'Tis The Season

EARLY REDDS OBSERVED IN TAILWATER

Slog To Campfire Lodge To See Them
Death By Blogging ? ? ?

.. It's a bit early, but it looks like conscientious fisher folk will have to be very careful - very early this year.

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.. We're not too compulsive. But we did find some who are. Via Fishing Jones, comes a note about death by blogging. Some wish it would be contagious. Others wish it on themselves. Read about it HERE. Debate it HERE.

Here's what they get paid to write! ---- EGAD!!!!

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Lost: one weekend.

ENNIS IS BEAUTIFUL

Bozo Rocks

fisherfolk everywhere

but not us

.. Apropos of the season there are Spring fishers along the length of the Gallatin River, and in those sections of the Madison River that are open. There are parking lots full of invasive license plates and pull-outs crowded with SUV's. The further down-elevation you travel, the denser is the "Tin Hatch."
.. The "Tin Hatch" is a Spring phenomenon along most rivers in our area - (most areas with trout streams, in fact.) The Tin Hatch is indicative of the old fly fisher's adage -- "The farther from home you fish; The better the fishing."
.. We drove right past most of the happy anglers and did the necessary, mundane, and urgent tasks of the season. Didn't even take any gear. Didn't even sacrifice ourselves to the rivers. Didn't even wash the muck off of the car. Got it all done and lost the weekend.
.. The Tin Hatch lets us know, (as if we didn't,) that this must be a great place to be. People like to fish here -- DUH! We like to fish here too, but on occasion we just don't.
.. The tin is really steel and it will be collected, or tossed, or recycled. The fishers will vanish, only to be replaced by others, in increasing numbers. The Tin Hatch progresses in intensity for the next three months, plateaus, then spikes with the first snows of Fall.
.. It is more predictable, regular, and prolific than the other hatches of our rivers. It is indicative of the possibilities that await the visitors. We welcome them for their indication of the season.
.. Visitation with neighbors confirms that the hatch is on time, and a bit larger than usual. We hope that this bodes well for the upcoming season. We know it bodes well for the scrap metal dealers.

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.. Speaking of recycling: there is a nice image and sentiment at Moldy Chum. It is similar to a post of ours at about this same time last year.
.. John Montana, carrier of the finest moniker in all of blogdom, is certainly not interested in the carp-loving beauty depicted in the two posts. His new babies and local waters are more than satisfactory, (we infer this from his blogging.)
.. Now then, Is there a John Catfish out there somewhere that would like this little lovely moaning to have him return? We wonder.
.. On the other hand we give full marks to THE HORSE'S MOUTH for their most recent Fish On Fridays.
.. Lovely rod, great reel, long tapering waders, scenic setting, appropriate attire, nice net, and not a hair out of place. Is John Lei out there anywhere hoping that the moans from this wahine are for him?
.. By the way -- speaking of moaning. Can you imagine traveling to a fishing location; lowering yourself to using nymphs, (oh the indignity of it all,) and catching no fish?
.. It happens: even to mighty Chandler, and even on his home waters. This goes to prove the old fisher's adage.
.. We're not sure what's worse: 'fishlessness' or nymphs. Nice pictures - we know the feeling, (though we enjoy the nymphs).

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.. During a "mid-life-morning" we recently updated both the fly page and the map page. During the upcoming season we're planning to concentrate on the small streams that were requested in the recent survey. And, by golly, we've learned about some of the bits and pieces on the damn camera.
.. The map locations will now have full picture disclosure. There are just no secrets in Yellowstone, (that we know of.)

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Fishing Au Natural

JUST THE WAY IT OUGHT TO BE

We're Taking Lessons
NOTE THE SIZE OF THE FISH AND THE SIZE OF THE STREAM
are they all behind a rock?

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Why Should We Care ?

