Mythic Madison

BEARS FISH HERE

Walk Just A Bit

unmolested fish

FISH WHERE THE BEARS FISH

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.. This year there has been a fishing bear at GRASSHOPPER BANK on the Madison River.
.. Most visiting fishers will never see the bear. Most visiting fishers will not take advantage of the pods of large fish that fin and flop lazily in the dark water of this bit of the river.
.. It takes just a small walk to get into position to fish for the trout. However it will put your car out of sight. Crouching and duck walking is not in the mindset of the average fisher visiting Yellowstone National Park.

TAKE SOME

.. Hell's Bells, if you can't jump into a school of fish and splash to the center of the river in order to fish the bank  --  it taint "fly fishing."
.. We've seen the bear.

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.. Today's rain is perfectly gentle and inviting. Mid day catching will be very productive. We'll take some fresh bear spray. The exercise will guarantee a good night's sleep.

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WALLPAPER:  TAQUITOS  --  FLAUTAS

Subtle Tyranny

WHAT IS IT ?

Looks Like, Walks Like

it's not a mountain

WALLPAPER:  MADISON JUNCTION

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.. From the earliest days of 'discovery' in Yellowstone National Park, place names have been scattered around the landscape like rice at a wedding.

NATIONAL PARK MOUNTAIN

.. One of these names is "National Park Mountain." Ever since the naming, folks visiting the park have used the name.
.. Park employees use the name. Rangers and interpreters use the name. This is a simple example of the subtle tyranny that words slam into our understanding of the world around us.
.. The name applies to a prominence that was left behind when the glaciers left the interior of Yellowstone National Park. It is not a mountain especially when viewed from the Madison Plateau. It can be 'called' a mountain when viewed from Madison Junction.

SURFACE GEOLOGY OF YELLOWSTONE

.. Interestingly; there is no universally accepted definition of a mountain in the English Language.
.. Elevation, volume, relief, steepness, spacing and continuity have been used as criteria for defining a mountain.
.. It's a matter of usage and local conventions.
.. Geologically this prominence is just that. It is a bit of the Madison Plateau that exists because of glacial scouring and, erosion of the rivers adjacent to it.

GLACIATED YELLOWSTONE

.. This glacier scouring has left behind several hanging valleys that did not have the available water to erode them down to the valley level of the master stream.
.. The Madison River Valley as it currently exists is a product of an ice divide that produced shear forces, (down slope,) toward the narrows at Hebgen Dam.
.. The same processes created the celebrated Mount Haynes.
.. This is not as trivial as it may seem. It is, in fact, emblematic of the way we perceive the world and the way we communicate with other folks about that world.
.. Most folks, fly fishers included, believe that the words they use are perfectly well understood by the people with whom they are talking.
.. Be they technical terms or, words from daily vernacular language the assumption of mutual understanding works a tyranny that can lead to gross misunderstanding.

THE ULTIMATE FLY

.. Depending on one's exposure to any one of the fly fishing cults that exist, verbiage can be precise or slipshod.
.. Granted that the day to day vernacular is sufficient for most common interactions, it is seldom accurate when talking about flies like the "common transparently mutated and variegated imitation asphalt cased nymph."
.. This particular fly is widely known by the fishers of Notellum Creek. Another bit of gear used by this particular cult of fishers is the "single handed, switch-spey, noodle-actioned, composite naturalized, artificial fly rod."
.. When the neighbors are armed with a combination of this fly and this rod they take enormous amounts of good fish. My, my, my.

