Remembering

HEY GUYS

We're Still Here

glad we made it

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.. Just taking this chance to say hi and howdy. Got up at sunrise and walked the walk and recalled the good - the bad - and those gone.
.. And, those gone before. It's, of course, a Walmart Monday but we aint shopping. We're not even fishing. Just lolling about the house with some memories and thoughts.
.. What a strange world we live in. Best to you.

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Not Here -- YET !

U.K. DOING IT

Get Your Order In Now

your kids will love it

A TAIL TALE OF TWO FISH

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.. Remember the flurry of concern over the "FRANKENFISH?"
.. Remember the reaction of the population to the FDA approval of the critters? {LINK-AA}
.. Things are progressing far more rapidly in the UK than anywhere but China.{LINK-BB}
.. Exploring the modification of human embryos
has been approved and has started at the UK’s brand new Francis Crick Institute.{LINK-CC}
.. Thanks to the development of the "CRISPR cas" methodology very precise gene editing and splicing is upon us. Wait until China gets hold of this.
.. The two fish shown above are both 18 months old. The commercial possibilities have overwhelmed the FDA. Here they come.
.. Just what is liable to come from more advanced and precise methodologies now being explored in England and Scotland? We can hardly wait.
.. Memorial Day may soon become a remembrance of what we used to be rather than how we were.

..
VIEW:   NEAR FUTURE POSSIBILITIES FOR HUMANS

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WALLPAPER:  OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SECRET

It Went Well

HOARDS IN THE PARK

A Monster Traffic Jam

in early - out early

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND TRAFFIC PATTERN

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Sz 16 Secret

.. Yesterday was bad. Today was worse. Those in the know hit the entrance station by 8:00 AM or earlier.
.. We were early. There were some small bugs. The Firehole River was busy but not too crowded in the morning. Reports from the brave tell that it was very busy until dark and a fine time was had by all.
.. Caddis larva was the ticket early. By 9:00 AM the soft hackles were raking them in. A few BWO's splatted our windshield coming out of the park near 7 mile bridge on the Madison River.
.. We stopped in town for lunch and some secret green flies and then trundled down the road to Baker's Hole Campground.
.. The Madison River athwart the park boundary was alive with resident fish and only a couple of neighbors were thrashing about in the unseasonably tall grass and mud puddles.
.. One holdover runner was taken at the park boundary upstream from the campground. Not much size to it, (about 20",) and very dark. Hope she makes it back to Hebgen Reservoir.

OL'  STANDBY

.. About 8:00 PM we joined the neighbors at our simple little watering hole; avoiding the guide and visitor flocks at the high priced pubs.
.. The news of the day was more about the traffic than the fishing. Catching was not epic - but it was very good. The usual suspects brought fish to hand: Small mayfly sorts and small soft hackles were the champions. Small green nymphs and of course Prince Nymphs did a good job as well.
.. We refrained from using a San Juan Worm. It was a tribulation but we persevered.

BOB'S ROCK WORM

.. A few of the neighbors were using dry soft hackles in sizes around 14 and 16. These are interesting and appeal to our supercilious sense of fish fodder. We'll be on it for the rest of this year - just for the ducks of it.
.. We'll be back in Yellowstone National Park again tomorrow. Early dontchaknow?
.. Check the images of the traffic below. It may be a portent of things to come.

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WALLPAPER:  VIEW TO THE WEST

WALLPAPER:  VIEW TO THE NORTH

WALLPAPER:  VIEW TO THE SOUTH

WALLPAPER:  VIEW TO THE PARK

Weather Update

..

Filthy Lucre Wins

MSU DOWNWARD SPIRAL

Dark Ages Continue

get what you pay for

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.. As long as football clouds the minds of the Montana State University community, and as long as CTE appears to be migrating from football players to the university administration, Montana residents will continue to get their money's worth.
.. Waded Cruzado, president of MSU, has a salary ranked 167 out of 212 college presidents surveyed by the Chronicle of Higher Education, (LINK-1.)
.. Now she and her board and the state sponsored blind eye are allowing money, (again,) to win the battle against integrity that MSU continues to wage.
.. Greg Gianforte, (who believes dinosaurs lived with Adam and Eve just 4,000 years ago,) a candidate for governor of Montana has bought his name on a building at MSU for $8,000,000.00.
.. Students have challenged this action based on his support for hate groups, (LINK-2.) They feel that the naming would violate the values of the university and amount to an institutional level of acceptance of discrimination and hatred.
.. Cruzado and the board reject the students concerns out of hand and opt for money rather than integrity and the moral high ground.
.. This action is just the latest in a long list of how money rules over sanity and integrity in Montana. It seems that Gianforte and the citizens of Montana are both getting what they pay for.
.. See the video HERE. ==> The comments are worth the time!

