May 7, 2005

Plan A - float Varney to 8Mile looking for the Mother's Day Caddis hatch (brachycentrus) and maybe a few stray Blue Wing Olives or March Browns.  We had the 7 wt along to chuck streamers.  Crossing the Varney bridge the river was up a bit and decidedly off color from yesterday afternoon.  A spin through the access found 3 boats readying for launch and a few trailers waiting for the downstream shuttle.  Bummer. 

Plan B - Ice-out on Quake or Hebgen Lakes.   In driving rain, we zip past antelope and elk on the way up river.  Up the hill, along the Quake's natural dam we pass a string of soggy cycle-tourists.  Wow, well, I'm sure they think we look pretty silly too, what with our standing in the chilly water waving our little sticks around...  The lower half of Quake was ice free - oh, we are too late, but there was ice at the launch and up.  Lets check out Hebgen before committing.  "Right!"  Hebgen is frozen with just a collar of free water around the edge - perfect.  We've read about this, but never timed it right.  In both Fly Patterns of Yellowstone - Craig Mathews and John Juracek, and Fly Fishing the Mountain Lakes - Gary LaFontaine, this ice-out phenomenon is described.  Toss streamers up on the ice - crash landings encouraged - tug the streamer across the ice to the edge - plunk!  Let it sink a little and strip - Ka-whammy!  Bob, eager to fish, was already in his waders - so off he went.  Suzie Richards and Cezanne were gearing up at the Suburban parked just above a sweet spot -when in drove a SUV packed with gear fishermen - they drove right past us, out onto the gravel between us and the lake, piled out and started plunking "our" hole - hummmm, maybe they should check out this page on etiquette.  Oh, well, its a big lake.  We found another likely looking spot and after a couple of dozen casts and one fly change, Suzy pulled the old "I'm going to go back to the car to get the camera".  She made it to the edge of shouting range when Cezanne's strip stuck, then the strip set pulled line back.  "HEYYYYYYY SUUUUUUUUUZIEEEEEE" .  Running back full speed (considering waders and all) she arrived at the scene just in time to see an 18" rainbow buck in full spawning colors, even the fins were magenta!  No pictures of course.

A hazard of this fishery is snagging the fly on the ice - lost a few that way, and reeled in a few slushy icebergs to boot.  What fun - this won't last much longer - midges next...