SWITCH OR SPEY NEW OR OLD

.. Politicians, feather merchants, gear manufacturers, industry representatives, guides, and other lucre motivated personages understand this subtle tyranny.  They also understand the value of repetitive utterances of their preferred verbiage.
.. Try this: 'no collusion,' 'no collusion,' 'no collusion,' 'no collusion,' - or 'Spey Rod,' 'Spey Rod,' 'Spey Rod,' 'Spey Rod,' - or 'Switch Rod,'  'Switch Rod,' 'Switch Rod,' 'Switch Rod,' - or  'good fish,' 'good fish,' 'good fish,''good fish,' - or 'streamer fly,'  'streamer fly,' 'streamer fly,' 'streamer fly,' 'streamer fly.'
.. Of course the ultimate aim of fly fishers and politicians and feather merchants is obfuscation - not precision. It keeps things interesting and keeps the mystery forefront in the cults.
.. Belief in the tyrannical words we adopt rapidly becomes dogma. From belief to dogma to religion to infallible pronouncements are rising in fly fishing and politics. Such an entertaining time we live in.
.. We do enjoy the conversations of guides, counter help, feather merchants and marketing organizations as they pretend to impart information as they, in fact, are busy proselytizing converts to their religious cults.
.. We know of only a few folks, guides, feather merchants, or organizations that are honest enough to utter such phrases as: "I don't know," "That may be the case," "There are many ways to accomplish that," 'In my humble opinion."
.. However, whether talking about mountains, fly fishing, beer, food or politics, we know many folks that utter these kinds of phrases: "Best ever," "Can't be beat," "Absolute best," "Unquestionably, "The only way," "Everyone says," "I know," etc.

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.. We don't know if the myriad flies we intend to use this afternoon will catch a good fish. In our humble opinion the rod we will use is only probably the right kind for the fly we suggest may entice a trout. We think that we are fishing for trout. Perhaps we are even fly fishing. We won't use a gill net. .

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WALLPAPER:  RIB EYE AND ONIONS

Stealth War Emerges

IT TAKES TIME

No Superficial Reads

our earth is complex

NOT IN THE HEADLINES

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.. Just as a trophic cascade takes a considerable amount of time in both plant and animal communities; so too does the environmental repercussion of societal and political decisions.
.. Most folks believe that if there is no immediate effect from political behavior there will not be any at all. Our society is rooted in instant gratification and, this mentality permeates a wide spectrum of belief.
.. The introduction of the wolves into Yellowstone National Park in 1995 is still being felt today. Hunters and ranchers bemoaned the immediate result of fewer elk and their predatory behavior on domestic livestock.
.. The cascade effect is ongoing with the resurgence of beavers, willows, and aspen trees. There are both 'immediate' and long term results. This will continue for some time to come.
.. The supporters of our current administration say that the sky has not fallen given the 'immediate' results of political decisions and rule making. Therefore, (they say,) it's not as bad as they were led to believe.
.. Of course not. Those folks have no concept of the intertwined nature of our planet's ecosystems. If it hasn't happened this week  -- THEN it probably won't happen. Yippee Shit: we can ignore the decisions and behaviors of the administration.
.. It does take a certain semblance of intelligence, education, and concern for the future state of our environment to appreciate a trophic cascade or a political cascade.
.. Be you a Fisher or, a Hunter or, a Tree Hugger you are under siege by a stealth war. If you are an industrialist, real estate developer, energy company, or extractive tycoon; you have been given your dream of instant gratification.
.. American business defines long term planning as results for the third quarter. A political cascade takes longer to manifest itself. Woe be us come the third decade. [[ As an aside; there is even some lend/lease debt from WWII still outstanding.]]
.. Fixing, (should we choose to,) will be a monumental task. It will be beyond the resources of any single nation: especially our nation with a giant debt.
.. Commercial fishers have some idea of the impacts of over fishing and the length of time it lasts and the time it takes to partially recover.
.. However sport fishers enjoy the non indigenous species that proliferate all across our nation. "Hey, y'all, lookee here at the big fish!" The impacts of the trophic cascade in this arena are ignored by most sport fishers. Just catch 'em while on vacation.
.. We, here,  are in the minority. We have no advertisers to placate. We have no trinkets to sell. We have no giant ego or cute phraseology to bolster this little newsletter.
.. We only have a vested interest in gentle wanderings in the woods and meadows and an occasional fish to catch. We have, over the past 50+ years seen changes that are the result of decisions long gone and applauded.
.. The changes are interrelated and a combination of the environmental, social, political, cultural, and educational milieu that we partake of. Some we like some we don't. They will continue as our society continues our paradigm of short term gratification;  well into the future.

RESOURCES 

>> Short read with headlines,
>> Detail of ongoing stealth attack, (longer - PDF.)

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.. Getting a good dump of the white stuff. It has fair moisture content and is building up nicely. It's warm enough to fish a little and maybe catch some - if we can avoid the sledheads.
.. Some visitors are firmly ensconced in the few soft chairs in the dusty aisles of a couple of feather merchants. Many neighbors are gathered around barrel stoves telling stories. Time enough to shovel some and take a nap.

