OH DAMN !

NEIGHBORS PISSED

Sudden Growth

moving toward highway

BACON RIND FIRE AREA MAP

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.. We have fires every year. It's a fact of life since we live in the lodgepole desert. They are caused by lightning and by humans. They come and they go. We're accustomed to them.
.. The lightning caused Bacon Rind Fire has been sputtering for about a month now with very little attention.
.. Over the last few days and, with the intemperate - unusually high temperatures it has rapidly flared up and moved from the sagebrush flanks of the valley and into the  lodgepole pine forest.
.. The fire is currently sized at near 2,000 acres and:

". . . has been spreading by group torching, short crown runs, and long-range spotting. The fire is continually flanking and backing towards Hwy 191.
     Fire growth was seen to the south towards Bacon Rind drainage on 8/15. There were no delays on Highway 191 yesterday. Fire growth is expected to continue today as temperatures continue to increase."

GROUP TREE TORCHING

.. Both the USFS and the NPS have issued closures. So far Highway 191 has remained open with some delays and pilot car traffic allowed.
.. Yellowstone National Park has closed most of the northwest corner of the park's back country trails.
.. Currently some Gallatin River access is allowed. Check the resources below for updated access and closure information.
.. This is the time of year when we fish the Gallatin River, Fan Creek, and Bacon Rind Creek. Access to many of the catching areas is restricted  --  double damn.
.. With the increased wind and continuing heat wave we should anticipate that this fire will continue to spot and grow.

DON'T FISH HERE

RESOURCES:

>> INCIWEB  INCIDENT PAGE,
>> FIRE CLOSURES WEB PAGE,
>> YELLOWSTONE CLOSURES,
>> FOREST CLOSURES.

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.. Happily there is no closure anticipated for Notellum Creek, nor any for the Notellum Beaver Ponds.  We're headed there with a fresh canister of bear spray. Left the neighbors to tend the ribs!

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WALLPAPER:  GREAT BEGINNINGS

A Little Dip

FIREHOLE TIME ?

Loving Anomolies

got a soft one ?

TWO SCREEN WALLPAPER : FIREHOLE SUMMER

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.. It is a rare bit of weather that has allowed us to fish the Firehole River this late in July.
.. Granted, we must get up early, (bit of a nuisance,) or, fish late in the day, (not too hard.)

SPARSE CARROT SOFT HACKLE

.. Flows are down and temperature spikes do reach into the high 70's, [LINK-F.] Early morning is safest for the fish and better for catching as well.
.. The fish are hungry and a bit slack-jawed but, will still take a soft hackle with more than a modicum of exuberance. No 20/20 club here. Use a heavy leader and horse them in. No hero shots either. Quick play, wet release and move on. Twelve to fifteen fish before breakfast is just about right.

THE FUZZY YELLOW WHATSITZ

.. The Gibbon River is holding up fine so far. Below the falls and before the confluence has seen an increase in traffic from savvy fishers.
.. There are caddis all day, (few and far between,) and stonefly nymphs galore.
.. Above the falls in the canyon is strictly your favorite nymph game, (until about 6:00 PM.) There are caddis late in the afternoon and even some of the pudgy white millers in the right groves of trees.

THE ORIGINAL WOOLLY BUGGER

.. The big meadows have dried out nicely and are are being visited by fisher folk with legs and knees strong enough to find the dark undercut banks with grass veils and slurping giants. If you have an unweighted nymph that will float you can surely bring home a story.
.. Nothing fancy is required; a prince nymph, a woolly bugger, or even a serendipity with a haircut will be fine.

CLIPPED SERENDIPITY

.. From Hebgan Lake to Madison Junction on the Madison River, the neighbors have been using the Clipped Serendipity with great success.
.. Sink it or float it - makes no difference! For now, this seems to be what the fish want. We're not sure if it imitates a real bug or other sort of food item. But it is working wonders with the cool nights and moderate day time temperatures - - - this is the gobble-it-up offering.

VISITORS DRIVE RIGHT PAST IT

..Our favorite "Culvert Pool" has lately been very rewarding.
.. It's just a few minutes from our front door and is a blessed respite from the hectic traffic jams in town.
.. We shan't name the creek for fear of retribution from the neighbors.

DRIVE BY CATCHING

.. It's just about eight or so miles north of town and you can drive right up to the water's edge, (well almost!)
.. Year 'round the trout jump the rip rap rapids and they park themselves in the pool before this bit of exercise.
.. It's coming on Fall, (zing went the Summer in the high country.) Bigger fish should soon be resting in the pool prior to their aerobics. Great fun just watching them.

