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"Where the Yellowstone Goes"


Ryan Kral

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For those of you that have Netflix at home, I highly recomend the documentary "Where the Yellowstone Goes". If you dont, you can purchase the DVD, money going to a good cause. The movies a documentary about a small group that paddled the entire length of the Yellowstone River, which is the longest undammed river in the states, to bring awareness to the importance and beauty of not just the Yellowstone, but preservation in general. It is not a fly fishing film, but of course they fish along the way, but it is more about rivers in general, and the towns and culture that surround them, and help destroy or preserve them. Good flick for anyone that has interest in rivers, fishing, preservation, and has some interesting history along the way. Ryan

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Better still plan a trip to see & fish it & some of the many other rivers in & around Yellowstone Park which is unlike any other place on earth.The fishing will provide a nice change of pace from the endless pursuit of just smallies as well as making you a more well rounded fisherman. The best month to go is September for the weather & lack of crowds.

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I had the opportunity to fish a handful of the rivers in the park a few times when I lived there. Unfortunately I wasn't really into fishing at all, let alone fly fishing at that time. Which kills me thinking about it now because I literally lived on the firehole river! I really need to get back out there, the Yellowstone is on the list, but I really want to get in the backcountry to fish Slough creek. When I worked there, we would backpack quite a bit into the slough creek valley, that was one area of the park we would almost always run into a grizzly or two over a weekend. That area should definitely be on any fishermans bucket list. Bring the bear Spray, and maybe a good bottle of whiskey! Ryan

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The Firehole is an enigma typifying the enigma of the Park itself. It was once regarded as the best dryfly trout stream in the country before what I believe was an earthquake that caused boiling hot water from the surrounding hot springs for which the river is named to enter the river making the fishing marginal until Fall when big browns come into it from the Madison which is formed by the confluence of the Firehole & Gibbon Rs.I once took an amazing pic of a flyfisherman wading within a few yards of a herd of bison crossing the river. in the near background there's a steaming hot spring pouring into the river and further back an erupting geyser.

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Thanks for the info. I use Netflix so I will check it out. I visited Yellowstone and trout fished some of the rivers within its park. It truly is a special place on this earth, a greatest hits of what you see from the western 1/2 of the US. I highly doubt they canoed the "entire length of the Yellowstone river". By the picture I took while there, there is no way they canoed through Yellowstone's grand canyon or portaged around it. It would still be a wonderful adventure just to float its safer sections.

 

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Thanks for the info. I use Netflix so I will check it out. I visited Yellowstone and trout fished some of the rivers within its park. It truly is a special place on this earth, a greatest hits of what you see from the western 1/2 of the US. I highly doubt they canoed the "entire length of the Yellowstone river". By the picture I took while there, there is no way they canoed through Yellowstone's grand canyon or portaged around it. It would still be a wonderful adventure just to float its safer sections.

 

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There's a steep winding path down to the river that might've given them canoe access to the canyon if they were in good enuf physical condition.

 

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Thanks for the head up Ryan. Got this film on the queue.

 

I visited the YNP with my wife and her father in Sept of 2005. It was a very memorable trip as it was our last trip together with him before he passed away 2 yrs later. I remember I did a lot of driving as we tried to complete the figure 8 loops within the park and the Grand Teton. It is definately a special place on earth. On a couple of evenings, I fished the Fire Hole with no success. There were some kind of hatch or hatches, and there were risers making dipples everywhere on the surface, but I couldn't match them. Those were PhD trout, not easy to fool. But I did landed a beautiful 14" brown right below a fast run on the Yellowston inside the park with a black wooly bugger. The old wooly bugger came to rescure. I think it made a good representation of stonefly nymph and the food floated by so fast in the rapid water that the trout had no time to inspect, but just react to the fly. 5 evening of fishing and only 1 trout to hand. It is one of my most memorable fish.

 

The YNP should be on everybody to see list.

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I watched the movie last night. A great documentary and must watch for our club members. Has me thinking of an idea for multi day float on the Fox from Illinois border to the confluence with the Illinois river. Thanks Ryan.

