The Virtual Fish Camp
A Flyfisher's Guide to Southeastern Waters
Backpacking Yellowstone
SECTION 1
Fishing Regs
Licenses Hatch Charts
Generation Solunar Tables MoonPhases
Float Times
SECTION 2
Rods
Reels
Flies, Lines,
Leaders & Tippets
SECTION 3
Where to Go?
The "Hooch"
The Hiwassee The Flint River
SECTION 4
Fly Tying Entomology
Fly Swaps
Patterns
July 26, 2001
We spent most of the day touring the Park. A picnic area on the Firehole River made a nice spot to sort out and load our backpacks with things we'd need while in the backcountry.
Don't forget the sunscreen and more importantly.....bug repellant! We used Ben's 100 in the spray bottle and kept the skeeters at a distance. I'm a big proponent of lightweight backpacking and as a result we didn't pack the conventional sleeping bags.....opting for fleece sleeping bag liners. They zip up like a bag but are a lot smaller and lighter. We slept in medium weight polypro long-Johns and stayed quite warm in the tent. We also took medium weight fleece jackets for the evenings around the campfire and for the early morning fishing forays.
July 27, 2001
At about 7:00 a.m., Jonathan and I anxiously awoke from a restful night of sleep in a Park Service cabin near Roosevelt Lodge. The night had been quite cool (low 40s) and I had built a fire in the old cast iron wood stove to knock off the chill. We had slept comfortably in our "long-handle" polypropylene underwear. After getting dressed, we hurried over to the lodge so that we could be first in line for a hearty breakfast before starting the six-mile hike up the Slough Creek Trail.
After breakfast and my mandatory two cups of coffee, we drove over to the Tower Ranger Station to obtain our backcountry permits. Slough Creek is a popular destination with backpacking fishermen and the permits are hard to come by. Luckily, I had reserved our campsites about four months previous. We watched the twenty minute video concerning safety in the backcountry and hurriedly left with our permits. In my haste to get to the trailhead, I overlooked on the permit a notation that read, "Campsite 2S3 - Strong Bear Warning".
We arrived at the Slough Creek Trailhead at about 9:00 a.m., signed the trail register, locked the car, and started hiking. The first two miles are the roughest in my opinion as you have to climb around the side of a rather steep mountain before eventually going through the pass and dropping into the First Meadow. Mosquitoes can be quite bad in this area so we hiked in nylon long pants. Ben's 100 was liberally applied to the arms, neck, and face to make the hike more enjoyable. The trail is quite scenic here and I have never been when I didn't see at least a few mule deer grazing the area. Once you reach the Slough Creek Ranger Cabin (at the two mile mark), the trail levels somewhat and the pace of our hiked picked up. From time to time we encountered other dayhiker fishermen and some of the overnighters. Usually the next question after asking if you caught anything, concerns bear activity. We encountered two backpackers who were on there way out and they said a black bear cub had wandered near their campsite the previous evening. I asked which campsite they were at and they stated, "2S3". Guess where we were headed??? Not what Jonathan wanted to hear. Upon completing the 3-plus hour hike, we reached 2S3. It's situated in a stand of fir trees about a quarter of a mile from the creek. A small feeder stream flowed through the campsite giving us an easily accessible water supply.
A quick lunch of beef stew, some Gatoraide, and a Cliff bar gave us a much needed energy boost. We put up the tent, hung our backpacks (remember the bears!) and headed off to the stream in pursuit of the cutts.
A few days earlier I had stopped by Craig Matthew's flyshop (Blue Ribbon Flies) in West Yellowstone to pick up some terrestrial patterns specifically for the finicky trout on Slough Creek. While choosing several beetle and ant patterns, Craig came over and said in an apologetic tone, "I know these look ridiculous, but please take a few with you." He then handed me a Slough Creek Cricket. (Note: The pattern looks quite similar to a Chernobyl Ant and is tied with generous portions of black foam and white rubberband legs.)
I tied on a #14 black beetle and promptly landed a 16 inch trout.
Fishing slowed for awhile so I decide to try something different. On the hike in, I noticed several huge dark-colored crickets crawling around in the grass. They were rather clumsy and could not fly like the grasshoppers we were seeing. Hmmmmm.....A Slough Creek Cricket maybe? I tied on one of the gaudy looking crickets that Craig had encouraged me to purchase. First cast....Bam! Another nice cutt. Then another. They couldn't resist. I landed a dozen fish in the next hour with the largest being 18 inches.
Jonathan became a little impatient and wanted to give it a try. He could get his cast to turn over quite nicely but had trouble achieving a drag-free float. These Slough Creek cutts were not dumb.....drag your fly and they were spooked. It took Jonathan a while but he finally fooled one.
After a busy and tiring day, we returned to the campsite and had a hot meal (Mountain House freeze-dried Sweet and Sour Pork, AlpineAire cheesecake for desert). As the sun slipped behind the mountains, we heard a pack of wolves howling off to the north. The evening breeze had a slight chill. We slipped on our polypro, climbed into the tent and the warmth of the fleece bag liners. Jonathan was soon snoring. I guess six miles with a pack will do that to a nine year-old. Despite my concerns about bear activity in the area, I fell into a deep and restful sleep.
July 28, 2001 6:00 a.m.
I rolled over and noticed a slight "glow" on the walls of the tent and knew the sun was trying to work it's way over the Beartooth Mountains to the east of our campsite. I left Jonathan asleep and climbed out of the tent to make coffee. I found a strategically situated rock, sat down and watched one of the most beautiful sunrises one could possibly hope to see. My thoughts turned to the heavy traffic on the roads in the Park and the crowds of tourists at the lodges. Of the thousands of folks that come to Yellowstone, few ever witness backcountry scenery such as this. What a shame.
I soon heard Jonathan calling so I cooked up some breakfast and we again we hit the stream. The cutts were again cooperative and we caught trout throughout the day. By lunch time, several dayhikers had come near I camp and fished a little. By 5 p.m., they started their long hike out and we again had the Second Meadow to ourselves. We hiked up the trail a short ways and fished the beginning of Third Meadow near Elk Tongue Creek. The fish were smaller here but more plentiful and seemed to forgive a minor mistake by the angler. The trout continued to attack the Slough Creek Cricket and I even caught a few on a Black Ant pattern. A small mayfly hatch began about an hour before dark, but the trout seemed to be just as interested in my terrestrial offerings. We hiked back to camp as the sun reflected off the Absaroka Mountains. The chill in the air made for a nice walk back to 2S3. Once back at camp, we devoured some Mountain House Beef Stroganoff followed by some apple cobbler. The wolves once again serenaded us during dinner. Jonathan had gathered some firewood earlier in the day so we had a nice camp fire before hitting the sack.
July 29, 2001
After a good nights sleep and a quick breakfast we hit the stream one last time. We fished until about 10:00 a.m. before heading back to camp. We anxiously packed up and headed for the trailhead. We were planning to stop at Roosevelt for a quick lunch and then continue on to the Old Faithful Inn where we would be spending the next two nights.
We had a great trip into the Slough Creek backcountry and can't wait to get back next year. The Slough Creek cutts were extremely cooperative as always.
....Yellowstone Photo Album
Roosevelt Cabin
Firehole River near the Lower Geyser Basin
Elk grazing near the Little Firehole River
The East Entrance fire can be seen in the center of the photo.
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Jonathan poses with an elk
antler while backpacking the Lamar River Trail.
