Let The Circus Begin

UPTICK IN ACTIVITY

Memorial Day Approacheth

more than fishing underway

WALLPAPER:  DRINK THE SPRING MUD

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.. We may be among the most blessed of folk of the earth. We may experience perfection in weather. We may have gentle rain and swollen rivers for the start of catching in Yellowstone National Park this year.
.. The 5 day forecast calls for some dripping from the sky. It calls for fog and coolness. Most visitors will moan and groan. A few piscators will smile and enter the fray, (FISHY LINK.)
.. It's a bit later than usual but the rivers are finally moving toward a lovely shade of brown that will dampen the enthusiasm of the hoards of anglers invading the park. The Madison River is about 250 cfs above the median discharge rate for this time of year. It's not yet to the pure mud stage and could be, (at this moment,) fished with success in a few select places.

RENEGADE FOR FISH

.. The Gibbon River is nowhere near record discharge levels but is running rapidly and will probably continue to build as the rain and warmth add to the available water. Above the meadows at Norris Campground there may be fish in the grass by Saturday. We've fished it under those conditions and caught some tailing trout in 6" of water. It doesn't look like the conditions for that sort of tomfoolery will obtain this year.
.. The Firehole River, (as anticipated,) is in pretty good shape. It is running just a bit above it's seasonal numbers and is colored like a perfect fly fishing stream should be at this time of year.
.. As the calendar pushes us toward the opener there are other bits of activity that a wider population is interested in. Today starts the bison hazing to move the brutes back within the park boundaries, (LINK 1.)
.. The Greening Yellowstone Symposium just concluded and enthusiasm is rampant about corporate sponsors and the push to tidy up the environment within the settled portions of Yellowstone National Park. (Read about the herculean efforts HERE.)

FENCE IN THE SKY

.. There are a few folks that are not waiting for mega bucks to tidy up the park. A small group of citizens in Gardiner, Montana has taken to the streets in a bison poop removal project. With any luck their spirit and enthusiasm will spread to all  of the park and the unsightly and smelly nuisance poop will be removed from all of Yellowstone, (AHA LINK.)
.. There are even more innovative ideas springing forth from the foreign country of Idaho. Perhaps a major fencing project would help with both wolves and bison, (C'MON LINK.)
.. Should you GoPro junkies want to lift off there is a resistance from some folks to drones in Yellowstone National Park. A precedent setting ruling in Yosemite has brought the discussion about unmanned aircraft in the park to the fore, (FLIGHT LINK.)
.. Oh, by the way, some real flooding may be approaching in the northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park. The final Spring Flooding Forecast from the National Weather Service points toward the confluence flats of the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek. The distributary channels of Soda Butte Creek can use some flushing and it will be interesting to see if this comes to pass, (WET LINK.)
..With all that fence building, bison hazing, poop removal, green construction, and drone dodging it should be a typical weekend for the opener in the park.
.. Come Saturday we're planning to visit some of the poop laden meadows along the Firehole River. We've put some bolt cutters in the fish car along with a few surface to air missiles and our rubber duck flotation device. The world be damned - we're going fishing. After the poop we will be catching above the dam on the Firehole River, (yes there is a dam on that "pristine" river.)

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WALLPAPER: ABOVE THE DAM ON THE FIREHOLE