There are plenty of stories about the big fish that escapes the angler. Many of us have read books by Hemingway and Melville that expound poetically about supernatural fish. These stories, of course, are fictional but still manage to capture our imagination and desire to catch the Moby Dick of trout or, in the case of the old man and the sea, a magnificent billfish.
Recent trips to fish the Yellowstone River inside Yellowstone National Park since opening day have been just about as amazing in regard to big fish as are the tales written by the authors above. Opening day on what is known as the upper Yellowstone River, or the largest spring creek in the United States, was spectacular.
It was spectacular because of the crowds of anglers who lined the banks of this fabled river and it was spectacular because the Yellowstone cutthroat that inhabit the river are now of such a size that they virtually match the size of the cutthroat witnessed and documented by Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery Expedition when they explored the flora and fauna of the Yellowstone River over 200 years ago.
These two explorers wrote that the trout were so numerous, the river and its tributaries were virtually overflowing with trout and they called them yellow salmon due to the size of the trout. That paints an impressive visual, does it not?
Opening day found the Yellowstone cutthroat to be easily caught on any number of flies. I had my best success using what is now called Wade’s North Fork Special and is marketed by Umpqua Feather Merchants to fly tackle dealers for resale now.
I developed this wet fly, specifically a silver- or gold-beaded nymph, back in the 1990s while spending an inordinate amount of time trying to catch the Yellowstone cutthroat with a fly that would work consistently day after day.
It took two years to develop, but the North Fork Special is now a fly that helps other anglers catch trout and steelhead on every continent. You can find several fly tying videos on YouTube if interested.
I digress a bit, but the fly does work. Before Whirling Disease and nonnative fish called lake trout devastated the Yellowstone River and Lake’s native Yellowstone cutthroat population at the turn of the 21st century, the average cutthroat caught in Yellowstone Lake and River was 18 inches. Occasionally, one would be put in the net that measured 21 or 22 inches – a true ‘monster’ for the river 20 years ago. After a massive lake trout eradication program by Yellowstone Park and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, native cutthroat have had a major comeback the past several years.
What a comeback, too. My first Yellowstone cutthroat July 15 was a monster that wouldn’t fit in my net. This is true and was witnessed by a friend of mine who accompanied me that day.
I love to stalk the riverbanks and look for trout in the process. When I see one, I then cast to the fish to see if I can set the hook and then slide it into a net before releasing it for the enjoyment of another fisher person. I spotted this trout feeding in a depression where springs of hot or cold water were bubbling up through the river’s surface.
I set up for my cast and did my best to hide myself so the trout would only see my nymph drifting by its feeding lane. After casting, I adjusted my fly line and leader so the nymph would look like a natural to the trout and then watched as my wet fly and the trout’s nose intersected underwater. When I saw the trout move toward my North Fork Special and open and close its mouth, my rod was lifted firmly to set the hook and the fight was on.
In the ‘old days’ on the Yellowstone River, the fight would not last very long on those 18 and even 20-inch cutthroat. What a wonderful surprise it was to find this trout was not going to succumb easily to rod and reel commands by me, the angler.
As soon as the trout felt the sting of the hook and the firm line pressure, he was off to the center of the river in a nano second. For the first time ever with a cutthroat that I can recall, I watched 100-feet of fly line rapidly leave my fly reel to follow this trout to wherever it was going at a rapid pace.
After several minutes, it was apparent the trout would win this battle unless I enlisted the aid of another to get below the fish with a net, just like when steelhead or salmon fishing. Seeing my buddy casting and not hooked up, I gave a whistle and a shout to get his attention. When he saw the bend in my rod and the amount of line out into the water, he came to my aid as quickly as he could.
After another few minutes of trying to gain fly line and move the trout, I finally got his head turned enough to lead him out of the Yellowstone’s heavy flow and turn him toward the bank.
Once he made that move, I cranked like crazy on my fly reel to gain back line and to keep that sideways pressure leading him toward the bank where the current was less and also where my friend had waded into the river with his net out and ready.
As is the case with all big fish, the net was sized for much smaller trout, not one of this size and weight. As the fish kept plunging out of the net and trying to get back to the middle of the river for safety, my good friend had the presence of mind to place the net in front of the trout and just get the head inside. Whew! Once the trout had his head in the net, he was captured and, finally, couldn’t go anywhere. At that same moment, my friend grabbed the motor (tail) of the trout to keep it in place.
What a relief that was. And what a trout! It was huge, no kidding. How big you ask? The net opening is 22 inches long and 11 inches wide. The trout, when stretched out along the length of the net and handle was a hand span longer, or 4 inches, than the net opening, maybe even longer than that. That trout was 26-plus inches minimum. We guessed its weight to be 5-7 pounds based on the size of the head and body. What a great way to start the day.
My friend and I broke off a lot of trout that just would not go into a net or come to hand opening day. The ones we did land were all close to the same size as the first one, although we did hook and land one that was 21 inches which, when compared to the other Leviathans, looked like a ‘dink’. That’s not a complaint, but rather a testimony as to the size of the other fish we netted and released.
Since opening day, I have gone back to the Yellowstone River below Le Hardy Rapids several times since that day to experience and enjoy those remarkable native Yellowstone cutthroat trout. I find time and again this new population of cutthroat has the power to straighten out hooks and the speed to rip fly line off fly reels with superior drag capabilities which gives me hope for the future of this native trout so unique to the Yellowstone ecosystem. The recovery of the cutthroat is a remarkable story.
To see them this big is not just amazing, but something to enjoy. I am so looking forward to this week when, again, I will be battling with these trout of epic proportions. I can think of no other place that will supply the same size trout within 80 miles from Cody. I hope you, too, can find the time to do the same. Do not be dismayed if you land far fewer than you hook. These fish truly are the trout of legend.
Credit: Source link
