Coho & Salmon Politics - Inside View

Here's The Story Behind The Story Of The Klamath River Salmon Kill
This Whistleblower Deserves Praise
it's hard to be an inquiring mind

.. The plan goes back to 2002. It came to a head in 2005 -2006 and was "resolved." There is a note at THE UNDERCOVER ACTIVIST about the NOAA fisheries employee that finally 'went public.'
.. It's worth a look to see just how this administration, and a Carl Rove PowerPoint presentation killed these and many more fish.

Just Another Day In Paradise

LOW FLOWS AND GOOD HATCHES
Some Reports Are Glowing
Gibbon & Firehole Hit Record Low Flows
90 days of low precipitation forecast

.. The Caddis Flies are bailing out of the Madison River and Firehole River in record numbers. The hatches of multiple species start about 11:00 AM and continue until dark, (later?) There are reports of trout to 20" at the Barns Holes, and many of the neighbors report that the Mountain Whitefish seem to be less cooperative and fewer than recent memory recalls.
.. Yesterday the Gibbon River hit an "all-time" record low flow of 93 cfs. The temperature for the same period spiked to 73 degrees Fahrenheit. This may not seem too significant in light of fact that only five years of data are available.
.. On the other hand, with 16 years of data to view, the Firehole River also hit a record low flow of 256 cfs, and spiked to 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
.. Not to be out done, the Madison River near West Yellowstone is within 20 cfs of a record low flow of 317 cfs; a number not seen since 1931, (can you say dust bowl?)
.. This is data that is more like late July and early August than mid June. The neighbors wonder just how long the good fishing will last, and if this is the year that the NPS will close these two rivers to fishing. Only time will tell.
.. The NOAA 7-day forecast shows just a slight cooling trend and a minimal chance of significant precipitation. Severe weather and thunderstorms are forecast for the next week. The fish are going to have to endure some very high stress conditions as this season progresses.
.. NOAA produces an Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service for Yellowstone National Park. The picture for the foreseeable future does not bode well for the rivers in the park. The three month precipitation outlook is for a 33% - 40% lower than average precipitation.
.. Right now is the time to fish the plunge pool below Gibbon Falls. There is little water, the holes are apparent, and the fish are concentrated. It's a gentle walk and the spray will keep you cool. It's possible to take Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, and Brook Trout from this location. We've heard of Grayling here but have not verified it. Maybe today; right after the biscuits and gravy.

Big Water Getting Skinny

FROM REYNOLDS PASS TO ENNIS - TOUGH ON BOATS!
Big Bugs At Ennis - Moving Upstream
traffic jams predicted

.. Just over the hill and down the road from West Yellowstone is Ennis, Montana. Situated in the heart of the 'big-water' Madison River country. The fishing is good and getting better. The water is low and getting lower. The Salmon Flies are beating down the doors of the Madison River Fishing Company (REPORT,) and be sure to check out the photo gallery. Floating will soon be uber-glorious and crowded.

.. The dry-land trout are eating barbed wire staples and loving it. The Madison River is now approaching historic lows, and fish are concentrated in the obvious, (and only places,) for fishing. The legends are already building and if you want to fish the BIG WATER - get here now. "You Should'a Been Here This Year."
.. Call any fly shop listed in the sidebar for a report and boat reservations. Hard as it is to believe; the guides' schedules are filling up, word has spread rapidly, and we're running out of boats.
.. The Gibbon River meadows are perfect! The grass is green, the elk are munching, the bison are snorting, and the bears dot the edges like too many zombies.
.. BE VERY CAREFUL! Carry the giant sized bear spray canister - not the cute one that you hang from a lanyard on your vest! An keep it handy, not in your pack.
.. The afternoon and evening are best right now. Look for frequent sparse hatches and solitary fish in the shadows at the edge of bright water. Sneaking will be rewarded with fish to 18". Small, (16 - 20,) sparkle duns and sparkle caddis will coax even the most shy trout - if you're patient. We saw one lonely Brown Drake among a sparse hatch of Pale Evening Duns. 16 -20 for the little guys, 12-14 for the big browns. We stuck with our favorite Hare's Ear and did just fine - floated it for two blissful, mosquito-free, hours. Don't catch 'em all.
.. The Campground Pool is getting slammed by visitors, as is the stretch around Virginia Cascade. So far, interestingly, the fishing remains worse than the catching. These little Brookies really enjoy visitors - no Grayling yet.
.. Don't forget to stop in the Canyon Section for some rapid-fire action on nymphs. The low water leaves little to the imagination when looking for holding areas. Walk softly as the clanking boulders will ruin your chances for a great bit of fishing, (Prince Nymphs and Montana Dusters in 12 - 16 should be all you need.)
.. Keep your casts short and the sun over your shoulder this is trickier than it seems. Below the falls the Gibbon River will deliver good fish to Humpy's and Trudes, and about any other attractor of the correct size. Don't pound a single stretch, this section demands a bit of exploring - with your bear spray at hand.
.. Nez Perce Creek participates in the stonefly emergence at, and about, the bridge-ford waters. It's a bit of a walk, but it's gentle and beautiful. BEAR SPRAY NEEDED HERE TOO.
.. Excellent rumors have reached our ears about Soda Butte Creek, and the Gallatin River. Both report good numbers of fish conversing with soft hackle fisher folks. We'll check it out as soon as we have a chat with our annual Grayling.
.. Better than a rumor is the documented flights of stoneflies invading the Gardiner River at the north boundary of the park. Dusty, full of traffic, and a bit of glorious fishing await the persistent fisher in this section. Low water is making it's presence felt up there too; hurry. Call Parks' Fly Shop for first hand information - say hi for us.
.. We're off to some small water where we can visit with the fish.

