stop invasive species
river reports
brookies the size of skateboards?A GIANT WHAT?
.. The Protect Your Waters information campaign is holding it's "CONSERVING GREATER YELLOWSTONE AREA TOGETHER WORKSHOP." The workshop is in Jackson Hole Wyoming, September 28, 2006. It's free and you can register HERE.
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.. Well, our gray day forecast evaporated into a "perfect weekend." The sun shone, and billowing clouds had the post card makers in ecstasy. And the fish, (although active,) weren't exactly jumping into our waders... The days were too nice to just fish, (really?) and we got to do some exploring. The National Park Service Photo below shows Madison Junction. The view is to the W-N-W, and shows the area that occupied our Saturday and Sunday.
.. The Madison River, (in National Park Meadows,) was at seasonal levels, the Gibbon River was too. The Firehole River was a bit high but the temperature was below 70 F. What worked? There were midges and spinners (BWO?) in the morning, (22 & 18.).. A 13" Rainbow was the big fish of the morning taken at the "n" of Madison, (above.) We used a size 14, green Stiff Hackle; a size 16, Yellowstone Badger; and a size 12 Yellowstone Cinch, (see Saturday's post.) Fish were active until about 1:30 PM. The stiff hackle was most productive, it was greased and floated through the holding water. It produced several fish in the 10"- 12" range.
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.. We ate some lunch and then hiked, (slow stroll at our age and condition,) up to Harlequin Lake, (misspelled on photo,) to see if there were "Brookies the size of skateboards," as has been reported in this year's local mythology... They may be there but we caught no fish. However, there is something making dimples in the surface between the weeds and lily pads but we don't know what. We may return.
.. The wind blew until about 5:30 PM, and then a sparse caddis hatch, (size 12 - 14,) brought some fish to the surface along the Gibbon River between the road and the confluence.
.. We also threw some streamers to the big rocks and the deep undercut banks in the darkening Firehole River canyon, (ya never know,) but the giant fish weren't there - or they saw us coming. We did take a nice 15" Rainbow Trout on a Yellowstone Spruce Fly. It may, or may not have been, a lake-run fish. It's that time though!
.. The Firehole River, along the old Freight Road, and up the Nez Perce River to the road, is beginning to produce some fish. Soft hackle fishing, (swing it slow, or float in the film,) along with some ants and small hoppers will work in the afternoon. If the clouds are thick enough there may be Baetis; and Caddis will work in the evening sun.
.. Get thee to Slough Creek, and to Pebble Creek!! The technical fishers will be well rewarded at Slough Creek. Take your best game and the right size BWO, and Drake's. The fish are definitely looking up. Hoppers, ants, and foamies will also do with absolutely perfect presentation(s).
.. The fish are beginning to be very cooperative on Pebble Creek. Fish the whole length of the little stream from the road to it's confluence. Then fish down and look for big fish. Attractors like ants and foamies, (size 12 - 16,) or Humpies and Yellowstone Cinch, (10 - 14,) should be good. Try a San Juan Worm in the confluence area, (size 4 - 10, Orange or Red.)
.. The Gibbon River Canyon is producing fish to 12" with regularity; and the transition areas around the picnic area in the meadows have produced nice Brown Trout to 14." Terrestrials are the choice until a hatch is spotted. Fish it slow because these hatches are small and sparodic - the fish might be afraid of your floaters at first.
.. Those sexy fish continue to make news as they climb into the major blogs. The Huffington Post has climbed on the INTERSEX FISH story, as has MY WAY. Completely different reporting though; Huffington directs us to MY WAY. Don't Drink the water?
.. In the "Not So Charismatic Megafauna" catagory; we learn of an endangered earthworm. The Giant Palouse Earthworm (Driloleirus americanus), was recently rediscovered, (last May - still under study,) in a small patch of undisturbed bunch grass prairie in eastern Washington.
The critter was chopped in half by a graduate student in soil science, who had the wherewithal to recognize it for what it was, (bless her heart!).. The critter smells like lily's and spits! It can grow to about three feet in length, and hasn't been sighted since 1987. The reports are sundry and interesting:
- Seattle P. I. .. "The stuff of legends"
- Gristmill .. "Awesome"
- Sightline .. "Attack of The Giant Earthworm"
- Palouse Prairie Foundation .. "Pettition To List"
- Pacific Biological .. "Cousin to the Washington species"
.. This is just what a worm dunker dreams about - bait that only monster fish will eat!
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