A MATTER OF CHOICE

THE BEST WATERS

Not For Roadside Angling

all the neighborhood kids know

DARK HOLE - ONE PERFECT CAST - 25" FISH

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.. Most of the neighborhood kids, (bless their hearts,) are dragging in  the most - AND BIGGEST - fish of the anglers fishing our neighborhood waters.

Armed for bear - and fish.

.. They are not, usually, on Hebgen Lake. They are not, usually, on Quake Lake. They certainly are not between those lakes.
.. Despite the fame of our ice out catching and the large spawners Between the Lakes, the kids have chosen to fish for the genuinelly big fish right now.
.. Off they go: down muddy roads with muddy ruts, through thick tangles, up slippery slopes, into the slush of melting snow, and to the haunts of fish that never see the light of prose by corporate fishers or the popular writings of famous fishing personalities.
.. Some of the kids walk for a mile or two. Some of them are still riding snowmobiles. Most of them are using fire-breathing-death-machines. They all carry bear spray. They all have freshly charged cell phones. Most are well armed. They all fish for trophy trout. They also tie on the biggest fresh water flies we've ever seen.
.. A few, not many, of the kids fish with worms. Some fish with flies and fly rods. some fling monster bunny strips with a spinning rod. They all have cell phone pictures of wall hangers that they have let go after an heroic tussle.
.. Sometimes they keep a small fish of 16" or 18" for dinner. They let the bigger ones go to continue their spawning activities. Unless you are in the right pub, at the right time, you'll never hear about the locations of where to catch these fish. There's no secret about the locations. Everyone in the neighborhood knows where they are.
.. The places, however, are not for the itinerate anglers that frequent the roadside hot spots. These are places where the biggest fish hang out and make love. These are places where giants from the depths of our local lakes hide from the mysteries of shallow water. These are places where the kids go - why not?

Size 4, 2xl, Frightens Small Children

.. They eschew the redd tromping festival of the fishers between the lakes. They ignore the edges of the ice that require boats. They are allergic to the lawn chairs and easy beaches along the lake shores.
.. We'll catch hell for this post. But not in any nasty way. The kids will tell you right where to catch the fish. It's really nuisance fishing. You have to discard 15 to 20 fish an hour to gather in the big ones. Most visitors would brag about the 16" young fish. They might even quit and call it a good day after dancing with  all those fish. But the kids know better. They are adept at letting a fish go: quickly, safely.
.. We have a fondness for this bunch of rascals. They do us favors. They tie miniscule flies on bits of tippet so we can fish the wee small bug hatches. They take us to the good spots that the counter help at the feather merchants' shops never would go to. They buy us liquids to bolster our vitamin levels and enhance our spirit.
.. These kids know fishing. They know catching. They are wed, not to the corporate fishing scene, but to the fish of our neighborhood. Bless them all.

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Rasty Access To Some Giant Fish Holes - It's Closed Right Now

Estuaries Open

RAVENOUS FISH ABOUND

Rabid Fishers Hitting The Lake

you should be here yesterday

NEIGHBORHOOD HONEY HOLE - ICE EDGE ON THE MADISON ARM

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.. Both the Madison Arm and the Grayling Arm of Hebgen Reservoir are ice free. The South Fork Arm is almost there as well. Parts of the shoreline along the north shore are open as well.
.. Old Rule: ICE EDGE = HUNGRY FISH. It's mostly neighborhood fishing right now but there were several advanced parties of foreign fishers scoping out the lake over the weekend.
.. Catching is an all day affair with the best stringers arriving after about 1:00 PM. Night crawlers, Panther Martain's, and pink San Juan Worms are the standout attractions of the moment.
.. The most devilish indication of just how good the catching is, is that the local garden hackle supply is dwindling toward the zero point. Another indication is that the seven-day-a-week feather merchants have been closed for several hours each day of  the weekend - and all day Sunday. Something is going on.
.. The bluster in the weather has dribbled to a small nusaince level and there was most of a sunny day on Sunday. Neither the fish nor the fishers seemed to mind the sun and gentle breezes. There will be Spring bluster, (on and off,) for the next 10 days or so. Great for charging the streams with warm water and melting the remaining ice as well.

