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

Bridge To Safety

COMING ALONG JUST FINE

Delays Getting Longer

bridge beams in place

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.. The new bridge and road alignment at Grayling Creek near the Yellowstone National Park Line is finally looking like a bridge.
.. We've not mentioned it much because it's only been a minor nuisance. After all, if you intend to fish the Gallatin River and it's tributaries then it's just another snag.
.. We also have trouble with the description of the problems being fixed: Both ascending and descending curves with diminishing radii of off-camber gradients. It means that one of the worst section of road in the state will now be a lot safer; especially in winter.
.. We endured the wait twice this last weekend and were rewarded with some fine and solitary fishing in our surprisingly gentle Autumn weather.
.. Report to follow.

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Sights & Sounds Of Spring

LET'S GO TO CRAIG !

Fish The Lowlands !

travel to the south !

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.. The evacuation of West Yellowstone by fair water fishers is in full swing. Car doors are slamming, diesel engines racing, farewell's are being shouted. The sounds of Spring have reached our little town.

.. For the faint of heart and leg it's time to extol the virtues of any place else.
.. Good! Be gone and spend your carbon credits on av-gas, diesel, and unleaded gasoline.
.. The truth of the matter is, (we can hear the neighbors moaning,) the best fishing and catching in the neighborhood is right now. It will continue for the next 3 or 4 weeks and you have to be here to appreciate it.
.. We're not wealthy enough to travel to exotic locations like Craig, Montana or Last Chance, Idaho. We can't afford the gasoline to venture much past Moose Creek on the Gallatin River.
.. It's nice to see that others have the chance to visit renowned fisheries and sing their virtues. Cell phone pictures, gorgeous digital images, commercial movies, glorious adventures of Spring fishing everywhere but here. More power to them.

.. We've had over two feet of snow in the last few days and it's snowing right now.  The trees love the nitrogen rich snow. It's wet and heavy. It has the moisture needed to nourish the trout streams for months to come. Wealthy migrant fishers run from it and revel in the glories of lowland fishing. Bless their psyche's.
.. There will be no better fishing or catching around here, at any time in the coming year, than right now, (Yellowstone Park included!)
.. In fact, the best catching in all of Montana may be just two or three days away. But, you have to enjoy catching fish until your arms ache. You have to want to take fish bigger than your forearms. You have to be willing to find the sparse open water in the estuaries and spring holes on Hebgen Lake.
.. This is not fishing for the inflated egos of glory water fame. This is not fishing for those that wish to fish in the footsteps of famous fishers. This is fishing for those that wish to make their own footsteps. This is neighborhood fishing of the finest kind. And it's catching better than anything within 500 miles, or more, right now!

.. The rivers that feed Hebgen Lake have pushed into the ice and opened up the estuaries to the point that the fish are competing with each other for scraps of flotsam at the edges of the ice.
.. Those dark shadows, fifty feet in diameter, in the bits of open water are hundreds of hungry fish. Fish that haven't seen open water for five long months. Fish that have eked out a living from the sparse benthic morsels of an ice covered world.
.. It's not "ice-out" yet. However, Grayling Arm, Madison Arm, South Fork Arm, of the lake are all clear enough that it's legal to fish. And just today, Grayling Creek pushed past the lake shore into the ice.
.. Many folks come to see and catch on Hebgen's shores during ice out. That's still a few weeks away. But right now, (with knowledge, good legs, a snowmobile, and a few flies,) fish will be hard to not catch. Certain local knowledge and a great deal of caution must be employed.

.. Fishing must be done in the lake, not the streams or rivers. Thin ice and surface water demand that you know just where you are in relation to the lake shore and the lake bottom.
.. Happily very little gear is necessary. A single fly box, a stout rod, a stout leader, and hooks that won't straighten out when the battle is joined.
.. There are no secret flies. The neighbors are divided about the types. Most use bits of flashy fluff. Rock Worms or Fuzzy John's are in the majority right now. Small streamers and wet flies are in the minority. Both will catch fish. The argument is over which bunch and type of fly will catch the most  --  and biggest!
.. Right now the bison are dropping calves, the first osprey's have arrived, there are midges on sunny days, and fish are stacked like cord-wood in the small bits of open water on Hebgen Lake. The neighbors are loving it, the others are streaming out of town in lock step with their companions: getting warm and telling stories. We're loving it here!

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“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”

. . . . . . .  Henry David Thoreau

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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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Too Damn Nice

ANOTHER WEEK OF THE SAME

Sweeter Than July

distracted & loving it

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.. We're in for another week of 60's and 70's with moderate evenings and  very gentle breezes. All visitors are loving it except the fisher folks - where's the cold, driving rain to wake up the runners from the lake? The widely scattered morning and evening showers are welcome, but the gentle days won't let us use the fallfoulweathergear [rough translation from the German!]

-- Fear not, there will be more fish in the next 10 days. Our early warning system alerts us to the fact that a few neighborhood fishers with night crawlers are taking some nice dinner vittles from the Madison River just downstream from the park line.
.. There are some very big fish already in the system and we have reports from the plunge pool at the base of Gibbon Falls suggesting that the gauntlet of fly guys in the park have not done their duty.
.. Not all fishers have been sucked into the runner madness. Fishing and catching have been excellent on most of the neighborhood streams during this Fall's soft landing.

From Feather-Craft Fly Fishing

.. All rivers are producing good early morning midge hatches. Bits of fluff in the 18 - 22 range will provide nearly continuous action from just after daybreak to about 10:30 or 11:00 AM. You need to find a quiet pool near shore with both sun and shadow. Wade, or crawl carefully and gently; the fish are already there.
.. We visited with a fellow from Chicago Sunday morning on the Firehole River. He was standing still and taking fish after fish without moving much.
.. The amazing success of this fisher intrigued us and we waited for 45 minutes while he cleaned the pool. As he headed upstream to a small quiet bend we accosted him in as jovial a manner as is possible for us.
.. The result of the conversation was that he had stopped at a fly shop in St Louis, Missouri, and the girl at the counter had sold him two dozen "secret Firehole flies." He showed us a small tin with a bunch of things called a 'dandelion emerger.' He proceeded up to the next slick spot and within five minutes began to repeat the show. It's nice to learn new things.
.. The Firehole River has spiked to 68° - 69° F on a couple of recent warm days. Either get there early or try the late afternoon. It's better for the fish and the catching improves as well.
.. Caddis and hoppers and ants are successful during mid day and into the warm evenings. The persistent 'terrestrial bite' has provided some fierce action on the Gallatin River over the past few days. It should continue for a few more.

.. Diehard surface fanatics have been deprived of their beloved  Baetis in any numbers. There are some sporadic Baetis hatches on the Firehole River and Nez Perce Creek but caddis, hoppers, and ants are being used by most fishers. A rig with a pair of small soft hackles is also showing up with some regularity.
.. Fall should make a brief appearance around Wednesday or Thursday. A memo has been sent to Baetis community.
.. Surprising success has been reported from the big meadows on the Gibbon River. The persistent beetles, ants, hoppers, and midges have attracted quite a few maestro's to this water. The creepy crawly things out in the meadows are fly fishers with the savvy to know that the fish are willing - but spooky. Floating a size 10 or 12 woolly worm is really all that's needed - provided the cast, landing and drift are picture perfect. Black or dark green seem to be the preferred colors.
.. All 23 spawners are in Grayling Creek. Each has been caught and chastised for making an appearance so early in the season. They gave no reason or excuse for the slip-up.

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