Yellowstone - Day 3

We finally hit the rivers today, starting with a cool and cloudy visit to the Madison. This is a fast and deep river on the west end of the park. We were just inside the boundary when I took this picture. Steve managed to get one small whitefish but the advertised big and burly trout failed to find any attraction to our gear.

After this we moved deeper into the park and stopped off at the Firehole River, just below the upper geyser basin where Old Faithful erupts and pours gallons of hot water into this river. It's odd because you can feel how warm the water is. It's very different than any other trout stream I've ever fished because of that. Apparently, at some times of the year it's almost unfishable as the warm water forces the trout deep, looking for any cool water they can find, where they hide out until fall brings cooler weather.

Lucky for us, the water and weather cooperated and we each managed a half dozen trout out of the Firehole! That's a lifetime achievment for me - fish caught in the Firehole River. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? There are two species of cutthroat here that I can't differentiate, but the two that I caught were a beautiful golden color with brililant red spots - very nice fish!

Yellowstone - Day 2

It was cool and foggy when we drove through the Park Entrance this morning. The sky above, when we could see it, was clear and gave every indication of a good day. At the first opportunity to look west, however, we could see a bank of clouds hanging on the horizon looking ready to change things.

By the time we reached the Firehole River, it was so thick we could barely see. We decided we'd put fishing on hold for a bit and travel through the three geyser basins since Steve has not been here before. That would allow a chance for him to see some of these wonders while getting the basic lay of the land along the western side of this magnificent park. We followed many of the boardwalks and visited geysers, fumaroles, mud pots and hot springs galore. By about nine am we were at the upper geyser basin and decided to follow the three mile trail there to see the sights around Old Faithful (or as Jamie likes to call it, "Old Reliable"). There are over six hundred of these things in the park so any of us visiting actually only see a tiny fraction of them.

Following our tour of the basin we wandered through the wonderful Old Faithful Lodge, admiring the unique structure and enjoying a nice lunch out of the rain, which had by then begun to fall in earnest. As the temperature dropped and the rain increased, we headed back west following the Firehole River to the intersection with the Gibbon River and began to follow it upstream. After a few miles we seemed to have out run the rain so we stopped long enough for Steve to wet a hook.

Yellowstone - Day 1

Steve agreed to pick me up at the Bozeman International Overseas Aerodrome today after driving all the way from Seattle while I rode a very bumpy Horizon Q400 the five hundred odd miles from home to here. Weather was not good for most of the trip and very turbulent. In spite of that, or maybe because of that, the views here are quite spectacular.

We've watched a number of thunderstorms roll in from the west and have seen lightning many times. Whether we are seeing fires start or not we'll find out later.

We got to West Yellowstone about five thirty so we had time to wander through a few fly fishing shops. One would think that in a town that's only about five blocks long there would not be more than one of these stores. We visited three and have not seen them all. It would appear that fly fishing is a money generating sport in these parts. We did listen to the guides in one store discussing today's outings with one another and it sounds like twenty inch fish are just itching for Steve and I to show up with our Lamboghini Woolybooger Activator Indicator flies to yank 'em out. We will see how that works out. Remember, for me it's called fishing, not catching.

Into the park tomorrow with a very wet weather forecast. I'll update tomorrow night.