The 2000 Trip

The Last Great Expedition of the 20th Century to Western Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park and Associated Environs 

The 2000 adventure expeditioners were: 

Andy Batcho

John Richardson

Mike Shaunessy

Greg Koenig*

Al Miller

* Rookie Season

The Rivers Fished Were:

August 11    Travel Day

August 12    North Fork of the Shoshone River

August 13    Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone River

August 14    North Fork of the Shoshone River

August 15    Soda Butte Creek

August 16    Lamar River, Lava Creek

August 17    Lamar River, Soda Butte Creek, Yellowstone Lake

August 18    Madison River, Firehole River

August 19    Travel Day

The 2000 Trip really focused on Western Wyoming by Yellowstone National Park and on the Park itself.  The adventures we experienced and the locations for great fishing are detailed in this year's report.  Truly another great adventure for all of us!!

Friday August 11, 2000 Andy, JR, Greg, and Al meet at JR’s at 0535 to launch the latest expedition to the "Golden Ring of Rises" of which the epicenter is in Yellowstone National Park. The first thing we note is that we have too much stuff (again!) although with Andy’s new 2000 Chevy ¾ ton rig there is much space! Is 5 cases of Gatorade & 3 bricks of AA batteries for the Motorola Talk-About Radios the group is sporting this year too much?? After loading and complaining, filling up with French Roast from JR’s coffee maker, off we head to get some ice from Albertson’s and then begin the adventure! About 10 minutes later while cruising down Interstate 90, it was announced that JR left his wallet, money, ID, etc. back at home. The money we could take care of with our charge cards, but without the ID, Fishing Licenses would be too hard to get. Sooooo, back we go. After a reset of expectations, we again launch down I-90 and head eastward. Reaching Ellensburg, we stop from breakfast (typical road side food) and launch onward toward Spokane where we will pick up the last amigo for the venture. Using Andy’s new rig, we are able to actually seat 4 of us for the run to Spokane where we will pick up another truck for the expedition. The new Pickups certainly are more luxurious and spacious than earlier models. Using our truck CB’s we hone in on Mike’s location by the Freeway in Spokane and regrouping (AM with MS truck), we convoy through Spokane and see the sights that attracted such stellar citizens as Mr. Yates (13 victims and counting as we write this up); we can see the seamy beauty of Spokane through the billboards and neon stips. Gassed up at Post Falls in Idaho to save a few cents per gallon (these rigs do eat the fuel – no Nader supporters here!) and then off toward Montana. Pulled over in St. Regis for a lunch break at the truck stop. Usual fare as one might expect although they have a huge gift shop (comes in segments) along with trucker re-equipping items, small bar with "casino" (which is an electronic slot machine essentially). Al won lunch money by playing the casino –wondered if he should wear a tux next time to fill out the James Bond Monte Carlo image? This certainly looks like easy money.  Fire Crews were ordering food in lots of boxed lunches and were putting them into the back of a Hummer.  Our first of many experiences associated with the fires of 2000. In St Regis, we went over to look at where the St. Regis River enters the Clarke Fork. Looks like a pretty good spot with reasonable access although we noted that it was pretty hot and the water levels seem really low. A theme on both counts that would persist through the 2000 trip. There are a couple of fly shops in St. Regis which may have good info on fishing there but we didn’t go in this trip. Passing through Missoula, we note the smoke from fires down the Bitterroot valley which is very pervasive. As we continued on, we watched fire fighters in their yellow jerseys working their way up a hill by the side of I90. Until you see people on the side of the hills, you don’t realize the size and steepness of the slopes on the hills. Those folks are really tough! Hot, hard, dirty work to fight fires. The fires we saw in the grass-like vegetation by the side of the road were burning and smoking. Fortunately, no real threat to the highway at that point and we moved onwards at a healthy 70+ mph. Suddenly we possessed by some cosmic force making us pull off past Clinton into the Rock Creek Lodge, home of the annual Testicle Festival (see photo from our 1998 trip  Testicle Festival 98.jpg- no improvement in the scenery or clientele). While the signs certainly indicate a deficiency in good taste, the reality of going into the bar exceeds one’s wildest and most morbid expectations. The amazing thing is that this was the third year we stopped by here and we always seem to find a lot of folks inside. It is the kind of place you go into and want to shower afterwards when you walk out. Not a good place to breathe unless you really like cigarette smoke. Nice ambience of stale beer and male anatomical cartoons, signs, T-shirts, etc. I wonder what they do for family day at work? MS has beer; I drive next segment. Onwards down I90 towards the Golden Circle of Rises! Driving past the infamous EPA Superfund Clean-Up site at Deer Lodge (huge fish in toxic waters! See our 1999 report for info Al EPA Fishing 99.jpg), we pass the metropoli of Butte and Bozeman, we reach the days destination of Livingston, MT. Stayed at Comfort Inn – rated it as so-so as a destination – nice folks though! Dinner at the Buffalo Jump Steakhouse. Al lost dinner money at the casino. Maybe the tux is premature? In any event, a good hearty carnivore based meal (except for AM – Veggies only – did not find any tofu on the menu – a recurring theme through Montana and Wyoming). However, JR starts the Chicken Fried Steak Reviews and Rating System (a max score of 2 beaks up!).  His Motto: "Wherever we go, they'd better have Chicken Fried Steak! Fortunately for him, this is much easier than finding tofu dishes in most of Wyoming and Montana!  