Yellowstoned

I took a weekday off from work and left early, to go do a little late
summer fishing
in the Park. Got there early enough to get to the lower end of Slough
Creek at about
7:30 am. Not a soul in sight. We saw fish cruising here and there. But
they weren't
in anyway feeding that early: no dimples, no flashing sides. Mostly
they were sitting
still, sometimes moving but no natural feeding and not much response to
flies.
Tried everything from itty bitty to huge, both wet and dry.

I did get a few nice cutthroats to follow a streamer, but not to bite.
The water was cool enough but low.

So we hiked out and drove up to look at Soda Butte.
Soda Butte was tiny, yet innundated with fishermen. There must
have been 100 parked cars (not all of them fishermen) and at way too
many fishermen along the creek. The water was so low you could see from
the highway the fish would all be crowded into the few deep holes there
are,
and each deep hole had at least one fisherman.

The upper end of the Lamar was one fisherman after another. We didn't
hike
up toward Cache Creek, which might have worked. But the meadow itself
was a disaster. The water was so low there were 3-4" deep riffles a
half a mile
long, with all the fish concentrated into the few deep spots left. And
each deep hole
had two or more fisherman already there. We saw one nice 20" cutthroat
dead
and belly up in shallow water, cartwheeling down a riffle.

When the water is deeper the fish spread out into a variety of holding
spots.
But when it is this shallow and low they're all concentrated in obvious
spots,
that seem to be getting hammered all day long, one fisherman after
another.

I'm not going back. Not during low water conditions like this.
I don't think anybody should.

On 17 Aug 2006 10:11:31 -0700, wrote:

[snip]
I'm not going back. Not during low water conditions like this.
I don't think anybody should.

Bummer. I'll be out there most of September - I guess I'll just 'focus' on
photography rather than fishing. :-(
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com

wrote:
I took a weekday off from work and left early, to go do a little late
summer fishing
in the Park. Got there early enough to get to the lower end of Slough
Creek at about
7:30 am. Not a soul in sight. We saw fish cruising here and there. But
they weren't
in anyway feeding that early: no dimples, no flashing sides. Mostly
they were sitting
still, sometimes moving but no natural feeding and not much response to
flies.
Tried everything from itty bitty to huge, both wet and dry.

I did get a few nice cutthroats to follow a streamer, but not to bite.
The water was cool enough but low.

So we hiked out and drove up to look at Soda Butte.
Soda Butte was tiny, yet innundated with fishermen. There must
have been 100 parked cars (not all of them fishermen) and at way too
many fishermen along the creek. The water was so low you could see from
the highway the fish would all be crowded into the few deep holes there
are,
and each deep hole had at least one fisherman.

The upper end of the Lamar was one fisherman after another. We didn't
hike
up toward Cache Creek, which might have worked. But the meadow itself
was a disaster. The water was so low there were 3-4" deep riffles a
half a mile
long, with all the fish concentrated into the few deep spots left. And
each deep hole
had two or more fisherman already there. We saw one nice 20" cutthroat
dead
and belly up in shallow water, cartwheeling down a riffle.
[snip]

This fish transpired due to old age or what?

Your pal,

Halfordian Golfer
It is impossible to catch and release a wild trout.

In article . com,
says...

wrote:
The upper end of the Lamar was one fisherman after another. We didn't
hike
up toward Cache Creek, which might have worked. But the meadow itself
was a disaster. The water was so low there were 3-4" deep riffles a
half a mile
long, with all the fish concentrated into the few deep spots left. And
each deep hole
had two or more fisherman already there. We saw one nice 20" cutthroat
dead
and belly up in shallow water, cartwheeling down a riffle.
[snip]

This fish transpired due to old age or what?

Heart attack. It probably heard that there were meat fishermen in the
area.
- Ken

wrote in message
...
In article . com,
says...

wrote:
The upper end of the Lamar was one fisherman after another. We didn't
hike
up toward Cache Creek, which might have worked. But the meadow itself
was a disaster. The water was so low there were 3-4" deep riffles a
half a mile
long, with all the fish concentrated into the few deep spots left. And
each deep hole
had two or more fisherman already there. We saw one nice 20" cutthroat
dead
and belly up in shallow water, cartwheeling down a riffle.
[snip]

This fish transpired due to old age or what?

Heart attack. It probably heard that there were meat fishermen in the
area.


Actually, it was above the legal slot limit. Useless. Just competes with
fish that might be kept. Had to be killed.

Wolfgang

wrote:
I took a weekday off from work and left early, to go do a little late
summer fishing

Slough Creek was low, but in better shape than Soda Butte and the
Lamar,
for what it's worth. If I wanted to go up there again, this season,
I'd
hike into the Black Canyon and fish the big river.

Or hope for rain between now and then.

On 17 Aug 2006 10:11:31 -0700, wrote:

I took a weekday off from work and left early, to go do a little late
summer fishing

Did you take a look at the Madison inside the park?

S.T.W.

Did you take a look at the Madison inside the park?
S.T.W.

No, we drove from Bozeman to the Lamar through Gardiner.
I haven't been over to the Madison since the end of the salmon
fly season.

This past winter we got more snow that we've seen in years
and we also got so much late spring rain everybody thought
the ten year dought finally over.

And then it got hot (very hot) and dry and windy from late
June through now, and everything got drier'na popcorn fart again.

The Lamar is low but cool enough the fish would be fine, if they
weren't getting pounded 8-10 hours a day while
stuck in small pools of deep water, with no where to go. The Montana
Fish and Game
closed down the Big Hole last month, when the water dropped
to a trickle. The Park Service should do the same, when it gets like
this.

Trouble is, once (they) start closing off the fishing, they might never
open it up again. I trust the Montana Fish and Game. I don't much trust
the Park Service.

On 17 Aug 2006 15:42:47 -0700, wrote:

The Lamar is low but cool enough the fish would be fine, if they
weren't getting pounded 8-10 hours a day while
stuck in small pools of deep water, with no where to go. The Montana
Fish and Game
closed down the Big Hole last month, when the water dropped
to a trickle. The Park Service should do the same, when it gets like
this.

Trouble is, once (they) start closing off the fishing, they might never
open it up again. I trust the Montana Fish and Game. I don't much trust
the Park Service.

Sandy, how are things in Idaho and Wyoming? Are they too experiencing
low/warm water? I couldn't believe the temperatures you folks went
through in July/August.

Dave

"Dave LaCourse" wrote in message
...
On 17 Aug 2006 15:42:47 -0700, wrote:

how are things in Idaho and Wyoming?

I fished the North Fork of the Clearwater last week, it was in good shape,
however the temp was at 65 degrees and that was after a good rain the night
before...

There were many, many people fishing, it's not what it once was.

JT