Nearly completed the walk into the meadows of Slough Creek, Yellowstone National Park, Montana

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Richard Jackson
Fly fishing instruction and guiding in the heart of Devon
www.devonflyfisher.com

Oh man,

That takes me back, you've just come off the trail there to the first set of meadows. what did you think as you crested the rise and your first glimse?

I got my first cutt, just to the left of the butte in your picture. I was there a LOT earlier in the morning than you :-) The fly that did the damage was a Daddy, believe it or not. My mate, Colin and I had a fantstic day up there.

Of course, if you didn't walk up to th enext set of meadows again you aint seen nothing yet ;-)

Thanks for posting that picture, you've made my afternoon.

paul

Hi Paul,
Yes it was awesome, we went back the following day,even though it was a 140 mile round trip it was worth it.
The river was still a little 'milky' from a late run off but the fish were grabbing green drakes like they were going out of fashion, strange i didn't see any daddies.
The following day on the walk in came across fresh bear scat (droppings) which unerved us a little but we caught some cracking cutties and rainbows.
Just brought back happy memories for me too!
Hmm where to next?
Cheers
Richard

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Richard Jackson
Fly fishing instruction and guiding in the heart of Devon
www.devonflyfisher.com

Richard,

A 140 mile round-trip to go back the next day?

I got myself a back country camping permit from the park authorities and stayed the night. I was lucky in that my chosen campsite halfway up the second meadow had just re-opened after an bear-killed elk had been found nearby earlier in the summer (they get a bit protective over their food sources!) There's something about sitting next to your campfire as it's getting dark listening to a wolf pack howling in the distance - it certainly gets the hairs standing on your neck.



The view in the morning wasn't bad.



And I did come across a small local family on the hike back the next day.



I must go back one day.

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resist much, obey little

Walt Whitman

Brave man!
Yes we did consider an overnight camp when we planned the trip but you can only take so much kit over the pond.
As it happened there was a lot of bear activity in Slough Creek at the time and even with bear spray i doubt we would have had the bottle like you!
How was the fishing?
Nice pictures
Cheers
Richard

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Richard Jackson
Fly fishing instruction and guiding in the heart of Devon
www.devonflyfisher.com

That's a cracking post with beautiful photography!

Thanks Guy's.

Richard,

Yeah, the most difficult bit is getting the camping gear plus the fishing gear across there. I managed to squeeze everything including tent and an empty backpack into a huge duffel on the way over - on the way back I checked the - now full - backpack separately. American airlines seem pretty relaxed when it comes to amounts of luggage and I flew in and out of Jackson Hole where it was only a short stagger from the carousel to the car rental desk.

Regarding the back country camping, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit concerned beforehand (especially as I was reading Doug Peacock's Grizzly Years at the time) but you the nice NPS people do get you to watch a video emphasizing the importance of good housekeeping when applying for your permit at the ranger station. I hadn't realised that I'd get the allocated campsite to myself when booking up and I think that was the thing that concerned me most before setting out but, on reflection, that was what made it such a memorable experience. Regarding bear spray, I was lucky in that the flyshop that sold me the spray bought the unused canister back before I returned home (I think both the airlines and UK customs would have something to say about a can of extra-strong mace being carried on!) I did meet a female black bear plus two cubs face to face as I walked around a corner on the trail on the hike back to civilisation. To my shame, after slowly back-pedalling, I reached not for the bear spray but for my camera. Perhaps I would have acted differently had it have been a grizzly!

The fishing? It was very good but the surroundings made it special. As I remember (it was a good few years ago that I was there) the most entertaining tactic was to bounce a Chernobyl Ant off the far bank and wait for the daft cutthroats to respond.

BTW The only grizzly I encountered on that trip was outside the park on the Nth Fork Highway heading down to Cody. Picture below of the young male crashing through the roadside brush.

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resist much, obey little

Walt Whitman

When I lived in the US the advice given when in bear territory was to have pepper spray and wear little bells on your clothes. This was backed up with the fact that the easiest way of identifying bear scat was that is was the one that smelled of pepper and was full of little silver bits!

I never made it up to the top meadows, only fishing the creek down near to the trailhead access road but do fancy the horse pack trips they run in there another time.

I love those Yellowstone Cut's and have a nice signed print of one by Joseph Tomelleri here in the Fish&Fly office. I do not love the humungous horseflies I remember were there and had a bite of something 10 times their size!

Paul

Those pics. bought back some fantastic memories, I was in Montana last year.

We couldn't fish Slough Creek because of a late snow melt. The same was true of a number of other rivers on our "list". We had to confine ourselves to the Madison, Firehole, Gibbon and Henry's Fork but that was no great hardship.

My pics. and a brief report are over on the CFF, here, if anyone wants a look

Complete Fisher Forum :: View topic - Roys Trip to the US. Part II. Montana

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Roy