Dry Flies, Rivers, Trout & Tarpon.: June

I haven’t logged anything this month because I just didn’t seem driven to remember the same things again. I left on June 13, blew right past the already overcrowded Fork straight to the MO, and proceeded to fish the blanket PMD hatch daily in everything from cloudy and rainy to hot and sunny. It looked like it would be a banner week, but the water never quite got down below 6500. Fishing was ok at 6500-7000, but then they had to keep bumping it up to make room for rainwater up river. It ended up at nearly ten fucking thousand. Despite the thick daily hatch, the fish never really got going on the bugs. There were a few select spots that had a few select fish in the high and rising flows, but not pods or flats covered with heads like there should have been. Not even close. The best fishing was the evenings, and in the top reaches above WC Bridge where there were fewer bugs. Otherwise, it was the same old song, only with very few rising fish. I still dream of the 3-5 year catastrophic drought again in my able lifetime. Get those lakes half dried up, then they’ll hold back some water like the good ole days.

On my drive down to the Fork to give it a look, I stopped at the little spring creek tributary to the Madison by Varney on the way. I saw a couple fish rising, but spooked them both. The Madison was down to a trickle at only 600 cfs, as low as I have ever seen it. It looks great! Easy wading and plenty of slower pocket water. There were only a couple cars at three dollar. Problem was, there were no bugs at sunset. None. Zero. Maybe it needs a few days, or even just one.

Fished the Fork this morning. Well, sat on the bank of the Fork. I did cast to a couple fish and got one to eat, and saw a couple more working in front of someone else, but that was it for the morning. There were a few PMDs and some Green Drakes on the water but the fucking Franklin gulls ate every one of em before a trout even had a chance. The whole place below Last Chance was packed. Should have gone to Millionaires, but I wanted to see some Green Drakes. This river still has a long ways to go to get back to its former self, if it ever does. Henry’s Fork Foundation? Ya, whatever. They seem way too sidetracked on a bunch of irrelevant shit the past few years, even though they are doing some good things. Priorities out of whack. Fish counts and their health, and bug counts and their health, on the Ranch, are all that matter. Both are not good.