Swing Low

DOWN THE CANYON

Below The Snow Line

quick and milky water

WALLPAPER:  A GALLATIN RIVER SEAM

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.. At our age there are some mornings that arrive in the dead of night.
.. Call it a blessing and take advantage of it. So in the light flurries of the not quite morning we had some coffee and a frozen waffle. Then down the road toward some morning fishing. Travel would take a couple of hours. That's a very long drive for us.

YOU KNOW WHERE

.. By the time we had slithered through the early morning bustle of Bozeman/Belgrade we were ready for another cuppa and real food.
.. We met the others at the wayside diner and had a proper breakfast and then hustled to a not so secret lake/pond behind a barbed wire fence.
.. The air was cold enough for a bit of water fog. Good for us. In we splashed and mucked our way to the weed line and fished a spell. Caught some we did.

.. After half a day of rat killing in the grand metropolises we chugged our way back up the Gallatin River to West Yellowstone.
.. There were fisher folk on the river. We looked closely and were a bit surprised at the condition of the water.
.. Although the river is still a smidgen high for this time of year, (about 300cfs above mean norm,) it is surprisingly clear. It's more milky than tea stained, (in favorite angler parlance.)

A BIT HIGH AND MILKY

.. We'd missed the water in the dark trip down canyon. We took our time and tested some spots going back up.
.. There are fish to be had. The clouds covered the sky and there were little bugs on the surface.
.. It's not that we don't float a fly now and again but, it's just not part of our epitome.

BWO - ??

.. We did it anyway. Might have been BWO's of the sort that drive fly floaters wild.
.. We stuck one on above our stonefly nymph and took several both ways. What a wonderful Springtime surprise.
.. All the way up the canyon the same conditions obtained. Some bugs on the top and some bugs, (apparently,) down below.
.. Surprise of surprises hit us in the eyeball as we paused to look at Taylor Fork. More buttermilk than chocolate milk was plashing along the cobbles and into the Gallatin River.

BLACK IS GOOD - GOLD TOO

.. The typical silt plume that we expected was hardly visible and water clarity surprised us.
.. We wet a line. Nothing on top this time. Took a spunky young'un at the mouth of the fork and then a couple 10 inch fish in the river.
.. Snowflake Springs are running at a good clip but there is no colored discharge into the Gallatin River.

THE RUN AT SNOWFLAKE SPRINGS

.. We spent some time along the nice riffled run and found a parked fish or two.
.. Caught a rock or three. As quick as the river is it's not as deep as we anticipated.

WORKS GOOD

.. The dark and light water is an interesting contrast as well as a gradual melding of tones and shades.
.. Milky water is not a phenomenon that we often encounter. Didn't have to get in the water. Didn't have to take the fish out of the water. Won't have to spend $8.00 to vacuum the floor of the car.
.. Out of the canyon and into Yellowstone National Park the snow is about gone from the meadows.
.. The willow buds are about to burst and the grass is showing signs of becoming more green than just yellow. Could be Spring in the high country

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.. Right now it's a more reasonable hour of the morning than yesterday. We have recuperated from the civilized hustle of the lowland busyness.
.. We're going to have a sensible breakfast prepared by a local biscuit virtuoso. We will smother a couple with some sausage gravy. Hash brown potatoes on the side? Sure: why not?

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WALLPAPER:  SPRING WILLOWS AND BLACK BUTTE