Bits & Pieces

BLOGS APLENTY

Wild Trout Symposium

brief fishing report-------

.. Just up the road: Joshua Bergan, Writer - Editor - Photographer - Fly Fisher.
.. Fish, write, fish, take pictures, fish, write, get paid! Tough job but someone has to do it. Busy is as busy does:
-- Troutbugs And Other Digressions [Blog],
-- Stock Photography [Bugs, Fishers, Fish, etc.],
-- Biography [Short History, Credentials],
-- Wilderness Adventures Press [Web Site],
-- Wilderness Adventures Press [General Store],
-- Wilderness Adventures Press [River Guides],
-- Fly Fishing Community [Maps of 1,600+ waters].

-------

.. Across the pond: The Wild Trout Trust Directors Blog. Infrequent but significant posts. The recently appointed director has not weighed in yet.

-------

.. The Trout Unlimited website continues to expand and grow. Member postings on the TU Blog include recent notes about: TU's Tom Reed, the disappearing and in peril Roan Plateau Cutthroat trout, and the Colorado Cutthroat Trout Conservation Tour.

-------

.. Pete McDonald over at Fishing Jones gives us a bit of insight into the history of his upbringing. Words like Zebco and River Runt ring true for those of us without the recent infatuation with fishing. He even shows us "HIS PLACE."

-------

.. The Invasive Species Weblog points us toward Climate Shifts and the Lionfish in the Caribbean. Should the fisher folk of the world chose to try to eliminate this invasive pest there are recipes for cooking the poisonous invader over at The Nassau Guardian.

-------

.. The folks over at Big Hole River Journal continue to taunt us with posts about Grayling and where they are being caught, (#1, #2.) We've gone for over a year now with out an adfluvial Grayling in Yellowstone Park. Perhaps we'll walk to Grebe Lake.

=======

.. The Dates for WILD TROUT X, (The International Wild Trout Symposium,) have been announced. This event now has a blooming website and an unmonitored and wilting forum with very little going on, (it's so full of spam that you could eat it.)
.. Come to West Yellowstone, Montana September 28-30, 2010 for the symposium.
.. That's over a year away - why mention it now? Because, in the past the town has had a hard time accommodating the participants of the symposium, and the fall vacationers, and the fisher folks. There are only 4,200 rooms in the motels and they promise to be full.
.. The symposium has been held about every three years since 1974. It was initially held in Yellowstone National Park. The park has been the most frequent host during the symposia series. Other venues include MSU, Bozeman, and West Yellowstone.
.. This is a significant event and attracts the top professionals in several disciplines. From fisher folks to biologists, and from managers to policy makers, this event is a gathering place for those in the know and those on the go.
.. From Lee Wulff To Bud Lilly, and from Bob Behnke to Suzanne Lewis the attendees have been the famous, infamous, celebrated and defiled movers and shakers of the trout world.
.. The new web site has summaries, photo galleries and proceedings, (in PDF format,) for all meetings. We'll keep you posted as things progress. The call for papers is about to be put forth. The response should be interesting as Yellowstone National Park continues to prefer protection of "wild" trout to the preservation of native trout.

MONEY QUOTE

"Our mission is to provide a forum for professional wild trout biologists and fishery conservationists to interact, to get to know each other in an informal setting, and to be exposed to the latest wild trout status, science, technology and philosophy. These conferences equip participants to better preserve and restore this magnificent but declining resource."

=======

.. Avoid the crowds! Rumors to the contrary, the Gallatin River is fishing well. The catching is apace with the fishing and very few folks have figured it out - to date.
.. All the bugs in your box will work right now. Two bugs is better than just one bug. From the Arch to Fan Creek there are little yellow stoneflies. There are also some PMD's and the evening caddis are beginning to make an appearance. The cool rains have slowed the caddis but we expect an eruption in the next 5-8 days.
.. The heavy willows on Fan Creek are full of Moose and Bears - use caution if you should venture out of the confluence meadow. For that matter, use caution in the confluence meadow too!
.. The area around the north boundary of the park and down to the Taylor Fork is seeing some good fish as the bigger fins are moving upstream with the receding cold water.
.. Sweet little Reddish-Brown Parachute Flies should be in your box. So to should a pile of Feather Dusters, Prince Nymphs, and Humpies. Catching will only get better for the next week or so; crowding too!

