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.. Now the fun begins. The vast majority of fishers that invade West Yellowstone plan their visits to coincide with the 'summer season' in Yellowstone National Park..
. Absolutely the best fishing in the neighborhood is going on right now and will continue for about four or five more weeks... Postcard pools and willow-lined runs are visited by the neighbors on a regular basis. Worms, gear, flies; are all used by most. We somehow just haven't been able to fathom the intricacies of separating fishing from keeping in this part of the world. Among the best fly fishers in the neighborhood are some folks that haven't visited a feather merchant in years. They tie their own, (and very simple they are - the flies that is.) They keep and eat many fish.
.. They also release many fish. More than they keep. They select according to need: smoking, frying, baking, etc. It's a daily ritual for some and it lasts all winter.
.. They smile and nod when confronted with the catch and release religion. They then softly mention that most of the fisheries in Yellowstone Park & the neighborhood are artificial and composed of invasive species... They wonder out loud why the religious fishers continue to encourage the demise of native fish by releasing invasive species. They, on occasion, can be heard muttering about the role that their tax dollars play in protecting the invasive fish of Yellowstone Park.
.. Then they return to the best catching of the year. The invasive species in Yellowstone are left to slowly and insidiously displace the natives by interbreeding and out-competing them.
.. The neighbors love killing Brown Trout. They smile when they fillet an eight pound Rainbow. Most release any thing that could be a Cutthroat. They catch enough that they don't have to keep the natives. They don't apologize for either action - killing or releasing.
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.. There's a note over at Chi Wulff about the ongoing Grayling catastrophe. It seems that there may be a review of the combined stupidity of federal managers and decision makers. We're not holding our breath. We've followed this stupidity for about five years. It's been bad for 25 years. It's getting worse... Then again, we've heard that miracles do happen. Maybe the native fish of Slough Creek will be saved too - pshaw!
.. We'll write our letter. We'll send an email. Then we'll watch as the Big Hole natives go the way of the natives in the park. Oh well!
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