The Mythic Firehole River, (part two)

AEROBIC FISHING

The Magic 7300

path to good catching

WALLPAPER:  DESTINATION BISCUIT

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.. Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park is world famous for it's geothermal features. It is also an attractive destination for fisher folk from around the world.

GEARING UP !!

.. The typical behavior of visiting fishers is to park in the parking lot and fish along the stream well within sight of their vehicle. Seldom are wader-clad fishers seen on the boardwalks or trails around the thermal features, (galumphing through fish infested waters is the norm.)

CAN YOU STILL SEE THE CAR ?

.. Granted: the elevation is  ≃7300' asl, many lowland fishers initially need more oxygen than is readily available, many visiting fishers are of the 'mature' persuasion, city folk are protective of their stylish vehicles, Biscuit Basin can seem to be a wilderness to fly fishers, most fishers don't carry bear spray and feel the need to be in the vicinity of other members of their species.

NEED ONE OF THESE ?

.. A short walk to the confluence meadow is well worth the effort for those seeking substantial fish in surprising numbers.
.. If trout need highly oxygenated water, (we think so,) and, if they inhabit cooler rather than warmer water, (we think so,) and if fertile stretches of the stream attract actively feeding trout, (we think so,) then it might be worth a gentle stroll through a lush meadow to catch a few - view of the car be damned.

MINGLING WATERS

.. The confluence meadow in Biscuit Basin combines the waters from three creeks: Iron Spring Creek, Little Firehole River, and Firehole River. These waters originate in three different landforms and contain three different chemistries from the chemo-geology of the diverse landforms. This fluvial diversity is mirrored in many places in Yellowstone National Park.
.. Bugs, beasts, flowers, shrubs, trees, water weeds, and fish profit from this kind of diversity. It is well worth a walk to these areas if you should be seeking fish to dance with.

RIVER CHEMISTRY

.. It is also worth exploring each stream through the year to ascertain the seasonal variation of the water and the fish population. The most popular 'fish experts' pontificate about these things based on sporadic visitations and spurious catching experiences.
.. Counter help at the local feather merchants parrot the wisdom that they pick up from scuttlebutt through the day. Such is the palaver that informs fishing behavior in Yellowstone National Park.

WHY NO FISHER FOLKS ?

.. Extensive and exhaustive firsthand knowledge is wonderfully missing in the erudition spouted by fishers when discussing the Firehole River and Biscuit Basin in particular. This condition is feasted upon by politicians, and fly fishers alike.
.. We are constantly asking embarrassing questions: how do you know?, who says so?, when where you last there?, how many times?, etc.

ARE BIG FISH HERE ?

.. Time transgressive events, (both small and large,) bring changes. Rivers change daily, weekly, seasonally, annually, etc. Today's truth is tomorrow's fiction.
.. Explore, observe, fish, move on. Do this and you become the expert; no matter who said what - especially any blog post or sacred tomb by famous names - even those who were here last year.
.. The fly fishing literature is rife with outdated information, mythic truth, and attractive prose. The lure of 'a good read' seduces us into believing the specificity of examples - shame on us. A good read is a visceral experience and very satisfying, indeed. It is not a substitute for either technical literature nor firsthand experience.
.. The satisfaction of a good read is of a different sort from that of catching a fish that you discovered by exploration. Try it  --  you'll like it. Vicarious experiences are far different than existential experiences!

.. There are big fish in the Firehole River. You can dance with them right now. The rain and drizzle has abated for the moment.

CLOSED TO FISHING  --  SHAME !

.. Explore the river and make your own history. Write your own script. Direct your own movie.  Become your own expert - it's better than following in the footsteps of famous dead, (or living,) gurus. After all, the river is different today than it was yesterday.

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.. Dawn comes early on this solstice! We're off to direct a bit of romantic drama: or tragicomedy as the case may be!
.. After the coffee . . . . . . 

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THE VIEW FROM TEXAS

Head Hunting

ONLY FOR SERIOUS FISHERS

Grab Your Best Game

the mouse rules the night

WALLPAPER: IS A MOUSE A FLY ?

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.. The mouse is running wild in the neighborhood. The mouse is secretly being fished, as well, by those fisher folk with the dinky fly affliction.
.. Many of the neighbors are trading sleep for giant fish. It's not just a local phenomenon either. Fishers across our nation have been bitten by the mouse. Nothing, it seems, breeds success like success.
.. We've long advocated using a deer hair mouse for catching large trout. We've not been fooled by the hype that paints a top predator in our streams as a soft-sucking, fly-eating,  pansy. We know better and so should you.
.. Mice are excellent swimmers. They often take to the water to travel along the shoreline of lakes and rivers and swamps. They are very efficient foragers and  will go to extreme lengths to stay fat and healthy. They scurry around their territories with a zeal matched by few foragers. Often this leads to their demise. Birds, snakes, weasels, coyotes, wolves and other predators consume scurrying mice regularly. So do trout and bass and pike, and other killer fish.
,, At some point past adolescence the trout becomes a genuine killer fish. The meanest killers lurk in the shadows and kill with swift, strong, and brutal force. Only occasionally do the biggest killers sip the smallest of prey. They are after groceries,
.. Let them eat mice!

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And The Trout Jumped Over The Moon

Published Tomorrow

OFF THE HOT PRESS

A Prose Tapestry

some fly fishing stuff too

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.. It's not just another, (of the myriad,) Yellowstone Fly Fishing books. It is one in a long line of books about fishing in the park.
.. It's not just another, (of the myriad,) "I did this and so should you!" books.
.. If anything it's a book that highlights and celebrates Yellowstone National Park. It's a tapestry woven of history, anecdotes, personal experiences, interviews, rumors, legends, and fish stories.
.. Offered up are fish stories from people who, have fished, and some who continue to fish in Yellowstone National Park. The stories serve to illustrate the rich diversity of any fishing experience in the park. They are the delights of their tellers and their enthusiasm, reverence, joy and pain are all there for us to read.

