'Stone in Spring

After a cold spell of last week, it's back to spring-ish again. Regardless of warm or cold, spring fishing has been going WELL, as I've been reporting.
Yesterday, I took a little break from DePuy's Spring Creek (www.depuyspringcreek.com) and hit a section of Yellowstone River with my friend Jordie. It's true that DePuy's (and other private spring creeks) is close to me and I appreciate some seclusion. But I know there are lots of things going on in "'Stone" too. I just can't be and fish at two places. Descriptions and personal stories for Yellowstone River has to be done some other opportunities. There are many a visiting anglers who would imagine a big river like 'Stone gotta be fished with streamers and nymphs. That's not wrong and fishing method is totally up to the angler. However, let me remind you one thing for now, Yellowstone River holds numerous aquatic insects and fishing hatches can be as fun as at spring creeks, sometimes more complicated than creeks!!
"If you can learn to read the waters of Yellowstone River and consistently take trout, you can travel the world and consistently be a successful fly angler" - Don Williams, 1976

Let's review if we were successful or even close.
Over all, it was such a beautiful day with NO WINDS!! We started with nymphs first and took many a whitefish. Healthy population of strong whitefish tells me rivers is as clean and healthy as when Lewis & Clark Expedition had traveled through!!

Just a few of effective nymph patterns.

My own Purple Nymphaze.

My own B.P.C. (Bead. Pheasant. Copper.).

Minch Stone, learned from Parks' Fly Shop, is now my most favorite stonefly nymph pattern!!

We were successfully and consistently catching fish. Then we noticed rings of rises here and there.... Midges were hatching and fish started to rise a bit after 11PM. It was a tremendous hatch!! We thought all midges in the river would be hatching!! (that's exaggerating.....) Our waders were covered like this.

I conducted a "pump" with one of first few catches.

Look!! Pupal shuck, emerger with shuck, and adult were present at the same time!!

I caught a nice rainbow!! Photo was taken by Jordie with his techy camera. Check out his photo-shop website (http://www.jordanbrodiephotography.com/). Do I look better than my usual self-timered pic!?

Although realistic patterns (that I may use at spring creeks) were OK, small yet visible attactors worked better for both us and trout.
Micro Wulff Cripple.

Purple Haze Cripple

We kept catching fish. Suddenly Jordie's rod was bend hard by something BIG!! I took this pic quickly and personally like it as it has everything: Angler, rod bent by big trout, Absorkee Range with snow-cap, lower range grass not green yet, and, not to mention, Yellowstone River!!

After some tug-of-wars, finally Jordie brought it in!!

It was a beautiful and healthy Yellowstone Cutthroat!!

We ended up fishing till the sun was about to set. We hit only a short stretch but it kept us busy all day. Then again, it was such a gorgeous spring day. My body was happily sore from wading heavy currents and walking on rocks (different from creeks!!).
I'll be hitting 'Stone soon again!!