Last Day of the Park: AM - Slow

Another day trip to Yellowstone National Park from Livingston. Sunday 7th is the last day of the official calender but for the Park pass I bought on last Sunday, today was the last day. Now living in Montana, I have to figure out what will be the feasible way to fish in the Park.

It was a bright sunny day. I woke up early and left my house at 6am. But by the time I got into the Park at 8am, there were too many people in each pullouts. I parked at the top of Madison Junction and started to fish Gibbon River. Whitefish gorged my streamer.



I switched into a nymph rig and caught a little brown............

As walking along the bank, I read the water carefully. I saw a sequence of unique drop off that would be a resting spot for run-up trout. I chucked my nymph rig, my bobber sank, and I set the hook. I saw a really big shadow and then gone............ typical Madison River Syndrome....

I found an open spot as I was visiting town but nothing happened. This is like as I experienced in 2008. Warm weather drew too many people and less trout. Last year, 2009, it was opposite. Less people and more trout due to cold weather.

Well I wasn't sure what I was gonna do when I finished my lunch.

At Armstrong's - PM

It was a bright warm afternoon so I didn't expect much about baetis hatch. I just hoped midges would be promising to fish with dry-flies at least. I saw lots of baetis and midges were hatching but I didn't see any rings of rises at all........ So I tandemed both baetis and midge soft-hackles and swung them. Here's the baetis soft-hackle which is one of the must at Firehole River in Yellowstone Park.

Regardless of its size, all the trout caught with my soft-hackle swing deserve pictures. After this, I felt a big tug. It was a 17"-18" massive rainbow. As I saw it swimming away I said "OMG on 6X tippet!!" then it was gone. If it had been really hooked, landing must have been super careful and tiring for both trout and I. I was rather relieved than disappointed.

I moved to the upper section, which also has very good insect hatches but tougher to fish than the lower section. Yet I didn't see any risers at all but somehow spooky trout......

So I switched into the "today's special". At a certain spot, I felt the biggest tug of the day.

It was a 18" to 19" brown, which is my second best brown at Armstrong's.

I tried to self-timer of my grip-&-grin. Hopefully you can see its entire body.

As I was leaving the ranch, I saw two girls grazing......so cute.

Now today's special revealed, it's a Slumpbuster, tied in size 10 and black. It should imitate leech and tiny minnow/baby trout at the springcreek. It was chewed off by brutes.

So the actual catch was only a handful but two large ones really made my day. Furthermore, I was the only one customer for today. All day along just about a mile of creek, it was all by myself. Then again, I live only 6 miles away!!

Armstrong's at O'Hair Ranch is really worth to pay the rod fee and spend a few days. I can guide you if you wish.......very near future when I become a licensed guide, really!!

At Armstrong's - AM

As I decided to leave WA State, I cancelled the motel reservation in West Yellowstone. But I kept a spot for today at O'Hair Ranch to fish Armstrong's Springcreek.
Great to live in Livingston now as O'Hair Ranch is only 6 miles south from my house!!

It was sunny all through and almost all no wind, which is very rare in Livingston. I checked in around 8:30am. Temperature was lower 30s, which turned up as high as lower 60s later on. Glorious scenery as the mist were all over from the creek with Absaroka Mountains in the back.

My first catch was typical 16-inch rainbow. There was a large rock at where I landed him so I tried a self-timer shot but I didn't hold him high enough. You can see its dorsal fin. Does the orange scarf look good on me?

Another catch in the morning. First one just looked like this.

What's today's special?

As I was fishing just about the middle, I talked to one of people at the ranch. He was checking and setting traps to catch muskrat. Indeed those little buggers are all over!! I was fishing deep fast pool between him and I. Right in front of him, I felt a big tug! It really pulled out my line and swam into aquatic weed. It did twice. I handled the first tangle but I was afraid that the second tangle might snap off my tippet. But it came free and I netted!! It was a 17-incher but really fat and "humped". No wonder it pulled out my line!! All happened in front of one of workers here, and he took me a great picture though I am holding the fish poorly.

But believe or not, while I was fighting on this rainbow, two other large trout were spooked in the same spot. I saw their shadows. Second one was much larger!!

It was just about noon so I drove back to my house and ate lunch, checked emails, etc.

How convenient is this? I am not a traveling angler any more!!