TEN SLEEP GETS WHIRLING DISEASE

So What You Say

it may spread this way

.. From Protect Your Waters comes the news that the Ten Sleep Fish Hatchery in Wyoming has reported whirling disease in it's brood stock.
.. The Ten Sleep Hatchery was built in 1939, shortly after the Lake Fish Hatchery in Yellowstone National Park, (1930 - 1932.)
.. The Wyoming facility is a key element in the state's fish culture program. It provides over 1,000,000 fish to other hatchery's and also produces about 250,000 fish for direct planting in Wyoming waters.
.. So What? - you say. Well it was slated to be the new home of the endemic Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Brood Stock. The restoration and recovery program has already started, and there has been no word about the impact on the beginnings of this effort to save this embattled species.
.. The disease hits native Cutthroat Trout very hard and this news concerns us. Has the disease already come out of the hatchery into more Yellowstone waters? We await word from Yellowstone National Park and from the fishery scientists in Wyoming.

Absolutely Beautiful

GO VISIT JASON

.. While perusing Jason Neuswanger's Trout Nut site we were overwhelmed by the beauty of one of our favorite fishes. The picture of the day is an Alaskan Grayling. Just the right size and with all the subtle colors and iridescence captured by the photographer. Stunning.
.. Click HERE for the gorgeous and giant image.
.. Thanks Jason!

The Weather Outside's Delightful

RIVERS SLOW, PRECIP UP, AVERAGES EXCEEDED

Visitors Bogged Down with Short Memories

the high country rocks
fishing report / winter video / casting video

.. A quick glance at our neighborhood SNOTEL and River Data, (see sidebar,) confirm that Spring is arriving at a nice slow pace. It will get here: it always has. The graphs for accumulated precipitation are looking normal and following the average slope with just a little more than average precipitation.
.. The discharge graphs are running just a little below average. There are a few river gauges that are frozen and provide only interrupted data.
.. With the snow pack at between 90% and 115% of average this is certainly not a banner year.

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.. This is "Spring Break" - whatever that means. Visitors from the lowlands visit West Yellowstone to "See Snow." They whine that there's too much snow and they have to walk in it too.
.. They complain that their cars get stuck. They bemoan the gray skies and snow falling from the sky - "is that really where it comes from?"
.. The "cute" little cabin that they rented two years ago is now buried. They can't make snowmen because they have to shovel a path to the door. It breaks their back and spirit.
.. They turn on the T.V. and are transported to the outer world by microwave transmission. They tune in their local news channel and catch up on what they are missing. They didn't even bring a fly rod or wax for their skis.
.. The snow last night brought the five day total to about 20" and there's more on the way. Bring it on.
.. It makes the neighborhood look clean. It covers the blemishes, it builds a soft edge on the angularity of "rustic" architecture. We're loving it. Our memory is long enough to know that there is noting 'unusual' about this year.
.. The town looks clean and uncluttered. It's flaws and blemishes are hidden beneath a soft white comforter that obscures the pimples and rashes. We like it this way. We like it the other way too.
.. Having little in the way of Zen Mastery, (cf. Chandler #I & #II,) we just drove around town and took some snapshots. Perhaps they will satisfy the urge to "see snow" and the lowlanders will not be so put out by having to be in it.

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.. The wondrous caprice of nature has given us an early run of fish into the Hebgen Tailwater. This is probably not a permanent condition. The fish seek food wherever it may be found; and the brief warm up of last week did make Beaver Creek and Cabin Creek a kind of buffet on a conveyor belt for the trout. The cooling trend of the last few days and the projected coolness for the coming week suggest that the fish will drop back down to Quake Lake in the near future. Not to worry, they'll be back.

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.. The poor lowly carp is getting it's gills slapped around by viewers on You Tube. "They dirty the water." My, My, do you know what trout do in the water? Some people do too!
.. Well it looks like the third iteration of Fishing Jones is in the final throes of completion. The look is clean, the prose concise, and golly we're glad he's back from all that globe trotting. Click over there and see what a Peacock Bass looks like. Pete's just fishin' and sharing the joy. After all as he says: "I’m just a guy who likes to fish and waste time blogging about it." Hear - Hear!

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P.S. -- Hazardous Weather Outlook


HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
413 AM MDT MON MAR 31 2008

MTZ008-012>015-050>055-011015-
BEAVERHEAD-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-
MADISON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN-
413 AM MDT MON MAR 31 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A SPRING STORM SYTEM MOVING THROUGH THE REGION WILL BRING WIDESPREAD
SNOW TO PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA TODAY. A SNOW
ADVISORY REMINS IN EFFECT THROUGH 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER TUESDAY THROUGH
SUNDAY IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT..

