The hunt for big browns on the Madison

Last weekend Warren and I set out to find some of the fabled big
browns entering the Madison from Hebgen Lake. We got a late start on
Fri. and didnt go down to the Park until the following morning. We
fished instead a nice free stone stream callled Rattlesnake Creek
in a drainage only Warren knows about. Not much action but got a
couple looks during a sparse baetis hatch,

Saturday we got started at a reasonable time and after getting some
advice and Park liscences at a local shop hit the madison just outside
of the park. We immediately ran into a nice baetis hatch around 11.
We both caught some small rainbows and Warren was fortunate enough
to hit a pod of rare Rocky Mountain Whitefish one of which he
caught, carved up, and ate. He said it was better than sushi !

But we were looking for large browns and after sporting with the
small fish for awhile went to Bakers Campground. We saw a couple
bait chuckers, one was in the process of playing a nice 17 "
rainbow to death. I "offered" to help him land it and quickly got
him in the net and after some reviving he survived the ordeal. Guy
said he had been playing him for 15 minutes! The next guy then
deep hooked a little rainbow and killed it saving his fifteen
cent hook.

I went down river and Warren up. I hit some water downstream
that w ould have been perfect holding water. Slow and deep and spent
a lot of time casting a bugger in there with no effect. It was a
really nice bright warm day, probably about 70 and I was beginning
to wonder if the run had started yet.....

I hit some riffles and decided to try to find some rainbows and
caught 2 nice ones before heading back to find Warren and consider
another venue. When I got back he was MIA and at least the
chuckers had departed . I walked up looking for him and met someone
coming from Warrens general direction.I inquired if he had seen
him. He told me he saw a guy scaling a cliff up river. Figuring that
was Warren I knew Ihad some time to kill. I used it by fishing the
run where the BC s had been fishing. At this point I was lazily
throwing nymphs for awhile when I head a great deep implosion of
water . I looked and sure enough I had another indicator strike!
SOmething about red putty....

I was tempted to put on a hopper but anytime I ve done that it hasn t
worked so I continued fishing but was now paying attention. A couple
cast later I made a strike. Out went my line in a slow steady
inevitable pace. Dreams of a huge brown danced in my head. It
definetly was not a rainbow run. Out went the line , then into the
backing and half way thru that I knew I had to do something if I was
going to land this fish.It was headed back to the lake.

I was on a sandbar between fast flowing water on my right and
slow deep weedy frog water on my right. I didn t think I could make
it across that and I d have to head back upstream 100 yards which was
the wrong way. I tip toed thru the frog water not getting too wet
and reached the bank and chased the fish which had by now also
gotten into this slower water. Sure enough he was in the weeds but I
was able to lift him out and pull him in, on his side foul hooked , in
the ass was a 3 pound, you guessed it, whitefish....


Warren was coming back and I quickly relased the fish not wanting
to eat that one too. It was about 3 30 now and we decided to head
into the park and fish the firehole. We arrived in the mdist of a
nice caddis hatch with small fish taking them out of the air. We both
waded in and even tho there were alot of rising fish they were
surprisingly tough but we got some the largest about 12". As i hadn
t bathed in weeks I took the opportunity to take one step in off
the bank and go for a swim in the fairly warm water.

The fish just stopped and tho there were still bugs on the water
the fishing was done. We drove back to Bozeman that nite.

The next day Warren had his daughter so I went and fished locally.
Found the East Gallatin and was able to participate in a baetis
hatch and caught some small rainbows with my bamboo rod which is
always a pleasure to use on small water.At warrens suggestion I
checked out Headwater State park. Nothing going on there on that
brite sunny day. I took a stab at the Cobblestone Fishing access on
the upper Madison but no luck there and I was just to tired to
wait a couple hours for an evening bite. Satiated i went home,
thinking of my "lost brown".....

MT

MT

"Mark Tinsky" wrote in message
...
Last weekend Warren and I set out to find some of the fabled big
browns entering the Madison from Hebgen Lake. We got a late start on
Fri. and didnt go down to the Park until the following morning. We
fished instead a nice free stone stream callled Rattlesnake Creek
in a drainage only Warren knows about. Not much action but got a
couple looks during a sparse baetis hatch,

report snipped.....

The next day Warren had his daughter so I went and fished locally.
Found the East Gallatin and was able to participate in a baetis
hatch and caught some small rainbows with my bamboo rod which is
always a pleasure to use on small water.At warrens suggestion I
checked out Headwater State park. Nothing going on there on that
brite sunny day. I took a stab at the Cobblestone Fishing access on
the upper Madison but no luck there and I was just to tired to
wait a couple hours for an evening bite. Satiated i went home,
thinking of my "lost brown".....

MT

MT

Nice report Mark, took me back to the Western Clave for a few minutes,
thanks,

Mike

In article , "Mike Makela"
ten.tsacmoc@alekamm wrote:

"Mark Tinsky" wrote in message
...
Last weekend Warren and I set out to find some of the fabled big
browns entering the Madison from Hebgen Lake. We got a late start on
Fri. and didnt go down to the Park until the following morning. We
fished instead a nice free stone stream callled Rattlesnake Creek
in a drainage only Warren knows about. Not much action but got a
couple looks during a sparse baetis hatch,



Nice report Mark, took me back to the Western Clave for a few minutes,
thanks,

Mike

Hope to see you next year. I enjoyed meeting you MT

wrote...
Hope to see you next year. I enjoyed meeting you MT

Well, you're here aren't you? You MOVED here from there. 'Nuff said.
--
Warren
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