New Gears for Late Season

Today, I was driving around Bozeman. I was actually knocking on doors of fly-shops to sell my flies and tie for them. That will be another post!!

While visiting shops, I looked for gears for late season. I needed a nice pair of fold mit glove. Being in this area, I do love Simms products. But I came up with a more reasonable and probably more functioning pair. It's from Chota. It has a wind-stop layering as Simms but also I noticed that it's less bulky when folded. It's very important because the bulk of fold often catches fly-line when handling. Nice pads are attached on the palms. That should prevent water seep into my hands.

Then I bought a neck scarf in orange at a ranch-&-home store. Reason is to show myself to hunters while I'm fishing. At the late season, I see lots of hunters along where I fish. I just can't buy or wear safety clothes for hunters because they are not functioning as my fishing gears. So I decided to buy a scarf to compensate somewhere between my interest and practicality.

I will test these two gears at Armstrong's tomorrow. Then the final day in Yellowstone National Park is coming........

Class 4 - the Last: Swinging Large Soft-Hackles

My schedule was going very well as I planned and estimated. My last class (4:30pm till I quit) was to swing large soft-hackles in the dark. Put it simply, tying soft-hackles and fishing with them are more like my obsession regardless of catch results. But I'd like to emphasize that most of the time I end up catching nice and memorable trout.

My most favorite section to swing large soft-hackles is Cable Car Run and eventually Barns Pool #1. Regardless of its popularity, I have developed my experience to catch some. I'd say when you are alone at this section, you are most likely to catch fish, period. When too many people are around, it's simply crazy. My game plan at this section is nothing but early & late of the day. Especially, the colder the weather, the less people are around at early & late of the day. As a soft-hackle enthusiast, Cable Car Monument is my sacred place.

I fished Cable Car Run thoroughly, changing colors and sizes of soft-hackles. But didn't have even taps on my line....... I sat on the monument and tied on my own Coyote, wishing for the best.

I trailed my Coyote behind a Soft Hackle Streamer in black. Soft Hackle Streamer, invented by Jack Gartside, is probably the most attractive pattern among anglers who love to swing and then strip and twitch every now and then. Trout respond accordingly!!

I didn't have any taps or tugs at all while swinging Cable Car Run. Slightly discouraging but I kept going on to the head of Barns Pool #1. It was almost 7:00pm when I felt a light tap......

I was confused because it happened somewhere between swinging and stripping when I saw a huge submarine rise!! As I was careful not to pull out my fly from the mouth, I didn't set the hook strongly. But that submarine was actually came up above the surface to bite on a Soft Hackle Streamer as rising for dry-flies.........

I lost him................

A bit after 7:00pm, I left West Yellowstone to my home in Livingston. I drove slowly as it was in the evening and rain/snow storm could cause icy spots every now and then on HWY 191. I made home OK a bit after 9:00pm

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What I found, learned, and reassured:

• I made sure I knew what I was doing.
• Spots, flies, tactics, and tendency of crowds.
• I can plan a hard fishing day from my home without staying in motels in West Yellowstone.

This year, Yellowstone Park is open till Nov 7th, which is the longest as it can be. The Park pass I bought yesterday is valid till 6th.

I am planning one more whole day for heavy fishing. And again I will compound all of my fall experience.

Class 3: Nymphing

Beatis hatch slowed, pretty much ended, by 3:00pm as I estimated. So I conducted my third class schedule. It was nymphing (3:00 to almost 4:30pm). As for the spot, Madison Junction would be a great choice but considering my next plan and observation, I went to a big pool above Nine Mile Hole. It's very productive but I observed nobody was fishing all day.

Nymphing is probably the most productive way to fish the Madison all year as for numbers to catch. It's the guides' way to go tactics when things seem tough. I just don't stick with it all the time because I always want to keep myself as a versatile fisherman. As a close example, when baetis are hatching en masse, I know Madison trout never look at nymphs below, even small ones meant for baetis.

These are why I stuck with streamers in the morning and set nymphing time for the slow time of the day along with my last plan. Anyway, in the fall, stonefly is the must when nymphing the Madison. Rubber Leg would probably the best imitation and the simplest tie among countless stonefly nymph patterns. Brown/Black or Orange/Black variegated chenille is my favorite.

Then I always trail smaller nymphs under a Rubber Leg. One of my most favorites is Beadhead Krystal Serendipity. It's been a catching machine. I can't express its effectiveness.

