yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park is a magic place. I hold it in awe for its geysers, animals, rivers, lakes, and FISH. One summer when I could take time off, (97) I took a week off and camped in my van through Idaho, Montana, and the Park. I fished every day, for a week. I fished till I dropped... and then had something to eat... and fished some more. I got to drop twice in one day! Needless to say I was exhausted by dark and slept from dark till dawn. What a life style change it was! I loved it. Here is a brief recounting of some of the waters I fished. Mixed in are some photos from other times we have been there as well, including 2007.



Above Fall foliage... Maple and Aspen on upper S. Fork Snake	Tetons, Buffalo in Yellowstone Park, Elk at Morris Junction

S. Fork of the Snake, Moose on Prairie Teton Valley, and Lewis Falls	Yellowstone Park geysers/ steam vents.
	From a 2007 trip with Judy into Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington.
Shots of Tetons from Jackson Valley

I first hit the water in Montana at Rock Creek. It is a great smaller river with lots of willing fish under 12 inches, especially interested in my Caddis dry's at dusk. The fish I caught were a type of Native Cutthroat called West Slope Cutthroat. They are not the same Cutts that are in the park. It is a beautiful trout, but of course I find all trout beautiful!

I fished my way into the park via the Gallatin and Madison. But, I had Slough Creek in mind. I had tried to fish it the summer before, but the parking lots were full and the family was not ready to hike and it never happened. It had taken me a year to get back there ready to explore these famous waters. I have read about this creek for years. It has a sort of mystique about it. I found... it is deserved.

I hiked up to the first meadow at Slough Creek. The hike was wonderful. Rich with Sage and Aspen and that indescribable Yellowstone essence.

Above is a groove of Aspen along the trail to the first meadow at Slough Creek. Also, the cabins on the First meadow. You can see the slow meandering water that is typical of Slough Creek in the first meadow. In spite of many fishermen, I managed to find sections of water I could have to myself. It is another long walk to the second meadow, and I'm sure, fewer fishermen.

It has large Cutthroat that cruse, and feed very selectively. It is also, potentially, a very frustrating place to fish. The water is slow, and the fish have all the time in the world to examine your offering, and they do. Often, an 18 inch fish would confidently come over to my fly, drift in the current right under it, within inches, and turn away, sure of what it was, and that he didn't want it. I managed to catch 3 in an hour or so, but it was with all my skill shinning. Each of these fish had scars from being caught before. They are wary with reason.

There was no obvious hatch, and they would not even look at something if it wasn't what they wanted. I mean, no effect. Sunken emergers seemed to make them at least swing over to take the closer look. More times than not, they refused it also. Now and then one would go ahead and take it, or something similar. I wanted more hours to explore what they would move to but... I have read books about later in the fall, when Hopper patterns work very well. I see why. The meadows are huge and the hoppers must be abundant during that time of year. Imagine fishing those Meadows with big dry Hopper patterns, with big native Cutthroat smashing hoppers all round, and Elk bugling in the distance! That is a fantasy that gets my attention!

Later in the day I found a pod feeding on the surface and taking tiny gray Chronimids. I had to cut down my size 16's to fool one. I don't usually tie flies on stream, but apply the scissors liberally when a pattern isn't quite right. I then tie at night for the next day. I have stopped tying on hooks smaller than a size 16. The times I really need a smaller fly, I cut one down. I like the larger hook that the 16 provides. 18's, 20's and 24's are a game for someone else. I also don't use any tippet smaller than 6x or about 4lb. I am confident I can overcome any leader shy fish with casting correctly, reading the water well, and presenting the fly exactly. If not then I go somewhere where I can. I'm happy fishing, not setting myself up with frustrating situations.

The native fish in Yellowstone Lake are being threatened by illegally planted Lake Trout. The person responsible for that should be used for bait. It would be his/her just reward.

These big Cutthroats cruse the shoreline in mid summer looking for hatching Mayflies and Caddis. It seems to take a few weeks to get them fattened up. The first few weeks of June seem to produce very skinny fish. That is also evidence regarding how hard it is to live through a winter in Yellowstone Lake. With the additional competition from the Lake Trout the future of the Yellowstone Cutts is in question.

Fishing for these Cutthroats can be easy if you are in the right place at the right time. Since they are opportunistic feeders, cruising a section of shore line, it's possible to stand in one place and watch a string of fish slowly coming toward you. (Polarized glasses sometimes a necessity to see the fish). They work their way along feeding on anything that is available to them. A dry fly of nearly any variety will produce a take, if you are patient enough to not take the fly from the fish, before it has actually closed it's mouth on the fly, and turned down. Then is when you set the hook. As a young boy fishing for cruising trout in the high lakes of Colorado, I took the fly from the closing jaws of many fish, a half of a second too soon. The fish usually looks around as if to say, "now where did that go?"

