YNP Dawn Treaders 2017

It's that time of year. A section of Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park, below Yellowstone Lake to above Falls has been opened for fishing on July 15th. I've been trying to make it there in between my guide schedules to meet the Native and feel & learn the history & legacy. This section has been one of reasons and destinations that my YNP Dawn Treader series was born. In addition, from this year, I have a lovely companion who goes anywhere with me, hence it's become "plural" from now on😊.

However, just like anything else in life, sometimes things wouldn't turn out as we plan or expect😐. On July 17th,  we fished a couple of promising spots/sections and encountered short yet very doable pods of hatches and rises but it wasn't our day😒😕.

Not much to report except the prolific insect hatches, which is the most known and discussed subject of this section. There were several different species of insects flying and number of each species was tremendous😲.
Here's the list of observation.
Mayfly:
Green Drake (picture, that I believe)
Gray Drake
Western Red Quill
PMD

Caddis:
Hydropsyche (tan & gray patterns)

Stoneflies:
Giant Salmonfly
Golden Stone

It's amazing to see so many "big bugs" were flying and on the water = Green Drake and two species of stoneflies.

Then I had to feel and realize couple of my gears have been worn out pretty much at the same time😞. Long story short for each: wader, 6-wt rod, and reel.............. These notches on my reel are proud scars of endurance and hauling in so many big fish for me (up to 34-inch 25-pound King Salmon), but it will damage the line.............. Time to get retired and hung on the wall😌

We reviewed and analyzed this unproductive day of fishing (it wasn't pleasant) and discussed how we could improve.  Three days later, July 20th, we hit the road again. This time, my brain was composed and I was able to "think like fish" and we had strategies. We did "prospect" (meaning to search the likely spots with nymphs and streamers) but our focus was hatch and rise. We waited patiently. Cutthroat in this section & at this time year are totally different from other trout in further down the river (Cutt included). We have only a very short window to get to them (whatever fishing method we employ) and their behavioral patterns (or strategies for our perspective) may change every year. This time we did it right. We started to see insect hatches so I rigged dry-flies on Renee's rod. The moment we were ready, so were they. They were rising right in front of us😲. Renee made the first cast and a huge head came up on her #16 caddis dry-fly.

She worked on the fish very carefully and I netted for her😉

 Photo session was equally a careful operation.

It was 22-inch long, her record trout 😙😎🎉🎊😂

Insects hatches were tremendous again. Here I seined Green Drake spinner (right) and Red Quill (might be Gray Drake) at the same time.

By the way, I caught two 14-inch Cutt on a caddis dry-fly too😅
Then we spotted some more rises of BIIIIIIIIIIIG ones but couldn't really get to. Then weather turned out be frequent lightning plus occasional pouring rain - I wouldn't expect too many hatches & rises - so we headed out.

I believe the high water of this season is affecting Cutt's activities and contributing conundrums on our fishing (well, so was the last year = historically one of the lowest flow).
I have observed and learned from the River then gained from the unpleasant day - another classroom experience of fly-fishing.
As majority of you already know, this Lake-River section, Yellowstone Cutthroat, and, I wouldn't mind mentioning, Lake Trout have been hot topics for the past 20 years. Oftentimes it can be politic. Regardless of what's said and done by or among human being, Cutthroat still exist and fishing this section is something very special. I'd like to say, come & fish (while you can - by that I "might" imply one's physical limitations or perhaps some political moves) and meet the true native of North American trout. 

Bighorn Trip Day 2

On Sunday 20th, apparently morning was much easier and more comfortable. The day was expected to be much warmer too. We kicked off the day with hearty breakfast!

Then we checked out Cottonwood Campground, hoping to visit again, and headed to Afterbay Dam.  On this day, we decided to focus on upper 3 miles.

Strangely the morning midge hatch & rise were not as strong as the day before. Yet, once hopping back on my boat, nymphing is as productive as ever!

 Anticipating afternoon hatches, we cooked up another hearty hot lunch! That was the famous brats from Pioneer Meats and "extra beefy" chili!!

The flat..........

As in the morning, both midge and baetis hatches were not as strong as the day before. However, that can't be an excuse. There were plenty of rising trout and, again, they were some of most challenging ones I've encountered. When baetis were prevalent, I hooked two - though they didn't come to my net and camera.

Meanwhile, Renee got one!!

My boat was painted like this.............

Over all it was a great trip with lots of fun, learning, and observation.
Bighorn River is one unique and special river - location, water system, number of trout, fishing methods, and many other interesting factors.
Each angler has one's favorite method and spot or how to spend the day on the river. To me, the biggest attractions are tremendous insect hatches and when & how trout change their behavior accordingly. I'm not being technical or philosophical, nor the size or numbers of trout. It's simply the ultimate challenge for me.

Hope to get back soon - my own fishing and guided trips. If you haven't experienced Bighorn River, it's worth writing down on your bucket list..........

Pre-Season Gear Review

It's been a while that I make a blog post in the middle of week, especially after I updated two posts regarding my Bighorn Trip. However, this time, I just happen to have enough materials to make one post quickly yet thoroughly.