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TAKE THE OATH

.. Despite the possibilities of fish-catching on the Firehole River, we suggest that you leave them alone.
.. Both Iron Spring Creek and the Little Firehole River are still running cool enough to provide you with some sport.
.. And then, there is Nez Perce Creek. But, that's another story and, the Mary Mountain bears are still on the prowl.

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WALLPAPER:  SMALL ROAST IN CAST IRON

AWOL

FOR GROUP

5 times 5 At 100

mirage no problem

*HUNTER CLASS BENCHREST RIFLE

*EXPENSIVE AND UNSUNG GLASS

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.. Gone and, we're easily forgotten. Brief road trip to Cody, Wyoming. Better than fair success.

NOT TOO BAD

.. The shooting complex at Cody, Wyoming is a world class facility that can accommodate all forms of the shooting sports.
.. From SASS, to casual, to Hunter Class, to Varmint Class, to Rail Guns, to 1,000 Yard competition, to Police and Combat training, to skeet, to trap, to across the course, to sporting clays,  --  it's all there.
.. We do this less and less as our fishing is closer and less fiddly. When the weather gods lay down the winds and, the cool air allows for clear views, it's possible for even us to do well.
.. We did!

.. [[ *Hunter class benchrest rifle with fixed power 6x42 IOR Valdata scope [with glass from Schott Glass Werkes of Germany.] Trued Remington action in .308 Winchester caliber.  Krieger stainless steel barrel. Jewell 2oz. trigger, Big spring true firing pin, Aluminum rail, Magnesium rings, Macmillan Edge ultralight stock. Weight is nine pounds, fourteen ounces.]]

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.. The last week of warmer than seasonal weather has slowed the catching only slightly.

EASILY CATCHES FISH

.. A few daily temperature records were set and the neighbors have exercised both their sweat glands and vocabularies.
.. Looks, now, to be settling into seasonal temperatures and the fishing is too.
.. Ants are up. Hopper nymphs are molting. Beetles are roaming. Millers are flitting. Bitsie Beasties are hatching. Caddis are prolific. Even the Madison River is highly productive in unusual and accessible places.
.. We're awake way too early and planning more road time. Such is the sleep rhythm of the mature.

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WALLPAPER:  RIB EYE DONE RIGHT

Bucket List

THE LIFE LIST

We See It Each Summer

better get started 

Welcome to Montana

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.. It's most illuminating when the neighbors have a drop at the locals' pub.
.. Summer is on their minds and observations of visitors and their priorities become the entertaining fodder for conversation.
.. The following is the result:

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THE LIFE LIST

X - Graduate college
X - Get Masters degree
X - Job at Citigroup
X - Buy club membership
X - Buy BMW
X - Join church
X - Job at Wells Fargo
X - Buy wife a BMW
X - Send kids to private school
X - Buy summer home
X - Buy matched pair English shotguns
X - Job at Bank of America
X - Buy .416 Weatherby Magnum
X - Hunt Deer in Mexico
X - Buy house in Malibu
X - Buy yacht
X - Buy Mercedes
X - Hire chauffeur
X - Summit Kilimanjaro
X - Buy townhouse for work
X - Learn polo
X - Join third golf club
X - Summit Tetons
X - Buy ranch in Montana
X - Board position at JPMorgan Chase
X - Hunt doves in Mexico
X - Summit Everest
X - Buy ranch near Crawford Texas
X - Give kids houses
X - Buy Rolls Royce
X - Retire to Montana & Texas
X - Buy new pickup trucks
__- Learn fly fishing

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WALLPAPER:  COME SUMMER . . .

Just Could Be

COULD BE A CADDIS

Could Be A Beetle

could be anything that trout eat

COULD BE A NYMPH

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.. We fish a lot of "could be's." Trout eat a lot of could be's. We're not chasing the trout gourmand. We're after a fish that wants to eat. Glutton vs. gourmand is an interesting proposition when it comes to trout,
.. We don't count numbers or sizes too often. We do, regularly,  notice color, conformation, health, and such. We look around at the scenery and the sky and the bushes and grasses under foot as well.
.. We haven't the anal retentive disposition to be finicky about exact sizes and shapes and colors. We're probably missing a lot of important and esoteric information about trout and their diet and behavior and feeding patterns. We don't miss it. Or we don't know that we miss it. We just go fishing. Sometimes it's about the fish.
.. We're pretty nonchalant about catching but not about the going in going fishing. Getting gone is the best part of going fishing. We leave it all behind. We look forward. We seek different things: solitude, comradeship, new vistas, familiar and favorite places, the quiet, the sounds, whatever. Sometimes we seek fish.