Saturday August 12, 2000 Up in the morning with breakfast (continental stuff plus french toast etc.) at the Comfort Inn Swung by Dan Bailey’s Fly Shop (http://www.dan-bailey.com/) (see photo from our 1998 expedition Dan Bailey's) to check the latest fishing rumors and pickup a few really cool flies (they always have the "hot" ones which we never seem to have enough of. They do ask what we have first I noted.) . Actually they had some really good closeouts on some steelhead flies (MS) and grasshoppers (all of us). So we bought a ton more flies again increasing the cash flow into the local economy. We found our "best place" in Livingstone for coffee at the Java Bean. Great coffee to go AND they had great veggie wraps to go! A godsend for AM who picked up two for lunch later that day. Pastries were pretty good also – blueberry scones  and apple cinnamon coffeecake when we were there. Fully loaded with flies, pastries and java, we head onwards to Highway 72 cutoff and down through MT to Wyoming toward Cody our first fishing targeted area. The area from I90 to Cody is pretty open and shrub-like without large forested areas. We see rugged Beartooth Mountains (the Absaroka Range – is that Indian language for Beartooth?) and also heavy smoke trapped by the mountains from fires in the area. No snow on these mountains despite their peaks at about 10,000 feet. Since our rigs are air-conditioned, we don’t really notice the elevating temperatures until we get to Cody. Arriving in Cody, we note that it is a little higher on the socio-economic class meter than West Yellowstone but below the chi-chi Jackson Hole. I actually think it is a pretty balanced little town although it is hot. Checked into our motel, The Skyline Motor Inn, 1919 17th Street, Cody,Wyoming,  1-800-834-8809.  We note some interesting ladies and their male accomplice leaving the hotel. I presume they are in show business, but a pretty flashy set of revealing clothes and jewelry all packed into a middle class Taurus. Something unusual about the image of them, their car, and being in Cody. Not a picture in harmony. But a pretty cool picture anyway (of the girls!). Headed over to the Tim Wade's North Fork Anglers (Tim Wade proprietor, www.northforkanglers.com  307-527-7274) for local info and gossip. JR has been communicating with the Tim Wade and the folks over the winter and spring; they provided very good trip planning assistance to us - Thank you  to Tim and the Staff!!     Chip Andrews (Tim's brother) was in the shop most of the time we were there and was really quite helpful in giving us good advice for the tough hot and low water conditions we had in the summer of 2000.   (Special thanks to Jay Buckner for putting us onto these nice folks.  See our 1999 report for other assistance and direction Jay has provided to us.)  The North Fork Anglers is a nice little shop on the main drag with good selection of flies and doo-dads for fisherman (and women). They stocked (and we bought!) the latest and hottest patterns (is there something amiss in our psyche that causes us to do this repeatedly?) and they gave us great "where to go" info. JR has noted that if you don't know the water get to know the local shops and guides (including doing some business with them - they have to provide for their families too!)   Key patterns include Blue Winged Olives (#14), green drakes, stimulators, Turk Tarantulas, trudes (various flavors), humpies (blonde and chartreuse), caddis, nymphs (pheasant tail, prince, hare’s ear), and pale evening duns. Some good locations are noted on page 59 of the Wyoming Gazette for the North Fork of the Shoshone River.  Since we were going to be fishing in pretty hot weather with extreme low water conditions, Tim and Chip of the North Fork Anglers were very helpful in getting us headed toward the better waters for those conditions.  Headed up the North Fork of the Shoshone (NFS) up in the National Forest Area about an hour out of town. On way out, we went around Buffalo Bill Reservoir, a huge impoundment. Saw sail boats on it. Looked intimidating to fish. At the outlet side by the dam, the Shoshone River comes out through town and onward. No real good access in the area since it is a minor Grand Canyon with steep cliff like walls for a couple of hundred feet elevation drop. Apparently there is OK fishing down there but you need a boat/raft to access it. On the way to the NFS we passed a huge road construction area where to widen the road and reroute it (from flooding we are guessing), they are literally blowing out sides of a mountain to make room for the road to move. This is a 24 hour a day type project it appears since the construction season is presumably short in this part of the world due to very cold winters. Headed up to an area below Eagle Creek just by a Boy Scouts of America camp (naturally it is the Buffalo Bill BSA Camp).  Our group started tying into a number of 19 to 20 inch trout.    GK provides his first large trout a long range release, only to follow up with a larger one. Meanwhile, MS hooks a big fish & calls out on the radio, but JR can’t make it there in time to capture it on film. AB finds a large Cutthroat in a small side channel (while a troop of Boy Scouts watch as their leader extols the virtues of fly fishing) , followed by an equally nice Rainbow. Not fast action but the fish were there. Also AM found some huge whitefish – everyone fishes to their level. Lots of stimulators plus dropper combo’s – the Prince Nymph seems to be the most popular dropper on the menu for the fish. The Talk-About radios make a great addition to the trip and work well.   The radios really added to the group communication during fishing and helped get folks to the better waters much faster.  We felt that these had become a "must have" item.  Fished 'till dark and then made a long run back into town. Unfortunately, Cody really closes down at ten, so we ended up hitting a Wendy’s drive through. End of a long day but off to a good start.

Sunday August 13, 2000
Cody is pretty much shut down on Sunday mornings. None of the coffee shops in town (Maxwell’s etc. are open early). Fortunately, the Albertson’s next to our motel is open and although you can buy pastries for breakfast, you cannot buy a cup of coffee. You can have a small cup as a customer, but you can’t buy a cup or a thermos refill. We tried.
Stopped on way out of town at a Family Restaurant (quite crowded) for a fillup again of food. Then off back the way we came into Cody but we cut off on the second (when leaving Cody) County Road 7RP to fish a section of the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone. Huge Mule deer buck by road as we drove in. New Ranch Homes being built along the river on private land. Looked like outside money coming in to area for second homes and ranches. Real Estate prices may be going up as they have in many sections of Montana. Fished area by pullout on County Road (it’s gravel) which is BLM land. Pretty fast fishing for some trout and whitefish from 9 to 11:30 am. After 11:30, the pace slowed markedly but still you could pull the occasional reluctant participant out of the water. Biggest fish was about 18-20 inches. The country was somewhat scrub desert and although the mountains in the background were dramatic in their size and colors, it still didn’t appeal to me the way more forested areas do.

 

By now the temperatures were really rising and heading toward the mid 90’s. Headed back to Cody for lunch. After lunch at Maxwell's, AB, GK, and MS ventured into the Buffalo Bill Historic Center (http://www.bbhc.org/ - a large museum on life in the area as well as air-conditioned. Museum admission is $10, houses one of the, if not the largest gun collections anywhere, may artifacts & photos of the Bill Cody days, mounts of world record Moose, Bear & Deer, a Western Art museum, and life size examples of Native American villages. Well worth a visit. Al & JR press on to check out fishing holes for the evening and the next day. Look at the NFS just where it enters the reservoir and the area looked pretty inviting. There is free access on one side from a Fish & Game entry point, but better access is through the State Park (Buffalo Bill State Park – what else?) at a minor cost of $2 per vehicle. We recommended the latter.  The Ranger on duty let us travel through the park to check it out.  I am sure that they would let others do the same.

On way back to Cody, JR/AM stop by a historical site marker pullout called "Colter’s Hell". Here you can see (and smell) the fumaroles in the area. The Shoshone River is down below in a very steep canyon. Not sure how to get access, but there is resort looking area at the bottom including a swimming pool which probably uses hot water from the fumaroles. Apparently the extent and amount of fumarole activity has lessened since Mr.(Private John) Colter was first here (and yes, it is the same Colter of the Lewis & Clark Expedition & Yellowstone National Park fame).

Headed back to Cody for an emergency stop at The North Fork Anglers to put a loop end leader on JR’s flyline, and found great coffee at the Coffee Saloon who had Mocha Java on tap. Quite nice. They carried the latest coffee brand in "Custer’s Last Blend".  JR discovered that the proprietors to be "Go Big Red" kindred spirits, oh those crazy Nebraskans.
Met up with AB, GK, MS at museum about 5 pm and headed out to work the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone in the evening cool. AM, JR, and MS went back where we had found fast action in the am and AB/GK went on down the highway to an area opposite a place that sold fishing licenses on Highway 120 (there is only one before the Montana border) and accessed the Clark’s Fork there. AM/JR/MS found fishing quite slow with gusty winds. Fished till dark although there was a full moon. AB/GK also had moderate success fishing but identified a follow-up area downstream below the water diversion to better holes. Unfortunately they had gone upstream and only found the previous water just as light was 

Monday, August 14, 2000
Coffee and pastries at Maxwell’s. Interesting folks who end up in Cody. I would guess our waiter would have been likely to be found in Seattle, San Francisco, or New York. Seemed very urbane for Cody. Not the wild west image or Marlboro man look. OK with me; you find cool people everywhere.

Off to fish the State Park (Buffalo Bill State Park for those of you keeping score) where the NFS enters the reservoir ( and yes it is the Buffalo Bill Reservoir). Fished several spots with good looking water but absolutely no action. Except for Mike S. who hit a 22 inch trout quite quickly but had no one to take a picture of it. Majority ruled and we moved on.

Stopped by Wapiti Bridge on road upstream on the NFS. Slow for big fish but lots of little ones. Area appeared to have been consistently pounded by people pulling off road. Moved westward onto an unmarked fish access. Slow fishing with some small ones but none of size. Great looking huge pool, flogged to a froth, without as much as a looker. Took a lunch break about noon. MS/JR headed back to town to get out of the heat of the day while AB,GK, AM pushed on toward new water on the NFS. Found another large pullout and bushwhacked ½ mile back to the river. Fished it upstream for about a mile or so. Fishing was slow with occasional small trout. Ran into two guys fishing by an overpass as we reconnected to the highway. They were nymphing (big indicators) and were wearing bear bells. I thought the bells were cute and would certainly let their bears know where you were so they wouldn’t have work so hard to hunt you down.

We came across the on-going major road construction site on the way upriver. We waited in a line of stopped vehicles (both directions at this point) as they were knocking rocks and scrabble from the hill-side down onto the road surface where graders moved it off the road. The rocks,etc, we think came from blasting about which there were many signs asking everyone to turn their two-way radios off in this area. As we waited, we watched in amazement as they inadvertently knocked loose a rock about the size of a fullsize pickup cab which came tumbling about 60 vertical feet down the hill-side, rolled at high speed across two lanes, and smashed through (without measurably slowing down!) those concrete jersey barriers and continued its plunge into the river about 40 feet below where it came to rest. When our turn came to move through the cleared road a few minutes later we elected not to dawdle since they left another rock about the same size on the hill side also precariously perched on a ledge. Kind of an interesting thing to see at the time. The construction crews did not seem perturbed, and looking at the river bed below, one got the impression that maybe that wasn’t the first rock to re-locate to waterfront.

We drove on up the road to about 4 miles or less from the Yellowstone Park Boundary into more alpine areas. Followed a blocked off road back along the river for a mile or so. AB/GK fished the upper area and AM fished the lower section. AM found a narrow, deep canyon stretch with good pocket water but unwilling fish. Fishing slow.