My gear review is based on my needs as a guide and a commercial fly-tyer. That means I care and observe small gadgets - is it practical? Reasonable? Looks like long-lasting? - that sort of professional views, if not idiosyncrasy.

I dropped by Montana Troutfitters in Bozeman. I was looking for a fly-box for the reason below. WOW! This fits my bill and purpose!

 I wanted to offer a fly box for my fly-customer, filled with my original flies that I tied for the order.

 Then this Leader Keeper (or Dropper Rig Retainer, whatever it can be called) is VERY GOOD! The moment I saw it (and its price), I had to grab it! There are a few like this on the market, that I could think of, but they tend to be expensive. I actually tried to make one for my vest pocket but I immediately replaced it. Yes, this one fits on my vest pocket just fine!!

This is not a review but a new and perhaps "accidental" acquisition.
I went to an annual FOAM Membership meeting as an outfitter last weekend (after I came back from the Bighorn). Meeting was friendly yet discussion was very professional. As a part of entertainment, we had a raffle at the end. I won two!! Both happened to be fly-lines. You know, rods and reels can last for a looooong-looong time, treated right, but lines do show ages eventually. These two are top-notch lines in the industry. Now I start to think of the best uses of these lines, including purchasing new rods and reels. Long story short, I select my gears perhaps "backward" from most anglers...... I share with you later.......

On Monday, I got back to my usual spot(s) at DePuy's Spring Creek. I will do the same. That means my regular fishing report will follow on the weekend.

Fall Deepens & New Camera

October is rolling just fine & steady so far. As I usually mention this time of year, "October is the Looongest month of the year" for me. And it historically seems lots of things can happen each year. Say, last year, I had a bad cold all through the month........yet I fished & guided all through. Also some of readers might recall "THE ONE" (no link needed). So far it's been quiet this year. Nothing wrong with that...... Let me see what's gonna happen in this October.

Right after the "Dawn Treader", I took two clients to Firehole. Fishing was excellent with aforementioned hatches. Here's a typical shot, regarding why Firehole is called "strangest river on the earth". We were fishing for afternoon baetis hatch in a pretty much spring-creek situation, surrounded by wildlife (buffalo), steams of geysers, and sightseers...........

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Some projects at DePuy's Spring Creek............hopefully more to come eventually.

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Then the last but not the least, I have just made relatively a big decision/investment for my work and life. Remember this picture from summer of 2011? It was new at that time..........

That was still in early July so this camera = TG-310 = has gone & worked through 4 abusive fishing seasons of mine!! This time I haven't broken or dropped in the river but I have had to notice it's getting tired & worn recently......... I'm not going to throw it away. It can still be ready any time!! even diving into the river with trout!!

So here comes the new comrade. It's TG-850 (click).  Over all performance is much higher and sophisticated than the predecessor. Honestly my biggest attraction was.................well, Flipping LCD Screen for my solo fishing scenes!! Guess what I did? I just set a mirror in front of it.

 Now, with the new editing software, I flipped the entire picture. Pardon my cozy (if not messy) tying bench.....

Of course it inherited the "Bobber-Floating Strap"!!!
I gotta learn many more useful and beautiful features of this new gizmo!! Especially before Winter Pass starts at DePuy's (www.depuyspringcreek.com) on October 15th!!!
Like or dislike, expect sophisticated "selfies" from now on............

Classroom of Fly-Fishing

September is often referred as the month of transition. As summer wanes, our life-styles change, including fishing......... This year, Sep is also very unpredictable!! Earlier in the month, as I posted, we had snow. Three days ago = 25th, we had almost 90F sunny day!! Now as of this typing, cold rain and wind are dominating and I'm tossing firewood to my stove!!

Anyways.............

Last week, on those two very last Summer days I had another visiting angler from Japan. I took him to DePuy's Spring Creek (www.depuyspringcreek.com). It was another classic case file of spring creek fishing, which would be somewhat too much for the first timer..........  This angler experienced two of most technical and mysterious situations on the same day!! 

Tiny midge hatches all day (click here for the past report).

Mystery Spinner falls (click here for the past report).

As the day went by, one was more prevalent than the other and then most frustratingly & challengingly, two got mixed up!! So trout looked keying on one action over the other or both!! 

To add more flavors, I observed 5 different colors of spinners (sizes were pretty much uniform = size 20 hook size)!! They were, in my note, clear abdomen, rusty, gray, dark olive, and black. Confused? If you were there or if you actually experience this in the near future, you will get confused more!! I was busy switching flies and directing the client so didn't have time to take pictures of culprits. 

I guided him till we couldn't see our flies any more yet I could still vaguely see trout rises!!

It must have been too much an initiation for him but I hope he took this experience as the lesson. 

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Next day I took him to Soda Butte Creek in Yellowstone National Park. Soda Butte and many other waters within YNP have their own characters and quirkiness. But my angler was progressed due to lessons from the previous day. He started hooking trout right off the bat!

