to be a pair of strange bedfellows - works though!
.. We visited the relatives and caught a few fish on the Madison River below the dam at Ennis Reservoir. Burned up some high dollar beef, fortified ourselves with some vitamin "B", and soaked a bit in the drizzle. Not your typical tourist attraction day in the neighborhood.
.. We're planning for the exuberance of next weekend. A bit of couch time, some more grilled beef, additional vitamin enhancement, fish a little, watch the parade of automotive sameness, fish a bit more, and snooze some.
.. A blindingly strenuous weekend looms. We'll use this one to relax: fish a bit more and rest up for the foray into the social fishing scene on opening day in Yellowstone National Park.

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STILL MOTHER'S DAY ??