Slide Inn and West Yellowstone

"Larry L" wrote


and wrote and wrote and wrote ...



To put "numbers" things in perspective " a fishing day," for me, is usually
a couple hours ... I'm not really a gung ho "get em all" angler, but I do
love a trout's neighborhood G

I saw this while looking for pictures and liked it ( clearly a egocentric
thing to say )

http://www.kimshew.com/flyfish/displ...php?log_id=293

Larry L wrote:

..... and the fish are right next to shore anyway


I (as usual) agree with most of what Larry said.
But not necessarily this part. Lower down the river
the fish get driven off the banks by a daily parade of driftboats.
Up in the Slide Inn area, when you can find it, I like fan-shaped
riffley runs that drain fast water into deeper, bluer water.

And the big fish are never on the bank anymore. Maybe they would be
if there weren't so many fishermen trudging along and flailing
away. But there they (the fishermen) are, and there they (the fish)
are not.

The last time I went to the 3 dollar bridge at salmon fly time
there must have been 100 fishermen there. I waded out into
kamakaze-style fast water (almost went down getting there) and
then caught my breath in the eddy behind a huge, deep mid-river rock,
maybe a quarter mile up from the bridge. I caught two 17-18"
fish there, plus 2-3 smaller ones and missed a few honkers too.
I had one really big fish on that caught some cat calls from the
peanut gallery.

And all that during a period when I didn't see anybody else touch
anything. Not because I'm such a great fisherman, but more because
I was fishing deep fast water, in the middle of the river,
that nobody else had touched all day.

I do that too from the boat, further down the river. I ignore the
banks and work the deep blue rolling runs smack in the middle
of the river. That's were the big ones are.

"salmobytes" wrote


I (as usual) agree with most of what Larry said.
But not necessarily this part.


We're actually agreeing here, too, I think

I was talking specifically about early June .... and in the wade only
sections

I'm not a big fan of the Madison ( largely because of my wading
weaknesses ), but last year I tried it a few times in early season ( the
wade section opens a week before the Park, I think ) and was alone in the
parking lots every time .... I did move "high teens" size fish fishing from
the bank with nymphs ( heavy rubber legs and my own version of a lightning
bug deal as a team )


As soon as the crowds show up ( late June ) the fish are pressured out where
Sandy suggests .... and for all I know ( I'm too chicken **** to try and
find out ) there may be bigger fish out there even in early season ... but
you can ( if I can anyone can ) catch nice fish from the bank ( walk
softly ) in early June

Larry L wrote:
but I do
love a trout's neighborhood G

I saw this while looking for pictures and liked it ( clearly a egocentric
thing to say )

http://www.kimshew.com/flyfish/displ...php?log_id=293




nice stuff larry...thanks.

jeff (enjoying the nc dem primary)

It does seem pricey but I am taking my wife and she enjoys it more w
comfort
- altho she will camp
What we do is 2-3 days of camping *followed by 2-3 days of hotel and clean
up.

* * like, well, um, i don't know if this matters to you and your lady, but
the walls of those rooms of which jeffie speaks are thin as rice paper.

wayno(well, dammit, been there, done that...)

So, you're saying that your singing disturbed that Mormon girls club
from the Slide Inn all the way up to the Quake Lake campground?
Frank Reid
(wel, dammit, I heard ya)

On 6-May-2008, "Larry L" wrote:

To put "numbers" things in perspective " a fishing day," for me, is
usually
a couple hours ... I'm not really a gung ho "get em all" angler, but I do
love a trout's neighborhood G

I could not agree more esp WHEN w my wife
Enjoying ourselves is what its about which for my wife includes antiquing
If I want to get off to fish by myself she has no problem

I also do not exopect to wade a heavy river
I cannot part the Red Sea?

One of the complaints that I had about the film of John Krakauer's book
about he kid in Alaska "Into the Wild"
was that anyone who knows what they are doing cannot nor wopuld never
attemopt top cross the river that he tried
Its stupid and impossible.
Otherwise I liked the film a lot.

Perhaps we will meet on a river

Fred

"salmobytes" wrote in message
. ..
wrote:
This is sorta my second request re this topic
We will be there - in the area- eartly June for a week
A few days at the Slide Inn with the day or before @ Twin Bridges
I would like to meet the boo boys.

Some people on this list have commented before about this place
Can anyone give me or us any info or feedback on their experience(s) here
or
in the area


Thanks in advance
Fred

Fish with nymphs mostly, at that time of year.
You might try a big one and a little beadhead at the same time.

The water is fast and rocks are slick. If you go down, don't
flail around and fight the current. Just go with the flow.
Keep your feet up and pointed downstream, and let the current
take you to a spot where you can stand up again.