-------

Pete & Tom

NEW LOOKS, FINE OL' SITES

Click On Over
of gear whores and crystal balls

.. Pete over at FISHING JONES has revamped the blog again. Apparently not receiving the support he anticipated from his ISP. It's been just about a year since we noticed the other change in format.
.. As blogs come and go, (and sometimes come again,) Fishing Jones has provided a constant source of entertainment and information. We wish Pete better luck with his new ISP. If you'd like to see some fine photos -- check his Flickr Photostream.

-------

.. Tom over at the TROUT UNDERGROUND has taken the time to pen a note about his gear whore policy and glance into his crystal ball about the future of fly fishing media.
.. From the early days to the present this blog has also been a source of insight and delight. The transformation to commercial blog has not dampened the wit or wisdom.

"I don’t know about you, but 50 degree water has a chilling affect on the ego and a relaxing affect on the mind."

.. Tom sees the 'plain ol' blog' as a dead end and views the future of blogs as traffic magnets for larger entities. Guess we'll have to fold our tent.
.. We, prompted by his post, take this opportunity to announce our very own gear whore / advertising policy:
1} send lots of money, you will not be acknowledged,
2} send lots of gear, we'll keep it and you will not be acknowledged,
3} send lots of requests for ad space, you'll join our spam file,
4} send requests for link exchanges, you got it figured out by now?
.. As we fade into oblivion we leave you with this sage insight:

"The world is shifting beneath our feet - and some days it feels like it’s spinning faster than it did ten years ago - and like everyone, I’m trying to make sense of it."

.. As Tom would say: "See you in the welfare line."

-------
A Sight For Sore Souls
( wallpaper edition - 2272 x 1704 )-------

Brief Reports

FISH NOW

IT'S GETTING WARM

Plan Ahead - Use The Weather

Stat Pack

.. This has to be quick; visitors, don'tcha know. The rivers and streams on the west side of Yellowstone National Park are full of fish, bugs, fishers, and elbows. Summer is in full stride. This is typical. The roads have made it so.
.. Summer weather has set in. The forecast shows a few days during the coming week that will probably still provide some excellent catching opportunities:.. Visitors have choked the pullouts and parking lots, and although there are still some unimpeded stretches of water to fish, solitude is not to be found near the road.
..Be prepared to meet new people and to share any beat on the west side streams. Evening is the most salubrious time, (save for the occasional mosquito,) and spinner falls combined with caddis are the food of choice for the trout on the Madison River and the Firehole River.
.. There are still some long empty stretches of water on the Firehole River - try the trail to Lone Star Geyser for some hot action and nearly a fish per cast with just about any well presented fly in the size 14 - 16 range.
.. There are BIG BUGS around Snowflake Springs on the Gallatin River. They are invading our space - good on 'em. Barring any local deluges the Gallatin River should be the place to be for a few days. Small Sofa Pillows, large Elk Hair Caddis or Marcella's Trout Fly will bring normally shy giants to the surface. Yellowstone Sally, Prince, and Yellowstone Badger nymphs will take more fish, (sizes in the 8 - 12 range.)
.. The Gibbon River canyon is a real delight. Right now the flows are quick but gentle and the fish are beginning to look up. The riffles are still showing some white water, but the slicks are becoming more pronounced. This is the time to put a fly in any bit of water where you can not see the bottom.
.. A few places are beginning to see anglers where there were none just a few weeks ago. The Bechler River, Boundary Creek, and a couple of unnamed tributaries in the area are worth a visit. The mosquitoes shouldn't have this beautiful corner of the park to themselves.
.. Slough Creek has bugs, (mosquitoes, PMD's and some nice sized Drakes,) and the fish are eating everything that they can get to. Don't forget the midges, (clusters and such,) they are prolific right now.
.. Even the big pool at the pull out is dimpled with rising monsters. Visitors just stand and stare.
.. Soda Butte Creek is colored but very attractive. Remember: "FISH GOT'TA EAT." Try a Royal Humpy in the seams.
.. We are pleased to see that the MRO BLOG is persistent in it's first person reports. There is a note about moonlight fishing that we suggest you check out. Do you want to see what lurks in the night?
.. The good folks at Parks Fly Shop let us know that the Gardner River is in fine shape and that catching is almost as good as the fishing. Check out their recommended flies.
.. The expanded site for Jack Dennis Sports is settling down and approaching stability. The podcasts have slowed down, but the reports, and other good sources of information are very current and accurate. Take some time to explore the site. We like it.
.. Want to fish the Brooklyn Bridge? Check out the summer patterns for stripers over at Fishing Jones. Pete sure gets around; interesting comments too.
.. Kiss me baby. How appropriate for THE HORSE'S MOUTH. There seem to be advantages for stripers caught by wahines.
.. In the "SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK" department: jumping sharks and surfers enjoy the same space at New Smyrna Beach. This is the same place where there have been 12 shark-bitten folks this year -- so far!

