Hello from Ennis, Montana!
After many days, the crew is back together in developed society and unfortunately out of the park for good. The guys have reunited after a long Snake River backcountry and are looking forward to two days of world famous Montana fly fishing. Leaving the park is bittersweet, we are both exited to enjoy our much missed creature comforts and sad to leave behind the world class fishing Yellowstone has to offer.
Since we last sent an update, countless lifelong memories of fish, bonds, and places have formed. Exploration has been a theme for this trip and the past few days were no different. The group fished Lewis Lake, the Upper Yellowstone River, Yellowstone Lake, and the Snake. The days fishing on the Upper Yellowstone were tough, but proved worth it; many of the guys caught 20+ inch fish. Yellowstone Lake also provided. On a night to remember we fished the beach for a couple hours. With just enough light to see our flies, one of our tripmates caught a 22 inch Yellowstone Cutthroat at sunset! The cheers were loud and the smiles wide! It is nights like these that people remember forever. Seeing the boys exited for each other is awesome. It truly felt like we all caught that fish. These fish show their age, smart and large they don’t come easy.
The success we had fishing the Yellowstone drainage is a testament to the development and skill of these elite young anglers. Just as amazing as the front country fishing we did, the Snake River was incredible. The Snake River is mighty: it starts in Yellowstone from trickles of snowmelt and flows over 1,000 miles west. In Washington it joins the Columbia River and subsequently enters the Pacific Ocean. Another 18 miles round trip, we set out to stay at Nine Mile Meadow and Snake River Hot Springs. These campsites are amazing and we felt lucky to enjoy them. Nine Mile Meadow’s name speaks for itself, a vast and open meadow that is nine miles from the trailhead. This site is beyond picturesque and the most remote we have gotten on this trip. Snake River Hot Springs is backcountry luxury! Aptly named, there is a hot spring that flows into the river. At the confluence, a natural hot tub is created, offering any temperature you could want. This section of the Snake is a true freestone, meaning it flows freely from snowmelt without human interference. Pristine and cold, this river is a true paradise and home to some new species for the trip: Snake River cutthroat and brown trout. On this river, anglers can catch however they like, streamers, dries, and even mice fool aggressive Snake River cutthroat. Both groups slayed at both sites. We caught numerous 20 inch fish and countless mid-sized fish. These were some of the prettiest cutthroat of the trip and surely were some of the most fun to catch. Once again the hike was worth it. This hike was easy for these now veteran hikers. Impressively easy! More difficult than the hike to Slough, this hike was proof of fortitude gained.
The group dynamic is so fun to watch on trail. Hiking truly brings out people’s natural leadership. So many times we saw our trip mates lifting each other up and keeping each other going. After a short drive back to basecamp we are back in the Madison River Valley. Over the next couple days, we will continue to enjoy what comes out of Yellowstone. The Madison River flows out of the park and is possibly the most renowned river in Montana. Once again we are fishing some Lillard classics. Fond memories and childhood stories are forever attached to these places. Over the next few days we hope to see the guys create these memories. The Madison and Ruby Rivers hold mostly brown and rainbow trout, this is another exciting opportunity for us to check off some new species. Three days left is just nuts; this trip has gone fast! This group been nothing but fun and we are so sad to see it come to a close. Thanks again for sending such lovely kids, they make our jobs fun and easy. We will be in touch shortly!
Tight lines,
The guide crew and the guys