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Web Note: Arrick's Fly Shop Fishing Report has a new URL: http://www.arricks.com/fishingreport/index.php

Caddis Gone Wild

IT COULDN'T HAPPEN TO A NICER RIVER
The Bugs Are Too Thick
Bring Your Ear Plugs
bring your nose plugs too

.. The caddis fly hatches on the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park are thick, prolific, varied, and nearly perpetual. These hatches are combined with PMD's, Golden Stone Flies, Baetis, (on the perfectly dreary overcast afternoons,) and mosquitoes - but not many yet. Fishing to surface fish can be an all day affair if you're lucky enough to be in the right place at the right times. If not, don't worry, just about any subsurface fly will work when there are no dimples to be seen.
.. The down side is that the water is running out at a rapid clip, and unless we get some persistent rain showers, catching will turn to fishing on the west side of the park in a matter of a few short weeks.
.. The Madison River near West Yellowstone is now flowing below 400 cfs when it should be at 800 cfs. At Cameron, Montana it's just above 500 cfs when it should be around 1,700 cfs.
.. THAT'S way too low. It's so low that the bar at Palisades is causing a traffic jam as guides push and pull their boats full of sports through the shallow water. It's so low that guides are limiting their total passenger weight to less than 250 pounds for two scantily clad fishers - they prefer blonds. It's so low that the trout are swimming on their backs with snorkels. It's so low that the Montana Department of Transportation is thinking of paving it. It's so low that . . . well, you get it.
.. The Firehole River is in just as bad a condition. Currently it's flowing at 250 cfs when it should be around 500 cfs. And the Gibbon River at Madison Junction is below 100 cfs when it should be at least twice that. Both rivers are approaching all time lows.
.. Right now this is not all bad for the fisher folks. Fish are eating hungrily, bugs are erupting like popcorn, and the fishers are growing egos the size of mature tarpon with their new found fly fishing prowess.
.. It's hard to tell if the fishing stories or the river stories are the most greatly exaggerated - but both are growing in size and legend as we speak.
.. It's Friday morning and time for the biscuits and gravy - then we're going to the park before it dries up and blows away. Report tonight or tomorrow - get here quick.

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NPS PICTURES OF SOME AQUATIC INSECTS, (see page 3 & 4 for caddis.)
Blue Ribbon Flies River Report
Bud Lilly's River Report
Madison River Outfitters River Report

Quick! McGuane In Paperback

.. Brief Review: NEW WEST
.. Brief Bio: NNDB
.. Brief Quote:From New West.

Both the man and his girlfriend Louise have years of relationship wreckage behind them, but he has become "so powerfully attached to her it made [him] uncomfortable that she wasn't interested in discussing our mutual future."



Louise is a water rights lawyer, and along the journey she remarks, "According to the law, water has no reality except its use. In Montana, water isn't even wet. Every time some misguided soul suggests that fish need it, it ends up in the state supreme court."



The man is newly prosperous because he had "caught the upswing in our local economy: cars, storage, tool rental, and mortgage discounting." Traffic jams and bad drivers plague their trip as they pass through places such as West Yellowstone, which "seemed entirely given over to the well-being of the snowmobile."

