Salmonflies and Bullshit

I've been chasing Salmonflies several of the last few days. Been to the Upper and the Yellowstone in search of rising fish only to be met with the usual BS of miles of rejection despite an abundance of bugs. It's been YEARS since I actually whacked on Salmonfly dries...so maybe my defintion of whacking them has changed or I just suck!

Anyway, there are lots of bugs about on the Upper Yellowstone and Upper Madison. I got the fish better than expected yesterday on the UM, but it was all nymphing very close to the banks. Once my guys figured out how to get it in there without losing flies, things were pretty good, but not amazing. The sad thing is we probably got more fish on a lightning bug than the stonefly.

We fished Carbella to Emigrant today...you know the stretch with a gadzillion dumb cutthroats always looking to eat a big dry...and found it to be even a bigger disappointment than dries on the UM yesterday. Nymphing was fine for the occasional trout and steady diet of southern grayling as I like to call them. I can understand teh Yellowstone better as the water is just clearing, still pretty high, and cold. Maybe another day or two and they should be eating dries. There were as many bugs out as I've seen in a long time though from Carbella down past 26 the bushes were loaded with them and goldens. Lots of PMDs and Green Drakes too, as goes for the UM too.

My favorite Salmonfly activity though is to listen to the dudes in another boat say how they're whoompin' em on dries and them watch them go for miles without a fish. That's why I think my definition of whacking them has changed rather than I suck.