Howdy y'all!
We are reporting to you from Yellowstone National Park! We have just gotten out of the backcountry, where we spent three days and two nights fishing and camping remote mountain lakes in the heart of Yellowstone. After some last-minute fishing closures were announced by the National Park Service, we pivoted the plan to fish Grebe and Cascade Lakes. The fishing was phenomenal, with many giant Westslope cutthroat trout caught. The guys spent tons of time on the water, always eager to get back in after any break. Even more exciting, we were able to fish the lakes just steps away from camp, allowing the boys to maximize their time on the water! In addition to the fishing being great, we also had some great backcountry meals. The group was hungry and devoured tasty brats one night and pita pizzas the next. After a few days bumping around in the woods, the boys are ready for a shower!
Earlier, upon arrival at the park, we fished the Gibbon River, one of two rivers that feeds into the legendary Madison River. The Gibbon is almost always great and it didn't disappoint this time; we caught some nice cutthroat and brown trout. The fishing there was a great way to kick things off and get everyone's casting dialed in before heading deeper into the park. We also saw a huge grizzly bear from afar as we were fishing the meadow, which was a pretty spectacular sight, definitely a moment the boys will be talking about for a while. Our last day before the backcountry was spent fishing the other river that feeds into the Madison, the Firehole. The Firehole, true to its name, was on fire: the fish were eager to eat dry flies, and everyone had a spectacular time wading its warmer water. The whole backcountry trip was fantastic. We hiked some hard miles, ate some tasty backcountry food, caught great fish, and told even better stories.
Today we're going to get some much-needed rest and recovery after roughing it out in the backcountry. The plan is to have some snacks, showers, do laundry, and find some pizza! We may even be able to play some ultimate frisbee. Once we are clean and rested, we will drive towards Yellowstone Lake to stay at the wonderful Bridge Bay campsite for a couple of nights. It should be a relaxing stay while we prepare for the next backcountry push.
The next few days have so much in store! Tomorrow will be a bit of a flex day, we will discuss some options with the kids and land on a spot to fish for the day. Candidates are the Snake River, the Lamar River, Yellowstone Lake, and surrounding creeks and tributaries. Regardless, we should find some native fish, possibly even some giants!
This is an awesome group of boys - lots of laughing, great weather, good food, new friendships. We're so pumped to be out here with them and can't wait to see what the rest of the trip holds. Until next time...
The Guys and the Guides