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

Potpourri #9

GET AIRBORNE

The New Jersey Heritage Trout

Simms Steps Up
Annual Statistics Report

fishin' in the snow

.. The web and feed readers are a near fatal combination. Open one up and add some feeds: add a few more, another few for fun, and BINGO! it's a full time J.O.B. Our selection of feeds is not overwhelming quite yet, but it takes a bit too much of our fishing time, nonetheless
.. The less interesting things we digest ourselves, the rest we pass on to our visitors. Here's some of the recent things that used up a few billion electrons.

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.. Friday's breakfast meeting was so full of insight that truth had no chance. The main topic of conversation, as usual, revolved around the pictures in THE HORSE'S MOUTH. We like the sailing, the surfing, and the fish photos. We really like the wahines.
.. This week is no exception and we've borrowed two of their pics. Flying carp, flying fish, and even fly fishing take on new meanings with the one image: spectacular becomes freshly defined with the other.

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.. From HDW comes news of the genetic research that has discovered some of the east coast's finest of aquatic treasures -- native, indigenous, Brook Trout.
.. The post is an excerpt from the New Jersey Star Ledger and details the research, importance, and location of these jewels of the east. The Brook Trout is the State Fish of New Jersey and nine other states. Most of the New Jersey "Heritage Trout" are in the headwaters of just a few creeks in that state.

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.. The Simms Company, of Bozeman (Shameless Montana Plug,) sent out a recent news release that takes aim at three of the most damaging invasive species in our waters.
.. They detail some steps that anglers can take to reduce the spread of these environmental pirates. Simms is a partner in the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers project. One of the products developed by Simms is the material used in waders and wading boots that reduces absorbency. This, combined with careful design, helps fishers clean their 'wet gear' and aid in the campaign. The text of the news release and the tips for anglers can be found HERE. It's worth more than just a click.
.. For those that don't know about it, Simms has a custom shop that will use your specifications and sizes for truly custom waders. They have added 'boot foot' waders to their custom shop line. Boot foot waders have fewer nooks and cranny's for the invasive species to hide in and are easier to clean. The Simms Custom Shop is well worth a visit.

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.. Feed readers are funny things. Ours coughed up a post from October, 2005. The delay is unexplainable. It's from a source that we deleted a couple of years ago, and haven't heard from since -- until now.
.. In the interest of full disclosure we will admit to previously seeking pictures of the distaff angler in action. Happily, this feed returned one of them. Just a bit late, though. Here's the picture and the SOURCE.

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.. Despite the perfectly prepared Breakfast, and the invasion of near truth into fishing patter; and with the continuing snow and violent breezes, we managed to visit the legendary Hebgen Tailwater. Know locally as 'Between The Lakes' this bit of water is open to fishing all year long -- if you can get to it. During winter months it is heavily fished in the most accessible section that runs along the road from about the discharge pool to the mouth of Cabin Creek.
.. Local fools and die-hard use sneaky and devious tools such as snowshoes and skis to penetrate the better water around and below Campfire Lodge. They are most frequently rewarded with good fishing, beautiful scenery, and eager fish.
..We have neither the legs nor youth for this sort of adventure anymore. But old age and guile do have their advantages. We followed some snowmobile tracks to the edge of a nice stretch of water below the lodge. Only a few times did the compacted snow give way and dump us on our fanny.
.. We danced with a few eager fish and enjoyed the exhaustion more than we have in quite a while. The fish were responding to nymphs of all sorts but only in the sizes of 14 - 18. This is a truly devastating situation for old frozen fingers. The fish are willing, the fingers are not.
.. Shop Vacs were the fish's favorite, followed by the usual assortment of Feather Dusters, Montana Dusters, Yellowstone Winter Grubs, Prince Nymphs, Hellifiknow's, and Yellow Woolly Worms. Streamers were offered, none were taken. There was some vigorous midge activity but it was confined to our nose and ears.

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.. At the end of the first quarter of each year we've taken to reviewing our statistics and posting results for the year. It's that time. With no further ado here are the summary statistics.

click on image for larger view