C_Run
Well-known member
My wife and I finally got to take a vacation to the Rockies we had been planning for a year. We went to Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks for nine days and zigzagged around Southern Idaho both going and coming back so we saw a lot. This was not a fishing trip per se but mainly a lot of hiking and sightseeing. We took scores of pictures so I have culled out a bunch of fish-related ones to show. I did shove my 6' ultralight spinning rod in the trunk along with pliers a dozen assorted spinners and spoons equipped with single point hooks just in case. I did end up fishing for three hours one day towards the end of the trip. Here are some scenes and commentary.
Family fishing for panfish at Bruneau Sand dunes State Park in Idaho. Lakes are supposed to hold trophy bass we heard.
Then we got to Yellowstone.
The part from West Yellowstone to Old Faithfull is either all fly fishing or closed. They are very protective of the native fish, mainly cutthroat and you are encouraged to retain all the non natives like rainbow, browns, and brooks. You are required to kill all lake trout whether you keep them or not. It's all single point, barbless hooks, no lead of any kind allowed, and no bait.The fly fishermen there are all very well-dressed and look as if they just stepped out of the L.L. Bean catalog. Here are a few pics from that area. First, the Madison River near West Yellowstone.
The Firehole River
Gibbon River
One of the convenience stores in the park sold "fishing gear". I looked it over. There were some cheesy spinning rods and some ready to use fly combos for $42. Absolutely no spinners, swivels, leaders or anything else for sale but they did have two boxes of flies that probably had a hundred compartments each. There are a lot of folks from all over the world and our country in the Parks. I was standing by a couple of guys obviously from the South looking over the fishing supplies.
Southern Man #1, "So, flah-fishin'...tha's fishin' whur da lure look lakka flah?"
Southern Man #2, "Yup."
I was able to keep my head and suppress a chuckle. It sounded funny at the time.
Here is a picture of Fishing Bridge where no fishing has been allowed since 1973 to protect cutthroat spawning grounds. You can Google images of it to see what a combat zone it once was.
We hiked to Trout Lake, aptly named, and saw spawning cutthroat in the inlet creek. First a couple in the shallows of the lake.
There was a no fishing zone posted and a volunteer standing guard to protect the fish from harassment. Not a great picture but I think there are 13 fish in this one and they are all about 15-18" I would guess.
A couple more in the creek. There were probably a couple of hundred fish crowded into the first hundred yards of this tiny creek. I had never seen anything like it.
By now I was having remorse over not purchasing a license yet because the lake had some huge rainbow and gear was allowed. As we walked around the lake, about every 50 to 100 feet there would be a rainbow cruising in the shallows picking stuff up off the bottom. Many would have been 3 or 4 pounds easily. Next stop was Grand Teton Park. Here is the Snake River coming out of the Jackson Lake Dam. This is not my favorite type of fishing venue but time was running out so I got a one-day license for the next day and my wife indulged me in some fishing time.
I went back here at the crack of dawn to avoid the crowds and quickly caught my first Rocky Mt. trout. (Check the box.) About 16" , I guess.
Soon a couple of carloads of folks showed up and started fishing so I staked out my rock and kept on. But, soon these two guys showed up....
Boy, did they have a lot of questions. "Let's see your license. Where are you from? Did you catch any fish? How Many? How big? Where do you intend to fish?" They had a script and they were sticking to it. I always obey all the laws so it was no trouble for me. However, I did notice that the people from the other two cars that had arrived all left while these gents were talking to me. So, either they had something to hide or maybe they only meant to fish for five minutes. I don't know.
Later in the day we found a spot downstream from here where the river spreads out and braids into parts that are like small creeks. We hiked on on moose and elk trails through the willows and stepped in their crap to get to this spot away from the crowds. Here is me in stealth mode with Grand Tetons in back.
Using a small gold spinner my first fish was a Mountain Whitefish.
Then a few trout in the 10 to 12" range.