Headed back toward the Gaff Creek area to meet JR/MS which we did about 5:30pm. Fished in holes around Gaff Creek entry into NFS River. Everyone but AM were hitting big trout; AM had the lock on big, gigantic white fish (which fought remarkably hard!).
As sun came off water about 7:45, started to see a significant hatch of Blue Winged Olives (or that’s what we chose to believe) along with some small, chartreuse body, white winged caddis (maybe a size 20 or less) and small dark caddis (maybe a size or 16 or less). Swallows were out catching their evening meal in quantity. Kept moving downstream as sun came off the water since fishing seemed to want to improve at that point. Found a really good hole at junction of Fishhawk Creek with the NFS – classic steam entrance with plunge pool and downstream sweeping backeddy. Lots of fish started jumping as sun came off water. Got JR/GK into a lot of big fish especially in the 8:15 to 8:45 time-frame as the light became quite low. JR’s LL Bean reel seat came off in the heat of the battle period so I loaned him my rod to use (6 weight 4-piece from Orvis handbuilt by Roy Nakano – great rod!). JR couldn’t keep the fish off of his Royal Trude (a size 12). GK & JR kept me busy netting their catches, taking their pictures, etc. as they would commonly get doubles with both having fish on at the same time. Under fishing pressure the fish would move downstream from the stream entrance but would stay in the hole. Lots of great and fast action! Finally decided to head back to town, and found the trail back to the cars using a headlamp I bought from REI. I think the headlamp is a great way to go when fishing until after dark since it leaves your hands free to carry gear, is very bright, and you can aim it to show you the features you need to see to come out of a strange location in pretty much total darkness.

     

MS & AB had also done well upstream in a deep rock slot and wide flat glide areas dotted with rocks. Standing on a rock, MS made a long, picture perfect cast with his 3wt. rod into a cloud of hatching insects. A 20 incher grabbed his tiny fly and proceeded to nearly empty his reel. Simultaneously, AB has on an 18" Cutt from the fast water in the rock slot, one of many caught in that area. Earlier AB runs a black wooly bugger through a deep slot next to a large bolder. On the first pass a 20 incher about jerks the rod out of his hands. A Fantastic evening of fishing.

On the way back to Cody, we went through the same construction site which was all done under those really bright lights used for construction crews. They had all sorts of backhoes and road equipment working well after 10 that night! Very eerie scene – looked like something you might have seen in an updated Dante’s Inferno.

Got back to Cody late and had dinner at the ever open Grannies. Followed up with a pleasant evening of OJ and Vodka back at the hotel!

Tuesday August 15, 2000
Happy Anniversary to JR and Claire!! I think this is the 3^rd year in a row, JR has been with us rather his wife on their anniversary date. I am told that this will be the last time.

AM got up early, and started to get gear together as we move basecamp today from Cody to Yellowstone NP at the Roosevelt Lodge. Had coffee at the Coffee Corral – acceptable coffee (mocha java) but not as outstanding as we have had at our places in our travels. Bought our Yellowstone Park fishing licenses at the K-Mart in town (only place that does it we were told). Picked up flies at the North Fork Anglers (why not, help keep the good guys going!). Stopped by a combined sporting goods and liquor store (yes, in Wyoming hunting/fishing and drinking are considered part of the cowboy triathalon - no wimpy swimming, biking, or running!), where Greg, discovering the advantages of felt soles, picked up some new hip waders for the rest of the trip. Called and confirmed our Roosevelt Lodge reservations with the concessionaire (307-344-7311, http://www.ynp-lodges.com); the reservations were ready for us! Stopped by Sierra Trading Post on way out of town; found some good items there and recommend that if you are visiting to stop by and see their stuff. They have a pretty good Web page at http://www.sierratradingpost.com/. Off to Highway 296 and the Upper Clark Fork to Yellowstone NP via Cooke City. Very intriguing Red Rock formations on the way – open country and very scenic. Up ahead on the road for hours, we kept seeing a sharp pinnacle like mountain profile; reminded me of the evil mountain images I had when reading the Hobbit series. The mountain is called Pilot Peak (11,708 feet) and is quite a distinctive land mark on the way. We stopped at Dead Indian Hill monument which was at a dramatic mountain pass (Beartooth Pass 10,947’) and which was the last barrier for the Nez Perce Indian tribe attempt to escape from the US Calvary at the end of the 19^th century. Sweeping and dramatic views of beautiful but very rugged country. You could visualize easily how small groups of outlaws or others could go hide in that country from pursuing posses etc. As we took pictures of the area, there was thunder and lightning and a few drops of rain.

