By the time I entered YNP about 7 AM on May 1st, the outside air temp was hovering around 25 degrees.
(Begin rant) I had driven South down to West Yellowstone to partake in first ever May 1st opening for the Firehole, Gibbon and Madison rivers. Dodging suicidal Cervids, surviving exceptionally impatient drivers who think the 60 mph speed limit in Gallatin Canyon is just a suggestion and truckers who think dimming high beams only applies to smaller vehicles. Unfortunately, a large contingent of Bozeman residents work in Big Sky and an equal number of Big Sky folks work in Bozeman. The daily commute at dawn makes the drive down to Yellowstone a tedious two-hour adventure. All the white crosses that adorn just about every mile of Gallatin Canyon don’t seem to add any caution or courtesy to the hoard of commuters that make the trip every weekday. (End rant)
Back to trip report. I arrived at my first destination on the Gibbon about 7:30 AM. Outside air temp was 26 degrees yet the river, warmed by Norris Geyser basin flowed low and clear. Away from the river, standing water had a crust of ice and the remnants of last year’s vegetation bore a thick coating of frost. What to expect from the trout. No one has legally fished the Firehole, Gibbon or Madison (Wyoming reach) in early May probably since mid-20th century. Unfortunately, as it turned out the angling was very productive for a couple of hours but once the sun got high around 9:30AM, the streamer bite really slowed because of the low, clear water. Early on, a black pine squirrel bugger nailed over a dozen 12-14” browns from undercuts and deep riffles. As the river was about 3’ below bank full, fish were somewhat concentrated in limited deep runs and undercuts, and grass beds were just starting to grow. There were a lot of short strikes and follows. By the end of May, the Gibbon should be running bank full during runoff and the fish will occupy more of the central river runs and be far more aggressive on cloudy days to come.
As I left the park, I made a stop at Blue Ribbon Flies to see if they had any materials I just couldn’t pass up. The shop guy was talking with another angler who had never fished in the park before and his message was clear—we just don’t know what to expect from the Firehole, Gibbon and Madison in early May. He agreed with me that no body, at least in recent memory, has fished these waters pre-runoff. Reportedly the Firehole is experiencing some BWO hatches but again it is very low and clear. A month of discovery awaits.
A bit frosty early on.
Low and clear:
