3 Sep 2008
Everyone was up and ready by 0730. This will be a travel day to West Yellowstone
via I-90 and then up the Gallatin River Valley. Breakfast (again) at the Copper
Bowl where AM cajoles the ladies to brew a fresh pot of his secret stash of
Organic Shade Grown French Roast Arabic (with the thermos full AM and JR are set
for the day. After breakfast packing, we are on the road by 0900.
On I-90, we pass a Toyota Prius (hybrid electric/gas car) with 2 road bikes on
the roof rack. Maybe an eco-vacation??
After again crossing the continental divide, we reach Bozeman and swing by the
Sportsman Warehouse. My Blackberry googled up the map their place in Bozeman
while we were on I-90 – I doubt we would have found it otherwise! GK and AM
pickup hip boots and some inexpensive staple flies. Talking with Sales
attendant, Jess, it turns out she has a website with some friends where they are
working on adventure films – http://bestflyfishingyellowstone.com We share
our website info. Jess carefully shared some local areas where we might fish –
armed with new info, we move on.
To our surprise, we see the river reader board at the SW is showing the Madison
River below Hegben Dam to be closed!! In a quandary, we call the El Western in
Ennis where we are heading day after next – they confirm the high water but note
the river is open again for fishing – the guides are reporting they are doing
well in the high waters. We elect to continue our plan with some trepidation.
Leaving Bozeman, we head toward West Yellowstone – along the way we see most
every take-out has someone fishing in it. I wonder if these are refugees from
the Madison River…..?
Reaching West Yellowstone, we check in with Becky at the One Horse Motel – the
only place to stay in West if you ask us!! It is still cool – 46F.
We run down the highway to see the high water below the dam and sure enough it is high!! Full banks at high springtime flows!! Definitely not September flows. Apparently 4 days after the annual inspection of the dam, one of the four huge gates holding back the lake breaks and with no “quick fix” in sight, the lake is draining and the river is rising.
Stopping by Galloup’s Slide Inn (Kelly Galloup, owner), Kelly suggests big stoneflies or girdlebugs with a nymph trailer (or san juan worm) drifted in the slack water near the edge of the bank. Ignore the rest of the river as you have a 8-12 inch slot of water to fish – not so much casting as dapping!!
Fishing the seams below Raynolds Pass access, we do catch a brown trout but
fishing is slow and, honestly, not very enjoyable.
Heading back upstream, we take a look at the torrent of water coming down from the dam - quite impressive as is the shooting of the water from the damaged gate in the dam itself.
We head back to West Yellowstone to Cappy’s coffee shop to take a picture of the
Yellowstone Gang with an empty chair in memory of Jim Danskin who passed away
last June.. Sarah E. of the shop shot the photo for us – turns out she not knew
Jim but she also delivered newspapers to his home!! Small World!! Jim was
a great advisor to us when we first started fishing this area in the late 1990's
- he was always full of stories and great advice! We will miss him for
sure.
Here is the write-up about Jim from the West Yellowstone newspaper this last
June, 2008:
Jim "Popo" Danskin 1924 - 2008
Jim Danskin, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather passed
away June 6, 2008 in Bozeman, Montana. He was born in Los Angeles, California on
January 19, 1924.
Jim was a man who knew no stranger and treated his friends as if they were
family. His life was one of service to others, in the Navy during World War II
and then as a Los Angeles City Fireman for seventeen years. The best years were
spent teaching people to fish on the rivers of Montana.
Jim first came to Yellowstone Park in 1936 with his parents. Jim and Lois
brought their young family here for the first time in 1951 and camped for a
month at Madison Junction. After that they only missed one summer, the year
after the '59 earthquake.
In 1962, Jim bought The Tackle Shop in the log shack next to Walt Stuart's
station at Yellowstone and Canyon in West Yellowstone. Among those who worked in
Jim's shop, learned from him and went on in the business were Mike Lawson, Bob
Kelly and Bob Jacklin. He closed it in 1979, but continued his busy outfitting
business until retiring in 2003. The Danskin's spent summers at their cabin on
the Madison River near Baker's Hole from 1965 until 1992, when they built their
home in Lower Beartrap.
His passion was fly fishing and preserving the rivers for future generations to
enjoy. His legacy will be that of a man who cared for people and loved
everything he did.
Remember him not in sorrow but as a man who lived his life doing what he loved
most, with a woman he loved and who loved him.
He will be missed, but the memory of him will live in our hearts forever.
Jim is survived by his wife of 63 years, Lois, his son and daughter-in-law, his
daughter and son-in-law, his six granddaughters, his eight great grandchildren
and his countless "adopted" children and grandchildren.
A memorial service to celebrate the life and legacy of Jim Danskin was held on
June 13 in the Community Protestant Church in West Yellowstone.
In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be made to the Los Angeles
Fireman's Widow and Orphans Fund, 815 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90014, or
The American Cancer Society.
Later that evening, we chatted with Wade and Karen Bassi of
Woodinville (my hometown!!) at Arrick’s Fly Shop which is located on the main
drag in West Yellowstone. They had drifted the South Fork of the Snake (South
Fork Outfitters) and told me that had been the best two days of flyfishing they
had ever had. Unbelievable fishing using Chernobyl ants and a bead head. Got to
fish on the same river section as Dick Cheney when they were there although the
Secret Service guys kept an eye on them!! Wade and Karen were getting ready to
horse back up to the third meadows on Slough Creek and camp overnight. Lots of
bears but the fishing hopefully would be outstanding as well!! I wished them
well and hope to hear how their adventure proceeded.
We also toured the rest of downtown West Yellowstone. We discovered that Mountain Mike's, an "all-you-can-eat" ribs kind of place when we started to come to West has changed. It is not Mike's Bistro - not the same tone as before....also the menu has gone upscale for sure!! They did not have Panang Chicken or Butternut Squash Ravioli!! Maybe this is progress?
Dinner at Beartooth Barbecue – a very new place for us on the main street in
West Yellowstone (111 Canyon Street, West Yellowstone, MT 59758 406-646-0227).
Lots of barbecue options with good sized portions. I am satisfied……crash for the
night at the One Horse.