Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Not A Secret But . . .

TOO FAR FOR MOST
Adjectives Fail Us
a challenge for the skilled
AT GRADE MEANDERS WITH DEEP HOLES & BIG FISH
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.. The neighborhood kids go there often: especially this time of year. The water is cold and clear.
.. "Gin Clear," is muddy compared to this water. There are times when the fish seem suspended in the air.
Local Resident - Potential Meal
.. Long leaders are useless in the thick stream-side growth that you must crawl through to reach a casting position.
.. Size comparisons range from whales to sharks. These trout are well fed, strong, seldom molested, infrequently seen and almost never caught.
.. They lure the confident fly fishers and send them home ashamed. Some leave because of the bears.
Easy Access
..  Access is relatively easy: just a half mile down a dusty gravel road and a gentle uphill stroll for another mile or so. The sage is thick. The willows have only game trails: sometimes near the river. A companion is necessary, vocalizations should be louder than necessary, and occasional shouting is mandatory.
..  If you have the legs and if you have the desire, and if you have the tools: this is a fly fisher's paradise.
.. If you soil your shorts when an 18" trout comes clear out of the water as it blasts a hopper, then this is the place for you.
.. If small beads of sweat stain your new fishing cap as a 20" trout rhythmically sips flies from the surface, then this tiny stream may call you back for more.
.. Any feather merchant in our village will tell you how to find the stream. Even the rookie, seasonal counter help will direct you. It would serve you well to ask when they last fished the water. You might ask for pictures of the giants they tell you about as their eyes glaze over.
Necessary
.. Right now the fish are eating all day. They are taking ants, beetles, hoppers, caddisflies, caddis larvae, and stonefly larvae, (naiads are available all year.) They even eat sticks and feathers if they appear eatable and non-threatening.
.. When you leave your car be sure that a canister of bear spray is in your hand: not your pack, not on your belt, not in the trunk of the BMW, but in your hand.
.. We invite you to visit the upper Gallatin River and explore the possibilities of accesable back country fly fishing in bear country. The rewards are great and the solitude is priceless.
.. Then again; there's lots of water in Yellowstone National Park right next to the road where you can park and your car won't get dusty. Enjoy.
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Spotting: A Must - Stalking: Difficult At Best - Bears Are Present