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WALLPAPER:   Strawberry Crêpes For Brunch

Take A Deep Breath, (Another Rant)

TROUT IN DANGER ?

Scenic Vistas Important ?

don't drink the water

GOT YA' BY THE BALLS NOW !!!

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..It's a simple equation. If you can't win a court case against an Environmental Protection Agency ruling then just get your buddy the president to gut the agency and become its secretary.
.. We'll show 'em who's boss! Just 'cause we lost 13 out of 14 cases with support from big energy, big power, big coal, big food processors, big mining, and even Peabody Power  --  doesn't mean that we will give up.
.. All these good folks have given me money for my political campaigns. They are good friends and won't influence my thinking me at all. My mind  behaviors and decisions are already set in high alkali concrete.

from:  MATT BERGER

-- Spoil piles don't hurt trout streams. Ozone can't hurt anything. Clean water is not important. Mercury generation and disposal just doesn't need to be regulated.
.. The clean air act is a silly law. If the Chinese can live in the air of Beijing then we can too. They are making lots of money. We can do it too.
.. It's a hollow drum that we beat here. We're sad to say it. Our psitocentric viewpoint is colored by our love of the fish.
.. Our homocentric viewpoint is colored by our hope for the future of our species. We're a bit depressed.
.. We know that you all know this. We know that you are doing everything that you can. So click away from this page and go about your business.

from:  ABOUT NEWS

.. There is nothing we can do to save the planet !
.. It will still be here no mater what we do.
.. On the other hand, there is much that we can do to enhance or degrade the environment that allows us to live on this planet.
.. We encourage our neighbors and friends to pay careful attention to the circus unfolding in Washington, D.C.
.. Our national election cycles are 2 years, 4 years, and 6 years. Probably too long for most fisher folks to remember.

from:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

.. There is much truth in the adage: "All Politics Is Local." What is needed now is a change in perspective.
.. All politics is, in this day and age, global.
.. It is incumbent on those that can see beyond their local trout stream or their bank account to figure out ways to enhance their memories and their activities.
.. Law suits are already piling up. The cost for the EPA to do battle in an effort to not do it's job will run into the millions of dollars.
.. That's your money and our money. Don't try to save the planet  --  try to save the environment.

.. DISCLAIMER: There are no alternative facts posted here.

RESOURCES

>> Cut EPA staff by 1/5,
>> Cut clean air and water programs by 30%,
>> Eliminate all Brownfield programs,
>> Eliminate climate change initiatives,
>> Reduce research and development by 42%,
>> Coerce states into enforcement roles,
>> Pruitt v EPA (all court cases - 1432 pages,)
>> Pruitt v League Of Scientists,
>> Columbia Riverkeeper, et al. v. Scott Pruitt,
>> Los Angeles Waterkeeper v. Pruitt, 
>> Blue Water Baltimore v. Pruitt,
>> Crippling fiscal effects of current policy direction,
>> WOTUS rule to be reviewed by EPA & Corps Of Engineers,

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.. Both the breeze and the temperature are up above decent levels. The sun is bright and the neighbors report that there are thin clouds of midges Between The Lakes.

MADISON MAULER

.. It should present a real challenge. The famous fishers of this village do battle with a 6 1/2 foot four weight and a speck of fluff plucked from their umbilicus.
.. We're going down there with an 8' seven weight and a five foot leader.
.. We've got some  old flies that need a workout. We know that it will be taxing since there is a bit of mud showing up.
.. Right after a nap.

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WALLPAPER:  OLDIES BUT GOODIES

Got Wheels ?

TRY OTTER TROUT LAKE

An Often Forgotten Place

eager fish, otters, and grunts

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.. While the Hoppers have inundated the campground at Slough Creek, and while the elbows are thronging to the famous northeast trinity of Slough, Soda, and Lamar, free-spirited elbows are working up a sweat and enjoying three little lakes with grand views and glorious fishing. Pretty good catching too.

..If you can handle a steep trail under a blistering sun we suggest that this is a proper destination for the angler not obsessed with headhunting or running water. Take your camera and a lunch. Take your bear spray and someone else who will enjoy postcard beauty and a few fish along the way.
.. The trail is a 1/2 mile of uphill grunting. Once up the hill from the road you will encounter an undulating landscape that holds the true trinity of the northeast fishery: Trout Lake, Buck Lake, and Shrimp Lake. These little gems are tucked into periglacial depressions and are well worth the hike. Plan to spend a day or two exploring.

