Load 'Em Up

SOME STILL WATER

Bobbers Or No ?

warm takes a toll

WALLPAPER:  A HINT OF ICE OUT

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.. The neighbors are already on Hebgen Reservoir - the edges are opening up.
.. Tactics are varied, as are the foods. Yes, there is a hatch. Yes, there are nymphs. Yes, there is a debris rain. Yes, the trout are still in pods. Yes, the fish will eat sticks.
.. Estuary waters beyond lake margins are now legally open for fishing. The gear folks are stocking the freezer and anticipating some grilled trout. Whitefish are still active near the shore and smoking is still in the offing.

VERY USEFUL KNOT

.. Single sinking flies or, single floating flies or, two floating flies or two sinking flies or, one of each - 'topper & dropper,' are all rigs that work.
.. Right now the neighbors are split between the topper & dropper rig and the two sinking flies rig. Both are productive.

PRETTY STANDARD RIG

.. If you decide on a topper & dropper be sure that the surface fly is buoyant enough to keep itself on the surface with it's submarine companion. Bobbers are a viable option with any rig choice.
.. We suggest that, with the sunny and warm weather currently gracing us, now is the time to get with it.

EDGES, SEDGES AND NYMPHS

.. As soon as the tributary creeks hit full runoff and the ice begins to recede the shoreline fish will fall off. Hardy souls will have belly boats and tube yachts in the water within the next 10 days.
.. At this point in time the fish are hungry, terribly non-selective, very active, and enthusiastic for willing dance partners.

GOOD TO DROP

.. It does not take an enormous amount of stuff to fish the edges. A few surface flies, a few sinking flies, and a bobber or two will suffice.
.. A slow sink tip line will find the depth of the feeding zone for sinking flies. Watch carefully for any jiggle of the floating section.
.. Don't catch them all!

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.. Off we go. If the breezes are light after our garden chores we'll hit the shoreline later this afternoon. Can't let that ice edge escape.

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WALLPAPER:  SAVORY STUFFED APPLES FOR BAKING

It's Here

THE UP SIDE

Cooling Rains Exit

neighbors migrating

WALLPAPER: OVER THE TOP

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.. We traveled to the far reaches of interior Yellowstone National Park.
.. It's a trek we make a couple of times each year. It's part of the neighborhood migration. As our west side rivers heat up and the fish need a break from the lather whipped froth of fly flingers we join the neighbors for brief forrays into the other bits of the park.
.. The migration is a little late this year. We've been blessed with more cool days than we deserve and the exceptional catching has held on far longer than we anticipated.
..The weather forecast for the near term, however, suggests that a bit of warmness is blasting toward us. It's overdue.

ANT COLONY

.. 80's and maybe 90's are about to visit us. The ants like it. The hoppers like it. The beetles like it. Fish hide from it. Cloudless skies are tough on a fish looking to hide from the eagles and ospreys.
.. This is the time of year we look toward the Lamar River and the Yellowstone River.

.. Those drainage basins are currently full of cool water, many bugs, many fish and many tributaries that often go overlooked.

FUN WATER

.. A couple of our favorite small streams are on the way to the big rivers.
.. We stopped and looked. They are still busy with friendly fish and eager fishers. Pass!
.. The end of the salmon fly hatch is hanging on in the Lamar River Canyon.
.. Nymph and soft hackle flies hold the day for the moment. Very soon now the mayflies will be everywhere, (just not all at once.) We smashed a couple with our predatory windshield wipers but not the density that should happen any day now.

JUST FOR FUN

.. The hoppers are mature and, on warm days, they will practice their breast stroke along the grassy parts of the rivers.
.. Take a couple hopper imitations for bobbers and fish either a 'hopper dropper' or 'hopper dry' combination. You may be surprised with  a double up - it happens.

GOOD BOBBER

.. If you are into watching your fly swirl along the surface it would also be good to carry a box full of PMD imitations.
.. If you're real lucky a giant Green Drake will tickle your ear and it's time to find them on the water.

LAMAR RUN

.. We spoke with some folks exiting the dusty Slough Creek Road. It seems that catching is picking up and that streamers, nymphs, and even some dry flies are fooling the famously wily trout.
.. Jump on it now, (if you're so inclined,) because the campground still has open spaces and it's not too overly crowded.
.. The sporadic rains have clouded both Soda Butte Creek and the Lamar River. No real mud plugs to speak of but it's still possible at any time.  Soda Butte Creek is getting crowded from Trout Lake to the confluence with the Lamar River.
.. The small stretches between giant boulders above the lower meadow are full of fish. This is water that is a nuisance to reach and is often overlooked. Just about any ol' floater and quite a few sinkers will gather up a storied day of 10" to 12" fish. Try it you'll like it, (even if you have to walk through a tangle of vegetation.)

