55 on the fly

A friend of mine, David is in town this week.  He was looking for a hike and a new place to wet a line with me.  So, we hatched this plan to bushwhack to the Yellowstone River via Geode Creek.  I had been on this mission once before in 2011, looking to catch some West-slope Cutthroat's and fish the Yellowstone but never made it because I sprained my ankle just before reaching the first meadow.  Even so, I caught some Cutt's but had to turn back because of the pain and never made it to the River. You can read all about that trip here:  http://55onthefly.blogspot.com/2011/08/exploring-creek-paying-price.html the meadow at Geode Creek far below... I met David at 7:30 am. and off we went to the pull-out to hike in.  We skirted the meadow at Geode Creek and headed towards a small lake.  When we got to the lake we had to find the drainage off of it as this would lead us to Geode Creek and we would then follow it down to the Yellowstone River. ...

Over the past few days we explored the less wild side of the Yellowstone area.  We spent a day in Bozeman, one of our favorite places to browse.  We had lunch at an old refurbished gas station and enjoyed watching the town activities from our table outside.  After that Doug found a coffee shop while I visited the many shops along the historic section of town. On Saturday night we went to the 14th Annual Gardiner Brewfest at Arch Park.  I think the entire town was there along with any available tourists.  We attended this two years ago and it has definitely grown into an event.  We sampled several local brews, ate some brats with sauerkraut while listening to some good music and talking with friends. The Brewfest is held at Arch Park every year just below the historical archway into Yellowstone. Here is Ben with one of our favorite friends, his daughter Rivers. Leaving the Brewfest - yes I know it is a bit fuzzy:) Over the last...

My fellow fishing guides and I set out on a "road trip" to the Bechler River. We were looking for some challenging fishing, big fish and a long hike.  We found them all at the Bechler located in the Southwest corner of YNP. The river is about 4 miles from the TH at the Ranger Station.  It's a long flat hike as easy as they come, but after fishing all day in the meadow it seems a lot longer and tougher hiking out. Wilson and Ben So, how was the fishing? Well, matching wits with these big rainbow trout was nothing short of humbling, to say the least! Ben and I  Sure enough the big fish were there and the river and meadow section are beautiful. We knew it would be tough as these fish are regarded as some of the hardest to catch in Montana. These rainbows are smart and super spooky. I mean you couldn't put your big toe in the water without spooking these guys. Trying to get close to them for a short accurate cast, that's not going to happen. At the s...

A trip through Grand Teton National Park down to Jackson WY was our destination.  We started out at 6 a.m. and drove the length of Yellowstone National Park.  The park is alive in a different way during that time of the morning.  With hardly any other vehicles around, the wildlife was out and easy to spot. As we drove through Mammoth Hot Springs we spotted the bear taking a walk along the white mineral deposit landscape.  Two elk seemed unaffected by the bear. Hayden Valley was full of buffalo and they were in no hurry to get off of the road.  You can see the frost on the back of this buffalo. It was a foggy morning in the valley and the sunrise cast an orange glow all around us and the buffalo. We left Yellowstone and entered Grand Teton National Park and could see the majestic peaks immediately.  These are much different looking than the peaks in Yellowstone.  They were formed by the movement of tectonic plates and pushed up skywa...

Sheepeater Canyon is one of our favorite fishing spots.  We were here in 2011 and returned for another visit today. The hike is not too challenging and there is something beautiful around every corner.  This is a huge cliff where it is said that Native Americans cornered sheep and drove them over the edge to their death as a way of harvesting them.  This bluff is at least 100 feet tall. This is the first waterfall or cascade that you encounter as you hike in to the canyon. This is another cascade but it is a hot spring.  It is a good place to warm your feet after crossing the cold river. The first fish of the day.  We caught some small brook trout. Yes the water is cold, but you forget about it once you are fishing. We were surrounded by beauty as we fished up the river. This is a wide and long cascade that you can actually walk up into.  The power and noise of the water is awesome. There is a deep pool ju...