Moving on down the road, we arrive at Cooke City about 12:10. The Great Yellowstone Fire of 1988 had burned to the edge of town where set backfires stopped it. Found a good drip coffee at a combined cross-country ski and mountain bike shop. One has to be creative to live year round in Cooke City!! Had lunch at the Soda Butte Lodge and picked up info on where to stay there for future references. Visited a small fly shop for info and flies. JR found an apparently rare ceramic hook sharpener in the shop - what a find!   Local pro said Soda Butte Creek was doing OK particularly last 1 ½ hours of light when fish were feeding heavily. He also liked hiking up Lamar River above confluence with Soda Butte – perhaps as high as Cache Creek. Also liked fishing the Lamar downstream of the major bridge in the Park which crosses the Lamar. Reading the local newspaper, noted that the area we had come through on I90 by Missoula last Friday, had been closed on Sunday for several hours due to fires adjacent the highway. Fires had come within 100 yards of the Bearmouth Lodge along I90 – a place AB/AM had stayed at during the 1997 trip to the area. We then headed out of Cooke City – made the NE Entrance of the Park about 2:15. Saw deer on our left by entrance with a blue sky and some large white clouds. Classic western summer days! Went past Barronette Peak – very majestic stepped mountain terrain. We saw a significant number of folks along Soda Butte as we drove past the stream; quite different from a year previous.  Only saw 1 bison in the Lamar Valley unlike last year when we saw lots of them. Reached Roosevelt Lodge, checked in, and unloaded the clothes etc. from the rigs. Lodge & Cabins were built shortly after President Roosevelt visited the park in the early 1800’s. There’s a small Grocery store, and dozens of cabins. Cabins are small and rustic, 1 bed, a chair & table in each. A bit of rearranging made room for a sleeping bag on the floor as we had 3 cabins and 5 guys. JR drew the straw for his own cabin. Views from the cabin porch are great. Restroom & Shower facilities are down the path, clean and modern. Cabins are about $46 per night and suited our teams needs just fine. Ordered Box Lunches which we would pick up when we arrived back late from fishing (dining room was going to close at 9 or 10pm and when we weren’t sure we would be back by then. Not many options for food in this area of the Park.). AM hit the Cheerios while the rest of the team hit the smoked salmon, cream cheese, bagels, et.al.

Headed back with great enthusiasm for Soda Butte (remember last year – how great it was! Boy, this is going to be so cooool!). Going around a bend, we suddenly draw the attention of a local Park Ranger in his police car. With his lights flashing right behind us, MS decides the Ranger probably wants to tell us about the cool places to hit some fish! Wrongo! After asserting the rig which we were in had been clocked at an unreasonable 59 mph in a 45 mph zone, the Ranger asks to see MS’s drivers license, proof of insurance, Park Fishing License, birth certificate, immigration visa, and proof of vaccination for rabies, smallpox, malaria, and bubonic plague. MS protests that we could not be going that fast, has 2 witnesses to swear to that (well, we could swear I suppose), and asks to see the radar gun and associated reading. The pleasant ranger is gone a long while and finally returns, gives MS his paperwork and identity back, asks us to adhere to the 45 mph limit and "have a nice stay". Off we go at a precise 45 mph. AB is following is his rig. We become convinced that the Ranger got the wrong one – he must have been after AB who was speeding to catch up to us………… Hey, it could be true!

Headed back through the Lamar River Valley and parked the MS rig by Trout Lake trail parking area and hiked down to the Soda Butte. AB rig parked a mile back down river, parking spots are rare along this stretch of road. Water very low and very clear! Much, much less water than last year. Met a fellow fisherman who was fishing upstream of our targeted area. Said he had been there all day and had done well including an 18 incher. We should have known something was wrong because you should not be able to be on the water fishing well and only have one fish of that size! He should have had a bunch!!! As we walked downstream, every hole had someone (or some several!) in it. Had not seen this much pressure on such a small stream before this. The fish were being pounded all the time this day. We did finally dislocate a few folks and hit some water but it had clearly been pounded earlier. Also the water was very low so that good holding spots were far fewer for the fish and the extreme water clarity helped make the fish somewhat sullen. Fished the area in all kinds of way without any real notable success. Couple of bumps, some small dumb fish, but no real big hookups. Fished until absolute dark! Wind came up and pounded us for a while to help make the experience a total blowout. Hiked back to the road (using that great headlamp again!) and de-rigged and headed back toward Roosevelt Lodge. Earlier, AB & GK radioed the group to say they were leaving the area to drive upstream to the confluence of a small stream and the Soda Butte. Several fishermen had been seen in the area on the drive into the park. Hiking in, the Soda Butte flowed thru a beautiful woodland meadow where the stream had a classic riffle/pool ratio. Classic look, but no fish, but GK does discover that his new felt-soled hip boots leak!

On way back in the dark, AB sees something in the road and mentions it to GK. They discuss going back, but dismiss the item as insignificant. Coming along behind in the second vehicle, MS (the driver) sees something in the road. Slows and decides it looks like clothes such as a jacket or something. MS slows the truck, and leans out the door to pick up the item to see what it is. Now this is a huge ¾ ton Ford pickup we are in so it is a long way to the ground. As MS leans out, suddenly there is a shout!, and he is apparently jerked out of the truck!!!! Driverless the truck now starts to roll backward but JR quickly reaches over and hits the brake pedal to keep the truck from rolling over MS. Actually MS has not been pulled out the truck by forces unseen (we initially guessed a bear may have laid a trap for the unsuspecting tourist) but had leaned too far and done a face plant onto the asphalt! Nice move. Also as MS was falling, he had managed to dump out his coffee cup (with the ever popular mix of gatorade and coffee) at the same time increasing the mental pain of the act. After all of the yelling and wondering, we all get back into the rig and head to the Lodge. Turns out that MS has found a pair of Orvis waders (unfortunately with a hole it appears in the fabric) and some flies just sitting in the road. MS heads over to the Lodge to find out about posting a Found notice. Is told that they don’t do that at the Lodge, that they would take the waders, send them back to their home office, and if someone could identify them, then they could be returned. Yuck! Retire to the cabins for box lunches, chips, OJ and Vodka, and Bloody Marys then to bed.