LONELY STREAM

.. We enjoyed Pebble Creek, (above the campground and the picnic tables.) The fish are smaller but the elbows are fewer.
.. There are some deep meanders in this shallow stream that hold monster, (up to 15",) fish. This is bragging size for this little wonder of a stream.

WORKS GOOD

.. Generally guides and visiting fishers concentrate on the water below the road and into Soda Butte Creek. Have at it.
.. Right now there are plenty of fish to be fooled and the little stream is clear as crystal and cold.
..  There are some reports of bears and even wolves, (my my,) so carry your bear spray and sing silly songs in chorus with your fishing partners. It lets the bears know you are coming!
.. Big water Yellowstone River report coming up. Stay tuned. It's coming on daylight and we're still digesting last night's dinner.

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WALLPAPER:  SEARED AND READY

WALLPAPER:  BOILED IN REAL LARD

WALLPAPER:  CRISP AND TENDER CARNITAS

WALLPAPER:  CARNITAS TACOS

Game On

MADISON WORKING

Fish The Firehole Late

a tale of two canyons

WALLPAPER:  FIREHOLE SUNSET

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..We're not prone to hyperbole but, the classic and popular segments of the Firehole River are fishing just like the guidebooks and counter help explain it to you.

Shuckster   #1

.. We'll mention a few flies but the truth of the matter is that just about any fly of the right size will gall a fish - quickly and successfully, (given a gentle presentation and sharp hook.)
.. We visited with a few visitors on the rivers and came away with one interesting observation that they had made: the hooks from the feather merchants are amazingly dull this year. A few swipes with a diamond sharpener will go a long way to insuring your success.

Shuckster #2

..  Better than good numbers of Baetids and some PMD's have been coming off.
.. The super dry fishing has been just O.K. but, the emergers, (slightly drowned or in the film,) have been what many of the neighbors have been using.
.. These combined with the standard drowned soft hackle or "Dry Soft Hackle" Are becoming, (more than usual,) the go to choices.
.. It's  good to enter Yellowstone National Park early: it's better to stay late. The caddis are already prolific in the afternoon and there have been some late evening spinner falls of the mayflies. Lots of noses in the air in the early evening.

Lots of eager and lonely fish here

.. The Madison River is alive with eager and ravenous fish. They are feeling very lonely.
.. Ignoring the Madison River early in the season is a tradition of feather merchants, guides, and guide book readers.

Here too

.. Many folks would rather gather up fifteen to twenty 10" fish instead of ten or fifteen 19" fish. It's a strokes and folks thing.
.. Of course, by the time they get to the Madison River the best of the catching has moved on and they spread stories about how the river really isn't worth fishing. Some of the strange stuff you hear from the establishment rumor mill.

Gibon River coming on early

.. The Gibbon River Canyon has a nice assortment of rainbow trout and some wily brown trout, should you need to gather up more than a handful of fish in a morning or afternoon break.
.. This is one of the most rewarding of nymphing rivers at this time of year.

King Prince

.. We use the King Prince or just a large Prince nymph.
.. There are also regular and consistent hatches of mayflies that the fish seem to discover before the fishers. Floating a dry in the appropriate places can surprise even the most expectant fisher.
.. We gathered some intelligence from a couple of fishers that fished the big meadows and the Brook Trout Paradise above the cascades. Recruitment of Brookies has been exceptional over the last few years and it's becoming commonplace to take a few 10" or 12" specimens in couple of hours. The crowds have found this water but the fish seem to be very cooperative and not too skittish right now.

Firehole Canyon

.. The Firehole Canyon is being visited by some savvy fishers and  a covey of the neighbors.
.. Stoneflies of several sorts are in both canyons. Pick your poison and hang on.
.. There are even some large salmonflies on the Madison River between Madison Junction and 7-mile bridge.
.. The neighbors are using sparsely tied black nymphs in both canyons and on the Madison River.

Sparse

.. The big bugs are beginning their contrary appearance along the Firehole River. They are crawling along the shore above Firehole Falls - but not in any great numbers.
.. Firehole Canyon has a few early fliers as well. This is a good time to use a floater/dropper combination. Put your best "mature" floater up high and a dark, (sparsely dressed,) nymph ten to fifteen inches down at the tip. No need for weight, just cover a lot of water.

