Reverse It

The times of day it happened were reversed anyway.  The rain that toasted the evening bite last night did the same with the morning spinner fall this morning.  Never happened.  Everything was wet, and not much for bugs or risers 'till around 10ish, despite the clear, calm conditions.  The mid-day into afternoon hatch was best, but it got hot today with little to no cloud cover.  Not many bigger fish up like yesterday.  Just an average morning with average fish.  Hooked one good one, and you know what happened there.

Late afternoon winds howled, but I drove back down anyway, thinking it might lay down.  As the sun went behind the bluff, it did just that, and the air was instantly full of spinners. It seemed like they all came down at once, and the creek exploded around 7pm. I had the whole place to myself! Big fish, out of nowhere, were all over the place.  There were more up at the top, in the riffle, than there were down low.   Do they just scoot up there for the spinner fall?  Apparently.  I saw a hint of that a few nights ago.  I caught my 3 best fish of the day in this magic hour, and you shoulda seen the one that got away . . . The picture light was gone behind the streamside bluff, so still no good underwater shots.

Where the hell are all these fish during the day?  Hiding behind or in the weeds I presume.  So its certain now, the creek's trout population didn't suffer a bit from the flood.  Its loaded with nice ones, at least the fly shop pool is.  They prefer spinners, and low light.

Morning at the sweet spot

All the guides must be fishing dry-dropper.  Pulled these two pairs of flies from fish this morning.  The droppers were hooked in the fishes mouths.

Evening fish

The evening fly of choice.  I could see it.

Big fish moved right up into the ankle deep water here, where I have not seen anything over 14 inches or so in the morning or daytime.  Kinda like they used to do on the Madison in the evening.

Big fish of the day, last fish of the day, shitty light.

Back to "Normal"

Sometimes this little journal is good therapy.  Maybe I got it all out last night.  So I get to the creek at 8:30, wait a few minutes, and here comes this big beautiful male rainbow to the surface.  Then again, and again.  I cast, hook the fish, and its gone in 15 seconds.  Oh shit, here we go again.  But what followed was like the first day at Armstrong's, maybe better.

What was different?  Well, it didn't rain here last night or this morning.  Not a breath of wind until 10:30.  A spinner fall from heaven, or actually, the dry bushes.  A good PMD hatch starting around 10:00 to compliment the still-falling spinners.  The best hatch I've seen here so far.

There were pods of fish up, with risers all around them.  Literally everywhere.  Pick your fish.  So I'm changing my story, there's still just as many fish in the creek after the flood, and the lower in the run I got, the bigger they got.  A second support belt around my waist and back helped, as did the double dose of Aleve.  

Of course, I blew my three best picture fish.  That first one I lost, one right at the net after seeing my backing and chasing him 100 feet down the bank, and a gorgeous male in my hand with the camera not turned on.  I just can't win on getting one or two of those killer underwater photos of a big beautiful male rainbow.  The water isn't clear enough anywhere else except Silver Creek, and its too cold when I come back to either in the fall.  So its this trip, or next year.  

But today is why I come here.  Its why I have a week, not a day.  I wish I could book a few more days consecutive.  I ask, they say not a chance.  I guess I'm lucky to have 7, and a bonus day upcoming at Nelson's.

The spot at the first slough

The only spinner I needed

The water was flat calm.  The disturbances are a pod of rising fish!

The 10:30 wind only put down the pods.  Single risers remained through early afternoon

This #16 PHD worked great in the wind, even upstream.

Evening bite tried, but got rained out

Fished wearing both of these today.  Better than not fishing I guess.

Questions

 'Cause I sure don't have any answers.  Shoulda quit while I was ahead after that first day in the perfect spot at the perfect time with perfect conditions and fishing like I was supposed to.  Pretty much a shit show since then.  Blurred vision.  Back/shoulder.  Trying too hard.  I don't know.

Next day on Armstrong, I couldn't get back in that killer spot all morning. (Nelsons--why don't they stay on their own damn creek you can't hardly get on?)  I fished the flat above, and had a few chances late morning in a sparse hatch, but it was the beginning of some poor execution.

Next day on Depuy, no morning hatch.  Spent time discussing such pressing issues as selectivity (the myth, and lack thereof even admitted by Swisher himself)  To grease or not to grease the leader. (Always grease it!)  Loop knot or clinched knot.  What did the bug say when you asked it why they're all hatching in the late afternoon. (It didn't speak English)  Three different PMD's or simply little yellow mayflies. (Just say no to latin)  Baetis now hatch all season.  The place in Florida that's most like Montana. (Not tellin')  The flood as it happened. (Tom was there, here, then.)  These fish will now eat a SJ worm after the flood. (Blasphemy)  If cripples were really crippled, they'd have a cane and a wheelchair.  (They just haven't immaculately emerged)  Live bugs move, and our flies need to do that too, sometimes, most of the time.  It was good conversation, even if re-hashed.

The light hatch finally came in the afternoon, with the wind.  Fished the upper re-entry run, caught some dinks, and blew a couple nice ones.  All in about two hours. The evening was ok after the storms, but still no picture-worthy fish, and the light sucked.

This morning was about the same.  Some rising fish once the late hatch started, but nothing to get excited about.  Fucked up a nice one around lunch time before taking a break.  I returned early evening,  On approach, still in the grass, I saw the one I wanted. The day maker, goin' to town.  I got the eat, then pulled the hook trying to land it for the killer picture.  (Oh, I mean he "spit it"🤣) After that, I thought of what I tell my clients all the time.  "Shake it off, don't stew over a lost fish or you'll never get another one."  And I really need another fish-in-the-water picture.🙄  Well, I was still kinda pissed. It had the vibrant colors, the crimson gill plate, the size, and the light was perfect.  I never recovered, yet continued to get eaten and eaten.  Couldn't hook a fish or keep one on if my life depended on it.  And it usually does.  

I thought of Chief Brody, "What's the point? . . . hooks and lines."  So, to hell with landing fish or fish pictures.  I'll go with post-flood creek pictures, Norman on the creeks, and lightning that I'm getting every day except today . . . so far.  I haven't stepped on a rattlesnake or surprised a bear yet, but there's still plenty of opportunity.  As I'm typing this, the trailer is shaking and I hear distant thunder again.

This is what I think of when I think western ranch.  This one is special.

The log jam on the left that held so many rising trout is now gone

The left bank is scoured fairly clean now. 

Shocking to see this great dry fly pool now gone.  I have this picture in my den, when it was a big slow pool holding big fish all over it.  

Water no longer flows through the culvert.

So many memorable fish taken here.

The road over the creek to the other side and picnic table is no more.

A new channel, not holding fish until further downstream.

The pool on Depuy's below Eva's.  Very little change, if any.

That log on the right is still there!  Amazing it didn't move.

The flood waters were 10 feet high!  Way up in the willows.

The formerly dense trail to the re-entry pool

The pool itself looks the same.  Its deep now because the Yellowstone River is still high.

Fish rising here in the afternoon

Betty's in the evening, nobody else here but some clown who can't fish.

Storm just north of my camp spot

Hitting Livingston

Coming to a creek near you

Time to go

Even the birds are shitting lightning

Owns the place

Edge of Depuy's

Jumped right up there

Stepping foot on the best little fly shop in the west.

Been eatin' it during the peak of the hatch.  (Pay attention)

Visible and a little effective in low light.

The undisputed fly of the creeks so far.  They're eatin' it morning, afternoon, and evening.

ho hum

All I got