Please release what you catch or follow the Park regulations exactly, if you fish Yellowstone Lake and are successful. I want my Grandchildren to be able to see these fishes someday.

A half hours drive toward Jackson Hole from Yellowstone Lake is another lake named Lewis Lake. It was planted with browns years ago. (for better or worse)

One day I stopped on a whim, to explore it. I didn't expect much because the wind was blowing so hard; not an unusual occurrence by the way. The wind waves were white capping now and then. But I kept noticing a mayfly coming off the water and being swept off parallel to the surface. I cast a few times and I saw a swirl near my fly and realized I had feeding fish trying to chase down hatching Mayflies in a white cap situation! I had never seen that exact situation before. Browns feeling brave because of the choppy water conditions, chasing an afternoon hatch of mayflies very aggressively. They were taking the emergers because they couldn't catch the hatched Mayfly because the wind took them off the water immediately.

I only managed to catch one that afternoon, because we had to move on, but the experience stayed with me for a whole year until I could get back there the next summer with my pontoon boat.

This is the epitome of beautiful water, in a beautiful location. I can't describe to you the esthetics I experience there. Awe is the best word, defined as, "a high volume of reverence, wonder and admiration." I would fish for a while from my pontoon boat, then get out on the far shore and luxuriate in the greens of the shoreline meadows with Alpine flowers and trees of that high altitude. Nesting shore birds were luring me from their homes with acts of injury.

It didn't work with me of course... I followed back to the nest for a picture, but left quickly so she could get back on the eggs. It was cold and raining even in the middle of June due to the daily afternoon thunderstorms.

I tell you this place is magic. I am ever so grateful that the millions of Park visitors don't seem to realize they can leave the roads and trails. If everyone did, the park regulations would have to be very much tighter. It is possible to be in a total wilderness setting, only a mile from the main Park road. If you do get off the roads, use your head and tread lightly, follow all Park regulations to the letter, and give the animals plenty of room. Use your camera lens to get close, not your body. And stay alert!

The Park has "wild" animals of note. I once fished along the shore of the Madison, in the Park, at dawn next to two huge bull elk still on their beds from the night before. They were magnificent in their regal poses. Proud is not quite the right word for it. They are just supremely confident in their beingness. They are what they are, with no worries or introversion about it, unlike humans, who have so much inward looking, wasted energy, as to paralyze some. I was honored to share a stream with them. They filled me with the sense of connectedness to all living things. Spiritual experience? You bet!

This cow elk was feeding by the road, and as long as we in the cars, didn't get too close she went right on. All within 20 feet of us. This is typical of Yellowstone's "wild life." When I first visited the park as a youngster in the 50's and 60's, the bears did the same, but much more aggressively. They were being fed from car windows!

This Park is a vital place for humans to see a natural environment, with it's natural citizens in place... being and doing what they are and do, at least somewhat naturally. I think letting a Kid from New York City (or any major city) watch an Elk or Buffalo graze, even for just a few minuets, is incredibly valuable to us as a race. The human population runs the risk of being so isolated from the real environment, they don't understand at all what is involved. That lack of reality makes decision making very risky, off in the future somewhere. Someone who has been raised in, and has an affinity for, concrete buildings, needs to realize there is more to life than concrete. Their decision making about how to run their environment is going to be flawed without the knowledge of what is "really" natural. I therefore, am ever so grateful there is a place within our country where people can go so see the Rocky Mountain natural setting up close and personal.

I would like to see a similar park system for the Deserts of the Southwest, Prairie Lands of the Dakota's, the Swamps of the Everglades, etc. The difficulty seems to be getting enough land, and acclimating the animals and wildlife to the pressure of being in a virtual fish bowl. It is in a funny way not very natural really, but is the best we have left. Using it wisely means letting it be exactly what it is, with no altering allowed.

Coyotes and Deer are also relatively easy to see in the natural setting in the Park. Coyotes are harder to get close to, and I felt privileged to get the shot above and I like the feel of it. Coyotes are secretive and rely on stealth to make a living.

(Below) These Moose in the meadows of the Grand Teton are actually out side the park but this whole area is similar with the animals accustomed to the tourists.

For more information of Yellowstone National Park use the link Yellowstone Park Net Yellowstone National Park Information

Copyright 1998 - 2008. Larry Bruning. All rights reserved. All pictures and text in this site are the property of Larry Bruning. You may not use the pictures or text, for any purpose except your own viewing pleasure, without written permission from me.






	Both Grand Geyser and Old faithful are quite important features of the mystic of the Park. One couldn't try to describe Yellowstone National Park without speaking of the volcanic geysers that are popping up all across the many square miles of land. Some even erupt into the rivers where one can fish next to a boiling cauldron of sulfur smelling water. That is the essence of Yellowstone.