Montata - The Gallatin River - Brown Trout & Rainbow Trout - Mid July 2013

For the grand finale of the trip we headed to a ranch that belonged to one of Mike's friends. We had a great drive from Jackson Hole through Yellowstone to Montana.

The Fire Hole river in Yellowstone fed by hotsprings on all sides

Hot springs in Yellowstone

Massive Hot springs leaking minerals onto the rocks

The ranch was close to some of the best trout waters in the continental United States - The yellowstone River, The Gallatin River, and many others. For us the, Gallatin was by far the best. Although we had some trouble finding open access to the river, once we found it, it was incredible. 

Mike shooting his .300 Win mag

The Ranch

Driving though the ranch to the house.

Shooting by car light

Belle, Mikes dog, watches us fish the yellowstone. It was hard to fish this great river from shore.

The Ranch

Fish on!

Belle, mikes dog, was a great fishing partner

The Gallatin River

Brown trout, Gallatin River on a grey drake extended body.

For some reason, I was catching exclusively big browns but no rainbows, and Mike was hitting big rainbows, but no browns, sometimes out of the same hole. You could tell right away what you had hooked; the rainbow trout often jump out of the water while the browns dive deep.

Belle Watches me cast to rising brown trout along the shore.

Mike with one of many rainbows.

We spent 3 days total fishing the Gallatin. We never made it very far in any direction because we were pulling in fish from behind every stone. We started fishing with size 12 extended body grey drakes and had much success. Later mike fished a 14 Elk Hair caddis and I fished a CDC klinkhammer I had made up (pictured below). Later we both  also had success with size 14 Purple Haze Parachute Adams - a color that has become popular in Montana.  

This hole was particularly productive for Mike.
Several rainbows, including one that was too big to
pull from under the sunken logs and got away.

Walter and Katie spent the first few days at the ranch with us. 

For dinner: Elk Walter shot last fall and beans.

Green River - South Western Wyoming - Big Rainbow Trout - early July 2013

We were able to take a trip to the famed trout stream the Green River in south western wyoming for a few days. This had been a trip I wanted to make for several years. We drove down our of the mountains and onto the flats past many antelope and through the desert for several hours. The Green River appeared in the desert as a green oasis. Despite the heat, the water was ice cold because it was still fed from melting snow in the mountains.

Despite a lot of mosquitoes and some stinging nettles we found a good place to fish and as the sun set, there were trout rising. Mike soon hooked the first brown trout of the trip on an extended body grey drake. On the way we stopped in Pinedale at The Great Outdoor Shop to buy a much needed net, pick up some more Grey Drakes and get some fishing advice. 

The next day we drove through Pinedale Wyoming and down to the lower part of the Green river below the Fontenelle Dam.

Huge rain storms rolled across the desert flats at times while we were driving. There were some amazing sites. Mike had a few cases of trout slayer ale for some energy while we were fishing. We happened to drive past the first ever J.C. Penny in Kemmerer Wyoming too.

 

Bellow the Fontenelle Dam the fishing was incredible. There were massive cliffs with nesting swallows and huge sulfur mayfly and caddis fly hatches at dusk and all morning. We had a great night catching rainbows. Our friend Nick from high school met us and fished with us for the night and we each ate a fish from the day cooked on the fire. Mike had the biggest fish by far for this river. it took about 15 minutes and all three of us to get the massive rainbow to shore.