THE MONEY CHASE

ONLY IN MONTANA ? ?

Buy A Candidate Is Now Legal

add your two cents worth

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.. Just a brief note to let you know that you can now buy a political candidate at any level in Montana. This may - OR - may not, be your opportunity to influence politics: like stream access.
==> It's really free speech
==> Analysis
.. The wacky world of avant guard jurisprudence and politics continues under the big sky.
.. We're poor so we're going fishing while we still can

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Short - n - Sweet

WEATHER COOLING

Snow A Possibility

fish on a rampage

A combined 50 years experience guiding on the Madison River - and still a discussion about the correct fly.

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.. As the temperatures return to the "SLEEPING WEATHER" range the fish are cavorting in all the usual, (and a few unusual,) places.
.. Go to the Northeast Corner of Yellowstone National Park for challenging fishing and rewarding catching. Slough Creek is low, aquatic bugs are intermittent, ants and beetles will prick a fish - BUT - there is no sloppiness tolerated. Soda Butte Creek is even lower and slower. The Lamar River, when clear, is providing some excellent catching in the still, & dark waters of the canyon and below the confluence with Cache Creek. Lucky fishers will bump into BWO's and Drakes, otherwise keep digging in your terrestrial and attractor boxes. Big nymphs and soft hackles should be available too.

Here; fishy, fishy, fishy.

.. The glorious colors of wild Brook Trout can be found on the willing fish of Obsidian Creek, the upper Firehole River, and the small waters of the Gibbon River above Norris Campground. Your favorite attractor should match the colors of the fish - catch as catch can!
.. Up on the park section of the Gallatin River there are still fish to dance with. The water is low and slow but the recent rains have finally added some substance to the flows.
.. This means additional terrestrial bits of chow as well as the occasional BWO hatch.

Bite Me.

.. The Madison River is providing a lot of exercise for fishers right now. The runners have dispersed themselves throughout the system and may be encountered just about anywhere. The further upstream you go the less dense the population, (with a couple of notable exceptions.)
.. Displaced resident fish are eagerly eating Prince Nymphs, Soft Hackles, and Shop Vacs. Stiff hackles and drowned and mashed caddis flies will also gather in the residents.
.. It's hardly fashionable to fish with patterns from the distant past. We do it because we're a bit of a slow learner.

Well Aged Meat

.. Several of the neighbors, (ourselves included,) have recently taken some good sized Brown trout on giant nymphs of the obsolete variety, and some wet flies. Shame on us!
.. The Casual Dress, Lead Wing - WET, and Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear - WET, are producing nicely for the retarded geriatric set.
.. It's a strange feeling to discuss these flies with visitors of the seasonal sort. They have read the books and bought the flies from the finest feather merchants across the land.

Silly Looking Fly

..They are here to participate in the Fall Frenzy. They never heard of the dumpy flies we use. Catalogs and seasonal counter clerks will out!
.. The Queen Of The West Side rivers is doing her finest right now.
.. The fall fishing and catching on the Firehole River has been,  (not to put too fine of a point on it,) SPECTACULAR.
.. Autumn weather has graced us with cooler days, intermittent rain showers, clouds to moderate the bright sun, and predictable bugs. White Miller Caddis are the staple with a smattering of BWO's, (or something similar.) The fish are perky. They are alert. They are plentiful.
.. Recruitment over the past few gentle winters has produced a pretty dense population of fish in the 10" - 14" range. A few monsters still live under the grass-draped banks just north of the parking lot in Biscuit Basin. Your footfalls will be heard if you go galumphing through these meadows.
.. By all means get here yesterday. There is a forecasted possibility of snow and blustery weather in the upcoming days and weeks. The cold and wet weather brings out the best in our west side rivers. Miss it at your peril. Have you reserved your room? The town has been full the last 5 days.

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Fish Here Only If You Know The Bears On A First Name Basis

Gallatin View

GREAT FUN

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Elsewhere

DENALI LIGHTS - WOW

Glacier Gets It Together

just a bit of a pause

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.. Just think of the electrons involved in that video. Do we really need lead-lined underwear?

.. Will Yellowstone National Park ever ignore commercial interests in favor of the preservation of native fish? Glacier National Park is!

LINK

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Anomolies

WRONG TIME AND PLACE

Wrong Bugs, Wrong Fish

what's a fisher to do ??

SIZE 20, 22, 24 - THAT'S SMALL !!!

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.. It happens. Experts may have a fancy explanation. The fish figure it out very quickly. Fishers often remain befuddled. We got lucky.
.. Early morning is not our favorite time. The Firehole River and the Madison River have their compensations at this time of day. They are quiet, there are elk and otters, bears and moose, - AND - no tour buses.
.. We weren't expecting the damn fish to ignore the early caddis hatch. We weren't expecting to have to strain the peepers to get flies on the tippet. We weren't expecting an explosion of Tricos to clog our ears. But it happened.

.. Why would any self respecting trout ignore the perfect glut of caddis and BWO's? Why, given the smorgasbord of yummy morsels so dense that even we could see them, would they be sipping daintily on flies so small that they looked like dust in a maelstrom?
.. When we finally figured it out there were tourists of the "Granny Set" chugging around the pull-outs. We had to hike back to the vehicle and grab the miniscule box of microscopic flies.
.. Happily there were several flies that still had tippet tied to them by the kind and indulgent neighbor kids. We left the car. Galumphed back to the water. And wonder of wonders caught a 12" brook trout in a place that is currently being fished for 22" Brown Trout. That may just be better than a monster Brown! We'll take it.
.. Took a nap at noon and dreamt about spots of a different color.