.. The intriguing title touts the "50 Best Places." The book covers many more than that.
.. Fishers who love specific river segments or lake localities are used to illuminate the lore of any single piece of water. The famous and infamous have come forth to share insights and delights: you will recognize many of the names and places - some you won't !!
.. If this were an early 19th century work it could just as easily be titled "The Personality of Yellowstone's Fly Fishing." It's all there! Bears, Wolves, Monster Fish, Native Americans, Mountain Men, Explorers, Early Visitors, Bandits, Outlaws, Rapine, Tragedy, and Fishing.
.. Of course there are plenty of illustrations. Certainly there are quite a few tips and tricks about the various waters and the fish inhabiting them. There is even the expected hatch sequences, recommended flies, secret tips and tactics, where to, how to, etc. - it really is all there.
.. This is a "FAT BOOK" and we strongly recommend that you properly break-in the binding. We also suggest that you buy two. If you love the park and it's fishing you'll quickly wear out the first one.
.. If you view fishing in Yellowstone National Park as just another catching destination you should avoid this book. If you would like your experiences in the park to be enriched and informed by it's long history and traditions then this is the book for you. It will even help you catch fish.
.. It's an easy read and one full of everything from gossip to fact. It is readily apparent that the author, (a Montana native son,) is not quite done with the 50 best places. We're sure he'll be back. Perhaps he'll treat us to a sequel.

OFFICIAL DETAILS

English
ISBN: 0811710513 EAN: 9780811710510 Category: Sports & Recreation / Fishing/Travel / Parks & Campgrounds
Publisher: Headwater Books, Release Date: 08/01/2012
Author: Nate Schweber
Synopsis: The most important hatches and recommended patterns, along with key fishing techniques and the best times of year to fish there. Interviews with a stunning collection of Yellowstone Park veterans in the know, including fly shop owners Bob Jacklin, Craig Mathews, John Juracek, Richard Parks, and John Bailey.
Writers, including; Tom McGuane, Wild Bill Schneider, and The Drake magazines' Tom Bie. The best spots for Yellowstone cutthroat, westslope cutthroat, Snake River finespotted cutthroat, grayling, rainbows, cuttbows, brown trout, brook trout, mountain whitefish, and Mackinaw lake trout

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At Our Door

Affliction is a treasure,

and scarce any man hath enough of it.

. . . John Donne

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.. Our afflictions are commonplace and numerous: dim vision, shaking hands, wobbly legs, drooping girth, fallen arches, hair migrating from head to ears and nose and shoulders, poor digestion, occasional evacuation, addled memory, fondness for Mozart - Dorsey - Morrison, and eternal optimism. EGAD, what a mess. Still we continue to flail away at mysterious waters as if we would succeed at the game.
.. Success now is just getting there and doing it. We did it yesterday. We succeed. And we walked just 15 feet from the car door to the water and caught some fish. There were no other fishers. There were a couple of teenaged kids on horses. We chatted.
.. They galloped across our favorite bridge and sent the fish scurrying to new hides and holes. We watched and stalked and caught - blessed be the exuberance of youth.
.. The midday sun drove us from the water and we sought solace in a cool dim pub. We gathered information about the best places and the best flies. All has been appropriately filed. It's impertinent. We seldom tread in others footfalls.
.. Big fish are in the Madison River System. Hmmm, happens every year about this time.  Terrestrials are working wonders on the Gallatin River. Hmmm, ditto. The cooling Firehole River is belching forth prodigious quantities of caddis and other aquatic flies. Hmmm, ditto. Nez Perce Creek is now open along the riverside trail for 5 miles. Fish are following the cooling water both up and down it's length. Hmmm, ditto.
.. There are no less than two dozen tributaries to the Madison River System above Hebgen Dam that have "Ghost Runs" of spawning fish. They seldom see a fisher. Hmmm, ditto.
.. By the way, took a 22" buck brown trout on an isolated stretch of an unnamed tributary. The water was, at best, 14" deep. Our afflictions demanded we fish here. Hmmm!
..Didn't bother to squeeze it's guts for the camera.

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Bob Steele Would Be Sad

OWENS RIVER RANCH SOLD

Follows Arcularius Ranch

william mullholland is pissed

.. Tim Alpers has sold the Owens River Ranch. He sold it to the same folks that bought the Arcularius Ranch. Both ranches have been dear to the hearts of Eastern Sierra fishers.
.. These Two Ranches escaped the water piracy and grand schemes of the Eaton/Mullholland era and went on to become destination fisheries for thousands of visitors. We wonder if Hot Creek Ranch will follow.
.. Just plain folks and just famous folks haunted the waters of the upper Owens River. It was a warm and friendly place, and "Mom" would constantly remind you not to pet the beaver.
.. Bob Steele was a near perpetual resident for a brief time - he even fished some. And, rumors and legends persist that the famous John C. Fremont cannon is located in the big draw just to the north and east of the upper pools, (#1, #2.)
.. Happily the trout rearing operation will continue at a new location further up the valley. The Alpers' Rainbow Trout are justly famous throughout California and the west. The average adult trout is about four pounds, (some are as big as 11#.)

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BACKGROUND & SOURCES

-- San Diego Union-Tribune
-- California Game & Fish
-- Kern River Board
-- Adios Alpers
-- Mono County Planning Document
-- California Water Wars
-- Tim Stocking Trout
-- Aquafornia Blog

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Is This Heaven Or Hell ?

CAN THESE BE CAUGHT ?

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Apparently So !