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.. There are colors appearing in the west side rivers of Yellowstone National Park.


YOU CAN DRINK IF YOU LIKE

.. They remid us of the decorations that infants leave in their nappies. Some fishers refer to the color as tea-stained. We'd rather not drink that tea.
.. Visibility on the Madison River is still around 18" or two feet and clouding up slowly. A few warm days and we'll be letting the lowland fishers know that the great catching is about to end. For now though, this is not what we would call a runoff event.
.. There are infrequent small bugs appearing on the surface of the water. There are more frequent appearances of noses and such. We suppose that there are midges in the bright spots of the warming water.
.. We're going to have some biscuits and gravy.

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LOW, SLOW, COLD, & NEARLY CLEAR MADISON RIVER
AT Mt. HAYNES IN YELLOWSTONE

Declaration

ICE OUT VERY SOON

Perhaps Tomorrow

or next wednesday for sure

A Bit Of Liquid Adorns the Ice At Hebgen Lake

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.. The weather wolverine of West Yellowstone has awakened and seen the water at lake's edge. The official declaration of "ICE OUT" is imminent.
.. Between snow squalls the visiting tourons are dressing for summer and pretending that the faint sun is warm enough for a dream vacation.
.. The neighbors are at Hebgen Reservoir, (sadly without lawn chairs for the moment,) and dragging in trout by the bucket.
.. Visitors from nearby foreign countries, like Idaho, and Utah are planning visitations to the famous fishing frenzy on the rocky shores and beaches of the reservoir.
.. Even the bison are streaming out of Yellowstone National Park to view the unfrozen water, - a rare and short lived sight in these parts.
.. We'll have a full report tomorrow or the next day - catching permitting.

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Can Summer Be Far Behind ?

Spring Mix

PICK YOUR POISON

Weather For One And All

catching improving by the day

If you have a large screen you can read on the sign who once lived here.

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.. Estuary fishing is good: estuary catching is great. Those with the guts get the glory. A bit of local knowledge and a willingness to post hole, snowshoe, or ride a sled to the open waters will yield some of the best catching ever. Hebgen Reservoir is the destination of choice for many of the neighbors. Ice out is not officially here but the expanding tributary estuaries are giving it a nudge.
.. Some neighbors are exercising their petrol ration and visiting the lowland Madison River, Missouri River, Yellowstone River, and Big Spring Creek. Lowland fishing and catching is in full swing; as it were. Check the sidebar for links to the reports of folks already deep in Montana's waters.
.. The weather has given us everything from wet snow to hail. A bit of rain and some graupel always keep the mix interesting. The fish don't seem to mind: the fishers usually do. Rare, however, is the empty pub parking lot syndrome. Folks have bailed out of town with a whoosh that was heard as far away as the Varney Bridge.


Reversed Parachute Midge Emerger

.. Up here it's still midge time and the fish are enjoying it. The bright, dead still, gentle snows of mid day are perfect times to tie on a midge pattern.
.. Some of the "REVERSE" midge emergers from across the pond have been used by the world traveliing fly fishers in the neighborhood. You'll have to tie them yourself - no local feather merchant has them at this time.
.. You can read about their success rate and use HERE. We like fishing midges Between The Lakes because there is no need to enter the water and disturb the redds of the spawning trout. Cavitation slicks and back eddy swirls are prime places, (and they ocure near the shore.)
.. The midge is a staple of the trout in many areas - not the least of which is the Madison River tailwater, or the edge of the weed beds in the just now opening estuaries.. The wonderful video by Ralph Cutter, (below,) is highly instructive for fly fishers that wish to indulge themselves in this sublime form of torture - and exaultation.

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.. If dinky flies are not your cup of hooch, try some streamers. The ones with a stinger hook seem to be becoming fashionable right now. There may be something to it. Little fish nip at the tails of their food. Big fish attack the head. If you'd like to hook up with a small  16" trout for a dance or two try a streamer with a stinger hook. If you are looking for normal sized fish stick 'em with a traditional streamer.


