55 on the fly

My very good friend Ben and I floated the Yellowstone River today. What a glorious trip it was, great fellowship, scenery and fishing. Ben is a local guide and he and I guided together for Parks Fly Shop. Ben rowed today and I did all the fishing, what a deal. The last time we floated together was in 2016. We also had Wilson along with us then. A great friend and fellow guide. I had fished with Wilson for a couple years and then he took my guide spot when I left the shop. In 2016 he was sick with cancer and it was the last time we fished together. We lost him last year. This trip was in memory of Wilson Eich. I had wonderful day... thanks Ben, for everything. Ben and I he's the young guy... Ben with my first fish of the day... I caught everything the Yellowstone had to offer; Cutthroat, Cutt-bows,  Rainbows, Browns and a White fish... Nothing too big 7-14 inches, but we had constant action. Maybe Wilson had something to do with that... Cutthroat As we wer...

I fished with some good Montana friends today, Jordan and Tito. They came up to the RV park and Michelle and I made them breakfast, my famous fried egg sandwiches. We got the map out and decided to fish the canyon section of Slough Creek from the Lamar River upstream to the lower meadow, a section none of us had ever fished before. We all caught a bunch of willing Rainbows and I caught one Cutt-bow... It was awesome to see the guys again. We had a great time and learned some new water. Rainbow Trout Lower Canyon Section Slough Creek Cute-bow Trout We finished at the Lower Meadow Section of Slough Creek Wolf track Jordan and Tito

Very sad to report that my rebuilt Kingfisher bamboo fly rod tip section broke today. I had caught a nice size Cutthroat for the first catch with rod tip #2. I had used my shorter rod tip #1 last time out with no problems. I hooked into a nice Brown and he got some current and snap, the tip section breaks right at the ferrule. Heartbreaking after all the work I had put into rebuilding this old fly rod. Well at least the old girl had died in battle as we still managed to land the Brown Trout. I hope to repair it when I get back home. I almost always carry a spare rod with me and today was no exception. An Orvis Hydros 9' 6wt. So, I strung it up and kept on fishing. I caught several more Browns, Cutthroats and a Cutt-bow. After a nice stream side lunch I caught one more Brown trout and then headed for home with a dark rain storm brewing in the Southwest. Yellowstone River first fish - Cutthroat Heartbreak - tip section #2 broken right at the ferrule joint. ...

8/1/18 This hike had everything. I saw two Yellow-bellied Marmots and a bunch of Prairie Dogs while hiking. While fishing I had a close encounter of the Bison kind. The bull won, I quit fishing and gave him my spot, cause I'm a nice guy. I was walking along the trail when I stepped on a snake skin from a Bull snake, luckily he wasn't in it. Fishing was good I caught several Brook Trout and then the sky opened with thunder and lightning and rain. After the rain passed the mosquitos were awful. I got bit up bad no repellent in the pack, crap, they were relentless. I caught a Brown Trout and shortly after that I packed it in for the long hike out. On the drive back to town I saw some Big Horn Sheep crossing the road. 5 miles of rough trail. I'm a little sore after so much hiking lately, but hey thats okay, just getting into better shape one day at a time. 

Today was to be a "rest day" after yesterdays hike, but after eating lunch with Michelle in town, I just couldn't take it. So I headed to a little stretch of the Yellowstone River not far from town. In three hours I caught 7 fish and missed a few... Hot today with lots of rock hopping along the river's bank. The fish were a bit lazy with a slow bite. Fly's - Korn's Split-tailed Hopper, tan and school bus yellow, Korn's Holiday Stone, BH Turkey Tail nymph, Graham's Cracker. Rod - Custom St. Croix by Dave Lewis 8'6" 5/6wt. Yellowstone River Cutt-bow trout Rainbow trout Cutthroat trout

Michelle wanted to hike into Blacktail Deer Creek to see the Falls today.... We've never been there. It's about a 7 mile round trip and I was game because I know there are some nice brook trout waters near the falls. So off we went....  Fly - UK Ausable Bomber Rod - Shane Gray 6' 10" 3/4 wt. Blacktail Deer Creek Falls

Michelle and I fished the high country in Yellowstone National Park today (8/27/18).... The mountain stream held some beautiful brook trout for us among it's awesome beauty.... To top it off, on the hike in we saw a lone black wolf, a big boy. I topped a rolling hill and spotted him coming our way at a hundred yards. I yelled at him and he turned and trotted the other way, we watched him for a while, quite a sight. It was Michelle's first time seeing a wolf in the wild...  We only used one fly today, the UK Ausable Bomber, yeah they work out West too... The photos tell the rest of the story. fish of the day... Ausable Bomber fly of the day...