Now snow storm was coming in as I was fishing the pool!! I was slightly discouraged when thinking about driving home but hoped the storm would send anglers away for my next plan. As I was thinking like that my bobber sank and I set the hook. I felt it would be big but also somehow weird. As I stripped my line I noticed it was a large trout but acting oddly. Well, it was foul-hooked on its belly with the Beadhead Krystal Serendipity. Really tough to get her in. If it had taken a few more minutes, the fly would have been opened up and have not hold the fish. I made it.

It was a fine brown trout indeed!! I thought it might an 18-incher to break the record of the day but it was a 17-incher also.

Again, it would have been the last trout for the season, I wanted to felt her and took a picture of grip-&-grin. It was indeed with good fall color and fine spots.

My class schedule seemed running OK. I was heading to my last plan of the day.

Class 2: Baetis Hatch

I actually came back to Upper Haynes where I had experienced both big excitement and huge frustration by baetis hatch and rising trout. This photo is from last year at Firehole. Also see my old post about baetis hatch during the fall trip last year.



But two anglers were still there. I thought they would be gone lunch, as I had left for my lunch. Well, I could think of another spot to conduct my class for baetis hatch (1:00 to 3:00pm). That's the most predictable time frame for baetis hatch especially on overcast days. I went to section below Big Bend. I fished here for White Miller Caddis and PMD hatches during the June trip this year. It's another meadow water section = great and tough dry-fly fishing.
But it wasn't as exciting as last year. First I didn't see many big rising fish = tail to shoulder rise. Just splashy rises caused by little trout. Furthermore, I saw midges were on the water too.

I typically rig up two flies so I tried lots of combination among baetis patterns plus midge patterns. I couldn't figure out quite well. In the middle of the river, I accidentally hooked this rainbow. Not big but nice.

Then this is the smallest trout I ever caught in Madison. It did bite on size 22 Improved Sparkle Dun!! I didn't see the take. He came up as I re-cast. Has anybody done this in Madison??

Well, my baetis experience turned out to be more like a joke this year. Madison below Quake Lake has been somehow murky, which is weird for this time of the year, so there wasn't much baetis fishing to be done for now.

I had two more classes to go!!

Class 1: Streamer

So I decided to fish very hard. No more "too many minds", just fish my butt off and have fun. Also to see how it works to go home to Livingston. Is it a long way after fishing? Will I be tired?
My strategy and planning were so intense that I will post them one by one. I compounded all of my fall experience in one day. Almost all like a day of fly-fishing school!! (if such thing exists....)

I woke up and dressed up in a great shape. It seemed raining lightly all night. My tactics for the first thing in the morning was to take advantage and chances to fish streamers. Any spots in Madison can be great as long as I'm the first customer there but with this overcast weather, I decided to take a chance at Barns Pool #1 and Cable Car Run (7:30 to 8:30am).
I covered both spots fairly well and changed colors of streamers aggressively but I even didn't have a tap or two. This was discouraging. Oftentimes even whitefish would try to bite streamers here.

I moved to Upper Haynes (8:50 to 11:30am). Black and white didn't have any actions so far so I switched to Sculpzilla in olive/tan.

Finally I fixed the "skunk" of the day before and I was in the right track. Just a 14-inch brown to get myself started.

Shortly after 15-incher took it. The take was unique. He was resting at my rod length plus several feet downstream from me and inhaled the whole fly as I was about to pick up my fly to re-cast.

I kept going downstream where most of anglers don't fish but I found this section interesting during my June trip. It was slow till next fish though the water looks very fishy and promising. I did color sequence again. As I switched into black. I chose my T&A Black.

I felt a bigger tug than last two trout. It was a 16-incher!! Hey it's getting bigger one by one literally!! But sorry he snagged himself to his eye. It was just between eyeball and cheek and he was not bleeding badly so I hope he would be OK.

Several minutes later, another bigger tug!! I felt this one would be called "run-up" trout, 18-inch class. It was actually 17-inch. But I believe this would be one of the fall-runner, fat and well-colored. Then again, it was on my own fly.

I had to feel the trout and took a picture. John Juracek at Blue Ribbon Flies just wrote a report/essay at their blog; "at this point of the season you will never know which trout will be your last...." I felt the same.

I actually did some nymphing upstream on the way back to my truck.

