Having yet to fish inside the park, on our Montana trip, Ken C. and I headed out to the Firehole River. The one thing we continually did on our trip; walk 20 minutes and you will enjoy the most scenic solitude…ever! Worked every time, and we had the place to ourselves.
The Firehole captures many fly fishing calendars and several fly fishing videos. It’s easy to see why. If an angler ever wanted to fish Dante’s Inferno, the Firehole would be as close one could get.
It would be good to mention, caution while hiking around the Firehole. Yes, its scenic, but the bubbling puddles are not to be taken lightly. Its scalding hot water and for sure, the edges of the puddles are cut back banks with skinny overhangs. We used caution when approaching steaming holes and were very alert about our back casts.
Oh yeah, the fishing? It was good! We landed many browns and rainbows to hand. We were fortunate to find a caddis hatch in the afternoon and were not disappointed. The size of the fish were not in the mongo range, but enough to make the day and experience complete.
Last, but not least, we also learned how to fly fish while being accompanied by buffalo. Sounds a bit strange? Yep, it was! Here’s the deal with buffalo…they can do whatever they freaking want! Giving them plenty of space and adjusting to the “harmonious sounds” buffalo make while grazing, was very easy.
Bottom line, we had a great day, caught fish on dries all day, and looked forward to our next stop…Henry’s Fork.
LV