Wednesday August 16, 2000
Up at 0630 again, showered, and off to the Lodge for a cup of Joe. They put it out at about 6 or 6:30 before the Lodge itself opens. Pretty darn nice of them. We had great service and help from the Staff. A fun group of folks. The food is great. It is very hazy and smoky this morning from all of the fires in the surrounding areas but not yet from any fires in the Park itself. The sun is a red orb. I missed hearing the wolves, but the lady at the desk said they had come down to the area by the lodge and the staff had heard them calling that morning. AM had gotten a small heel blister the evening before from the hip boots; used some moleskin from an REI trail medicine kit. It worked great and held up for the hikes we had planned for this day. Talked with a fellow named Ryan who was working at the Lodge about good places to fish around the area. He told us that Slough Creek was a good area but had lots of people, recommended Chernobyl Ants. Hit the Lamar by the construction equipment and follow the trail down to the Valley itself – use parachute adams and hoppers. Also he liked the confluence of the Slough Creek and Lamar – hoppers. He suggested the Soda Butte up by Pebble Creek (we had looked at the day before without success) and to fish the areas by the cut grass. Also liked the Lamar Trail up the river. Suggested the Yellowstone River and Lamar confluence – go to the left down the road. About a 15 minutes walk. The water is deep – likes to fish wooly buggers – yellow preferred. Also we should think about Lava Creek on the way to Mammoth Lodge. About 6 miles short of Mammoth from Roosevelt Lodge – lots of brookies. Also Brook trout in Blacktail Lake. Now to put the above advice into perspective, while Ryan is represented as fishing the area essentially every day after work (which is what I would do!), he is from Georgia and not from the local area. However, his advice does make sense and ties up with info we have gotten from locals. We decide his info is pretty current and therefore likely to be useful!
GK & JR start the morning stooping over a cooler full of water searching for the leak in GK’s new boots. A pinhole manufacturing flaw is found. Much discussion & GooP are suspected to fix the problem.
After a breakfast of a huge stack of blueberry pancakes, we head east away from Roosevelt Lodge and pull out by Junction Butte peak and parked the rigs. From there we headed cross-country, no trail, toward the river which should be 1 to ½ miles in. 

The area we are heading for is called Buffalo Ford (of the Lamar not the similarly named area on the Yellowstone River). Passed a bison resting on the way in. Made a lot of noise to help the bears locate us! River is not visible as we hike in although you can see where it must be from the hills a distance in front of us. As hike, we found several sets of bones from large animals (deer or elk?) Some have reddish meat edges still on them. Find a chunk of elk fur – looks pretty fresh. After discussing how bears handle their kills, we continue on – making more noise now. River comes into sight – we see a herd elk upstream about 400 yards crossing the Lamar. We finally arrive at Buffalo Ford a lower flat area that one could visualize being an easier place to cross the river at higher levels. While the water levels are low this year, the water level on this stretch of the Lamar is very good for fishing. . No footprints!!! Area all to ourselves in the wonderful cool of the morning! JR hits the first fish of the day (before some of us could even finish rigging up!). Then he got the next fish! Fast and furious action by the obsidian (?) rocks along the stream. Very black, very smooth, and very slippery. We name the spot "Slippery Rock." AB & GK join in and immediately begin catching Rainbows. No wonder this place is nicknamed "Rainbow Alley" by the locals. AM leapfrogs upstream to find another great looking hole where the water rolls over a cascade into a chute and then slows (very deeply) over large boulders. Very fishy looking. And sure enough, the fish are very cooperative – hit 7 in a row – every cast it seems has a roll or strike. Using a Royal Trude and a dropper (pheasant tail nymph). JR/MS join up and then AB/GK. GK hits several nice fish. AB finds a 18 inch Cutt by sliding a Bugger into the deep pool.

 

AM hikes on upstream to find a group of 4 and a group of 2 fishing in a boulder laden area. Find a spot between the groups, bring up 4 small fish on 4 casts. Move on upstream to another boulder laden area but walls of cliffs keep one from moving further upstream. This turns out be the area just below the Slough Creek confluence with the Lamar. Heading back downstream, moved below the Buffalo Ford area and found more great water with fish. About ½ mile downstream from Buffalo Ford, found another boulder chute and pool structure and cliffs to block further downstream hiking. This hole holds willing fish after willing fish which would take Royal Trudes, bead head Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Chernobyl hoppers, Dave’s hoppers, etc. etc. Great fishing in a great location! Further for our enjoyment and pleasure, we had a bison bedded down about 100 feet from where we fished this hole. Seemed to be a little uncomfortable with us being there. Got up and fed for a while. Then came down to the water for a drink. We gave the critter lots of room! Bison then moved back to the bedding area but finally wandered off to find a quieter place.  Too much screaming since it was almost a fish per cast!!

 

AB returns to Slippery Rock and ties on a Roy Nakano tied Sofa Pillow fly. Flicking it just upstream from where I’m standing into a nice chute coming around the black shiny rocks, the fly disappears behind the rock. As the fly comes into sight floating around the edge of the rock, a huge head emerges from the water and inhales the fly. A 20+ inch Cutt! Moving down to the Buffalo Ford crossing produces several more nice Cutts on the Sofa Pillow.
After finally running out of drinking water (next year we’re bringing water filters to replenish our supply in the field) by about 3:30pm, we decided to head back to the trucks. Truly a great day of outstanding fishing!!

Arriving at the trucks, the vote is unanimous. Five cases of Gatorade are NOT too much!
Back at the Lodge, JR treated everyone to a favorite adult beverage or two. (Every expedition needs their own JR!) We decided to go fish after dinner since we were on a roll. But first, we had a Lodge dinner which was  great. AM (being a vegetarian) had the Linguini Mushrooms and Mediterranean Vegetable Soup. Recommend these highly! [Note: At all of the Lodges in the National Park, we were able to find menu items that had a wide range of prices and also had non-meat containing options for those that prefer it.  We thought the Park and the Concessionaire did an excellent job of making the Park affordable and tailorable for most people.]