Hang on to your rod. You can maneuver too, with feet downstream,
close your legs, open them up, close them again, with your back
toward the bank. That will zoom you right back to the edge.

You can swim (and enjoy the ride) that way for a mile.
But if you panic and fight the current, you could run out of energy
lickedy split. I almost went down there in early March.
Ice was 3' thick at the edge. That would have been dicey.


During my one trip to the area...I was rather thrilled to see bruiser and
boys fishing... They would lose their footing and float and hoot and holler
back down the river however many hundreds of yards it took to get both feet
under them...

....and not stopping fishing!

john

wrote


Enjoying ourselves is what its about which for my wife includes antiquing



Expect her to want to stop a couple times on the drive from Twin Bridges to
West.

The road over the pass is "interesting," towing a trailer, but it goes
through Montana gold rush country ... it reminded me a lot of the California
version just up the hill from me here. My memory may be weak ( all I
really remember is switch backs and hot brakes ;-) but I'm guessing antique
shops are available and a staple of the local economy


Larry L ( who looks up above at the word in quotes and remembers his son
telling him that there is a Chinese curse that goes something like, "May you
live in very interesting times." )

"salmobytes" wrote in message
. ..
Larry L wrote:

..... and the fish are right next to shore anyway

I (as usual) agree with most of what Larry said.
But not necessarily this part. Lower down the river
the fish get driven off the banks by a daily parade of driftboats.
Up in the Slide Inn area, when you can find it, I like fan-shaped
riffley runs that drain fast water into deeper, bluer water.

And the big fish are never on the bank anymore. Maybe they would be
if there weren't so many fishermen trudging along and flailing
away. But there they (the fishermen) are, and there they (the fish)
are not.

The last time I went to the 3 dollar bridge at salmon fly time
there must have been 100 fishermen there. I waded out into kamakaze-style
fast water (almost went down getting there) and
then caught my breath in the eddy behind a huge, deep mid-river rock,
maybe a quarter mile up from the bridge. I caught two 17-18"
fish there, plus 2-3 smaller ones and missed a few honkers too.
I had one really big fish on that caught some cat calls from the
peanut gallery.

And all that during a period when I didn't see anybody else touch
anything. Not because I'm such a great fisherman, but more because
I was fishing deep fast water, in the middle of the river,
that nobody else had touched all day.

I do that too from the boat, further down the river. I ignore the
banks and work the deep blue rolling runs smack in the middle
of the river. That's were the big ones are.

Hmm, I have to disagree a little, but maybe it's more because I am use to
the pressure of the PA streams. I find there are still many fish that are
willing and able along the banks, if your timing is good. Albeit, first
run in the morning seems to be best, but there tends to be some more action
in the evening after the hot summer sun has chased most off in the
afternoon. I also find that many people walk right by productive water
because "great" water lies just beyond, especially in an area under
pressure by many, they all end up fighting for the best water, running up
and down with really doing much fishing at all. Once the sun drops below
the mountains, the fish get more active again, and if you are lucky, you'll
catch one of those Madison caddis hatches. Again not sure about June, but
it can be quite a frenzy, if you do catch one.

As for the heavy water fishing, that's what I usually like best, but find
the water in the Madison around the Slide, Three Dollar, and below, a bit
fast for enjoyment. It can be productive, but it's too much like work, for
me anyway. I would rather wander up the upper Madison, Gibbon, Slough,
Firehole, Pebble Creek , or Soda Butte, at least in early July (not sure how
many of those are fishable in early June).

Lot's of great advice from many here that are more knowledable than I, and
one note Jeff made, to wander upstream from the Slide, is a great one.
That is very fast water for the most part, but it seems to force the fish
into every slower hole possible. If you can drift a fly through it, and
it's more than 9 inches deep, you can catch fish in it. I had just started
to mess around with that approach, with a little success, at the end of my
last trip up there. I'll pick up where I left off next year.

The other problem I have is concentrating on the quarry. It's hard with
such a beautiful, mystical, breathtaking, piece of the planet surrounding
you at every turn. From the Big Sky, to the boiling hot springs, you'll
find yourself wandering amongst the wildlife, stumbling upon nature's best
seemingly at will, can make it hard to do anything but gawk in amazement of
it all.

Either way, you'll enjoy it all.

Mike

who now wonders why the heck I'm not going this year....

On 6-May-2008, "Larry L" wrote:

I know nothing of the Slide Inn, per se as a place to stay, but I'm
leaving
here soon for my 6th consecutive June "in the area."

Larry
Thanks for the advice

We will be there a week
If we meet on a river "in the area"
I will bring the beer
I may even have a Water master as I am going to look at it the weekend
after this

Sincerely
Fred
k