YELLOWSTONE FOREVER

PMD Mayfly.

Last week we saw some good dry-fly fishing on Yellowstone Park's Firehole and Madison Rivers. Pale Morning Duns and caddis brought fish to the surface during their emergences, but we could use a cloudy/rainy day to bring on heavy emergences of the mayflies that result in some of the finest dry-fly fishing of the year.

Young moose racing us.

Yesterday morning we got into a race with a young moose that ran along side our vehicle as we headed to a native fish and bear program meeting with JD Davis of "Yellowstone Forever”. Jackie and I served on the Board of Directors of Yellowstone Forever, formerly Yellowstone Park Foundation, for many years and continue to work with them on the awesome programs they fund in the Park. Please help fund YF programs if you can by sending a few bucks their way!

A sleeper late day fishing bet is the Madison River between Quake Lake and there West Fork, 8pm to dark, when tiny midges bring big trout to the surface. #22-24 Zelon and Scotty’s Midges are the best flies to present to the rising fish. You see the photo below of Terry landing a nice rainbow on a Zelon Midge at $3 Bridge this week.

I hope to see you on the river soon!

My friend Terry with a nice Rainbow trout he took on a midge below 3$ Bridge.

Nice brown trout I took on a PMD #18 Sparkle Dun on the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park.

ACTION IS THE CURE

No doubt, these are challenging times. But, while many who love wild places, wild and native fish and wildlife, and public land sit on their couches, mope and complain and let their conservation compass spin out of control, I find action is the cure.

Some question whether advocacy is dead, others complain they are losing their wealth during the pandemic and can no longer help fund the conservation programs they used to. Others point to figures like John Muir and Aldo Leopold and say these men were “dinosaurs”, and, “their conservation ethic is no longer found in society today”.

I ask these folks, “who created the grassroots advocacy and activism we’ve seen in the past”. The advocacy that created our nation’s wilderness areas and protects wild places, wildlife and public lands. That advocacy that keeps these places and their wildlife in the public trust in face of mounting pressure to open public lands to harmful development and activity.

So, who was it, you ask? It’s NOT Leopold or Muir. It is the tiny grassroot advocacy and activist organizations that organize bake sales, and raise money and awareness, and fight for the public trust, wildlife, wild and native trout and wild places. Organizations like Montana Trout Unlimited, Madison River Foundation, Mountain Journal, Western River Conservancy, Montana Sportsman’s Alliance, and Trust for Public Land. These well-run, effective and efficient groups are not the bloated national organizations that owe favors to dark money funding groups. They get the conservation job done for all of us who love wild and native trout, wildlife and wilderness. Please consider supporting these organizations, today in these troubling times they need our help more than ever.

This week Jackie and I met with Cottonwood Environmental Law Center to discuss their continued work keeping the Gallatin River’s water free from the potential negative impacts of Big Sky’s wastewater pollution. We also discussed bighorn sheep restoration in the Gravelly Mountain Range, a program we’ve worked hard to support and raise awareness of. Stay tuned.

Jackie has come out of retirement to join Mountain Journal’s Board of Directors. If you love Yellowstone country and its wilderness, wildlife and wild-native trout go to their website and sign up to receive their award winning and free email newsletters. Stay informed. Remember, MoJo believes science should lead the discussions and decision of the conservation and environmental issues facing Yellowstone country today and into the future. Support MoJo with an important donation too! It will keep awesome Yellowstone wildlife stories, science and informed decision making coming to your door

In mid-September I look forward to being a part of a 30-minute video podcast aired on Earth X Television called “Round the Fire”. Myself and Trevor Neilson, Co-Founder and CEO of 1X Investments will discuss climate change and other important conservation and environmental issues from a fishing and hunting perspective. I’ll keep you posted once the exact date and time is announced.

This week we explored a few small streams in Yellowstone country. You’ll see photos of our fishing junkets here. I enjoy these small streams and some large trout that can inhabit them.

In my little guidebook, The Yellowstone Fly-Fishing Guide, I discuss dozens of smaller waters in Yellowstone detailing what kinds of trout inhabit them, hatches and best flies and times to fish them and much more. The book discusses all Yellowstone waters. I am proud to donate proceeds from the sale of this book to the “Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Program in the Park”. For more information on this program go to “Yellowstone Forever” and click on the link. The book is available by going to Blue Ribbon Flies website as well as on Amazon. Order from Blue Ribbon Flies and I’ll autograph it!

Thanks from Yellowstone’s native Yellowstone Cutthroat trout for your support.

Thank you for reading my report and blog, stay tuned here for more to follow soon.

And, have a great time enjoying and exploring Yellowstone country rivers, lakes and streams. They offer incredible wilderness fly fishing experiences that last a lifetime.

GREAT NEWS!!! Lake trout numbers decline on Yellowstone Lake!

Phlox wildflowers.

Since 1996 Jackie and I have been involved as Board of Directors and Emeritus Board members of Yellowstone Forever, formerly known as Yellowstone Park Foundation. For several years it’s been an honor to serve on these boards.

And, even after retiring from them we continue to work hard with Yellowstone Forever helping fund, and raise public awareness for their ongoing “Save the Yellowstone Cutthroat” and native fish conservation projects in Yellowstone National Park.

One continuing program has been the ongoing gill netting of invasive lake trout on Yellowstone Lake. Several years we as a YPF Board committed to supporting this program with a $1 million dollar yearly gift to the help fund the project. Working with Wyoming Trout Unlimited Special Project Manager Dave Sweet has been filled with successes, and rewards beyond words. For 12 years Dave’s tireless efforts have finally brought victory within sight. For the first several years some doubted success could be achieved, but with Dave’s hard work and that of Yellowstone Forever’s JD Davis and Yellowstone National Park’s staff, Yellowstone Lake’s irreplaceable and invaluable cutthroat trout are seeing the benefits of the project. Check out this article and contribute if you can.  LINK HERE.

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Glacier Lily

Shooting stars.

Glacier Lilies are ripe in Yellowstone country as are other spring wildflowers like Bluebells, Buttercups, Phlox and Shooting Stars. Within 50 yards from where I write this remain snowdrifts over 16 feet deep. As they recede in warmer springtime temperatures wildflowers show.

This morning 3 cow elk, their bellies sagging with the weight of the calves they carry, walked through our aspens below the house. We’ll see their calves within the next 2 weeks as they begin to drop them. Some cow elk have learned to have their young close to homes to avoid lion, wolf and grizzly predation.

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Spring Baetis (BWO’s) are still emerging on the Madison River along with midges. This past winter and early spring season has offered up some of the best midge fishing we’ve seen in several years. I’ve been on the river over 60 days since February fishing dry flies to rising trout. The tiny BWO’s emerged 3 days in a row earlier this week. Yesterday though, even in idea conditions, the tiny olive duns took a day off to recharge after 3 strong afternoons of hatching. Ideal conditions for strong emergences are overcast, cool afternoons with rain or snow bringing on the best hatches.

Midge and BWO

Last-evening I decided to check out the river above the West Fork in hopes of finding a few fish rising. Arriving at 7p.m. winds were calm, light rain fell and fish rose to midges. Interestingly the fish were all large, and all brown trout. Don’t you just hate fishing to big-fat, rising brown trout? I scored a couple browns that ran and jumped several times. The fish were very healthy and colored up like fall run brown trout. The fish came up for a #18 Scotty’s Midge. I’ll be there again this evening and I hope to see you soon on one of Yellowstone country’s rivers!

Until next time, please stay safe and keep well, and thank you for reading my blog!

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