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COULD BE A BEETLE

No Fishing On Wednesday Or Thursday

A BREAK IN THE RAIN

Hoppers Will Be Happy

time for sundry tasks, and such

WALLPAPER: WILDFLOWERS AND FRESH BREAD

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.. Jeez, it's  wonderful. The temperatures are bearable, the grass is green, the wildflowers have lasted too long, the ants have had continuous work, the trees are drunk with liquid, and fishers have rejoiced in the clouds, overcast and catching opportunities. We've had a bit of rain - everyday.

BLUE FISH FOOD

.. It looks like mid week will be bright, sunny, and slightly warmer, (well into the 70's.) Fish will hide from the sun. Hoppers will dry their wings. The days will be salubrious and inviting. It will be picnic weather in Yellowstone country. The evenings should be gentle and lazy. There will be time to take a break in catching to catch up on chores. It will pain the neighbors who fish to see the sun. They'll get over it.
.. This recent spate of cool damp weather has been a blessing for fishers and the bane of tourists from the southern half of the United States. 

FOOD CONVEYOR

.. The Firehole River has lost over 10° F and is being fished with impunity. Wiggly fish are being released with glee as the fishers have gotten a rare opportunity to both fish and catch in mid August. There is a slight warming trend in the forecast and the waters will probably warm to lethal temperatures again.
.. Nez Perce Creek flows into the Firehole River above a very fishy stretch of water. The fish have concentrated themselves below the confluence and fishers have been slow to figure this out, the fish were quicker on the uptake.
.. Gulpers are gulping sporadically above the weed beds in Hebgen Reservoir. Lucky fishers who manage to hit the lake before the squalls do manage to catch a few outsized trout sampling the surfacing bugs. It's not the sure thing that it's been in recent memory but it is a rewarding pastime.
.. The hoppers struggling to fly up the road on the Galllatin River are finding water as frequently as land. The fish like this.

hors d'oeuvre

.. The hoppers are joined by the flooded out ants in learning the backstroke. The little streams that feed the Gallatin River are running full and sweeping debris and food downstream. It's paradise for fish. Fishers are scarce and the poor fish have very few dance partners - so be it.
.. The wet weather has produced little puddles of water that persist for days or a week or two. That's long enough fo another generation of mosquitoes to burst forth. It's not like the summer swamps of Alaska but it is providing another welcome food source for the fish.
.. All in all, it's been an August of a different stripe. Not unknown but not the joy of Summer that visitors expect. Local sports and many of the neighbors are hoping for extended coolness. We're not sure what will happen in the next three weeks but fishing and catching should continue to be exceptional.
.. We've got rain gear drying in the hall.

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WALLPAPER: POTTER WASP BEFORE BEING EATEN

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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..

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

Preview

THE COMING SUPER MOON

Where Will You Be ??

where will the fish be ??

Near Full: August 9, 2014 - 21:08:19 - West Yellowstone

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.. Depending upon where you are tomorrow night and the way that you set your clock, and depending on the cloud cover and local horizon, the moon should rise around seven or eight of the clock.
.. Here in West Yellowstone it's liable to be cloudy at the time of moon rise which is 8:23 PM, (7:23 PM for Luddites.) so we grabbed a quick snap of tonight's view.
.. Of all the super moons this year the one tomorrow night is rare in that it will be overhead coincident with it's absolute perigee.

TROUT MUNCHIES

.. It will look biggest when near the horizon and probably should best be photographed with a few trees or a building or two for accent. The twilight of dusk should provide some exceptional views for those shutter bugs who occasionally fly fish and take hero shots.
.. Native Americans of the upper Midwest and Northeast called this moon the "Sturgeon Moon." A good sign for catching that great fish. Closer to home the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota named this the "Moon When All Things Ripen."
.. The neighbors that fish at night call it all manner of names depending on whether it helps or hurts the catching. Right now it is the blessed hopper moon or the great big beetle moon or the 'gonna' get 'em with a mouse moon.
.. Fishing in Yellowstone National Park is forbidden after sundown, (we certainly do miss the 10:00 PM closure.) There are nearby, happily, bits and pieces of good water that are in the State of Montana - with no closures for light or dark.
-- That's where we'll be tomorrow night.

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WALLPAPER: MOUSE FLY WITH RUSTY HOOK (OOPS)

Got Wheels ?

