AND,
IT'S GREAT!
.. Yesterday; after our second cup of coffee, and after squeezing into the wet weather gear, and after tanking-up at the local 'gas-n-go;' we found ourselves automatically driving to the middle reaches of the Gallatin River in Yellowstone National Park.
.. The newly surfaced road north of West Yellowstone is a joy to drive, and the traffic was light. The river was empty and we thought we'd made a mistake, (the second in a lifetime.) Not so.
.. We pulled out in the vicinity of Specimen Creek, (about mile-post 27,) and wandered through the drizzle to the Gallatin River. Eight hours later we gave up trying not to catch fish.
.. We started the morning with the Yellowstone Badger, a simple dark
searching nymph. The riffles just below the Specimen Creek confluence produced some bright and eager Rainbow Trout along with some Mountain Whitefish. Rainbows to 10" & a 14" Whitefish... We won't bore you with details but the river has cooled some; it's still low and the fish are not as eager as we anticipated. The two-mile stretch on either side of Specimen Creek occupied us for about 5 hours, (with a couple of breaks for key lime pie and a nip or two.)
.. We scored mostly Rainbows, and quite a few eager Brookies to 8", and one 11" Brown trout.
..The fish were all taken on submerged flies, (some just beneath the surface.) 
The flies used from morning to early afternoon were: Woolly Worm, Stiff Hackle Nymph, Montana Duster, (both pink & yellow.)
.. After lunch with one of the neighbors, (the only other fisher on the river,) we noticed that the sky was threatening to sunshower. The big bend at about mile-post 26 has some deep holes and tails to a long deep riffle. A couple of hoppers were kicked out of the damp grass, (not the day for it - & - their time is about over.)
.. Between 2:00 and 6:00 the sky got lighter 
and there were miscellaneous sporadic hatches of different mayflies, (don't know the names - sizes 14 - 20.) We used a Yellowstone Cinch for the smaller ones, and a Yellowstone Morning Glory for the bigger ones. We missed a lot of fish - caught a few too. We're hoping the drizzly forecast for the next few days is correct. We'll head up the Madison tomorrow, (or the Firehole, or the Gibbon.)
.. For a glimpse into bass fishing, canoe riding, anniversary-celebrating, and a couple of nice pictures check out the Trout Underground. Perhaps there is rewarding fishing east of Denver.
.. The Billings Gazette reports about another water fight in our vicinity. And of course it is between the good neighbors, (?,) of Wyoming and Montana - or could be. The Bighorn River is going to be the center of this discussion for some time, (and The National Park Service, and who knows who else.)
.. After a brief respite Mark Powell has provided us with some good news and some bad news and some additional wake-up calls about the future, (it's not that far away,) - AND - the present. Just go to blogfish and scroll through the prognosis.
.. Protect Your Waters advises us about places where individuals and news reporters can get information about state campaigns - HERE.
.. They also let us know about some pending federal rules that could allow more invasive species to visit waters near you.
.. Whirling Disease invades trout farms - affects fish prices - Utah is slow to react.
.. And, as if that wasn't enough; there is news from California about the battle between native and non-native species.
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.. Depending on: the coffee, the breakfast schedule, and the honey-do's, we may leave now and return in time to catch the U.S. Open Women's Tennis Final.
.. Should that be the case a report may be delayed for a day.
The photos below provided by:
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It's going to get better. Very soon!
Get out your streamers.
.It's going to get better. Very soon!
Get out your streamers.