Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Sunday Part 2 - Firehole, Caddis, & Soft-Hackle

Just around noon when I was fishing Madison, it became very windy like Livingston. I moved to Firehole River. "Fountain Flats" was completely open but somewhat unhappy to be standing in the middle of gust without any protective structures. I saw only several anglers along the way to my favorite and probably the most technical spot "Muleshoe Bend". There was no fisherman at where I intended to fish but........it was occupied by a group of buffaloes. Hence, some wildlife watchers at the parking too.

HINT: I'm not insane by getting close like this. You see they are top of cutbanks, which essentially work and look like "cattle guards" in any Western ranches. These animal can see it's steep and don't know how high or deep it can be. So, unless they were chased by a pack of wolf or a group of horseback riders, they don't bother to get off steep cutbanks to charge me. Remember I'm cattle breeder and scientist? These buffaloes and domestic cattle developed from the same ancestral root.


I did see occasional rises that I can strongly guess for caddis. But due to the gusts, it reminded me of typical situation in Paradise Valley spring creeks = gusts blow away insect hatches. I fished for White Miller hatch and experimented my brandnew caddis soft-hackle in White Miller version.

BINGO!! Little brown took it right after dead-drifting, i.e., swinging.

Then this nice 13-inch rainbow took it while "dead-drifting under the surface". After it got wet, I didn't dry it on purpose. Trailing behind visible adult pattern, I can see it's taken while "dead-drifting subsurface"!!

Again nice big rainbow for Firehole!!

So I did enjoy both Madison and Firehole in a single day.
I will be out of Montana till the end of month. Before guide season really kicks off, I've got a breeding job in Kansas. If I ever post a new one from the road, my blog title may become Plains, Highways, & Cows..........Maybe see you somewhere along the highway!!

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