We’ve arrived at TroutHunter on the Henry’s Fork and spent some time fishing in Yellowstone National Park already. Our group arrives today and we expect to start casting a line on “The Fork”, but it’s already been pretty special.
We had barely gotten settled into our room at TroutHunter and ordered a beer at the bar when a cow moose and two calves waded out into the river. I tried not to act too excited, like an out of town tourist among all the local guides, but a pretty good contingent of locals went out for a closer look as it’s pretty rare to see a moose right in front of the lodge. We see at least one every year while floating or hiking our way up a backcountry river, but this was a pretty special way to start the week.
We’ve only fished a few hours so far, but we can’t complain. Cool weather around 50 degrees in Yellowstone Park and enough biting trout to keep it interesting. Sounds like the recent cool down has really kicked things into gear here and our timing is pretty good.
Back home in East Tennessee there’s also some news to report. The mountain streams are pretty low but water temperatures are excellent. This means the fish are certainly biting but expect them to be extra nervous. The cool down back at home will get the Blue Wing Olives and midges hatching so the fish will be on smaller flies, but no need to worry. A size #16 Parachute Adams will work fine, but a #18 will probably be better.
Flows on the Clinch have moderated and there’s plenty of time to get out and fish there. A few sulphurs are hatching but it’s primarily the old Zebra Midge or Pheasant Tail situation. Even though flows have come down dramatically, don’t get too comfy with the schedules. That’s typically when TVA gives you a bad schedule, so keep your eyes open.
We’ll keep you posted!