TRY OTTER TROUT LAKE

An Often Forgotten Place

eager fish, otters, and grunts

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.. While the Hoppers have inundated the campground at Slough Creek, and while the elbows are thronging to the famous northeast trinity of Slough, Soda, and Lamar, free-spirited elbows are working up a sweat and enjoying three little lakes with grand views and glorious fishing. Pretty good catching too.

..If you can handle a steep trail under a blistering sun we suggest that this is a proper destination for the angler not obsessed with headhunting or running water. Take your camera and a lunch. Take your bear spray and someone else who will enjoy postcard beauty and a few fish along the way.
.. The trail is a 1/2 mile of uphill grunting. Once up the hill from the road you will encounter an undulating landscape that holds the true trinity of the northeast fishery: Trout Lake, Buck Lake, and Shrimp Lake. These little gems are tucked into periglacial depressions and are well worth the hike. Plan to spend a day or two exploring.

.. The hardcore headhunters can spend a full day at Trout Lake in the hopes of hanging onto a 24" Rainbow Trout or several 18" Cutthroat Trout. This is the site of an early fish hatchery in Yellowstone National Park. The fish did well then and do well now. The otters know it well;  and some of the neighbors make a pilgrimage during hopper time, (LIKE RIGHT NOW!)
.. Buck Lake is also worth fishing for the catching. Shrimp Lake is supposedly devoid of fish but there are otters there too - go figure ? ? ? ?
.. For some reason known only to the trout the catching has been a bit harder than in recent memory. The fish are still large, (medium and small too.) The fishers are still happy to have been there. The otters are still fat and photogenic. The hoppers are hopping. The beetles are beetling and the trout are eating.
.. If you plan to lug a float tube up the hill be sure to get a boat permit for the tube. It's a park requirement and the rangers know.

.. For those of us trapped on the west side of the park the mysteries of the northeast corner hold a fascination that can only be assuaged by the expenditure of time and gasoline. A few of us trek to Cooke City and stay with friends for a long fishing weekend. Some of us camp in the wild. The affluent grab a motel and hang out: fishing hard each day. A trip up the hill is always on the schedule.
.. Closer to home, it's important to note that the Gallatin River is providing some excellent evening activity for both fish and fishers. Hoppers, ants, beetles and caddis are all active and providing entertainment for a the neighbors.
.. It's a busy time of the year for the merchants in town. High summer shopping is in full swing. The streets are crowded and the grocery stores become genuine freak shows with a cacophony of children's shrieks, carts clattering, languages sputtering, and clerks smiling through it all. It's worth viewing if you don't need the groceries.
.. We're avoiding it all and fishing a small little no name tributary of the Notellum River. We will spend the upcoming weekend enjoying the mass gathering of cartoon cars at the 44th annual West Yellowstone Rod Run.

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..

Worth A Couple Of Days

NO MADDING CROWD

The Horse Knows The Way

a truly secret fishing hole

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.. Briefly: there is no better dry fly water in all of Yellowstone National Park. It's name is not in the lexicon of "experts" whose stories start with "I fished . . . ."
.. We don't recommend it to many folks. We don't mention it too often. We're not afraid it'll be "discovered" and become too crowded - it's too far from the road. In fact just forget that we mentioned it at all.

Red = Nex Perce, Purple = General Howard

.. Adam "Horn" Miller was born in Bavaria in Oct. of 1839 and moved to St. Louis when he was a child. He came up the Missouri River in 1854 from St. Louis and settled in Emigrant Gulch as early as 1864 or 1869.
.. He prospected in Yellowstone at that time along with John Davis. He later prospected with Bart Henderson, Ed Hibbard, James Gourley, Sam Shively, Pike Moore, and Joe Brown. He discovered gold in the Cooke City area with Bart Henderson and others in 1869-70, naming their mine the Shoo Fly Mine.
.. During the next few years he helped Bart Henderson build the road from Bottler’s Ranch to Mammoth. He acted as guide for Superintendent  Norris in 1877 in the northeastern portion of the park when Norris was looking for another northern approach to the park. He again guided Norris and photographer Henry Bird Calfee in 1880 on an exploration of the Hoodoo Basin.
.. Miller was one of the scouts under Gen. Howard during the Nez Perce War of 1877. Miller also did guiding and hunting out of Cooke City. When asked if he ever killed an Indian, he replied, "I never went to see, but I shot a good many." Later on he settled down in a cabin across the Yellowstone River from Yankee Jim.
.. Miller Creek and Miller Mountain were named after him. He died in 1913. His obituary described him as a "man of sterling character, a man without enemies of any kind, it is said, and a citizen who always had a kind word for everyone." [[ REFERENCE HERE ]] Thank you Geyser Bob.

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