Hello All,
We just made it out of our second and final backcountry in the beautiful Pebble Creek! Located in the northeastern corner of the park, Pebble Creek was relatively foreign to Owen and me. Despite hearing tales of 100+ fish days and breathtaking views of the Beartooth Mountains, neither of us had wet a line in the storied creek. Both of us have spent countless hours targetting large Yellowstone cutthroat in the nearby Slough Creek, but we never made the trek over Bliss Pass to check out Pebble. To be perfectly honest, we were a little bit skeptical about our prospects when we picked up our backcountry permit for Pebble Creek – we knew there were tons of fish in there, but we stuck our noses up to the idea of small fish. These kids are all seasoned fishermen, why would they want to catch tiny fish all day after we just targeted the biggest fish in the park? However, we were all quickly transported to our younger days of angling – no stressing over which fly to use, what size tippet, or how many split shots we needed, just absolutely slaying trout without a care in the world, all while surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery Yellowstone has to offer. It was an excellent reminder that all trout, no matter the size or difficulty to catch, are awesome to catch.
Before our trout rodeo in Pebble Creek, we cut our teeth on some of the most technical fly fishing in the park: The Yellowstone River and Yellowstone Lake. With Brideg Bay Campground as our base camp, we set forth and conquered. This late in the season, the fishing at these locations is no cakewalk: anglers lining the banks waiting for their shot at the cutthroat of a lifetime, and fewer fish in the river system than the weeks prior. However, the boys were not shaken by the prospect that they might not catch a fish, but rather motivated by the notion that if they did, it would most likely be their personal best cutthroat. It was incredible watching them go to work. The dedication was palpable cast after cast; this group wanted it badly. It didn’t take long before the hard work paid off and massive fish hit the net. Fishing Yellowstone Lake is truly a test of mental fortitude and dedication. You can go out and make hundreds of perfect casts in a row that go unrewarded, but it's that one cast where a 20+ inch cutthroat comes rising out of the abyss to eat your dry fly that has you hooked. And hooked we were, coming back each night for three consecutive days to try our hand. Even though we didn’t catch many fish those nights, each one that hit the net resulted in screams of joy and a picture that told the story of the hours of dedication that led to that fish.
Between our time at Bridge Bay and Pebble Creek, we spent two nights outside of the park at Fox Creek Campground right next to Cooke City. Located on the famous Beartooth Highway Fox Creek sat below some of the most spectacular vistas we had ever seen. In our time outside the park, we were able to wrangle some sizable cutthroat on the famed Lamar River, as well as dozens of brook trout on Lava Creek. We all agreed that our time at Fox Creek Campground was one of our favorites. Overall, this has been one of the most successful Yellowstone Expeditions I have guided, and each camper brought something to the table that helped create a cohesive group. Despite tougher fishing conditions, this group was able to persevere and stick together to create an unforgettable adventure that none of us will forget.
Tight Lines,
Cole, Owen, and the LFFE Crew