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Thanks for the tip, Ryan. I watched the movie last night, too.(must be what lawyers do on Friday nights) It was a great film, but too long of a trip for a guy my age and condition. Wouldn't mind two or three days along the western end of the river. Of course, the film is entirely outside Yellowstone Park, as I gather you can't float inside the park. It's another place to put on the bucket list.

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Watching now. @ 13:55:

 

"We've got some new threats... a lot of the banks of the Yellowstone have been leased for natural gas drilling between Livingston and Big Timber."

 

Scott Bosse

American Rivers

 

BUMMER!!!

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Watching now. @ 13:55:

 

"We've got some new threats... a lot of the banks of the Yellowstone have been leased for natural gas drilling between Livingston and Big Timber."

 

Scott Bosse

American Rivers

 

BUMMER!!!

Another is the ongoing eradication of cutthroats in the lake due to predation by illegally introduced lake trout some years ago.Since the river flows thru the lake I imagine the river's cutthroat population has suffered too.

 

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Yeah, we used to fish the lake on occasion. If a lake trout was caught, knock 'em out, slice the gut open, throw them back. Hate doing that, but they really were destroying the native fish population. Supposedly with new practices, they are finally making headway on this issue. Ryan

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Can you eat the lakers or keep and donate them? Would think that littering fish carcasses would be illegal or at least frowned upon. I had this vision of you trout guys whispering a quiet "I'm sorry" to the fishes upon a gentle and healthy release... ;)

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Can you eat the lakers or keep and donate them? Would think that littering fish carcasses would be illegal or at least frowned upon. I had this vision of you trout guys whispering a quiet "I'm sorry" to the fishes upon a gentle and healthy release..

The common practice that is, or was(not sure anymore) used by the NPS was to pop the fishes air/swim bladder, preferably after you knock them out or kill them with a blow to the head. This way the shore line would not be littered by dead Lake trout, because they would eventually sink. The main concern being dead fish on shore attracts big bears! Really though, not many people fish Yellowstone Lake, because its all the rivers that draw the fisherman. No motorized boats are allowed on the lake, and the weather on that lake is notorious for turning nasty in a flash, so you wouldnt see many boats on it either. NPS uses motorized boats obviously. The NPS donates thousands of pounds of Lake Trout to food programs. I'll admit the first time I fished the lake, I felt to bad killing them, and I released the couple I caught. I wasnt that educated on their actual effect of the overall ecosystem, and after learning more I changed my practices. I only fished the lake a few times though, and their not easy to catch from shore, which is why the NPS nets them in deeper water from large netting boats. Ryan

http://www.ypf.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6562&news_iv_ctrl=1061

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Also, yes, you can keep them if thats your choice. It is actually illegal to catch and release them, either have to take them, or kill them. There is no limit on non-native fish(Browns, Brooks, Rainbows), and all native fish(Arctic Grayling, Whitefish, Cutthroat) are catch and release only, barbless hooks. And the Rangers there don't play around, if they happen to stop by, they will check your hooks, and make sure no lead is being used. Ryan

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That is true about the way they manage the native & non-native species. I was fishing one of the rivers catching brook trout. They encouraged us to keep them since they were non-native. No reason to waste the resource and attract bears. We kept two and cooked them over an open fire. Fresh trout from a cool clean mountain stream is actually pretty good.

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We were fishing a location on the Yellowstone river that ran through some open grassland. There was a nice worn trail leading up to the river. I was fishing away and focusing on the river not paying much attention to whatever was going on behind me. Heard a noise and turned around to see a herd of buffalo. That worn trail leading down to the river also had a worn trail leading up the bank on the other side. We were fishing the river crossing spot. We quickly headed down river and a few minutes later the herd crossed. There are some different risks and challenges fishing out west. You can't find a more beautiful backdrop to fish in than Yellowstone National Park.

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Yeah, it's hard to beat Paul. Nice thing about getting out on the rivers there is getting away from the summer crowds! 99% of the tourists there never leave the blacktop. You walk minutes away from a road or main trail, and you'll soon realize just how big and remote the majority of that 2.2 million acres is, and that you're not on top of the food chain! By the way, if anyone ever has a YNP trip planned, and is looking for any info, give me a shout. I lived in the Old Faithful area of the park, but spent a lot of time in all areas of the park, and outside the park. Ryan

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