Boyz Day Out

LOWLANDS HEATING UP

Real Baetids Sighted

pubs as crowded as fly shops

FLY SHOP SURROUNDED BY PUBS AND PICKUPS - HEAVEN?

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.. It's impossible to live in the high country and not envy the length of water-time availble to lowland fishers. We have heard rumors of the fun to be had: we went to investigate.
.. Right now the open portions of the lowland Madison River as well as the Gallatin River below Big Sky are providing storybook catching.

ON THE TOP

.. At even lower elevations the Yellowstone River, Missouri River and Big Spring Creek are about to enter the early season Valhalla, (the hall of the slain.)
.. Don't get your knickers in a bunch as you hurry to take advantage of the best kept open secret of the current weekend.
.. Yesterday gave forth with some perfect Spring weather. Snow, Hail, Graupel, and wind treated the high country while the lowlands enjoyed gray wet skies, variable breezes, occasional mixed precipitation, and stray beams of sunlight.
.. Who could ask for anything more? Certainly not the bugs or pub owners!


ON THE BOTTOM

.. There's no mystery here. Grab your spring fly box and head to the lowland river near you. Streamers will gather the big fellas on all the waters. Plonk them down and retrieve with rapid and intermittant strips. Three or four - wait - three or four more - you know how.
.. On the big water a Stonefly nymph can produce a submarine or two, (we find it hard to accept that it's early April and the folks down below are talking Stoneflies and Skwala's already.)

IN THE MIDDLE

.. On top and in the film you can pick your favorite spring mayfly. For the stealthy back eddy fisher there are midges galore and for those that would like to guess when the fish strikes, a bead head anything will grab the maw of trout in deep dark slicks and shadowed riffles. We don't say it often but, it's hard to miss right now.
.. Rubber pants and fingerless gloves seem to be de rigueur for the moment. The blustery weather can numb your various appendages rather quickly, (with all the catching to be had comes the attendant releasing.) For some appendages there's no suitable muff, however.
.. A couple of the neighbors have been plying the waters of Hebgen Reservoir. All of the tributary estuaries have pushed into the ice to the point that legal fishing can be had. Catching still runs hot and cold and is usually dependent on the intuition and experience of the angler. Right now the fish are podded-up along the edge of the ice and bits of flotsam are the general fare. A few reports of leaches are circulating in the pubs, (we do enjoy the gusto of pub tales.)
.. Tomorrow is another day. Back at it. The appendages have thawed.

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A WEE BIT OF GREEN ON THE BANKS OF THE LOWLAND MADISON RIVER