Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner

TRULY, IT'S SUMMER

Fish Hard All Day

a long lunch & early dinner

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.. The first rhubarb pies of the year are entering the gastronomic stream of our neighborhood fishers.

.. Of course we gobble them up as rapidly as they are presented to us. The fish on the Gibbon River and Madison River have set the precedent. They are gobbling the surface offerings of fishers with gay abandon. Also, there are some big bugs in and around the water. My, my, my.
.. National Park Meadow and the confluence marsh are seeing some heavy pressure from the fly flingers. The fish are in a very cooperative mood.
.. Not only the big bugs, but the little bugs, are feeding the ravenous trout. Caddis, Golden Ones, PMD's, Big Ones, and White Ones are on the water all day.

.. Some piscine psychologists  have opined that the floating smorgasbord must confuse the trout into a catatonic state that leads to indecision about which morsel to eat. Other mind readers believe that the trout eat the bug most available to their current hiding place. Some even think that the trout behave toward bugs the way that fishers approach a giant slice of freshly baked rhubarb pie: gobble it before your neighbor does.

.. Whatever the state of the trout mind, (in these two rivers,) may be, one thing is certain: fish looking skyward are available all day. So too, are those that don't like rhubarb pie and hide in the dark caves under the bank.
.. Now is the time to fish. Catch some too. We're having another piece of pie.

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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

The Generals

TOO MANY BUGS

Too Few Flies

make 'em do double duty

MADISON RIVER AT THE PARK LINE

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.. So it's come to catching time at the O. K. Corral.
.. All of the wealthy visitors and other sorts of technical fishers currently in Yellowstone National Park have each bought a hundred dozen flies in eight different sizes and 27 patterns.
.. They have listened to the professionals. They have read all the books. Now, flies in vest, they have it all covered. Good on them.
.. We're not strong enough to carry that many flies, nor can we change them quick enough to keep up with the different bugs that pack our ears and nose, and radiator.
.. The neighborhood kids, on the other hand, are poor; they cover acres and acres of water - and - are true artists at devising flies for matching our local hatches: real and imagined! They tie exceptional flies. You can't buy their flies: at any price.

TRIPLE THREAT CADDIS

.. They are also masters at destroying perfectly good flies given the exigences of changing conditions, luck, or whim, or whatever.
.. One of their favorite flies, (ours too,) is, (for want of a better handle,) the "Triple Threat Caddis."
.. It's just a standard elk hair caddis pattern. It's a bit lighter than most of the commercial patterns.
.. The wing is a little sparse for catalog pictures. And, Horror of horrors, the hackle is the premium dry fly sort and way too big for the fly.
.. It is usually tied on a gold-toned hook that they have scrounged up from some undisclosed Bass Pro Shop or Wal Mart.
.. With deft manipulations of their fingernails, (or whatever,) they transform the fly into a floating something-or-other, and with a smidgen more plucking they end up with a sinking thing-a-majig.
.. We've tried it. You should too - or not, depending on your creativity, desperation, or pocketbook.

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DISGRACED MUDDLER

.. The lowly and ubiquitous Muddler Minnow is subjected to a similar, but slightly different treatment. It is usually tied with colors that could imitate either a small fish or a local grasshopper.
.. It is usually fished with gusto,  (appropriate to the conditions and imagined imitation,) and can be swung, stripped, floated, jerked, or plopped. The wing is often split side-to-side and pulled down below the body and supposedly imitates a hopper. If nothing else it is a good bobber for a hopper-dropper combo.
.. Great stuff if you can't afford a 97 pocket vest and the heavy boxes to fill all those pockets.

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LOCAL MITE

.. A Montana legend is the Sandy Mite.
.. The neighborhood kids have a variation that dispenses with the woven body and can be rapidly tied with simple, cheap, and common materials. They sometimes call it the Local Mite - when they call it anything at all. Sometimes just the Mite - or - Mighty Mite.
..This little darlin' is subjected to the same depredations and humiliations as the caddis. Plucked naked or with just a few shortened fibers it becomes anything your heart and imagination desires.

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.. We own a few fly boxes. We use them. The kids have a few, or many, as their whims demand. We usually take our boxes with us. They fit in a lunch sack with pepperoni and a baguette of french bread.
.. The kids pack an old 35mm film canister with a bunch of flies and jump in the river. Travelin' lite and catching many. Not the stuff of slick videos, product endorsements, or webbyzeeens - aw shucks! Catch fish by the bucket though.

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RECRUITS: 100+ strong. Fish Near Here In The Evening. YUM!

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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Busman's Holiday

THE RIVER CALLS TO SOME

Park It, Talk It, Fish It,

the fish speak:

the fisher answers

MORNING AT THE LAUNCH RAMP: RIG IT - TALK IT.