Congrats for the first ever Yellowstone Cutthroat!

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I was again reminded the "mantra" I often quote "spring creek is the classroom of fly-fishing". That applies not only to clients but also to guides as well. Not to mention "Learning & observation will never end". I could get by the other day but now I have started to re-organize and re-stock the spinner and midge boxes. Soon Fall beatis = Fly-Fishing Supremacy is coming!!

I'm ready for it!!

Learning & Guiding

I have had a couple of great trips in which clients were willing to learn and I was able to assist them. Besides knowing good spots (or stretches), parking, and trails, guiding also contain aspects of teaching and coaching clients. I really appreciate when clients are willing to work hard with me to achieve their goals and objectives. At the end of trips, if clients are happy with their achievements, I'm happy too. As a Teaching Guide, I take the responsibility seriously. Also, at the same time, I learn things from clients and situations. It could be clients' skills: what he can do, what kind of improvement she need, that sort. Or it could be one particular spot that calls for careful water-reading and different fly presentation (including mending) from normal situation. All of these bits of experience on the water help me attain more knowledge and more methods for next trips with different clients. Hey, majority of my clients are "Righty"!! I've been working/showing how to cast with my right arm and to handle fly-line with the left!! Now I'm pretty much an accomplished ambidextrous fly caster!!

So this client wanted to catch Yellowstone Cutthroat. We hiked hard and fast and got to one of my favorite stretches. He wasn't quite new to the sport. He could've done fairly if he had come here on his own with some supply of good flies. I was able to show him how to break down a big water into pieces, how to present our flies in certain angles and different angles, etc., etc. Result was that we had constant actions all afternoon and we moved (or covered) only & barely 50 yard from where we stepped in. This Cutty was the bonus for him as well as for me. I spotted a cruising riser just along the bank. He made an excellent cast to it and set the hook perfectly. I literally felt and saw as if I was doing myself!!

Another good 'un!!

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Then I had an angler from Japan. We had discussed a couple of options about where to fish then we finally decided to visit Nelson's Spring Creek (www.nelsonsspringcreek.com).
MIDGE WAS THE PLAYER OF THE DAY!!!

Location, creek, trout, hatch, everything was brandnew experience for him!! I assisted him with casting and presentation of flies. He adjusted one by one and as he progressed, he got bites!!

GOTACH!!

Showing clients how to handle/hoist trout (especially big one like this) is important......THANK YOU for a great shot, Mr. Kitagawa!!

 Congratulation!!

In the afternoon and evening, midges were still prevalent. My client had good and exciting actions with powerful Rainbows but also I wanted him to experience hefty Browns, both of which are typical of Nelson's!!

One more & last effort at dusk...........

YAY!!!!

Size 20 midge pattern with 6X tippet........

Good work, Mr. Kitagawa!! Hope to see you next time!!
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So the "FLYZ"......... Most of my patterns in my boxes work (generic & original). But also here are two brandnew designs that have graduated "test phases" into "rosters = my fly boxes".

Pupaerger 4 (Umbrella Pupaerger)

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Fall has just begun (with some warm days left?.....maybe)!!

Slough Creek Memoir

Fall (or winter) seems progressing faster in Yellowstone Park, compared to Montana residential areas. It's glorious, period. Trees and grasses turn their colors and many wildlife are moving down the hill.
Fishing requires some adjustments and observation too. Trout can be susceptible to many changes: water temperature, warmer time of the day, insect hatches, terrestrial activities, list goes on..... As I've been posting through this blog, I have many favorite water bodies in Yellowstone Park. It's hard and almost impossible to choose one most favorite. However, Slough Creek below campground always offers me drama and something to think about.

I took one client there in the afternoon.  In spite of number of cars at the parking area, we didn't see any anglers at some of most popular spots. Weird......... Perhaps it looked like not much going on for them. It was sunny and just nicely warm (in the fall level) so I tied on a cricket. Client missed the first rise. So I switched to a hopper pattern. Little rainbow came up to bite! (no picture). It was just right "pumpable" size and result showed just One Green Drake (no picture), which seemed taken in the morning of the day. I figured it was already mid-afternoon so "theoretically and in general" major hatch would have been over. Yet if we present Green Drake patterns, that might entice trout.......
My speculation came true. Trout started rise to Green Drake patterns!!

NOTE: October Caddis!!!!

Then we started to see sparse yet definite hatches around us!! That was good enough to entice trout to rise and chase our flies!!

This was one of the funniest moments when fishing YNP......., especially some of the most popular waters........

And the BIG bite!!!!

It was quite a fight but my client was able to hold his nerve!!

I held the submarine first!!

No exaggeration or compliment but this is by far the BIGGEST trout I ever netted (hooked by myself or clients combined).

It was a bit surreal experience just like I have experienced many times before at Lower Slough.

So the FLY: Master Angler's Green Drake Soft-Hackle - Fished "Dry"

No more explanations should be needed. Check up my article, sales catalog, tying video, etc........

I will be busy through the Fall!!