Slide Inn and West Yellowstone

wrote

We will be there - in the area- eartly June for a week


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."

Sandy has given good advice for the lower Madison at that time of year....
except I wouldn't even try to wade if it's like last year ... too damn scary
...... and the fish are right next to shore anyway ( if allowed to be .. and
in early June that section of the river gets very little pressure ). The
world famous dual nymph rig can produce some nice fish in the Reynolds to
West Fork section ( I've never fished right around the Inn ) in early
season, if you're into that kinda thing. Personally, I'd stay closer to
the Park and fish in it for early June.

As you drive the 40 miles from Slide Inn to the Park pull off a few places
along the north shore of Hebgen ( if it's a calm day ) and take walks, rod
in hand. The fish cruise the shore eating midges unless the wind is
blowing much ... this can be excellent fishing ( anywhere on the lake but
that
north shore is right on the highway ) ... this is sight fishing, toss a big
( #16 or 14 ) midge emerger or pupa to fish you see coming ( don't let them
see you first ) .

But let me quote Craig Mathews one of the accepted local experts, ".... if
I had to pick just one day to fish the Madison River I would go in June,
just below Madison Junction in the Park. It would be a nasty day with wet
snow"

The Firehole and the Madison IN THE PARK will be providing daily,
excellent, dry fly fishing in early June. Expect crowds, both on the
roads ( Buffalo Jams are a way of life ... just relax you're on vacation,
remember? ) and the streams. Although there will be lots of anglers
out, I very seldom feel that crowded as there are also a lot of fish to go
around, and I hike a bit ( mid distances seem best, most guys are afraid to
lose sight of the car, the other type walk a olong ways .. in between the
two
groups is often the least pressured ). Firehole fish run smallish but
you can catch a trillion ... those in the Madison a little bigger, but
anything over 16 or 17 inches will be rare. Fish a #16 PMD Sparkle Dun,
and you'll USUALLY do well to risers. But, there will also be baetis,
midges, and Long Horned Sedge being taken ... for sure ... at some part of
each day, with other caddis important if it's warm .... wanna fish wet? ...
well the Firehole is Soft Hackle heaven .. and the Madison in the Park is a
great place for a little PT nymph under a dry ( although, obviously, many
things will work and each day is different )


I'll get to Baker's Hole just before Memorial Day weekend and stay until
late in June before I move closer to the HFork or take a run up to the
Missouri ...

"Larry L" wrote

stuff


This is the lower Madison on June 6th 2006 ... Slide Inn is near the the
beginning of the canyon that can be seen upstream ... the bridge is
Reynolds Pass bridge

http://www.kimshew.com/flyfish/photos/log202.jpg


See what I mean about scary wading ?


The 'same" river in the park June 1st last year

http://www.kimshew.com/flyfish/photos/log288.jpg

"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:
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)

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

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." )

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

"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....

"Mike Makela" ten.tsacmoc@alekamm wrote






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.



"June" in Montahoming covers a huge amount of change ... early June and late
June being very, VERY different ... indeed one of the joys of June is the
need to be very flexible and observant to stay on top of things ... what
worked great yesterday may well be over for the year today



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.


Two or three times, in the same area, on the Firehole I've had people
walking by looking for "a spot" Below me a hundred yards was some of
the river's best water and biggest ( not as small ) fish in an area I
usually slowly work into. But these folks seemed too lost, clearly weren't
going to be around to compete more than a one day vacation and I'd decide to
"play guide" I'd say something like, "Once you get past that next
curve, slow down and very carefully watch both banks, the fish will be
within a couple inches of the bank, but they will be there." In every
case I got a nod or 'thanks' and watched them stomp quickly down the
mentioned bank, eyes glued on the middle, boots scaring the fish back
under the under cuts. By the time I worked to them, the fish were back on
station G


I think the fights are often for the "best looking" water, not the best.

Another thing I've noticed is that you can guess the water type being
occupied by the license plate of the parked car ... Colorado plates, the
riffle is taken, bobicator flailing, ( over the heads of risers on the back
casts, maybe), but the eddies and edges haven't been touched.
There's more "good water" than most of us think, we actually look for "my
type of water" ... don't we? G








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.


The fishing is, mostly, just an excuse ...