Surviving Yellowstone Fly Fishing

IT'S A GENTLE PASTIME

Fishing First Aid

Bikini Note
river reports

.. With the increasing danger lurking in flyboxes these days, it's important to be prepared. Be sure that you have the necessary first aid kit, and know-how to get yourself patched up and back in action.
.. The standard reference book for fishing first aid is Fishing First Aid (Freshwater Angler) by Bill Forgey. It's available on line and the prices run from $6.00 (used), to $18.00 (New.)
.. Other resources include:
- Survive Outdoors, Inc.
- Exploration Products - First Aid
- Exploration Products - Freshwater Fishing
- Take Me Fishing
- There are many others. We excuse this digression because it seems that untutored anglers have been wading the waters of Yellowstone National Park with enormously heavy fly gear in their search for the big fish of Fall.
.. We strongly encourage anglers attempting to fish the FALL REEFER FLY to seek local tutelage, (see preceeding post.)
.. We also urge you to travel to FishNet Daily News and grab an eye-full of their entry into the Bikini Wars, (photo.) For those of you without a computer we reproduce their entry here. Nice Trout!

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.. The Firehole River has come into its own during these wonderful warm sunny days. The evening Caddis hatch has been regular, persistant, and surprisingly plentiful. The area around Pocket Basin and the Iron Bridge have been very productive in the evening. The meadow south of the second bridge in Biscuit Basin has, (astonishingly,) seen both Baetis & BWO in the bright sun of early afternoon. The river can be fished with only two flies: Big Wing Sparkle Caddis, (12 - 16,) and a Green Thing, (14 - 18.) If you have better peepers than we do you can take advantage of the size 20 - 22 midge hatches that seem to love the late afternoon. The fish are just plain twinkly: not giant, but TWINKLY!
.. Yes, the Madison River is full of large lake-run fish. The Brown Trout seem to be the earliest and biggest right now. This is streamer fishing at its best. Pick your poisen and get in line. Zonkers, Buggers, Spruce, Rubber Legs, San Juans, Softies, and others are hooking fish to 22" and reports of even more. Most of these early fish are in the 16" - 18" range with shoulders like Arnold used to have. A few 16" Rainbows have been reported. The morning and evening are the most productive because of the bright sun. There are even reports of fish 'dodging' flies in mid-day. The shady banks, narrow deep pools, and high bank runs are the best for mid day fishing. The fast water near the Talus Slope pull-out has produced some very large mid-day fish.
.. CAUTIONARY NOTE: Beware of Bull Elk and the late rutting, sloitary bull Bison in the Junction Meadows - if the critters are absent - go for it! The little stretch of the Firehole River below the falls has been know to produce epic battles with large fish on small flies in shallow water - enjoy.
.. We found no large fish in the plunge pool of Gibbon Falls yesterday. Large fish are reported from the bank pools and big meander upstream from Tuff Cliffs on the Gibbon River. It's going to be another day or three, (given the weather forecast,) before the upstream fishing produces the lake-run fish. There are some resident precocious males in the holding pools right now and they are suckers for a soft hackle, (gray, green, orange, 10 - 14.)
.. The Gallatin River is just perfect: few folks, eager fish, plesant walking, lots of parking, and blue-blue skies. Just about any nymph, (8 - 16,) or soft hackle will pluck a fish from the shady pools. We like an olive Woolly Worm, (12 - 14,) or a Quick N Easy for the surface, (14 - 18.)
.. One little-fished stretch of water is Bacon Rind Creek between the Gallatin River and the bridge, and along the gravel road above the bridge. The water is very thin and fish of any size are very spooky - but, in the morning before the sun hits it, and in the evening shadows it will reward your stealth tactics. We use a 10' 6" four weight rod with a #3 level line. The centuries old technique skittering a spider around rocks and shadow pools produces aerobatic takes that will stop your heart. Even from a 13" fish.

.. At the risk of death by the neighbor's hands, we report that there are fish piling up in the lower reaches of the South Fork of the Madison River. These fish are in the long estuary by the old power line road, and along the shore of Hebgen Lake, clear up to the Spring Creek Campground - hey, it's not the park but it's good fishing.

.. There are a few smaller fish around the mouth of Grayling Creek - the meadows are dry, and the fish are slowly beginning to move up this sparkling little stream. Once they get past the ranches they will stop in the meadow below Horseshoe Hill for a week or so - untill the snow or hail - then dash to the thin water of the pine thickets.

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..

