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Wound up the last little foray into YNP this morning in the Barnes Pools (#2). A relatively uneventful morning with some missed opportunities, a couple trout to hand and a mess of whitefish. We would have had first go at #1 if not for the hash browns I ordered at Mcdonalds. I headed out around 11 and spent most of the afternoon recuperating from some ridiculously good times the last week.
As everyone knows, there is much more to fishing than catching fish, wondering about bugs, flies, water, lines, tippets, rods, and pinched barbs. It's the timeless experiences around water that makes fishing what it is for so many dudes like myself. Reconnecting with an old friend and doing some early morning wrestling with a new one. Somehow, pooping in the woods stories always seem to be the big hits at the end of the day, not so much the one or several that got away. The joy of watching new anglers get all jacked up over 14" trout is something that I hope I never grow tired of being a part of. Sharing insights, holding back on others, and trying to find a few new tricks while not leading on is all part of the game.
The Madison in the park is fishing well right now, there are plenty of fish in the river and lots of anglers too. Plan on getting on the water early, like by 7:30, if you have a "honey hole" that you want to be first in on. Although there are spawning fish in there right now, we really did not do much on egg patterns, mostly stoneflies and small mayfly imitations. We did not find fish everywhere, but tended to do well when we got into them. We also had some less than productive times throughout the day, especially on the Gibbons. I have concluded that the Gibbon Falls tales are urban legend and not true…but go find out for yourself.