Yellowstone National Park really is a magical place. If you have never been, then make plans to go. Its worth the time and money to get here.
Fishing in the park opened last Saturday, but due to work constraints I couldn’t make opening day. Finally had a window to go yesterday, and I almost didn’t. Between the pass, fishing license, and gas, it was going to set me back $200 just to go fishing for a few hours. But screw it, life is too short.
For years, both Mark and myself have gotten a kick out of the drive between Bozeman and West Yellowstone. I still maintain there is no better stretch of road for thinking, problem solving, and letting the creative juices flow. It’s pretty kick ass.
It’s weird, I’ve been back to Yellowstone once in the two years I was gone. But being back yesterday, it felt like I had never left. All the good pullouts, campgrounds, fishing holes, side roads, all came back to me. You can tell you are meant to be in a place when even after a couple years it still feels like home
Yellowstone has a wealth of angling opportunities, but the choice for me was clear. Had to be the Firehole, and had to swing soft hackles. Mark and I used to fish this water a lot, almost every trip down we took. As luck would have it, our favorite spot was open.
The day started off kinda slow, with just a few small ones caught on the swing. But then a fish rose. And another and another. Changing to a dry changed the whole day. There have been very few days when I’ve been able to stand in one place for an hour and catch a fish every other cast.
The trout weren’t really big, the trophy of the day was probably 14 inches, but they were fat, wild, and sassy. Almost every one launched into the air and flipped around like it was the end of the world. For me personally, it was the best dry fly day I’ve ever had on the Firehole.
Once the hatch slowed down, I figured it might be a good idea to try some new water. Nez Perce Creek was just up the road, and I’ve always wanted to fish that. It was slow, with just one tiny trout coming to hand. But come summer, when the hoppers are out, that place is going to be freaking awesome.
I tried a bunch of different flies, eventually ending up with a large green stimulator with a dropper hanging off the back. I knew nothing would eat the stimi, but figured aw, what the hell, better to have that on than a thingamabobber. When I decided I was satisfied, I was walking out at a decent clip, trailing that big dry in the water, when a decent sized trout rose up and smacked that thing. Surprised me so much I just about fell on my ass trying to set the hook.
That’s what I love about both fishing and Yellowstone. They are always full of surprises. With a season pass in hand, there are going to be many summer days spent down there…
