News from Blue Ribbon Flies

Fishing Report
Weekly Conditions and Tips

By Craig Mathews
11 August 2011
Photo by our Dutch friends' friends at Flyfever.com - thank you!

I spent yesterday fishing with two old friends, Jim Utterback and Henry Ellis. These two were Blue Ribbon Flies' first customers now over 31 years ago. Henry won a "guided trip for 2 anglers" I'd donated to the Henry's Fork Foundation's fundraiser in June. We enjoyed Henry's homemade BBQ pork ribs for our streamside lunch, we sat on the banks of Spring Creek and walked down memory lane several times during our day, we laughed a lot , and sat in silence more than a few times too remembering old times and old friends some now gone forever from Yellowstone country waters.

When it was time to leave none of us wanted to call it a day. We stalled out more than once, casting to an imagined rise, or to cover "just one more undercut" along the way, dallying here and there for a few more minutes before heading to the truck. Tonight I looked at the images I shot today of Jim and Henry, some with fish, all with big toothpaste grins. We promised we'd get back together later this summer, and I hope we do. Today was what fishing is all about in my opinion: a beautiful day with no wind and 80 degrees, enough trout coming to flies to keep us in the game, an awesome lunch, and old friends spending the day fishing and talking about the good times shared on a great trout stream! I am a lucky guy!

Jim and Henry scored their first trout on Tenkara rods, the Iwana model for both. Henry had the best fish, a 16" rainbow that came to a #18 PMD Sparkle Dun. Both are now confirmed Tenkara anglers and I have proof with a few great photos to follow in future newsletters.

This is the time of the fishing season when I get out my maps and begin checking out those out-of-the way, off-the-beaten-path waters I circled last winter while dreaming about such places when Yellowstone winds howled and the snows stacked deep along our rivers and streams. My "Firehole and Gibbon River Atlas" along with the "Gallatin and Madison River Atlas" all have a few red lines drawn around places I still want to explore this summer fishing season. A couple places intrigued me on a "Map of Yellowstone Park" from 1881 explorations of the area. The map is now made into a fishing bandanna as compiled from the explorations and surveys of Yellowstone. I came upon a few listed "falls" and "canyon" stretches on the bandanna I still want to check out along with a certain hotel listed too. I admit I am addicted to maps. I look at them all the time and promise myself I'll explore more of the places I find whether they be fishing spots, old post office or hotels, and more. Too, they are most always near new fishing spots I want to check out. I will never forget Charlie Brooks' words to Jackie and me when we moved here 33 years ago. He said, "Kids, don't even try to fish it all. It cannot be done in a lifetime - I've tried." Well Jackie and I are trying to fish and explore it all too, but I can tell you now old Charlie was right, it can't be done, but it doesn't hurt to dream and keep trying.

The fishing you should consider exploring and dreaming about includes the following waters:

The Madison below Earthquake Lake is fishing now during morning spruce moths and afternoon beetle, ant and bee times. The evening caddis activity has slowed to a crawl, but the Epeorus mayfly activity can still be found in select spots especially downstream of Lyon Bridge. Our guides all report consistent dry fly fishing using flying ant, tiger and longhorn beetles along with Yellowstone Bee imitations. Late afternoon Epeorus should be expected from 4pm to dark. These fast water mayflies prefer long stretches of heavy-riffle water. The duns emerge best on overcast days with the spinner falls concentrated from 8 to 9:30pm in many places around Lyon Bridge and Sun-Standard-Moose and Wolf Creeks junction with the river. The area around $3 Bridge can fish well in the evening when midges are active. Margarita mayflies should begin to emerge next week and the spinner falls near dark are concentrated around $3. Look for duns of this beautiful #18 olive mayfly in the late morning hours or afternoons on overcast days. If you like to fish small nymphs you can own the river and its larger trout by presenting tiny Serendipities and other small beaded mayfly nymphs in all likely spots. A spruce moth will produce well around the West Fork and Lyon in the early morning and late evening hours, part of the reason you will see drift boats on the river here beginning at 7am now. The river in the park is still fishing well during morning spinner falls and late day caddis times. The first run-up browns and rainbows are showing but will lay low until late this month. Trico mayfly fishing is good on the river near the Madison Arm of Hebgen Lake - a sleeper bet to be sure!

The Gallatin both in and out of the Park has fished well. Spruce moths and PMDs as well as caddis can be expected to bring the fish up. The water around Big Sky and above had been especially good in the late day - just ask Bucky. I cannot recommend Taylor Fork, Fan or other smaller tribs now as they are running cold and the fishing on them has been poor. If temps warm into the 80s again head to any of these smaller waters as they will fish then but for now, with their water temps struggling to get out of the 40's, they have not been worth the time spent to fish them.

The Yellowstone River has fished fairly well outside the Park. The river in Yellowstone has been ok, at best, when rusty spinners are on the water.

The Gardner River has been fun lately. We have fished our Tenkara rods on it a bunch and have shot some good pics along with taking some very nice trout. Try heading in below Osprey Falls for lots of feisty brooks and rainbows or along the Mammoth-Gardiner, Mt road for fewer -but larger- browns and rainbows. You can't go wrong fishing tributaries like Indian and Lava Creeks too. Lava has fished well near the picnic area and Indian Creek will offer up some beautiful brookies as will Straight and Obsidian Creeks and Glen too!

The Henry's Fork is fishing well on some mornings and late evenings when spinner falls cooperate. Too, ants and beetles are bringing up the larger rainbows in the afternoon hours. While there has been some Trico fishing generally it has been slow. We now await mahogany duns and late summer caddis which will begin this week according to our notes.

Slough Creek has been so-so as we are between hatches and the hoppers and crickets have not had to head to water, but will mid-month. Soda has fished well during Heptagenia mayfly emergences and the Lamar has been great with longhorns and big crickets and bees. Most meadow stretches along these waters and others in the area have not dried out due to late afternoon rains so grasshoppers and crickets are not coming near the water yet. While our hopper populations are not strong this summer there are certainly enough of them to get the fish going during late day "Grasshopper Winds" when grasses cure and the winds blow later in August and September!

Lake fishing is in full swing. Hidden Lake has had incredible spruce moth activity in the early mornings and then Callibaetis take over around 10am. Hebgen has been its usual awesome self during morning Tricos around 7-8am and the Callibaetis beginning with nymphs at 9, duns around 10 and spinner falls if the winds lay off from 11am to 2pm or later. The same can be said for Ennis Lake. Wade Lake has been hot during Callibaetis times and traveling sedges might be seen on this great lake as well as Cliff Lake too. Lewis Lake in the park has been good with PMDs in the mornings and caddis on the lower end in the evenings. Area high country lakes like Avalanche, Cradle and others in the Beaver Creek area should now be hiked into and fished. It was not that long ago that there was 6' and more snow in the basins and cirques near these lakes but now green meadows and huge fields of wild flowers await you on your hike with wild trout in the lakes!

Stop in soon and let us circle a few spots on your maps for you to explore! We are here to help you enjoy your time in Yellowstone and we look forward to seeing you soon!

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