• PARTNER: PROTECT YOUR WATERS
  • Go To: THE FLIES OF YELLOWSTONE
  • Go To: YELLOWSTONE FISHING WEATHER
  • Go To: YELLOWSTONE FLY FISHING MAPS
  • Visit: Moldy Chum
  • Visit: The Horse's Mouth
  • Visit: Chi Wulff
  • Visit: Parks' Fly Shop
  • Wednesday, June 22, 2011

    The Yo - Yo

    WATCH THE CHARTS
    Pick Your Time
    enjoy the variety

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    .. The annual spring yo-yo is here. The west side rivers are bouncing up and down like so many Duncan's that it's hard to be precise about where the best catching opportunities will be.
    .. River levels are fluctuating through the day and from day to day. As the levels change some opportunities are opened up and others are closed off. The cagey angler will scan the river charts to anticipate this subtle rhythm of each river.
    .. The changes throughout the day are very much like the heartbeat of a person; regular and predictable. The subtle rise and fall corresponds to the warming and cooling of the air that melts the snow.
    .. Superimposed on this rhythm is the local variation in rainfall and cloud cover and discharge from tributary streams. We love the yo-yo. It gives variety and opportunity to the otherwise simple catching available on the Firehole River.
    .. Daily records are still being set for discharge rates as our protracted runoff pushes water through the stream channels. It won't be long and good fishing water will be high and then again, low.
    .. Now is the time to break old habits and fish some different water or, perish the thought, different rivers.
    .. As the river water laps at and covers the banks of some areas, new environments are available for fish to exploit. Fishers should exploit these areas too. Walk the bank. Scan the edges. Peer into the shallows of mid-river bars. The fish will be there. You should be there. This is the time to explore: enjoy it.
    .. We have an aversion to elbows. Many fishers, on the other hand, enjoy meeting new friends and exchanging cell phone numbers in lieu of fishing. If you are one of the gregarious types, now is the time for Firehole Fishing.
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