Portrait

.. Should you be feeling adventurous a double nymph of yellow or golden stones along with the big honker can provide near constant action in the right place.
.. Soon you won't have to cover any water - the fish will willingly jump in your waders.

.. Our days and nights have tried to fool us into believing that Summer is really here. The days have been partly cloudy and bright, (too bright for some.)
.. The nights have been warmer than "sleeping weather."  Days will continue in the 70's - approaching the 80's, (egad!)
.. This is about to change. Hatch chasing for the dryfliest should become exceptional over the next five or six days as the gray and gloom and drizzle return.
.. There should still be enough afternoon sun and brightness for the caddis and white miller visitations. Hopefully the nights will cool off some.
.. Get thee to the Firehole River right now. Discharge on the little stream is a few hundred cfs below median rates for this time of year. It is also approaching historic minimums.
.. Temperatures have already spiked to 75° F.  Official closure may or may not happen but, it's soon going to be very hard on the fish if you stab one in the snout.
.. We are loath to say it but, catching has gotten off to a fantastic start. We hope that there is a guide book writer in the house.
.. Better get out the 10 weight two handed rod.

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WALLPAPER:   NICE TRY

Just Delightful

UPPER GALLATIN SMOKIN'

Fish Seeking Dance Partners

all bugs seem to be present

WALLPAPER: THE VALLEY OF PERFECTION

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.. So when it's good it's just too good. That's the haps on the Gallatin River. It's easy to tell when the fishing and catching warm weather calendar has about run it's course.

IT'S TRUE -THEY'RE THAT SMALL

.. The catching becomes almost mindless. The breezes are gentle. The clouds are dense. The afternoon showers are right on time. Temperatures climb all the way into the 70's.
.. Every bug in our box is present and, alive and. on the water or, in the air or, in the weeds. What more could you want?
.. The low hopper count seems to have improved. It's even flying ant time. There are still, (or increasing,) spruce moths along the wooded sections and the beetles are big enough that you need to watch your step or trip over them. The neighbors are favoring the old fashioned Hopper/Dropper combination of a size 10 hopper and a size 16 ant.

HOPPERS LEICA THIS LENS

.. There has not been the anticipated heavy rains that scared some fishers to the lowlands.
.. Intermittent and wildly dispersed showers in the afternoon and heavy fog in the morning seems to have wrung some moisture from the air.
.. Some folks still insist that the drive to the northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park is where you will find that the fishing and catching is best. Farm out - have at it!
.. While you're over there look for the pretty colors in Soda Butte Creek. Flow testing with dye infusions started yesterday. Some sections of Soda Butte Creek will remain open. Some sections will be closed.
.. The electrofishing for cutthroat salvage will begin about mid week, (around the 19th of August.) Poison dumping is scheduled to happen on the 24, 25, and maybe 26 of August. Check with your favorite feather merchant for exact dates and stream section closures.

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PREVIEWS OF COMING ATTRACTIONS

.. Our weather continues to be a pub topic with the neighbors. One of our well educated fisher friends explains that we are already feeling the effects of this coming monster El Niño.
.. It seems that the persistent light precipitation around here is in response to the Jet Stream doing a hula as it moves north and south in response to warm air pulses from the eastern Pacific Ocean around Peru.
.. Of course it has to dodge the Great Basin High and slip underneath the polar vertexes. Hearing the jargon of explanation makes our head spin.
.. We have a better time with pictures and simple arithmetic.
.. In the simplest terms the current, rapidly building, El Niño has a better than nine in ten chance of being the biggest in the last 50 years.
.. We'll let you know come next April or May. Right now we're headed to Specimen Creek. Or maybe Bacon Rind Creek. Or maybe even the perfect Gallatin River.
.. We suggest that you avoid the noisy gulpers on Hebgen Reservoir.

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WALLPAPER:   FLAUTAS CON MACHACA

Be Bee Aware

THE FLOWERS ARE WANING

The Nectar Is Scarce

the pollinators are frenzied

WALLPAPER:   SUCCESS - AN EYEFUL

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.. Late Spring and full Summer are a times of plenty for insects that utilize nectar as a food source. Late Summer and early Fall are a times of scarcity for those very same critters.
.. Bees, wasps, ants, and even birds are accelerating their searching activities in pursuit of the precious fluid. This effectance behavior produces wildly and unpredictable gyrations of the critters as they seek sustenance. Long straight flight paths, zigs and zags of hecrulean proportions, dips and dives at amazing speed and duration; all are required to find new and untapped sources of nourishment. Of course the result is that flowing water is also occasionally encountered: oh happy fish.