(11:30am to 12:30pm) Just as scheduled, I went to the town to buy materials quickly. I ate lunch while driving back to the Park and got ready for next class at by 12:30pm. I had three more classes to go!!

Attitude Adjustment

Well, my little trip to West Yellowstone really ended shortly. I stayed there only one night for some reason. I love to visit West Yellowstone and Park waters but somehow I really felt weird all the way.

From Livingston, I passed Bozeman to Norris, then drove HWY 287 to Ennis and HWY 191 junction above West Yellowstone all along Madison River. I stopped by Three Dollar Bridge and Between Lakes also. Madison below Quake Lake and below were somehow murky for this time of the year, probably not good dry fly actions for baetis and midge. I fished below HWY 191 bridge, which is above Hebgen Lake, but I just saw one fish chased my streamer, spooked a few trout, saw lots of schooling whitefish.

Then I checked into a motel to fish next day as I'd been doing from WA State. Suddenly it was clarified why I'd been feeling weird and skeptical about what I was doing.

• Now I live in Livingston, not in eastern WA
• Why I'm paying for motels in Montana?
• To fish waters in the Park even for a day or a few, I have to pay the entrance fee every time, even if I have an annual fishing permit.

I realized all of these different views since I've just become a MT resident. Of course, I believe even for Bozeman residents, West Yellowstone and Park waters are worth spending for a short period intensely.

But these are ideas that came up to my mind for near future.

• There are more sections of Madison available for a day trip from Livingston.
• Lower Madison and Ennis area are very good and easy to visit.
• Above Hebgen and Between Lake can be done (= Park permit not required).
• Last but not least, look at more waters to fish!!

Over all I felt I was like Tom Cruise's character in The Last Samurai. When he started learning sword fighting, he was beaten easily and quickly and he wasn't sure how to get better. Then one of Japanese samurais told him "you have too many minds". Exactly, I had too many minds just to have fun fishing and ended up no fish.

I am not saying that I wasted my money for the motel, the Park entrance fee, or all about this little trip. I just recognized that I should change my view and planning to fish around and I noticed I can!!

So last night I planned what I would do next day = today. I really planned about strategy, sections, flies, options, and everything based on my experience for the past four years.

I really did and came home. I will post my intense day with pictures.

Cold Weather & Warm Welcome

Today, I finally got the internet access in my place in Livingston!!

Moving-in wasn't bad at all. Driving was OK and road & weather were cooperative too but I again left at night. 9:30pm PST, I recall. This time I was towing a U-haul trailer so I was a bit nervous + slow + over careful = tired..........With gas purchase and some naps, it took me about 14 hours. Of course first thing I set up was my fly-tying bench and some trophy shots on the wall!!

I had to do some other moving-in errands in town that kept me busy. Then suddenly I realized that I live right by Yellowstone River!! Only a few miles away to several spots and accesses along town!! Now entire region is in a beautiful fall color. We actually had some snow storm already.

Trout came to say hi to me too!! My first catch as a Montana resident was a nice 17-inch browny!!

On what fly.......

It was on again my own idea of T&A White. Now I got an approval from brown trout and Yellowstone River then.

Next day I fished again in the evening for a couple of hours. It was foul-hooked on Conehead JJ. Nice little 16-incher but I first thought it might be really a big one judging from the way it tugged. Little did I know it was a foul-hook, you know.........

Today I got done another concern. It was to look for reasonable firewood and stock them for winter. I visited an old gent in town and he gave me a smoked rainbow trout. It was actually pretty darn good!! With that bite, I hauled one load then I hauled three more like this. I originally paid for five loads but it had been a while that I did this kind of labor and I thought this should be enough so I got my money back for another load.

See if I can make a fire. Uuuu-hooooo it's warm now. Cheers!! Actually it's too hot for now. In other words, it's not that cold yet. I just wanted to test and see.

Right after I got the internet access, I will be gone again. Well, I'm still in time for the very last week of Yellowstone National Park season. Tomorrow I drive to West Yellowstone and fish a couple of days. I will stay in a motel. This time I don't do on-the-road posts as I will concentrate only for fishing!! I kind of doubt if motels in West Yellowstone have free wireless. Some must do but I bet not all of them!! Then I have one day at Armstrong's that I didn't cancel.

Now the famous Paradise Valley spring creeks are only several miles south away!! What a busy guy I am!! It's not dream any more!!