Punk'n

WALLPAPER

Winter Looming

SNOW ON HORIZON

Flies To Tie

fling some now !

BELIEVE IT OR DON'T

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.. Just a few days left for fishing in Yellowstone National Park. Snow will close the season and usher in a fly tying frenzy for the neighbors.

EVENING MEAL

.. Now is the time to fling a few and poke some fish in the snout.
.. Hunters are bemoaning the lack of snow for elk season. A couple of nice bulls have been dragged down from the high country and some of the neighbors have already abandoned the water for the trees.
.. Fish now or forever hold your whatsits.

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.. This may be our last tourist day for the Fall. It'll be cold and bright. The snows should be persistent for the next  week or so. It's all good. We may just do some sight seeing.

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WALLPAPER:  BEST ARM CHUCK ROAST

Disturbing

FUGIT OBVIUS

Moldy Chum Alert

this aint your land ?

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.. Quick: buzz over to MOLDY CHUM and see their note about landlocked public lands.
.. One referenced article by Bloomberg Businessweek is staggering in it's scope. This is only going to get worse unless a concerted effort is made by citizen stakeholders.
.. We were aware of the problem in a vague way but the extent of the trend took us aback.

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.. A mixed blessing has descended upon the fishers of fish: weather so salubrious that sight seeing is attractive and sun so bright that fish are seeking the depths and the dark. We'll cope.

PHEASANT TAIL CADDIS NYMPH

.. For the headhunters on the Madison River seeking runners from Hebgen Reservoir it is necessary to "GET DOWN."
.. Many fish are missed by using the correct fly and swimming it above the parked submarines. The old adage of 'hit 'em in the nose,' is applicable at this time.
.. For those folks on the Firehole River who wonder why there are no noses among the flies hatching at the surface; the same applies. The best advice for both groups is to catch a few rocks to be sure that you are deep enough.

SELDOM USED

.. Personal preference will dictate whether you use a long leader, added weight or, a sink tip line.
.. We prefer a short section of lead core between the fly line and the short leader. This allows the fly to be very near the bottom and keeps the line and leader on the bottom. Fewer rocks get caught this way. Poor rocks = stabbed in their bed.
-- For the brave: the Gallatin River above the confluence meadows has some monstrous fish hiding in the shallow bends of the willow thickets. Smart fishers carry bear spray and travel in packs. They sing, (mostly off key,) and guffaw loudly at sick jokes and ribald tales.

BARELY FISHED GALLATIN RIVER SEGMENT

-- The moose are not as tall as some of the willows and the bears are rooting around and eating anything possible to get fat for their winter sleeping. There are fish of heroic proportions to be had.

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.. It's way too early again. Something about entering maturity. The coffee, (such as it is,)  is stinking up the kitchen and breakfast needs making. We have a fresh canister of bear spray and some neighbors to sing the songs.

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WALLPAPER:  BEST ARM CHUCK ROAST

The Bite

GATE FEES UP ?

Public Comment

add your voice

WALLPAPER:  SOFTLY FAITHFUL

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.. A proposed fee increase for many popular parks in the National Park System has been announced by the National Park Service.
.. 17 parks will could enjoy an increased entrance fee during the five month "peak season."
.. During a five-month peak-season at each of the 17 parks, the entrance fee would be $70 per vehicle, $50 per motorcycle, and $30 per person. All of the funds would be used to improve facilities, infrastructure, and visitor services, with an emphasis on deferred maintenance projects.

 The peak season for each park is defined as the busiest contiguous five month period and would be as follows:

- May 1-September 30 for Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Denali National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Olympic National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park
- June 1-October 31 for Acadia National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Shenandoah National Park
- January 1-May 31 for Joshua Tree National Park

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RESOURCES:

Chicago Tribune,
Los Angeles Times,
USA Today,
NPS Information Page,
Public Comment Page.

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.. Finally the whispers have taken over the conversations in the pubs. Runners on the Madison River are thick as mosquitoes in the Bechler Region.

{{As an aside: There are some nice fish coming out of the Bechler River and the road is still open and dusty.}} 

YELLOWISH WOOLLY BUGGER

.. Yellow Woolly Buggers seem to be in the ascendancy for gulling and galling the submarines.
.. They are really just a matter of personal preference since the fish are lit up and ready to kill any intruder that looks either threatening or like food. 
.. Crowds of fishers left during our recent snow and brief cooling. With today's sunshine and more temperate weather all the usual suspects are at all the usual  places and doing some exciting catching.  