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FISH SLAYER

Post Scriptum: Rain, on and off, continues along with slowly falling temperatures.
.. This is a sure sign that the faithful will enjoy good catching on both the Madison River and the Firehole River come Saturday.
.. Top water fishers will persist in the madness of seeking fish with specks of stuff that are invisible at a distance of twenty feet. Others will use the tried and true fish slayers of the Firehole.

MORNING GLORY

.. Connoisseurship and guru worship continue to govern the mindset of the hoards as they stream to the streams. With any luck at all there will be hatches of itty bittys to exploit. They shall be rewarded.
.. Hard as it is to distinguish a sipping trout from rain and hail pelting the water, it will serve the visitor well to pause and survey the stream before galumphing into the water - weather be damned.

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WALLPAPER:  BAD 4 U

A Most Beautiful Bluster

IT'S DRIPPING OUT

Wind Blew Down A Tree

snowed some last night

WALLPAPER:  THE WAY IT IS

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..As the INDY 500 draws near, some folks instead, think of the opening day for fishing in Yellowstone National Park.
.. For them it's not a battle between Chevrolet and Honda - it's the battle of traffic and elbows on the Firehole River.
.. Come Saturday we'll be there with a camera. We'll take the rod out of the back seat after we leave the park to catch some fish.

FISH HERE

.. Many folks from foreign countries like Idaho and Utah and Oregon and Washington and California anticipate the opener with 'bated breath.
..Feather merchants have waited six long months for the next six short months. It's not easy to make a killing living in only half a year.
.. Visiting fishers arrive with travel poster images in their heads. They want to experience how it was. It's not that way now.

USE THIS

.. Parking is already tight. The tour buses have tried to avoid the mid summer rush by jamming up the Spring visitation times.
.. The entrance stations have long lines due to heavy visitation and the wait for seasonal ticket takers to get hired and oriented and trained.
.. The bison are streaming both in to and out of the park. It's a surprisingly entertaining spectacle.
.. Some of the neighbors visit the park rivers on Memorial Day Weekend. Most go elsewhere to catch fish. Some visit the cemetery.

WALLPAPER:  MOM'S DAY OUT

..The fish have wintered well in the rivers and streams of Yellowstone National Park.
.. The spawn and recruitment may be adversely affected by the low and warm discharge during the "Runoff Season."

WET GIBBON MEADOW

.. This last week did, and the upcoming week will deliver a bit of more seasonal weather.
.. Those folks that need to see their fly in order to catch a trout will be mightily pleased by the amount of gray days for the weekend.
.. There will even be some snow flurries to discourage fair weather fishers and travel poster photographers.
.. The Gibbon River is at about what we would call a mild post runoff stage. There is a little color, the banks are being lapped at but not drowned. There are bugs in the air and standing water in the meadows. Looks to be an early and prolific mosquito season.
.. This is the year that Grebe Lake will be poisoned so get your fishing in early. The trails are surprisingly passable. Not easy mind you but, not all snow and grizzly bears. There is standing water, mud, slush, and other debris to keep the poison crew out of there until it gets gentle.
.. Below the Gibbon Falls we saw a couple of submarines in the meadow near the bridge at Madison Junction. These are probably hold over runners. This stretch is seldom fished during opening weekend. My my.

TRY THESE: WHATEVER THEY ARE

.. The glory waters of the Firehole River between Biscuit Basin and the brink of Firehole Falls looks about as it ought to. It's been a little low and warm. The last 10 days of coolness have brought it around just a little.
.. Over the last three days there have been many real small 4-winged, two tailed flies, (sizes 18 - 22,) in the air. Check with some erudite Latin speaker to figure out what they are.

THE BISCUIT BASIN MEADOW

.. The water  seems a bit low, even judging by the USGS reports. It approached near record low flows over the last weekend but the recent rain has melted some snow and cooled the river. Discharge is up a tic.
.. The river has run warm all Spring and, as usual, responds to cool showers, overcast, and snow. Right now it's about perfect for catching.
.. Flows are low: fish are concentrated, temperature is in the high 50's to mid 60's. It's going to be dicey planning a trip. Watch the USGS and the weather.
.. The Madison River has a bit of color left over from the brief input of silts from the Gibbon River. It's settling out nicely and in-water visibility is at least five or six feet.
.. Old books and counter help ignore the Madison River for the first few weeks of the season. Bless their hearts.
.. Right now the river is running very low. The temperature is perfect, (54° to 60° F,) You can see the fish near the bank in the dark water and silt free pools.
.. We'll check out Nez Perce Creek this afternoon. The bear warning signs are up and the water looks pretty clear.
.. Rumors and tradition combine to form the magnificent advice dispensed so freely over the counter at our feather merchant emporiums.
.. There are some bits to remember as you shop for the latest and greatest:
1] No one has legally caught a fish in Yellowstone National Park since last fall,
2] Not a single person has legally fished this Spring,
3] Tradition to the contrary; rivers change over a 12 month period of time,
4] Nine-mile hole is about to become eight-mile hole,
5] Low and warm water fishes far more different than high and cold water,
6] Visitation to look at rivers is not a cherished pastime of recently hired seasonal help,
7] Visitation to look at rivers is not a cherished pastime of feather merchants or permanent employees,
8] Only the fish in romantic fish stories come like lightning to the fly and inhale it with gusto,
9] Most flies work most of the time - have for centuries.