Scleech, image courtesy of Parks Fly Shop

.. Stinger hooks are a staple of salt water fishing but seem to have never caught on with the inland fly fisher.
.. One of the best in our region is the SCLEECH, that has been tied in Gardiner for a long time and is now available from the MONTANA FLY COMPANY. It should be available at a retail feather merchant near you.
.. It's not our practice but, some of the neighbors fling a streamer toward the over-sexed trout and aggrivate them into taking the offering. Some very big fish are stuck this way.
.. The outlet of Quake Lake is ice-free and access through the boulder field is negotiable by younger legs than ours.
.. The Devil Worm and it's relative the GOB 'O' are each being used currently, with more than moderate success, at the edge of the ice at Quake Lake, both at the outlet and at the boat ramp near it's head.
.. That's it for now. We're headed to an empty parking lot that we know of.

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Parking lot sucked dry, (and empty,) by folks leaving our village

Gentility Begins

AFTER THE CHAOS

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.. St. Pat's is over. Snowmobile Expo is done. The park is closed. The visitors are few. The streets are bare between dusting's. There are places to park. Grocery prices are down to just 2 x retail. The neighbors are taking the time to visit at the Post Office or anywhere else that they bump into each other.
.. Plutocrats and other wealthy residents are long gone to the less interesting and warmer parts of the globe. Transient workers are on the way out of town or busy seeking employment for yet another season of frenzied busyness.


re-frozen and re-cracked ice = catching

.. Children are loosed upon the village without fear and dogs and cats explore the deposits of foreign critters left behind by inconsiderate and unthinking visitors, (the snow hides it all - huh?)
.. Ice out is still some weeks away but there is some fishing and catching for the neighbors.
.. Leisure is the watchword. Opportunities last only a short time. Gentle meandering along the shores of Hebgen Reservoir allows us to fish the early holes.
.. Little bits of open water, (sometimes less than 50 square feet,) are beginning to appear along the shorelines. The fish find them as soon as they happen. Fishers become catchers as the shifting ice responds to the wind, sun, and currents from the in-flowing rivers.
.. Catching is nearly automatic in these little bits of open water. Any worm, spinner, lure, fly, or bare hook with a bit of flash will take a fish.

"HELLIFIKNOW" is on stage

.. It's a neighborhood pastime that attracts us all. It's not for the visitors from afar.
.. It's an ephemeral phenomenon. The holes open and close as the day progresses. The ice creaks and groans. The clear, thin, skim ice from last night twinkles as it is sundered into gleaming shards.
.. The fish appear and disappear. Scuttlebutt is passed from neighbor to neighbor in the grocery lines, at the hardware store, in the diner, and of course the Post Office. Scurrying is the name of the game. We do it on occasion. The cell phone has aided the endeavour greatly. Such fun.

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Sledheads have run out of snow in town. Mud and slush are great fun - huh?

Lowly Scud

BEER BAY OPEN

Whiskey Bay Open Too

fling hardware or scuds

PREGNANT SCUD - GREAT IN FALL, GOOD NOW

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.. For the dedicated fly fisher, (not the part time local guides - nor the experts currently in the far away warmer climes,) there is - RIGHT NOW - a rare opportunity to catch giant trout.
.. Bits of ice are leaving the shore around Whiskey Bay and Beer Bay on Hebgen Reservoir, (depending on wind and sun.) The gear guys have found it. A couple of the enthusiastic young neighborhood kids with long rods have also found it.
.. Gear guys use gold. Fly guys fling scuds. Pregnant scuds, (a hold over from fall catching,) are taking big fish right along side the Mepps spinners and Kastmasters. Practice your figure eight retrieve and cast to the ice. 'Nuff said.