I did not get a picture of every fish but it was five trout and a whitefish all in three hours of fishing so I was happy. It was a long trip but good to be back in my home state. Tight lines, all. Thanks for looking.
Chris
Family fishing for panfish at Bruneau Sand dunes State Park in Idaho. Lakes are supposed to hold trophy bass we heard.
Then we got to Yellowstone.
The part from West Yellowstone to Old Faithfull is either all fly fishing or closed. They are very protective of the native fish, mainly cutthroat and you are encouraged to retain all the non natives like rainbow, browns, and brooks. You are required to kill all lake trout whether you keep them or not. It's all single point, barbless hooks, no lead of any kind allowed, and no bait.The fly fishermen there are all very well-dressed and look as if they just stepped out of the L.L. Bean catalog. Here are a few pics from that area. First, the Madison River near West Yellowstone.
The Firehole River
Gibbon River
One of the convenience stores in the park sold "fishing gear". I looked it over. There were some cheesy spinning rods and some ready to use fly combos for $42. Absolutely no spinners, swivels, leaders or anything else for sale but they did have two boxes of flies that probably had a hundred compartments each. There are a lot of folks from all over the world and our country in the Parks. I was standing by a couple of guys obviously from the South looking over the fishing supplies.
Southern Man #1, "So, flah-fishin'...tha's fishin' whur da lure look lakka flah?"
Southern Man #2, "Yup."
I was able to keep my head and suppress a chuckle. It sounded funny at the time.
Here is a picture of Fishing Bridge where no fishing has been allowed since 1973 to protect cutthroat spawning grounds. You can Google images of it to see what a combat zone it once was.
We hiked to Trout Lake, aptly named, and saw spawning cutthroat in the inlet creek. First a couple in the shallows of the lake.
There was a no fishing zone posted and a volunteer standing guard to protect the fish from harassment. Not a great picture but I think there are 13 fish in this one and they are all about 15-18" I would guess.
A couple more in the creek. There were probably a couple of hundred fish crowded into the first hundred yards of this tiny creek. I had never seen anything like it.
By now I was having remorse over not purchasing a license yet because the lake had some huge rainbow and gear was allowed. As we walked around the lake, about every 50 to 100 feet there would be a rainbow cruising in the shallows picking stuff up off the bottom. Many would have been 3 or 4 pounds easily. Next stop was Grand Teton Park. Here is the Snake River coming out of the Jackson Lake Dam. This is not my favorite type of fishing venue but time was running out so I got a one-day license for the next day and my wife indulged me in some fishing time.
I went back here at the crack of dawn to avoid the crowds and quickly caught my first Rocky Mt. trout. (Check the box.) About 16" , I guess.
Soon a couple of carloads of folks showed up and started fishing so I staked out my rock and kept on. But, soon these two guys showed up....
Boy, did they have a lot of questions. "Let's see your license. Where are you from? Did you catch any fish? How Many? How big? Where do you intend to fish?" They had a script and they were sticking to it. I always obey all the laws so it was no trouble for me. However, I did notice that the people from the other two cars that had arrived all left while these gents were talking to me. So, either they had something to hide or maybe they only meant to fish for five minutes. I don't know.
Later in the day we found a spot downstream from here where the river spreads out and braids into parts that are like small creeks. We hiked on on moose and elk trails through the willows and stepped in their crap to get to this spot away from the crowds. Here is me in stealth mode with Grand Tetons in back.
Using a small gold spinner my first fish was a Mountain Whitefish.
Then a few trout in the 10 to 12" range.
I did not get a picture of every fish but it was five trout and a whitefish all in three hours of fishing so I was happy. It was a long trip but good to be back in my home state. Tight lines, all. Thanks for looking.
Chris
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I didn't realize the restrooms in the park were sooooo mammoth that it could hold a bus....hehe...I couldn't resist. Great report and pics. The Madison River is a beautiful river.
