PORTENT OF
THINGS TO COME
THINGS TO COME
The Bugs Will Be Easy Pickings
climb into some woollies
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.. This afternoon's thundersnow shower alerted us to the coming dip in temperature. Friday will be a bit cooler and the streams will be a bit lower and the bugs will be a bit slower and the fish a bit more easy to dance with... Highs in the upper 30's and lower 40's should keep the casual fishers away from the streams and allow the serious catchers some elbow room.
.. The unsettled weather is the result of a clash of air masses with distinctly different moisture and temperature regimens. The fish always respond to this condition. Usually they are a bit more active prior to the collision event, then exuberant during the event, and then they brood for some time.
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.. There are fish to be caught, and the catching is good right now. A few of our very aged neighbors are fond of this kind of weather and have perfected the rig for success. A double floating fly rig of Caddis/Baetis, is their choice. 
These crusty "old-timers" haven't seen the dusty aisles of a feather merchant in a decade, (or more.) They are not "UP" on the latest flies, and they refuse to succumb to contemporary hype about the best flies... These guys are into catching fish and they use what has worked for a long time. A size 10/12 Elk-Hair-Caddis on the top and a size 14/16 Light Adams on the tip. Most are fishing double taper 7 or 8 weight lines, (a couple are using a nymph taper for better distance,) and 9-foot rods.
.. The flies are bigger than the bugs on the water. The rods longer and lines heaver than tackle mavens advise. The success rate defies the rhetoric of
enthusiastic migrant guides and wannabees... You'll be able to recognize them: no vest, no waders, a slicker, (or poncho,) and floppy hat of waxed canvas.
.. They stalk the banks of the Firehole River and Madison River looking for a fish with it's nose in the air. They cast quickly and precisely. They catch the fish and move on. These old codgers have told us that they admire the statuary in the rivers of Yellowstone Park that seem rooted to a single run. They sometimes giggle and chortle at the immobility of the contemporary tackle horse.
.. We suggest that you visit the websites of local fly shops for the latest and greatest. They seem to be peddling all the latest flies and finest patterns. We also suggest that you stalk one of the old timers and ask about technique as well.
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