Try this:
ABOUT SCUDS

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It's Time For Ice

PUT ON THE WOOLIES

Hide Your Auger & Cooler

just a couple of prospecting days left

PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS

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.. So it begins! The West Yellowstone/Hebgen Lake Tournament, is a NAIFC qualifier. It is a three-day event - February 1st through 3rd, 2013. Two-thirds education and one-third competition with a maximum entry of 150 two-persons teams. This year the WY/Hebgen Lake Tournament will have an anticipated prize pool of at least $14,000.00 and could be as high as $21,000.00. Plus there are cash payouts from the Calcutta Saturday night.

.. The town pubs have all gotten their teams preped and lubricated. One of the main features for the neighbors is the "BATTLE OF THE BARS." Prestige and quaffing rights will last until next year's tournament.
.. Local merchants are sponsoring teams from the neighborhood. Please note: a local team beat all the national contenders in last year's tourney. It may happen again this year. Wives and girlfriends, husbands and boyfriends, lovers and companions, are all being scorned and neglected during the final days of prospecting and preparation for the big event.

.. Scerecy is the big key. The neighbors borrow trucks so that they will not be recognized. They are wearing different clothing and hats that haven't been seen in decades. Some have shaved. Others have grown beards. Wigs and bandanas are used in the clandestine efforts to disguise who is fishing where. High-powered binoculars are essential equipment right now.
.. On a less furtive note: It's a big event for the neighborhood kids. The KIDS ICE FISHING CAMP provides instruction and free fishing gear for all the kids that show up on Saturday.

FROM THE POOP SHEET

Ice Camp consists of in-class and on-ice fishing tutorials delivered by experienced, DNR certified NAIFC Pro-Staff instructors. In addition to demonstrations of the latest techniques and sponsor provided equipment, the curriculum promotes safety, conservation and environmental stewardship. Sponsors provide equipment and prizes for the activity, and kids who sign up and participate receive complimentary ice rods and tackle (HT Enterprises supplied over 1,100 “free” rods to kids last year). Although Ice Camp is geared toward kids, all family members are encouraged to attend regardless of age. Introduction to the newest technology coupled with professional guidance gives both the parent and child a memorable ice fishing experience.
 

.. In the evening our village "KIDS 'N' SNOW" program includes 'smores 'n' more.' Ice Skating, Sledding on the sled hill, great music and gneral revelry.
.. Should you be in the neighborhood stop in over the weekend; there's bound to be something that you will find interesting and enjoyable.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

>> February 1: Evening social hour and ice fishing seminar at the Holiday Inn, 5:00 PM,
>> February 2: Kids Ice camp at Kirkwood Resort & Marina Boathouse, 10:00 AM, all day fishing and prospecting and instructional seminars. KIDS 'N' SNOW weekend in the evening at the ice rink in town.
>> February 2: Saturday Night Mandatory Rules Meeting. Registration for the Tournament runs from 4:30-6:45 pm at the Holiday Inn in West Yellowstone, where the Social Hour begins at 5:00 pm, including a complimentary dinner for all registered team members with cash bar. The Rules Meeting, which is mandatory for at least one member of each team, starts at 7 pm. At the Rules Meeting, the exact starting time for the contest the following morning will be announced.
>> February 3: Morning, (starting time to be announced.) until 1:00 PM - THE TOURNAMENT!
>> February 3: 2:00 PM, weigh in starts, at High Country Tavern & Grill.
>> February 3: Evening, Revelry and Super Bowl Parties - all around the lake and in town.

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Anticipation

IT CAN BE COLD

Ice Hole Outlook

here comes the money

A SECRET ICE HOLE ON HEBGEN LAKE

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LITTLE WING LARVAE

.. Those neighbors that just go fishing, (as opposed to"fly fishing" or "worm fishing" or "spin fishing" or "spear fishing" or "deep sea fishing"  or  .  .  .  ) are currently ICE FISHING,  (granted some are fishing with a fly.)
.. Takes have been good. Fish have been large, giant, enormous, and too big to mention. Some have even been trout.
.. The current successful flies, lures, buzzers, nymphs, and pimples, are becoming guarded and well protected secrets. We've gathered the best secret information for those of you that would like to be in the money, for the soon to happen Hebgen Lake ice fishing tournament, (see the videos below.)