Another Big Sky Day

.SECRET FLY REVEALED.

.Materials Hard To Find.

.presentation difficult.

.. This has got to be short because it's another Big Sky Day in Yellowstone National Park, and the fishing yesterday was pretty darn good. Our house guests, who left the dismal fishing in Oregon, were introduced to some interesting flies and techniques yesterday in anticipation of the October Caddis Hatch - (which on occasion is sparse.)

We, herein, at the risk of being ostracized by the locals, introduce the world to the very secret October Caddis Fly Pattern.

.. Despite the mistaken impressions of geocentric out-of-state-fishers; the Trout in Montana are not on anything so plebeian as crack. The salmonids of the Big Sky State limit their indulgences to USDA Grade #1 Hashish. This enhances their their already keen ability to discern flies from foreign lands, hands, and minds.
.. The sad truth of the matter is that fly fishing in Montana is every bit as good as each of the fisher-folk who fish here. Frequently visitors are disappointed with the fishing in Yellowstone National Park. Well then, no aspersions are cast here, (they twist the leader,) but, there is local knowledge that should not be ignored.
.. This knowledge is hard won and has produced an abundance of locally developed flies that appeal to the heightened perceptions of the local fish. Some of our indiginees have developed a single, superior fly, that is most appealing to the sage trout of Montana's waters: THE FALL REEFER FLY.

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.. This fly is delicate and requires mastery of all known fly tying techniques. The presentation is even more difficult, (more later.) Here, for the first time ever, is a picture and the recipe:

All materials are organic and biodegradable - the hook will rust away - should you get cleaned.

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Hook: 5/0 Partridge, (this is for the smallest of the Montana Trout - use larger at your own risk.) Tail: Peacock Sword, Rib: Green Silk Floss, Body Hackle: 15-year-old Whiting Select grizzly hackle,
Underbody: Dubbed rope of baby seal fur, spotted owl down, and USDA Grade #1 Hashish, Overbody: pre-smoked refer tube - do not tear, Beard: wolverine eye lashes mixed with young otter guard hairs, Coal: red silk egg-floss, Wing: Wood Duck flank, or Mallard flank, Thread: 6/0 black silk - unwaxed.

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.... TYING PROCEDURE: Gather materials. Wrap hook with 3-4 layers of thread, tie in tail. Tie in green silk ribbing and body hackle; form dubbing loop and uniformly distribute dubbing materials. Wrap the dubbing rope forward and backward until it is the same size as the inside diameter of the refer tube, (do not attempt this immediately after procuring the tube.) Whip finish the thread at the front of the hook and cut. Gently slip the refer tube over the underbody, being careful not to disturb any of the burned remnants of the lit end. Wrap the green silk floss forward, whip finish and leave hanging. Follow the floss with the body hackle and tie down with the floss at the front of the fly. Re-attach silk tying thread. Build a red coal similar to an egg pattern. Tie in the beard; tie in the wing; whip finish small head.

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.... PRESENTATION & FISHING: Use a #12 level line on your strongest 8-weight flats rod. Be sure to have at least 200 yards of monofiliment or braided nylon backing, (20# test should do.) Use about 10" of green Maxima 50# for a shock tippet and no more than 5-feet of Ande Blue 15# for your leader. Attach fly to tippet with hog rings using a Triple-Madison Eye-Loop.
.. As soon as you spot the target fish, LIGHT THE FALL REEFER FLY and present it to the fish. The presentation should resemble a series of false casts. Be as slow, with this casting, as you possibly can - otherwise the fly will burst into flames and destroy the presentation. Keep the fly about 3-feet above the surface of the water and the fish will erupt from it's holding position to take the fly on the way down. Most of us are used to this by now but it excites many visitors to the point of distraction, (often hooking themselves in the lip with a premature evacuation of the hook.) They usually feel no pain as the fly is extracted.

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.. On rare occasions small brook trout will take this fly, but this is an unusual circumstance. Frequently local fishers will stand on the boardwalk at Old Faithful and try for a hook-up with the rare native GEYSER TROUT. This is a new SUPER TROUT that genetic experimentation has developed. This local pastime is far and away more fun than searching for sand trout in Hampton Corners, Oregon.
.. There once were fish of this size in California, too. Sadly they were all caught and the hole they left in the river had to be plugged up with Shasta Dam. We feel sorry for folks in that part of the world. They will never know the joy of REFER MADNESS. - And, without that pleasure they could never be KING OF MISSOULA.