FISH NOW
IT'S GETTING WARM
Plan Ahead - Use The Weather
Stat Pack
.. This has to be quick; visitors, don'tcha know. The rivers and streams on the west side of Yellowstone National Park are full of fish, bugs, fishers, and elbows. Summer is in full stride. This is typical. The roads have made it so.
.. Summer weather has set in. The forecast shows a few days during the coming week that will probably still provide some excellent catching opportunities:
.. Visitors have choked the pullouts and parking lots, and although there are still some unimpeded 
stretches of water to fish, solitude is not to be found near the road...Be prepared to meet new people and to share any beat on the west side streams. Evening is the most salubrious time, (save for the occasional mosquito,) and spinner falls combined with caddis are the food of choice for the trout on the Madison River and the Firehole River.
.. There are still some long empty stretches of water on the Firehole River - try the trail to Lone Star Geyser for some hot action and nearly a fish per cast with just about any well presented fly in the size 14 - 16 range.
.. There are BIG BUGS around Snowflake Springs on the Gallatin River. They are invading our space - good on 'em. Barring any local deluges the Gallatin River should be the place to be for a few days. Small Sofa Pillows, large Elk Hair Caddis or Marcella's Trout Fly will bring normally shy giants to the surface. Yellowstone Sally, Prince, and Yellowstone Badger nymphs will take more fish, (sizes in the 8 - 12 range.)
.. The Gibbon River canyon is a real delight. Right now the flows are quick but gentle and the fish are beginning to look up. The riffles are still showing some white water, but the slicks are becoming more pronounced. This is the time to put a fly in any bit of water where you can not see the bottom.
.. A few places are beginning to see anglers where there were none just a few weeks ago.
The Bechler River, Boundary Creek, and a couple of unnamed tributaries in the area are worth a visit. The mosquitoes shouldn't have this beautiful corner of the park to themselves... Slough Creek has bugs, (mosquitoes, PMD's and some nice sized Drakes,) and the fish are eating everything that they can get to. Don't forget the midges, (clusters and such,) they are prolific right now.
.. Even the big pool at the pull out is dimpled with rising monsters. Visitors just stand and stare.
.. Soda Butte Creek is colored but very attractive. Remember: "FISH GOT'TA EAT." Try a Royal Humpy in the seams.
.. We are pleased to see that the MRO BLOG is persistent in it's first person reports. There is a note about moonlight fishing that we suggest you check out. Do you want to see what lurks in the night?.. The good folks at Parks Fly Shop let us know that the Gardner River is in fine shape and that catching is almost as good as the fishing. Check out their recommended flies.
.. The expanded site for Jack Dennis Sports is settling down
and approaching stability. The podcasts have slowed down, but the reports, and other good sources of information are very current and accurate. Take some time to explore the site. We like it... Want to fish the Brooklyn Bridge? Check out the summer patterns for stripers over at Fishing Jones. Pete sure gets around; interesting comments too.
.. Kiss me baby. How appropriate for THE HORSE'S MOUTH. There seem to be advantages for stripers caught by wahines.
.. In the "SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK" department: jumping sharks and surfers enjoy the same space at New Smyrna Beach. This is the same place where there have been 12 shark-bitten folks this year -- so far!
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.. Here's our second quarter, very brief, statistics report. This little ol' family and friends blog has settled down at the figures shown. Not very big as blogs go.