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.. We've been blessed with the friendship of several neighbors that guide and fish for a living. They are usually found plying their trade on the big and famous stretches of the lowland Madison River. We usually haunt the nearby little trickles of water in our neighborhood.

The Madison Fishing Bus - Launch It - Quick

.. On rare occasions we are gifted with a visit to the fabled 100 mile riffle. For us, it's a different sort of fishing.
.. Vast open spaces are hinted at from the incised river course. When floating the river it's possible to see the snowy mountains peeking from behind the massive terraces of the river's long and varied history.
.. This river speaks to some of our neighbors like no other. It calls. They respond. Even on their rare day off they return to visit the water and the fish.
.. Most of the local guides have lived here for over 20 years: some for over three decades. They love the winters. They love the summers. They love the rivers. They love the fish.
.. When the phone rings and the voice says: "I'm going fishing, want to come along?" We immediately accept and rearrange our schedule to comply. For the voice it's a busman's holiday. For us it's a rare treat.

Get Out Of The Boat - Explore Fresh Water

.. Right now the Madison River is in great shape for the early season. The bottom is full of little critters moving around and getting dislodged.
.. Some of the little critters are headed to the shore. Some of the little critters are bobbing to the surface. Some are just hanging out and getting eaten. They are all getting eaten by the fish, (and each other,) Early Summer is the time of eating beneath the surface of the river.
.. We arrive to join in the eating frenzy by providing phony food. Great sport. The fish comply. White fish, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, etc. are eating. We are feeding. Yum!
..The bus bobs along the river. The bus driver is exploring a river that is as familiar as his own self. Yet it's different from day to day and month to month and year to year and decade to decade. We're along for the ride.

Put This One Up High - For The Moment

.. Fish a little, catch a little, talk and laugh a lot. This is not a guided trip. It's not a float to the familiar slots where the fish are stacked like cord wood.
.. This is exploration. This is pure pleasure on a river that sees too much targeted fishing. This is a conversation with water and fish and flies and those things that flash by unnoticed in the heat of catching.
..The bus driver gets to fish. The passenger gets to fish. Fish from the boat. Fish from the shore. Fish in the water. What's over there? This run is deeper this year. That boulder has fallen over.

Surgery: Removal Of The Weapon From Above

.. The swallows aren't very active. There's a raptor diving on a duck. Enjoy the day. Enjoy the river. No pressure to catch a dozen or more, (though we do.)
.. Our bus gets passed by many other buses. They rush to the "good runs." They have hard-fishing clients. They are pressed to catch fish. Catch big fish. Catch many fish. Malign the White Fish. Pray for big Browns. Scream with glee at the aerobatic Rainbows. Take the stories back home to Iowa, or Georgia, or Vermont, or Mexico.
.. We eat lunch in phases at several places. We sit in the boat. We sit on the bank. We nibble this and we gobble that. Picnic on the Madison River. Not a bad work if you can get it. Wet a line here. Surprise us and a fish there. Relax and continue the conversation with the river.
.. The clouds finally come and decorate the sky. The shadows creep toward the river. The other buses are long gone. We arrive at the take out ramp. The angels of the river have shuttled the truck and trailer to the parking spot. We glide to the shore and drop 40 pounds of drag anchor to the bottom and climb out.
.. The bus gets parked on it's trailer. The bus driver smiles and pats the gunwale and hull affectionately. Trusty steed. Work horse. Friend and tool. Good bus. Many thousands of miles logged on this and other rivers. But this is the one river that sticks. Got to get up tomorrow and go to work.

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Headed To The Barn - Workday Tomorrow.

Upland Float Trip

SOMETIMES THESE KIDS FISH

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Lowland Madison

WAY TOO GOOD THIS EARLY

Pods & Pods & Pods Of Eagar Fish

we're loving it to death

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.. It is an unusual and wonderful situation. The sparse Spring runoff event, (to date,) has enticed us to the lowlands in order to partake of catching beyond the dreams of even the head hunters and the fin counters.

.. Guides are marking the prows of their drift boats with fish silhouettes like they were WWII bombers.  And those are just the fish over 20".  Small fry aren't even photographed. Anglers are praying for LDR's with each weak tug. Get 'em off and get 'em gone. Such a circus is hard to believe. But, it's true.
.. We're arm weary and eye sore from all the fish. And, we're going back for more. Rare indeed for us. Then again, this only happens infrequently. Forget the correct fly patterns. Throw what you like - the fish will like it too.
.. Needing some rest now. Back at it early . . . . . . . . .

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Lonely Water

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

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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