DROP ME

.. Our cool Summer has slowed the anticipated hopper madness that infects both insects and fisher folk. Wide spread and ephemeral showers have drenched many parts of Yellowstone National Park.
.. On any given day some places get very wet: some places stay bright and dry. Unlike the conventional wisdom of 'gray is good' the insect hunter should follow the axiom of 'warm and dry is fine.'
.. Warm and dry adjacent to fishy water is exceptionally fine if you intend to catch a fish in the current climatic conditions. This is especially true if you ignore the dinky fly syndrome and fling the fly the fish want.
.. Right now is a perfect time to use the glorious combination of a Bumble Bee Bobber and a Copper John variant for a dropper. Success in catching often favors the thinking fisher rather than the habitual and slavishly formulaic fisher.
.. We can see a hole in the clouds down the river near mile post 25. See you there.

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THE PERFECT BOBBER

Of Bison, Drones, Fish, And Tubes

HERD INCREASES

Fly It Elsewhere

park rivers are dangerous

WALLPAPER:  ENORMOUS HERD OF HERBIVORES

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.. Here's a few quick notes about recent park happenings; some related to fishy stuff.
.. Some visitors, from afar and down low are pretending that it's Autumn - not yet - not now. Up here we're still waiting for Summer. That's not a complaint at all.

STUPID VISITORS FLY THESE ILLEGALLY

==> The bison herd in Yellowstone National Park is at or near record numbers. Thanks are given to the recent drought and recent mild winters, BISON LINK.
==> A camera equipped drone was illegally crashed into Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, DRONE LINK.
==> A massive search is underway for a missing concession employee last seen being swept down the Yellowstone River, TUBE LINK 1, TUBE LINK 2.

SOON THE FISH WILL GOBBLE THESE

==> An Enormous Brown Trout was stuck and landed at, (or near,)  9-Mile Hole on the Madison River, in the evening, by our neighbor, a world famous fisher, using a mouse fly and some cagy tactics. Only the best fishers use flies appropriate to the situation and the quarry.
.. Although it's hopper time, the welcome and cool afternoon showers have kept the flights of hppers to a dull roar and the fish are only mildly interested - at the moment. This weekend there will be a warm-up and the trout should realize that graceries are raining down from above. Be prepared.
.. It's not quite like a PacMan game but, the Callibaetis are erupting on Hebgen Reservoir with regularity and it is currently possible to cast to sight-seen fish. Use flies just  bit larger than the hatch and cast to fish just a bit farther away than you normally would. They are hungry and looking up.

TRY A SIZE LARGER THAN THIS

..  The frequent afternoon showers have kept the northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park cool and pleasant. They have also produced a situation where local information will give you a better chance of fishing in clear water. Check with Parks Fly Shop for up to the minute information about where the murky water isn't. Some of our local feather merchants have recently sent expeditions to those far reaches of the park. Some quick phone calls and a bit of savvy questioning will help your catching success.
.. The honey holes on Quake Lake have proven to have a seemingly unlimited supply of very large fish this year. The gear guys and the worm fishers are gathering up bushel baskets full of fine fish. When our fly fishing neighbors enter the fray they are taking more than their fair share of the pretty lake fish. Please don't disturb the rusty green pickup truck - the dog will let you know.

NOT A HOPPER - BUT . . .

.. The Spruce Moth flights are still thick along those wooded portions of the Gallatin River in Yellowstone National Park. The poor things unwittingly find the water and the lucky trout leap upon them with a gusto befitting champion gobblers at Nathan's. Try a mashed caddis imitation and hold on.
.. The thin water of Nez Perce Creek is full of swimming tourists around the picnic area. The fish are bashful: they are avoiding the naked bodies and have moved upstream in a fit of modesty - where the cool water is. A mere 4,000 feet upstream from the Mary Mountain Trailhead will provide fishers with few elbows and willing fish.
.. The moose at Richard's Creek is not a friendly critter. Avoid this area for the moment. Even as big as a barn it's easy to hide in the dense willow thickets. We guarantee that she will fiercely protect her calf with surprise attacks and thunderous kicks and head butts.
.. Rumor has it that there are fewer mosquitoes this year down in the Bechler Region. Welts are few and the folks around Squirrel, Idaho have been enjoying the catching along Boundary Creek. The cutthroat trout of the Cascade Corner are among the most friendly in the neighborhood. This is probably because they are passed over for fishing on the glory waters so nearby. The park-and-fish crowd just love to fish within sight of their favorite feather merchant in this part of Idaho.
.. We're headed closer to home now.

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THE GREAT POOL ON BOUNDARY CREEK