  

Headed off to Lava Creek for some brookie fishing. Got to place and headed up the trail per Ryan’s instructions from the morning. Turns out to be kind of overgrown with a pretty small stream. Not very impressive after the Lamar River. We hauled a couple of 2 inchers out and one monster 6 incher. Not what we expected or wanted. Mosquitoes were more prevalent and generally larger than the fish. Had lots of bat action following our fly lines in the dark! Concluded that we could put Lava Creek on the "Have Fished" list but also on our "Never Fish Again" list!
Back to the Lodge for evening beverages and rest. GK’s boots still leak.

Thursday August 17, 2000 Up early for a big stack of Blueberry Pancakes. AB/GK/AM/MS head off to hit the Lamar and Soda Butte at their confluence. JR resting up after a heavy earlier day exposure to pollens etc. The Lamar and Soda Butte Confluence seems to be fishing well, with the major holding water in a large plunge pool from where the Soda Butte enters the Lamar. AB hits several Cutts in the pool right away with a Stimulator & Prince dropper. AB/GK move up the Soda Butte to find great water but no more fish. They cut cross country to fish the Lamar and hit some great holes just up the river from the confluence. GK finds several Cutts in a pool above AB. AB fishing a chute pouring into a huge pool catches several Cutts on drys & droppers, then switches to a Jack Danner White Wooly Bugger and catches several more. AM/MS moved downstream where the sinuosity created structure every several hundred yards. The Lamar downstream of the confluence runs through the valley with a low gradient so there is a fair amount of shallow and featureless areas which often hold smaller fish. But at selected turns, the river turns and creates the opportunity for log pileups and related structure with better holding water for the fish. These are the areas on which to focus. Got some pretty fair fish on a #12 bead head Prince Nymph running 6 feet behind a strike indicator. AB/GK used Chernobyl Hoppers and droppers. Also had some action on wooley buggers stripped through deep pools. MS also got some action on the white wooley bugger tied for us by Jack Danner. Beautiful clear and sunny morning; by coming from the Roosevelt Lodge, we could get to the waters before the crowds could move in later during the day. While we were fishing the Lamar and Soda Butte at first light, there were a fair number of folks with spotting glasses of various types looking over us and across the Lamar River Valley.  Apparently that morning a group of wolves had taken down an elk and were feeding across the Valley.   We couldn't see them but apparently these other groups with the high powered spotting scopes could see the action.  Always a lot happening in Yellowstone NP! Headed back to Roosevelt Lodge about noon to check out and pick up JR. Headed off to fish Yellowstone Lake. Pulled over at Gull Point. Fished a variety of wooley buggers largely without success (AB did get one!) although some folks using spinners had gotten a few fish that morning. Fishing was slow although we did see a couple cruising the shoreline. Looking across the Lake, we watched a huge smoke plume arising from the Raven Creek fire over in Wyoming.  After an hour or so we decided to head on down the road toward West Yellowstone. Finally started to run in elk and bison on the way. Looked at the Gibbon River for fishing and thought the area below the falls looked interesting. Lots of smoke hanging over the area from fires in neighboring areas. Saw signs where the road out of the South Entrance toward Jackson and Grand Teton National Park was closed just outside the Park due to fires in Wyoming by the Flagg Ranch. Fortunately we are heading to the West Entrance which was open. Arrived West Yellowstone about 7 pm. Checked into our rooms at the One Horse Motel (http://www.wyellowstone.com/clients/onehorse/) and said Hi! To Becky again. Decided to head out and do the rounds in West Yellowstone to get the latest fishing info and to share some of the wealth with the local fly shops. Also found a fun bike and cross-country ski shop called the Free Heel and Wheel (40 Yellowstone Ave, PO Box 634, West Yellowstone, MT 59758; email at freeheel@wyellowstone.com; tel: 406-646-7744; Owners – Kelli Criner and Melissa Buller) – they said there was good mountain biking in the area!! Swung by Bud Lilly’s Fly Shop (http://www.budlillys.com/) for some suggestions. They suggested the Madison below Hegben (the Cliff Lk and Wade Lk areas); the Gibbon up by Norris for browns (which can be hard to find), Henry’s Fork by the Ranch. Then we stopped by the Eagle’s Nest Fly Shop where they suggested Hegben Lake where a few big trout were being caught from the North shore. Also suggested Cliff Lk. and Wade Lk. areas. They said the Gibbon had been off and on. For an offbeat approach, they suggested trying the Madison between the Lakes where there were a lot of whitefish and a few huge trout. Drifting on over to Arrick’s Fly Shop (http://www.arricks.com/), they suggested the Madison in riffles up and downstream from the Barnes Holes using streamers such as big and small wooley buggers. Thought the Gallatin was OK but not great. Jacklin’s Fly Shop suggested the Madison by Cliff Lk and Wade Lk; also the River between the Lakes on the Madison. Madison River Outfitters (http://www.flyfishingyellowstone.com/) suggested the Madison by Cliff Lake and Wade Lake. Sitting down to assimilate the info we received, we all had dinner at Mountain Mike’s where some had all-you-can eat ribs, others had the ubiquitous chicken fried steak, and one of us had a vegetarian meal (which is not easy at Mountain Mike’s). At this point in the trip, the votes for chicken fried steak quality was: Livingston – Buffalo Jump Steakhouse W. Yellowstone (Mountain Mike’s) Roosevelt Lodge Cody, Wy (Grannies) JR’s book "The Best Chicken Fried Steak of the West" will be out soon.