-------

.. Here's our second quarter, very brief, statistics report. This little ol' family and friends blog has settled down at the figures shown. Not very big as blogs go.

It Might Be Fall

AREA REPORTS PICK UP

Catching Getting Better

got rain gear ?
BIG FISH ARRIVE IN WEST !

.. The blogs, observers, fishers, and feather merchants have awakened during the last ten days as a cool weather pattern has invaded Yellowstone country. The fish are a bit more frisky too.
.. Visit George Anderson's Yellowstone Angler to find out about the top secret fly that they are using in the Paradise Valley this Fall.
.. The Frequent showers that have cooled our waters have made local information a must as some color invades the streams. If you're near the north entrance of Yellowstone visit Parks' Fly Shop for up-to-date river conditions. Ask about fishing with "Big Uglies."
.. The most persistent heavy rains have been in the southern part of the park and the folks at Jack Dennis' Outdoor Shop are just now getting back into the swing of things. Catching has really picked up and the lakes are still good.
.. The "itty-bitty" hatch is in full swing in the Hebgen Tailwater. A size 14 - 18 hook wrapped in frayed thread is the fly of choice for the neighbors. Small nymph patterns will work if you can't tie an itty bitty. The big fish are responding to woolly buggers in size 4 - 6, and the perennial favorite Dark Spruce fly is getting its share of attention.
.. The Madison River in the park is responding to the cool weather with a sprinkling of large lake-run fish. Right now they are concentrated around the Highway 191 bridge just outside of Yellowstone, and at Baker's Hole Campground astraddle the park line. Worm fishers are nailing 20" - 24" fish on "Double Gobs:" - there must be a creative fly tier that can duplicate this kind of attraction. Dick, over at Bud Lily's reports wakes the size of Tsunami's at the Barns Holes - but no takers yet! There is still a sparse Trico spinner fall in the late morning, and a few sluggish hoppers and beetles. Caddis are few but concentrated. The wader friendly lodgings in West Yellowstone are nearly all booked and the Fall Parade into the west entrance is in full swing - it's probably a couple of weeks early, but it's that way every year.
.. The mass descent on the Firehole River has also begun. We're not going there because we feel that the fish were battered enough by "Mother" - but there have been good reports ever since the cooling began. A couple of good-results-reports are available for those of you that need to take a Firehole River Fish: Madison River Outfitters & Best Fly Fishing Yellowstone, (1 - 2.)
.. The Gallatin River is just very good after weeks of very very good. Use a hopper-dropper combo for prospecting and cover a lot of ground. The fish are beginning to pod-up in the holes. This cold water fishery has escaped much of the heat of the summer but the flows are low and the good places are becoming crowded, (by both fish and fishers.)
.. The Upper Gibbon River, (above the Norris Campground,) and Solfaterra Creek are in fine form. Both fishing and catching are are excellent. The recruitment in this area has been excellent, and the 2-3 year-olds are fiesty and eager - not giant yet but fiesty and eager.
.. Slough Creek is in it's spectacular phase. There are still terrestrials for fun, Baetis in the sun, Drakes in overcast - it couldn't be better. If you can tell the difference between a rainbow and a cutthroat the park suggests that you kill the rainbow. The Cutts are disappearing at a rapid clip all through the region.
.. Pebble Creek is low but still attracting some Soda Butte Creek fish. Watch the area in the meadow below the road for a few very large and spooky fish. This is just plain fun. Use a small attractor such as a size 14 Royal Humpy, or just for kicks try a Black Humpy - you'll get at least one cast to take these basking fish.
.. Fall in California is still seeing 100 degree temperatures according to the intrepid desert fishermen at the Trout Underground.
.. The "Six Word Contest" at Fishing Jones has a winner. Congratulations to Ian Rueter of R&R Fly Fishing. His winning essay???? -> "I'll tie the knot next time."

=============

.. Gratuitous Paris Hilton picture: