Crowded ?

VISITORS ENJOY VISITING

Bison Enjoy Lounging

fishers enjoy catching

FISH THE GIBBON RIVER GINGERLY

-------

.. 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.

-------

.. 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.

-------

.. 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.

-------

.. 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.

-------

.. 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.

-------

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.

-------

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.

-------

HAPPY CAMPER

It's In The Air

DON'T TELL THE VISITORS

Sleep With The Windows Open

the rain is getting colder

August 14, 2011 - TAKE THE HINT

-------

.. The signs are all around us. Bow hunters are checking strings, heads and fletching. Boom hunters are cleaning and loading. The grasshoppers have wings. The meadow grasses are drying and beginning their descent into straw. The neighbors are talking about good sleeping weather. This morning's shower was cold and refreshing. We're taking bets on the date of the first snowfall.
.. Abbreviated warm and extended cold is the measure of the seasons in the high country. We're looking forward to the anticipated glorious Autumn. We've scouted the big holes and parking places for the fall-run submarines.

.. We've noted the phenomenal density of ripening berries, (places to avoid in the upcoming weeks.) And we're using the last few warm days to catch some fish in all the familiar, (and less familiar,) places.
.. Catching is still good. We've not much to add about it except that a venture to Winter Creek will prove rewarding. So too, will a stroll down the path at Tower Falls. The "other" gulpers, those at Grebe Lake and the Duck Creek estuary are making their appearance now. Oh, by the way, Soda Butte Creek is on fire with hoppers and beetles.
.. We've not mentioned our idiosyncratic predilection for fishing some interesting structures in and around the neighborhood. We'll let you know about that in a day or two. Right now there is a Trico hatch on the cooling Madison River that the fish have finally discovered  --  SURPRISE!
.. We're headed there instantly, now that the second pot of coffee is gone, the stomach is in rebellion.

-------

TAKE A HORSE TO UPPER FAN CREEK, DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE

.

Strange Conspiracy

SNOW MELT ACCELERATES

Little Rivers Are Big

no rest for the wicked

-------

.. Despite the predictions for a protracted season of fishing on the Firehole River, Mom and the snow pack have conspired to punctuate angling with a bizarre coincidence. The river spiked to 70° F yesterday and set a new "for-the-day" record discharge at 150 cfs above the previous maximum. Air temperatures in the west side river valleys ranged from 80° to 86°F.

.. We seek the little rivers during the Fourth Of July Madness. This year the rivers were there. The elbows were not there. But, the little bits of water were big bits of water. Normally these streams are not even visible until it's time to cast. This year they were visible from 50 feet away. The fish are hiding from the rapid discharge and it's easy to find them; it's hard to present anything to them.
.. We took a few from a couple of different rivers and exhausted our self during the process. The bushes and stream-side debris won all the battles: the fish won more than their share. It's tough to battle a 10" trout when five feet of your seven foot rod are under the bushes and the 18" leader is wrapped around a branch.

.. We literally had to force feed the obstreperous fish. The allowed us the poke them with the rod. Ah, such is fishing without much catching.
.. A couple of the neighbors wandered the willow jungle along the upper Gallatin River. They saw a moose and some bear sign. They teased some fish and danced with a couple. Good on 'em!
.. At least the wildflowers are out in force. There are ants, beetles, and the first molt of the grasshoppers was observed in one upland are not too far from the river's floodplain. It's really an interesting time to fish.
.. Morning fishing on the Firehole River is picking up. There seems to be some activity all day long. No monster hatches have been encountered yet, but the fish are looking up more frequently. The Madison River is clearing at a good pace despite it height and bug imitations are beginning to replace buggers and streamers as the flies of choice.
.. There are some nice meander bends in the big meadows of the Gibbon River that are starved for love and attention. The fish don't mind at all. The little meadows of the Gibbon River are worth visiting as is the Firehole River above the cascades.
.. Grebe Lake is finally accessible without too much mud-slogging.
.. As long as there is a breeze the mosquitoes have a hard time with their targets. They are worst in the trees right now.
.. Most people park where shown on the map and dash to the lake. We like to park on the road further down by the river and fish our way to the lake.
.. It takes longer, we sometimes don't make it to the lake, and occasionally we take a Grayling along with the others.Remember that a permit is requied if you choose to horse your float tube to the lake.
.. There's more to tell but the sun is already waking the mosquitoes and the lines are astronomically long at the West Gate. We slept late, avoided food for coffee and this post. You just had to know.

-------

.