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P.S. A skosh more rain. Rivers up. Color in some. Big fish racing upstream with new flows. Sky becoming leaden. No snow below 7,000' asl. Get on the rivers now.

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Grab The Groceries

BRIEF FRESHETTE IN RIVERS

Big Fish Bail Out Of Holes

estuary fish smell the bordellos

TIME FOR THE HEAVY ARTILLERY 

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.. Last night's gentle rain was scattered, mostly, throughout the Madison River drainage. It was just measurable in some areas and up to 2" in others. It was enough to raise the river level by as much as 10" or more and cool the flows to fish-stimulating temperatures.

SIZE 20 MADISON MAULER - DEADLY

.. Discharge on the Madison River near West Yellowstone increased by a meager  45 cfs. That is, however, enough to carry the enticing aromas of the river to the estuaries of Hebgen Reservoir.
.. There was a bit less rain in the upper Gallatin River drainage. The exposed point bars and segmented pools should continue to act as little hoosegows for the migrants - until a significant bit of rain bumps them out of their stupor.
.. Resident fish in both drainages have been displaced by the runners and migrants.
.. They are scattered in secondary hides throughout both systems. They are eating small scraps of fluff, anything that looks like a White Miller Caddis, or sundry nymphs of miniscule proportions and even little twigs.

TONE ON TONE AND SPOTS ON SPOTS

.. Some of these displaced residents, (in both drainages,) are up to 18" and surprisingly feisty right now, (is this displacement behavior?)
.. What ever the reason, and whatever the situation it's a good time for catching.
.. Big fish on little flies, giant fish on enormous flies, all fish on caddis of some sort - OR - a size 8 Parachute Adams, (brown variant if you have one.)
.. Over the weekend we observed one hole on the Gallatin River and one on the Madison River where it was difficult to see the cobbles of the river bed for the density of fish.
.. This is about to change. Yes they were, indeed, stacked in there like cord wood. They won't be there tomorrow.
.. There are many techniques for taking the runners and migrants. There is one constant that seems to hold true: HIT THEM IN THE NOSE!! This means moving and casting to cover lots of water. It means exercise and more exercise. It does not mean planting your duff in one spot and flailing the water to a froth - although we see it done this way each time we visit the rivers.
.. We hope the air clears. We hope the fires diminish. We hope there is a good crop of runners. We hope that everyone that wants one - gets one, (or a dozen.)
.. We've been lucky. Our quota has been filled. Perhaps by the coming weekend they will be up by Gibbon Falls and there will be a bright overcast afternoon. It's an annual event for the neighbors. Maybe we'll catch a few more.

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LOW WATER - CRAMPED QUARTERS - SMOKE - COLORS - BIG FISH

Sands Of Time

THE CLOCK IS TICKING

Hoppers Diminishing

hormones in ascendancy

RIFFLE & RUN  -- OR -- RIFFLE & POOL?

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.. First there needs to be a bit of "Air Clearing." There are big fish in almost all of the waters of Yellowstone National Park. It happens. Accept it. This is the time of year when hormones and instincts trump simple conventional wisedom.
.. If a large, (for the neighborhood,) trout is 22" or more, then there was a large trout, (two actually,) taken at the confluence of the Gibbon River and Solfatara Creek . . .  TRUE!
.. There have been several very large fish taken near the confluence of the Gallatin River and Specimen Creek. A couple of giant fish have been taken in the very thin water of Bacon Rind Creek. just west of the highway, (bet you drove right past them.) Of course there have been bucket-loads of large fish taken in the park-line-pools at Bakers Hole on the Madison River.

.. The simple fact is that mature trout migrate instinctively upstream to gravels suitable for spawning. That's going on right now and the surprises are wondrous to behold.
.. Recent fishing along the park reaches of the Gallatin River has been delightful, (save for the smoke in the air and air temperatures in the low 80's.) There are still some hoppers and spruce moths and beetles and flying ants attempting to swim in the river.

.. Fall catching on the Gallatin River is enhanced by finding the optimum conjunction of terrestrial and aquatic circumstances. No giant insight here.
.. The most successful neighbors count at least five factors that must come together in very extremely close proximity for optimum catching: Sagebrush Flats, Willow Bottoms, Lodgepole Pines, Riffles punctuated by Dark Water Pools, and Undercut Banks. The diversity and availability of foodstuffs in these areas accounts for both trout and bear density. Keep that in mind!
.. The weather is often less of a factor than conventional wisdom would dictate. Right now we're in a similar weather pattern that we experienced two years ago when temperatures of 85°F were seen in October. It could happen again.

.. Fish are still migrating and spawning. Photoperiod and water temperature are key triggers for the current sort of sexual shenanigans that the trout are enjoying.
.. The near-term weather forecast calls for unseasonably warm and dry periods for up to the next two weeks.
.. Evenings, of late, have been in the 20's but promise to rise into the 40's. Some clouds and some widely scattered showers may grace parts of the neighborhood but they will not significantly alter the trend - or the trout and bear behavior. Keep in mind that the berry crop is low and the bruins are ranging widely.

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