.. The hardcore headhunters can spend a full day at Trout Lake in the hopes of hanging onto a 24" Rainbow Trout or several 18" Cutthroat Trout. This is the site of an early fish hatchery in Yellowstone National Park. The fish did well then and do well now. The otters know it well;  and some of the neighbors make a pilgrimage during hopper time, (LIKE RIGHT NOW!)
.. Buck Lake is also worth fishing for the catching. Shrimp Lake is supposedly devoid of fish but there are otters there too - go figure ? ? ? ?
.. For some reason known only to the trout the catching has been a bit harder than in recent memory. The fish are still large, (medium and small too.) The fishers are still happy to have been there. The otters are still fat and photogenic. The hoppers are hopping. The beetles are beetling and the trout are eating.
.. If you plan to lug a float tube up the hill be sure to get a boat permit for the tube. It's a park requirement and the rangers know.

.. For those of us trapped on the west side of the park the mysteries of the northeast corner hold a fascination that can only be assuaged by the expenditure of time and gasoline. A few of us trek to Cooke City and stay with friends for a long fishing weekend. Some of us camp in the wild. The affluent grab a motel and hang out: fishing hard each day. A trip up the hill is always on the schedule.
.. Closer to home, it's important to note that the Gallatin River is providing some excellent evening activity for both fish and fishers. Hoppers, ants, beetles and caddis are all active and providing entertainment for a the neighbors.
.. It's a busy time of the year for the merchants in town. High summer shopping is in full swing. The streets are crowded and the grocery stores become genuine freak shows with a cacophony of children's shrieks, carts clattering, languages sputtering, and clerks smiling through it all. It's worth viewing if you don't need the groceries.
.. We're avoiding it all and fishing a small little no name tributary of the Notellum River. We will spend the upcoming weekend enjoying the mass gathering of cartoon cars at the 44th annual West Yellowstone Rod Run.

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..

And The Trout Jumped Over The Moon

Red Headed Stepchild

THE FORGOTTEN DESTINATION

It's A Gentle Walk To Angry Fish

you won't be able to see the car

WALLPAPER: RAIN SQUALL AT NEZ PERCE CREEK

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.. We often wax poetic, (or some such,) about the forgotten splendors of Nez Perce Creek. Our praises carry little weight with the park and catch crowd.
.. The little creek looks inviting around the picnic tables where it joins the Firehole River. It's a false invitation. The water is thin, fast and generally holds only fry and smaller fish. That's fine for those who need to watch the car.

.. Above the Grand Loop Road and down a gentle trail there are the same wonders that the other river is famous for. Vistas of the surrounding mountains and high plateau are grand. There's a thermal hot spot with bubbles and steam and such, (stay on the trail - it's very unstable amongst the bubbles.) There's a picturesque old bridge that's seeing it's last days. It's a nice walk in a meadow surrounded by the woods.
.. Early on in each warm season it's the haunt of bears and park rangers. By this time of year there are a few large bull bison,  just an occasional grizzly bear,  wildflowers,  ground squirrels,  and trout. It's worth the stroll.
.. Our wheels are tired and creaky. We made it about a mile and a bit more this year and were pleased with ourselves. It's a little early for the fish to run up from the FIREHOLE RIVER. The resident fish haven't been visited much and are very willing dance partners.
.. We caught a fish and smoked a stogie in the drizzle. it may be sunset for our trips to the little sister of the Firehole River. [[ For our previous exultation's see THIS. ]]
.. We'll be back a couple of times this year. Out of sight of the car.

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WALLPAPER: THE BRIDGE AT NEZ PERCE CREEK

A Fine Soft Day

NOT A HINT OF BREEZE

 Very Diffuse Shadows

fish noses and midges

WALLPAPER:   SOFT AND STILL

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.. It could be rain. It could be light snow. It could be fog. It could be cloudy. It could be overcast. Whatever it is it's soft and still.
.. Slurping is louder than rustling. Fishing is sublime. Catching is electric. We get one of these days all too infrequently. It's nice.
.. Breakfast comes after catching.

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WALLPAPER: A REAL BREAKFAST