Sunny Now, Weather Coming

IT'S JUST TOO NICE
Bugs Awaiting Clouds - Fisher Folks Too
small waters - not too big a secret

.. The recent change to 'Touron Weather' has brought many visitors and fewer bugs in the mornings. Happily, June is forecast to return in a day or two. Leave now and you'll be here in time for the renewed unsettled weather - the weekend looks horrendous, - that's best. Here's the forecast:

Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Southwest wind between 6 and 10 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. South southwest wind between 6 and 9 mph. Thursday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 68. Calm wind becoming southwest between 12 and 15 mph. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. West southwest wind between 11 and 14 mph becoming light. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming south southwest between 10 and 13 mph. Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. Saturday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 76. Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a high near 67. Sunday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Monday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 63. Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. Tuesday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 71.

.. The local waters are in just about perfect shape, don't wait. Flows continue to dwindle and the clarity of many streams is making the fishing seem like mid summer.
.. The Firehole River is chugging along at about 250 cfs, that's 1/2 of it's seasonal average of 500 cfs.
.. The Gibbon River at it's junction with the Firehole is approaching 100 cfs and is warning rapidly, it should be above 250 cfs.
.. The Madison River near West Yellowstone is only going at about 400 cfs and is clear like we've not seen it in a long time.
.. Even Soda Butte Creek is 150 cfs below its seasonal average. This looks bleak.
.. The current weather favors the Caddis fisher, however the "little-bits" of water are producing beyond their normal expectations.
.. The upper Firehole River, along the Lone Star Geyser Trail is showing good hatches of PMD's, and the late afternoon and evening are just a blessing for the Caddis fisher - few elbows and many eager fish. Don't expect lunkers here, but the fish are still hungry and willing. Toss some soft hackles for a pleasant few hours.
.. Nez Perce Creek showed a little color yesterday in response to some showers around Mary Mountain. Nymphs of the larger variety still produced fish in the Hotel Run, (sizes 10 - 14 Prince, Hare's Ear, and PT's all gathered up some good fish.)
.. The upper Gibbon River meadows are just about dry and crawling on your knees is less of a chore. The large meanders in the meadows are holding some nice 14" fish and they seem to be a bit less selective than their usual finicky selves. This is excellent "stalk and pounce" water, and even better if you find a hatch. Right now there are some fish rising to debris in the seams and under the banks. The thin water by the Norris Campground and the Campground Pool have an abundance of Brook Trout. An Elk Hair Caddis in size 14 - 16 will bring these little twinkler's up with satisfying regularity. The canyon section of the Gibbon River has drawn quite a few early anglers because of the golden stone hatch. This should poop out during the next 10 days or so, but right now the nymphs are attracting fish in numbers to keep quite a few anglers happy. This is the perfect time to drag out your favorite big nymph. Of course we like the Montana Duster, but others work as well in this roiling river.
.. Get to Obsidian Creek before everyone else and you will find some beautiful meadows and gorgeous scenery and few fishers. It's still just a bit cold; but clear and fishing well. Free-rising Brook Trout and nymphing galore await you for just about anytime of day. The walk in is gentle and even old legs can accomplish it.
.. The neighbors are beginning to look north to avoid the crowds on the glory waters. Both Grayling Creek and the Gallatin River are beginning to show activity with the warm spell of the last couple of days. Grayling Creek is about to revert to it's nursery status, but should hold decent fish for the next two weeks.
.. There are some suspicious reports that Soda Butte Creek has cleared early. It's a long drive from West Yellowstone, check with Park's Fly Shop for the real skinny.
.. Will VHS be the next whirling disease to hit the west? You can find out about this pathogen at Protect Your Waters. The acute version seems to be triggered when fish are under stress and congregating. This is the condition that faces Yellowstone Waters if no significant rain arrives. It's a long way to Minnesota, but these things can appear in your neighborhood before you know it.
.. Gristmill sparks a lively discussion about the other side of invasive species. The choices are ours and we are molding the environment with or without thought. Interesting reading; and the opinions expressed will affect your home water in the not too distant future.

GLORIOUS GIFT

MONTANA RESIDENTS GET SMITH RIVER ACCESS

.. It's not Yellowstone but it's great fishing. New West scribe Matthew Frank lets us know that Dennis Washington will donate 240 acres of Smith River land to the State of Montana.
.. This is a stream dear to our hearts and more access is a good thing.
..The Smith River is the only river in Montana that requires permits for public and private use of the river. Smith River permits are highly coveted. For the 2007 season, 5,012 people applied for permits, and the department issued 844 permits. Last year, 4,736 individuals floated the river, including both private and outfitted floaters.
LEARN MORE:
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
- Helena Independent Record
- BIG SKY FISHING
- Moldy Chum
- Smith River Fly Fishing