Woke up Tuesday Morning, September 19 to more overcast skies and tiny snowflakes. so we headed towards West Yellowstone…
Yep…it’s going to get nasty…
..for certain…
A stop at Blue Ribbon Flies to pick up licenses and regulations for fishing in Yellowstone National Park…
The Regulations…those three things listed on the bottom left hand corner are ” need to know” information…
Then on to the Park Entrance just East of town to pay the fee ( in this case, for six days)…
The map was very useful…because of the snowy conditions, travel around the park was limited. We were headed to Biscuit Basin on the Firehole River…
Slow going…The Madison River and Baker Hole are on the left…
Did I mention slow going…???
This is the Madison River, in the park, at about 14 miles in…it was now on the right hand side of the road…
Michael and I decided to stop and take some pictures…
…of each other and the scenery…
Then Michael helped this other gentleman use his phone for photographs…
This is the Firehole, about 8 miles from Madison Junction. where the Gibbon and Firehole join to create the Madison River…this is looking downstream…
…and this is looking upstream …
This is around mid-Geyser Basin where the traffic came to a dead stop so everybody could take bison photos…
On the left…
…and…Wait for it !!!
…on the right…this REALLY took forever…
Nearing Biscuit Basin…
…are we there yet ???
Finally, a view from the bridge, looking upstream above Biscuit Basin…
Looking downstream from the bridge and the reason – on the left – as to why the Firehole River remains at a warm temperature year-round. The water temps were around 62 degrees on this day…
Michael tries on Lil’ Moo’s glasses to see how fashionable he can be for the tourists, many of whom thought we were both crazy for fly fishing in the snow…
The soft hackle fly box I prepared for this occasion…
…and the GOLD PROSPECTOR I tied on as my first soft hackle to use…
OK…I can go for that…
Tis is a very beautiful place to fish…
Michael picks up a nice Brown on a Midge Larva…
He was using this MADISON DRIFTER as his lead fly because it has a tungsten bead for weight…he also used these:
Tungsten shot – because lead in the park is forbidden…From Madison Fly Company…P.S. They need to do some work ( refinement ) on this product…
I continued to swing soft hackles…
Using a UV DATUM #3 COACHMAN…
…and collected this little guy…
The bottom of the river in this location had a gravely sections filled with weeds and some large underwater rocks. One must watch their step, unsuspected drop-offs lurk …
Michael caught another nice Brown…these are the most common size…in the past, I have hooked into some very large Brown on the Firehole…
No matter though…I just enjoy being here…
Michael was using my Thomas & Thomas 9′, 5wt. (Bottom) and I was using a Winston WT 9′, 5wt. (Top) – both with Tibor Tailwater Reels…the Silver being the CL Model…
Michael caught a bunch more small Brown Trout…
…and I had my share…
Then, it was time for Michael to take some photos of other attractions in the area and for us to go to lunch at the Old Faithful Inn Dining Room…I broke down the rods and warmed up my frozen hands…
Sulphur and smelly…
…self-explanatory…
….another cauldron of cooking chemicals…
…YIKES !!!…
I am going in the Lodge to grab a table…
The lobby of The Old Faithful Inn…it has changed a lot since I was last here in October, 1977 with my Dad…
The dining room…’cause we a both famished…
...the customary VIRGIN BLOODY MARY…very spicy…
I love menus # 1.
I LOVE menus #2.
Michael cannot resist…
A Caesar Salad…Michael had the other half and a burger with fries…
…perhaps Lil’ Moo would like one of these stuffed bears ???
…or some other tchotchke from the gift shop ??? Naw…back to Blue Ribbon Flies for fishin’ stuff…
Michael spies the clock…a real tourist…
So he goes out in a blizzard to wait for it to erupt…
While I wisely wait under cover …Never did go off while he was out there…
We are outta’ here…
..and back to West Yellowstone to pick up some supplies at the market…it is sleeting and snowing and the wind is blowing like crazy…
Everything is better with butter…but this is ridiculous…
…back down by $3.00 Bridge, the weather is beginning to clear…
…a few sprinkles up on the mountain…
…back at West Fork and… “Put the groceries away before you fish !”
…above the bridge again with a 10′, 5wt. Loomis Streamdance to the left…
So…Michael swings his Seal Bugger just in front of the rock…
…and a Rainbow end of the day…again… 🙂
NEXT: Down to ENNIS & The Channels Section / $3.00 Bridge afterwards…
PT/TB
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.and so did this…Skinny Midge…
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