Friday August 18, 2000 Up early and headed over to Cappy’s Coffee Shop (located in the West Yellowstone Book Store). Great French Roast coffee and pastries just like last year! This little shop is the "home away from home" for JR and AM - they have consistently great coffee!!  Met Jim Danskin and his buddies again. Jim is the oldest active fishing guide in Montana and has been guiding there since 1936 I believe. On Thursday Jim had floated a section of the Madison River below Cliff Lk and Wade Lk bridge – they had used large hoppers and a Goddard caddis with a gray body with some success. He thought we could try the Gibbon upstream but not in the meadows. Also suggested the Gibbon right below the falls which has fast water but is cooler than above the falls this year. In Yellowstone Lake he was thinking about using green body, all black, and green/black wooley buggers (bead head). Use a floating line in the lake as many of the fish are in the top 18 inches of water. The East side beaches are more rocky with drop-offs while the West side beaches are more sandy. Also he thought we might want to fish the Firehole River (even though everyone else said the "water is too hot" – he said "hogwash") up by Fairy Falls Trail or 2nd pullout on way back toward Madison Junction. Walk through the woods about 100 yards to the River and fish either way. Also on the Firehole, try fishing the Biscuit Basin area. Fish the bottom of all riffles. Look at using #12 green body hoppers (they had them at Arrick’s). For those interested in corresponding with Jim, he can mailed at Box 276, West Yellowstone, MT 59758. Also with Jim that morning was his son John, National Park worker Chet, and Clayton. Jim also liked to suggest we consider Spring Creek fishing at Nelson and DePuy creeks over in Paradise Valley. Lots of fish but have to use commonly #20 and #22 flies. We moseyed over to the Madison River by the Barnes Holes. It was windy and cold with showers. Fished the area pretty hard and caught a few fish but no big ones like last year. Lots of big Whitefish at the Cable Hole. Did see a lot of airplanes flying over head on the way to help fight the fires up by the Gallatin River. After a slow and cold morning, we had lunch (smoked salmon, bagels & cream cheese) on the tailgates of the trucks along the Madison River. Drove past Madison Junction and took the right turn to head toward geyser country. Looked at the various sections of the Firehole which were visible from the Road. Finally stopped by the 3rd pullout north of Biscuit Basin on the Firehole and fished upstream (meadows) and downstream (wooded) after bushwacking to the River. Small green hoppers are everywhere in the meadows like Jim D. said. Ground is pretty marshy in some areas – looks like Moose country. Walking the shore, AM breaks thru the ground and wipes out a boot on a buried log. Fishing is kind of slow for big fish but we do catch a fair number of small browns & rainbows topping out about 12 inches. Back along the River our team runs into elk and a huge bull moose. When you are about 200 yards back from the highway, you feel as though you have timewarped back to the 1800’s. No sign of civilization and very pristine. Cool place.   Returning to the truck GK finds a business card on the windshield of AB’s truck. Someone from work recognized AB’s truck and left a note. Small world! Headed back toward Madison Junction but stopped at the ever popular and famous Mule Shoe Bend on the Firehole. Actually in two years, we have never seen anyone else fish it when we were there. Plenty of trails to indicate that others come down to there, however. AB/AM fish the area until quite dark while the others head back to town. The fish here appear to have quite some size and are actively feeding near the surface. Unfortunately, they are very wary and selective in what they choose to taste. AB hooks into several of them but kindly releases them on long distance releases. Using 2 lb. IGFA tippet & tiny flies in the dark makes for tough fishing. We need to come back and really do this little spot correctly! (AM left his flies, tippets, etc. in the trucks!). AB/AM have dinner at Salad and Potato Bar in West Yellowstone and then join the others who have just finished their "all-you-can-eat" ribs at Mountain Mike’s. It turns out that Mountain Mike has a lot of ribs on hand although our team makes a valiant effort to overcome the offer. Saturday August 19, 2000 Coffee at Cappy’s for the last time on this trip. Met up with Jim Danskin, Chet, Clayton, and some guides. Talk of the town was about whether or not Montana would close the Forests to recreation which would hurt the guides business. It was pointed out that all of the fires were due to lightning strike and none due to people. Also, it was asked if the State closes the Forests, would that include private land? Not clear. Interesting view of the world if you make a living in the outdoors like these folks do. We reported back to Jim about our successes (and some lack thereof) the previous day. He offered that he also like to fish LeHardy rapids on the Yellowstone River in the pools above the rapids. Strip Wooley Buggers through the pools. He thought there were too many folks at the Buffalo Ford on the Yellowstone. Also offered that the area where the River leaves Yellowstone Lake can be quite good early in the season in the parts just outside of the closed zone. AB thinks this may be on the East Side of the river exit from the Lake. Jim also noted that: Ice Lake is full of grayling; Grebe Lake has grayling and rainbows – wade through the lilly pads on the North and East shores to cast out; Firehole River by Muleshoe Bend – fish in am before sunrise, small flies, deep hole near top of bend is a great area, also fish near bottom of Muleshoe Bend by the geysers. Finally got out of West Yellowstone by about 0940 and started homeward. Driving out of town we saw the Firefighter camp with all of the tents just outside of town.. The Firefighters were working several areas including a fire up along the Gallatin River drainage but far enough inland not to close the highway out to Belgrade which was our preferred departure route. Headed up to Belgrade, got onto I90 West and headed home at breakneck speed! Stopped by Spokane to let MS go home and the rest of us headed for our respective barns in AB’s rig. Made it home late that night. The end of another spectacular trip and adventure!! We are already planning places for the 2001 trip!!!