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TEENSEY CHIRONOMID

.. On the other foot, conventional and unimaginative fishers, with nads of steel are still wading the frigid waters Between The Lakes.
.. Catching has been better than good. Elbows are fewer than expected - there's even unused parking spaces on the highway.
.. Standard offerings are working their wonders. Double nymph rigs, nymph and ugly rigs, gobs of worms, and the occasional dry dropper rigs are just plain unfailing in their success right now.
.. Many of the non-establishment fly fishers in the neighborhood are foregoing the current catching frenzy for their volunteer work with the upcoming sled dog race this coming weekend.
.. Establishment fishers aren't bothering. Establishment fishers are busy hanging out in warm feather merchant shops and talking about fishing - bless their hearts - must be cold out.

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WADE NOT - FREEZE NOT !

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SUCCESS FOR LAKE AND STREAM

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Auger In

HEBGEN LAKE IS SOLID

Thrumming is Rampant

flies and pimples in use

SCENIC HEBGEN LAKE IN WINTER DRESS

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.. The neighbors are getting worked up about the ice fishing on Hebgen Lake. There's just 6 weeks until the NAIFC-sanctioned ice fishing tournament arrives. This year there will be a prize pool of at least $14,000 and it could go as high as $21,000. Two local teams took home giant chunks of change last year. They are hoping to do it again this year.
.. The balmy days, frigid nights, and perpetual snows are exciting the neighbors beyond all rational behavior. Ten pound trout have already been landed on Swedish Pimples and giant Shop Vac flies. The tournament headquaters out at Kirkwood Resort and Marina is already gearing up with pre-fishing schedules and maps.
.. This tournement has grown so fast that it has two pages on the official Montana State Travel Website:
===> HERE  &  HERE.
.. The tournament is a three day affair: February 1, 2, 3, 2013. It includes free kids' camp, clinics and instruction, a pre fishing day, group tutorials, Rocky Mountain Ice Fishing Product Fair, and of course the tournament and weigh-in.
.. The tournament is limited to 150 two-person teams so get your registration form in early. Like right now. Use the form on the OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT WEBSITE.
.. We'll keep you informed.

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THE SNOW HAS FINALLY ARRIVED IN WEST YELLOWSTONE

As You Like It

LESS IS MORE

Submarines Arriving Daily

or, try a beaver dam

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.. This has to be quick. The big fish, running up the Madison River from Hebgen Reservoir, are coming in waves and running fast and far. The Gibbon River in National Park Meadows even has a couple of the monsters - ALREADY!

.. Follow the neighbors. Walk miles and miles. Cover acres and acres of water. You shall be rewarded.

.. The folks that are catching fish are moving around. Moving around as much as fishing.
.. They are behaving like the steelhead fishers of the Pacific Coast. 

.. Try this: CAST - SWING - SHORT JERK RETRIEVE - THREE STEPS - REPEAT. Get in line. Do the conga. Exercise the pool and your arm. Then, (very important,) move on. Move to another pool. Move to another location. Move to another state, (it's easy to do along the park line.)

.. Fish will eat your fly if they choose to. Switch flies if they aren't on it. It is happening right now. Get here and stay for the next month or so.

..If you're not a headhunter there is great fishing all around us. Hebgen Lake still has some gulpers working to the continuing hatches. Try it, you'll like it.
.. The Gallatin River is in perfect shape and the elbows have left the room. Spruce moths continue to swim near the wooded areas. There are morning, (or all day,) hatches on our blessedly cloudy days. Mostly it's BWO's in the forenoon and a few caddis and, yes Betty, hoppers wake up when it gets a bit warmer.
.. You can fish the Gallatin River all day with an Adams followed by a Prince Nymph and do just fine. Fish with a friend and be very bear aware in the northern reachers of the park water. Hell's Bells - be bear aware along the whole valley. There was just a mauling over the hills. An elk hunter called in a sow griz.