BLUEBIRD SKY AND SOME WARMTH

.. We thought that the run was light this year BUT, it was just a smidgen late. Shows what we know! There are very many fish from Hebgen Reservoir throughout the Madison / Gardiner River system - - - below the falls on each river.

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.. Some of the more energetic and fit neighbor kids are scoring big fish on the Firehole River in the "Spawn Canyon" above Old Faithful and below Kepler Cascades.

WHERE THE BIG FISH ARE

.. Although this bit of the river is seldom fished it is not a secret by any means. Fishing on the river above the Grand Loop Highway bridge is legal. It's just a major nuisance to leave the river after fishing it.
.. As they say in the pubs: "It is 100 yards in and five miles out." The parking is tough and the hike out of the canyon is a real grunt. It can be treacherous going down too  -- unless you are very careful.
..Every now and again a fisher brags about a 24" monster fish taken from the Firehole River. The best and most honest protestations in defense of the fish story are seldom believed. However, there are big fish in the river if you know where to find them. In the Fall of the year they are concentrated in this little canyon. Try it now.

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NO SNOW FOR HALLOWEEN ?

.. The next six or seven days, (save one,) will show a return to 'tourist weather.' Feather merchants are ecstatic and the guides are dancing cross legged. There are bugs in the air, fish in the water and fishers packed elbow to elbow -- game on go to it!
.. We're up early to build a couple of lunches and fill a few Thermos bottles with some black swill. Perhaps some amber liquid in a small flask too. Off we go.

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WALLPAPER:  GERMAN'S SWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Photo Of The Year

WILDLIFE IMAGE

Dead & Destroyed

a stark reality

WALLPAPER: by BRENT STIRTON

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.. The judging is finished for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, (WPY.)
.. Brent Stirton visited 30 crime scenes in the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve of South Africa.
.. He documented each one. The animals are usually killed with a silenced rifle at night by local poachers. The horns, (just like your toenails,) are sold to middlemen and then smuggled out of South Africa to either China or South Vietnam.
.. Street prices for the horn are higher than the price of gold or cocaine.

RESOURCES

 >> BBC REPORTS
>> NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

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.. Another in a series of tourist days in Yellowstone National Park.
 .. Visiting fishers are taking advantage of the warmth, (50°F,) to crowd into parking places and famous runs of both the Firehole River and the Madison River.

GREEN LEGGED BUGGER

.. There is a giant swarm of fishers in the reaches of the Gibbon River just below the falls. It seems that the runners have done a quick scoot into the spawning beds of this neglected stream. Look out fish.
.. Fishers are cautioned about parking on the road or partially off of it. Both traffic tickets and tour bus disasters are waiting for the careless anglers.
.. Yes indeed, many a submarine is to be found in clear view along the Gibbon River. Some fish are already on the redds and some others are darting along searching for receptive females, (hens to the effete of the visitors.)

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.. It's late and we've lingered over the black swill too long. Breakfast is ready and needs more attention than we can give it. The neighbors will soon be here and willing to challenge the birds for the early worm fly.

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 WALLPAPER:  BREAKFAST BURRITO PREPPED AND SERVED

Found A Rock

ON THE FIREHOLE

In The Snow

started a smile

WALLPAPER:   KINDNESS ROCK

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.. So, we abandoned the 'Runner Rush' along the Madison River. We did toddle up to the Firehole River and caught a few fish. The snow came with a rush - not heavy but, with more than a little wind.

.. On the way back to our trusty steed we saw a glint of color on a concrete bumper in the parking area. With less grace than is seemly we stooped down and retrieved a well worn oblong river cobble.
.. It was decorated: crude, bright, whimsical, and inviting. We wondered about the thing. How cometh it here? Why? Surprised and happy we put it in a pocket and drove to the house.
.. A quick dash to the interwebs provided answers and some semblance of understanding. Even Martha Stewart knows about these whimsical decorations, (LINK - MS.)

.. The Project was started by Megan Murphy (LINK - MM,) and is growing exponentially across the continent - and, internationally as well.
.. Should you be inclined to join up here's the link: (LINK - KR.) Of course fly fisher folk have better things to do than spread kindness. Kids, adolescents, young adults, and mothers - on the other hand . . . . .