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.. There are some simple questions to ask as you gather up those $3.00 flies:
1] When did you last fish where you are sending me?
2] Did you fish the flies that you just sold me?
3] If they are so good why are there so many in the bin?
4] Who told you that?
5] How many days a year do you fish?
.. Tradition, fishing lore, fly selection, and river location are the stuff of this pastime. Gobble it up. Enjoy it. Just don't forego the opportunity to see new water and fish in a manner that is less combative and more contemplative. There is more to Yellowstone National Park than the fishing.
.. Rumor of the day: big bugs in Firehole Canyon!
.. See you Saturday.

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WALLPAPER: BACON, CHEDDAR, AVOCADO, OMELET

Get One Now

WANT THE LATEST ?

WANT THE GREATEST ?

be first in the hood

IT'S GRAPHENE  &  YOU NEED IT

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.. Are you tired of having a rod that everyone else has? Are you sick of a rod that only costs $600.00? Do you want a two handed rod that is way overkill for the fishing you usually do?
.. Mackenzie is producing the rod for you. Sadly you'll have to wait just a small  bit of time. It's currently sold out. You local feather merchant has not even heard of it.
.. No one on the big water of the Columbia River, Missouri River, Snake River, Deschutes River, or your neighborhood puddle has one.
.. You should get in line. Get bragging rights and blaze a new frontier in fly rod technology.
.. Want fast smooth effortless casting? Want quick recovery? Want light weight to save your "Spey Elbow?" Want it all?

READ MORE HERE

BUY IT HERE

.. Check the video!

..

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WALLPAPER:   SOUTHERN STYLE

BIG TIME

A FULL ISSUE

3 Years In The Making

bozeman writer leads

LIKE IT WAS AND IS

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.. David Quammen, a Bozeman Resident, is the principle author of a special issue of National Geographic Magazine.
.. This month's offering, (LINK 1,) was three years in the making. It highlights the history of Yellowstone National Park and it's reflection of our American Psyche in this birthday year.

.. This is a gargantuan issue and is a must read for Those with more than just a passing interest in Yellowstone National Park.

Courtesy: Jonathan Blair / National Geographic

.. The issue addresses many of the concerns and controversies surrounding the park. It draws the very obvious line between Yellowstone National Park and our culture's view of wild places.
.. There are still a few wild places in the park but not where most visitors travel.

..The business of "TOURING" in Yellowstone has grown rapidly in the last couple of decades. Disney, National Geographic, and foreign and regional concessionaires have boosted their offerings.
.. Winter in the park has become so popular and accessible that limits on visitation have been imposed.
.. Animal encounters have accelerated at a pace with the love of the park engendered by these growth areas. Where is Alston Chase? (LINK 2, LINK 3.)
.. Now that we've taken to eradicating one invasive species of fish in order to save another invasive species fish, who knows where the the visitor will go to find the "WILD YELLOWSTONE?"

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.. By the way, there's not much color in the moderate runoff waters of the park. We're going to check the best spots - right after breakfast and a nap. Film at eleven.

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WALLPAPER: CHEDDAR CHEESE OMELETTE

MURDER

R.I.P.  SCARFACE

Old Man Murdered

yellowstone icon: gone

Washington Post Video

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.. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has confirmed that the male grizzly bear shot in late November 2015 was the bear known to researchers as No. 211. No. 211 was killed in the Little Trail Creek drainage north of Gardiner, Montana on the Gallatin National Forest, an event under investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Courtesy Billings Gazette

.. No. 211 was recognizable because of distinctive scars on the right side of his face likely the result of typical fights with other male grizzlies for females during mating season or to claim deer and elk carcasses.
.. No. 211 was known to many photographers and wildlife watchers. For this reason, his life was often documented in the media.
.. He was captured, collared and released by biologists 17 times, making him “one of the most studied bears,” in the region.
.. By last fall, those scientists were warning that Scarface might not make it through the winter: He’d dropped from a peak of 600 pounds to 338 pounds. At 25 years old, he was elderly.
.. Scarface was first captured in 1993, when he was a “sub-adult” bear weighing 150 pounds.
.. At his peak, Scarface tipped the scales at about 600 pounds, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. But he’d grown emaciated in recent years. Less than 5 percent of male grizzlies live to the age of 25.
.. Scarface owed much of his fame to the scuffles with other bears — over females, carcasses and dominance — that had made his face so recognizable, and that had so destroyed his right ear that it flopped over. Photographers, in particular, have sung his praises — and, in recent days, angrily mourned his loss.

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FROM JOHN  --  LINK TO PHOTO STORY

New Tech

SOON FOR TROUT ?

Are You Available ?

need a two handed rod

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Spring Chuckles

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