.. A couple of the neighbor kids visited the Firehole River. It's still a bit too warm by mid-day. They sampled the Little Firehole River and Nez Perce Creek. They found both bears and fish. They avoided the bears and stuck the fish with soft hackles.
.. All this kind of exuberant activity drains what little energy we have.
.. There are some nice, well hidden, beaver ponds in, and around the neighborhood.
.. They don't get much press. That's fine with us. A leisurely stroll around them will produce as many fish as mosquito bites in July.
.. We like to watch the noses as they slide up beneath the unsuspecting bugs and bits. Brook Trout reign supreme in these little pools of water.
.. There is, on occasion, a surprise in the form of a 14" - 16" monster. We don't expect much in the way of size - the solitude and gentility are compensation enough.
.. Adventurous neighbors have probed the bear closure boundaries of Duck Creek. There are many fish willing to eat anything that comes their way.
..  Campanula Creek has been neglected by most of the neighbors this year - much to the joy of one youngster that can walk that far. The fish rise freely to anything in the size 12 - 16 range. Sparsely tied caddis seem to be the favorite of the hikers. A Royal Wulff is also a good choice. BEAR SPRAY and an alert friend are mandatory. Singing and joking are requisite behaviors also.
.. That's enough for now - got to go visit some kits we know of.

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The Insect Florescence

DEGREE DAYS

overlap with

DEGREE MONTHS

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR ENTOMOLOGY LESSON

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.. It's no large secret that right now there are bugs aplenty for the trout and the fly fisher to enjoy.

.. Whereas the earliest emergences of aquatic species are usually calculated by degree days for first appearance, those for terrestrial and arboreal species are generally subjected to the concepts of degree weeks or degree months.
.. Temperature and photoperiod bring on the bugs. We are now at, (or just a wee bit past,) the peak density of said bugs for our neighborhood. There is no time like the present to use "just any old fly" and have a good chance of poking a fish in the lip, (so to speak.)

.. As our neighbor Marybell has often said: "It takes not a trained observer to find out what bug to use, just check your car's grill." Thanks, gal.
.. Our upland meadows, transitional steppes, and vest-pocket grasslands are all lined with conifers, (Spruce Moths anyone?,) and other herbaceous plants of one sort or another. Where the myriad streams of Yellowstone National Park transect these environments, and their consequent edges, the diversity of fish fodder is immense.

.. It's all just another way of saying: pick your bug and pick your place, it's all good for now, (and a couple of more weeks.)
.. Just check the many merchant reports and fishing blogs for our region. The reports go something like this: "The __________, (pick your favorite stream or river,) is fishing well to _________, (pick your favorite aquatic bug,) and good activity with ____________, (pick your favorite terrestrial bug,) if neither works use _______________, (pick your favorite, nymph or streamer or attractor.)
.. This is not capricious reporting of what works. They all work. If anything it's capricious behavior of the fish with such a wonderful array of food to choose from.

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.. So then; the Gallatin River, Soda Butte Creek, Lamar River, and Firehole River, (above the falls,) are all fishing well to small hoppers. It is useful to trail a mayfly cripple or nymph on these rivers. Green and Gray Drakes are being eaten by fish on the Lamar River and on Slough Creek, you can also stick a good fish with a streamer or Prince Nymph if you choose.
.. If you persist in your endeavors on the Yellowstone River, a small yellow hopper or very large caddis should reward you with a fish or two per hour, (if you cover a lot of ground and water.) Fishing the Yellowstone River is akin to playing 18 holes of golf: walk a lot - hit a few.
.. Fishing Between the Lakes is always a good place to practice short casts between your friend's legs. Watch your backcast; the fedora you land may belong to a prized celebrity. Most terrestrials, aquatics, and attractors are catching the best fedoras.
.. Gulper fishing is steady on Hebgen Reservoir. Conventional Callibaetis Cripples are doing the job. A big Parachute Adams will also work. Floating a very light colored Feather Duster is also successful. If you find the right weed bed a small leech or Woolly Bugger will gather in a fish.
.. When in doubt tie on an Elk Hair Caddis followed by a Bead Head Nymph of your own choosing.

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CLICK ON IMAGE FOR ANATOMY LESSON