 | AM Family headed back home entrusting him to the Fishing Team! |
| On this trip we have two rigs: the manly Ford F250 extended bed with the big
diesel (MS), and the chic and sophisticated Jeep Grand Cherokee (V8 etc.) (CL)
- 2 very nice rigs for such a trip. |
| Also we have divvied the work up so that MS is the treasurer (he is an
accountant after all); AM does the hotels and G2 for fishing info (he is
sneaky after all!) |
| We fished Clark Fork above Rock Creek Lodge (why does this place keep
reappearing in our travels?) by old abandoned bridge on other side of railroad
tracks on a dead end road. Got that? Caught Chubs only – no trout – warm
water – lots of algae – moving on. Guide book said this area was crummy
for fishing – they were right! Wondered why we chose to read the book after
we fished the area? |
| Access to Clark Fork River on south side of Rock creek is apparently private
property and the owner is alleged have you arrested for trespassing. Didn’t
confirm the rumor. |
| Moved on down the road at about 0945. |
| Lunched at 4B’s in Deer Lodge (home of the old Montana Prison – the new
one too I think!) |
| Reserved some rooms for the next night (Monday) at Al’s Westward Ho Motel
in West Yellowstone using the cell phones as we cruised down the highway.
Pretty good use of technology. |
| Arrived Livingston about 2:45 PM. |
| Found hotel rooms at Country Motor Inn (Steve and Cathy Dempster 814 East
Park St., Livingston, MT 59047 406-222-1923 or 1-800-286-1923) |
| Visited Dan Bailey’s Fly Shop (World famous!) and got some flies and
directions on where to fish in Yellowstone Park and some ideas on where to
fish this evening on the Boulder River. |
| Some fish seen – not hot action – used stimulator plus dropper |
| AM bumped a couple of fish but no sliming – AB hit some fish |
| Heard report (why now?) that West Fork of Boulder was better fishing |
| MS thought that the Boulder R. below where the West Fork came in, looked
better and had seen some fisherman in that area. |
| Quit frothing the water at about 9:30pm – Beautiful Sunset Evening |
| Boulder River valley was location of the movie set for The Horse Whisperer
according to local newspapers. |
| Off to dinner in Boulder – Found Truck Stop in Livingston at about 11 PM
– all night place – who could have thought we could get lost in
Livingston? |
| Huge portions of pancakes, coffee, etc. for $3.35. |
| Found really good coffee in am at the Java Bean in Livingston. |
| Read Billings and Bozeman newspapers for Montana view of the world. |
| Papers were sensitive to water quality degradation and to terrorist stuff
like in DC where some folks got shot up. |
| PowerBall Lottery up to $250M; bought two tickets and chose cash up front
option. If successful, this kind of trip could become a lifestyle! |
| Left Livingston for Northwest entrance to Yellowstone at about 0915. |
| Arrived at Park’s Fly Shop at about noon (Park’s Fly Shop, PO Box 196,
Gardiner, MT 59030 1-406-848-7314) |
| Bought some flies and hats from Phillip Herne (Licensed Guide) at the shop |
| Into Yellowstone at about 1230. |
| Picked up shirt and stuff from Hamilton Store at Mammoth Hot Springs lodge
area in the Park. Lots of folks milling around in this area. |
| Headed for Tower Falls and the Yellowstone River (following a "hot
tip" from the fly shops) "Go past the Bridge and work both sides of
the River" |
| Found the Yellowstone River to be very fast in a very deep canyon with
minimal bank area. A very slot oriented fishery. |
| Got out of the rigs into our hip boots. Very hot day – oppressively so! |
| As we hike into the area, we find dead elk hides and bones – winter kill?
Any grizzlies around? Felt strange to be hiking in country where you are not
the top of the food chain. |
| No fish but sensational scenery – many blue rocks along river banks—many
big Salmon fly hulls on the rocks. |
| Moved on down the road seeing a variety of animals and the occasional fender
bender of automobiles. |
| Yellowstone River closer to the Lake is much slower, like a huge Spring
Creek |
| Saw bison by side of road; watched a big one wade (swim?) across the
Yellowstone River. Guess that is why it is called Buffalo Ford? |
| Large, very visible, and very smart cutthroat were slowly working the water
for very small flies |
| We worked a fish by shore fairly hard with no success – most others were
having the same result |
| Headed onward to West Yellowstone; we ended up seeing in total: Elk (herd +
bull), bear, bison, trout (not caught), muskrat, pelicans, and turkey vultures
along with an amazing display of traffic management inexpertness by Park
Rangers following a gentle rear-end collision several cars in front of us (we
were not involved) |
| Rained hard on us as we headed for West Yellowstone |
| Checked into Al’s Westward Ho late evening just before 9 PM |
| Dinner at local place around the corner – a bar filled with slot machines,
smoke, stale brews – it was perfect for the group! |
