CONTINUED COOL FOR THE WEEK
Irrational Hopes For Madison & Gibbon
some planning information
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.. Yesterday was a gloriously cool 4-season day in Yellowstone National Park, (well . . . 3-season, no summer yet.) We didn't get to all the rivers, wouldn't care to, but the ones that you're probably going to have been seen. Here's the scoop.-------
.. Of course the Firehole River looks good. That's the tradition and it's holding true to form.
.. There are bugs in the rain, (and snow and sleet,) and the sun broke out as we exited yesterday. Caddis will probably be there too... There are more bear closures than usual, but that may change over the next five days. The real nuisance is the parking lot closure at Biscuit Basin.
.. Plan around this impediment if you enjoy this stretch of water. The new bridge looks fine to us, but what do we know?
.. There are plenty of good parking places in the area around Biscuit Basin; they'll just be a bit more crowded for some time.-------
.. Nez Perce Creek still looks good. The problem here is, again, lots of bears. There is a streamside use only regulation in place until June 15. You can read about the closure HERE.-------
.. The Madison River looks a bit high but perfectly fishable right now. Visibility is about three feet and it has very little color.
.. It's not quite bank-full. There were noses dimpling the slick downstream from 7-Mile Bridge at about noon yesterday, (during a bright overcast break in the weather.).. Historically speaking, the peak discharge for the Madison River occurs right now.
.. Given the cool weather and mostly frozen precipitation we're still hopeful that the river stays in shape for another 10 days or so. We'll see.
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.. The Gibbon River, surprisingly, is still in great shape. The meadow grasses are a bit browner than usual for this time of year... The big meadows, (Elk & Gibbon,) are greening rapidly.
.. The meadows above Norris still have patches of snow in the shade and are pretty scruffy looking. The water looks great though.
.. The canyon is not too muddy, and for now the usual phrase "Tea-Stained" works.
.. The continuing story here is the bridge construction and road delays and closures. 30-minute delays are the norm. The road closes at 10:00 PM and re-opens at 8:00 AM.
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.. The Gallatin River looks pretty good above Taylor Fork. The willows in the confluence meadows are red and turning green. Bears are out, warning signs are out, but no closures are in effect yet. There were some splashy rise-forms at the Bacon Rind silt plume about 6:00 PM yesterday. The color is good, and should hold for the week anyway.-------
.. The Twins have both bear warning signs and closures. If you know the neighbors some of the best fishing is just above the inlet to the impoundment and in the first 200 feet of the still water.
.. Time for breakfast: 1/2 dozen freshly made glazed donuts, leftover sponge cake with homemade orange marmalade, a quart of cold raw milk, and triple strength green tea with fresh cream and brown sugar.
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