"Larry L" wrote in message
...


I don't know who "they" are, but "hatches" are the focus of everyone I
know that spends much time in the Greater Yellowstone area.

But, "Yellowstone/Montana" is a lot of area, both in surface area and
equally important, in altitude changes and it's nearly impossible to
produce a hatch chart for the entire zone that would have any meaning
beyond " lots of bugs over nearly the whole season."

As a single example, Salmonflies start hatching on the HFork around Ashton
in mid-may and the last Salmonflies you will likely encounter continue
until late July on the Yellowstone in the Park. In the middle they will
appear on the Madison, Gallatin and other rivers. But, on any given
water their emergence is short and far more people leave never having
experienced good Salmonfly activity than have ...

Caught a decent Salmonfly hatch last time up. Don't think it was too
intense, but it brought the fish up so worked for me. This was a good
example though as the Salmonfly hatch ended, didn't meet anyone along the
stream who knew what the fish were popping on. It turned out to be a basic
caddis, but had to rifle throguh the caddis box for an hour or two until i
figured it out on my own. That's always satisfying but would like to be
sure I have the right flies in the box to play with...


If you want the best 'feel' for what fishing the hatches of the Greater
Yellowstone Area can be like, there is no better resource then the DVD
"Fly Fishing Yellowstone Hatches" available from Blue Ribbon Flies
http://www.blueribbonflies.com/ The DVD is based on a book "Fishing
Yellowstone Hatches" by Jurachek and Matthews if you'd rather read than
watch, but I guarantee the DVD will make you a lot more eager to find the
bugs G ... and I suggest it.

Will check it out thanks..

I've fished the Jellystone area since '71 off and on, and the last 5 years
for several months each summer. I can't remember the last time I fished
an "attractor" pattern ... hatches are the game, for me. But, I don't
expect to 'master' the Jellystone hatch knowledge available, ever.
Unlike most visiting anglers that rush from spot to spot to get more 'been
there, done that' points, I fish the same places over and over, hoping to
gain a greater sense on intimacy and deeper knowledge. Yet, I'm still
surprised and caught unprepared often.


Sounds like Central PA hatches..the landscape may not be as unqiue, but the
limestoners are fertile and full of bugs. Takes a while to know what the
key flies are, and even then I am caught unaware frequently. I think that
is part of it for me since I grew up in flyfishing on matching the hatch. I
want to flip rocks, skim the surface, and watch the fish take a natural, to
figure out what to use. Don't get me wrong, I'll use whatever works, but I
never saw, or caught a bug, that looked like a lot of the attractor flies I
had in my box last time up. If I have the right flies to match the hatch in
the box, I'll figure it out.

When you coming out to the Penn's Clave?


If you DO rush from spot to spot ...look HARD before you tie on a fly,
what worked great at RiverA may be useless at RiverB an hour away by car.
This may account for your impression that hatches aren't taken seriously
... "place collectors" probably tend to fish flies that attract more than
imitate.

Do have to test much of the water to figure out those good spots to return
to each year. I have a few places marked for return engagements, but have a
few more I want to try.

For example, the Firehole kind of haunts me a bit in that I didn't fish it
long, and we caught a few average fish, but it looked like it should hold a
better breed of fish. Is it truly a classic fly stream or just a freak of
nature?

Also only fished the Yellowstone for a day last time in, hope to get another
day or two in this year. How about Black Canyon, is it worth the long hike,
or expensive outfitter, in?

The DVD will give you an idea of 'most likely' and 'most famous'
times/places and bugs but there is a LOT of fly fishing within a couple
hours of West Yellowstone and the exact same late July day that one water
will be starting to slow for the summer doldrums another water, not that
far away, will just be getting into shape for it's early fishing. Add
the fact that weather fluctuations can move hatches two weeks or more one
way or the other on the calendar and you'll begin to see how impossible it
is to name a few patterns for a short time in a huge region.


True, I'm sure of it, especially now that you have confirmed it, but if
you know the big bugs, on the streams that you focus on, I would think it's
a matter of time before you hit the right combination. One thing I did
notice out there is that once you find the bug, the fish in most streams
lift their skirts up...

What is your favorite water in Yellowstone, or otherwise Southern Montana?

Mike