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.. The water of the two heavily fished rivers on our side of the park have responded nicely to our recent cooling trend. Fish are exuberant and so are fishers.

THE GREEN WONDER

.. Catching of runners in the badly thrashed places of the Madison River continues with moderate success. Success enough in fact to keep the doors of the feather merchants open. Bugs continue to surprise fishers on the Firehole River and hatch matching is practiced with some futility in the robust winds of the seasonal change. Streamers and soft hackles on both rivers are doing the heavy lifting and, happily so.

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.. Today promises to be unseasonably warm: perhaps 50° F. We'll test the fates and return to the estuary runs of the Madison River for some dances. The fish are thicker there, (both ways.)
.. After some chow and a nap.

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WALLPAPER:  SALSICCIA SUBS

Game On ???

SOME SUCCESS

Some Failure

try other places

A CHANCE ENCOUNTER

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.. One interesting aspect of our tourist town is the diversity of visitors encountered and, the trinkets on display in the shops.
.. Rubber tomahawks and other such have mostly vanished through the years. There are still, however, a few "Davy Crockett" hats for sale and a few stores still stock feathered headdresses.
.. In a sunny break from fly flinging, with a couple of neighbors, we took a stroll 'downtown.' There, in a small jewelry store, we encountered a three-legged male wolf pelt. Pelts for sale in our village are rather rare. This one was from Canada. It had it's own license plate.

WOLF:  COARSE BACK FUR

.. We marveled at it's density of fur and the quality of the tanning. We also recoiled at the price = $1,100 dollars, (US cash money.) Long, long story short: bits were acquired by the richest of our neighbors.
.. There is, an old, traditional fly pattern that specifies bits of fur only obtainable from a pelt of this sort. One of the neighbors has a scrap of paper torn from an ancient sporting magazine with a genuine 'killer recipe' for Steelhead and spawn-run trout.

WOLF:  URINE STAINED FUR

.. The fly is often tied with substitute materials and does, in fact, take fish with excellent regularity.
.. The neighbor in question immediately abandoned our stroll to retreat to the tying bench in the alcove of his cave.
.. We present here the fly and its recipe. It is a simple pattern and, of the three flies tied, two have taken respectable fish from the Madison River in the environs near the Barns Holes.

THE ROZEE WOLFEE FLY

..Tied on a standard heavy salmon hook, (any appropriate hook will do nicely,) the fly reveals its heritage from the turn of the last century.
.. The tail is grouse tail feather tip that is doubled. The tag is orange floss. The body is royal purple floss. The first rib is embossed gold tinsel. The second rib is medium silver twist. The hackle is yellow hen. The under wing is urine stained wolf. The over wing is wolf back hair. The name is also indicative of the time in which it was originated: ROZEE WOLFEE.

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.. The annual surge of fish, (from Hebgen Reservoir,) and fishers, (from all corners of the world,) is in full swing - with mixed results being reported in the pubs and dusty aisles of the feather merchants.

DARK SPRUCE VARIANT

.. Most of the traditional river runs for the Fall-run spawning trout are seemingly less productive than collective memory recalls. Places that are otherwise less storied are producing surprising amounts of fish.
.. A couple of these places are easily accessible with a gentle walk from the parking area at Barns #1. Upstream hides are near and, in the big bend of the Madison River. There are also mid stream holes near the gauging station just a bit further upstream, The trail is easily visible.

OLIVE OR GREEN WOOLLY BUGGER

.. There are new, recently and deeply, undercut banks with rapid currents. These require some bit of soft walking and short casting. The fish are parked there but not sleeping.
.. These hides are good places to use a long two handed rod for dapping an appropriate streamer, (LINK TO SECRET PLACES.) Just a short cast and a short downstream drift with a gentle tug or two at the end will gather the fish.
.. In addition to the Rozee Wolfee fly the neighbors have used Modified Dark Spruce flies and light green Woolly Buggers. Daylight and shadows play a role in fly selection - duh!

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.. The sun is out. Snow and sun is predicted for the next few days. Temperatures should fluctuate widely over the next week. The fish know the weather. Fishers need to move around and explore the dark water where rods are few and fish are plentiful.
.. It may be time for a scintillating lunch and a brief nap before the clouds arrive and the evening sun is in the right spot.

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WALLPAPER: 'LITTLE MEATS,' CARNITAS & BEANS & RICE