The Real Wyoming

Happy Memorial Day to everyone out there. I'm sure there were plenty of barbeque's, beers and probably some fishing done out there this weekend. To quote my good friend Jeremy Larsen Kiuhara on Facebook today: "You are not forgotten". That about sums up Memorial Day for me. The fishing season in Yellowstone National Park opened on Saturday, and as usual, the main event was on the Firehole River. Typically, this river is at its best this time of year. With warmer water temperatures, and a gentle runoff there, the fishing and hatches can often be fantastic in late May. I got two different reports from some guides who went up to fish, and it sounds like the angling was great. The weather North of here was snowy and cold; I'm sure the BWO's were out. The guys I talked to also said it was very crowded; that's OK...there's a lot of water up there to spread out on. If you are thinking about the Firehole, the next few weeks should be prime. I headed South yesterday by myself to walk the Green River. It was a real treat. Living in Jackson Hole, one can sometimes forget that they live in "Wyoming". Most of the state of Wyoming is not like Jackson. Jackson Hole is visually a fairly narrow valley; it does not have the wide-open feel that the rest of the state has. As far as the culture, it's clearly a more manicured and affluent area, with plenty of "bling". Many non-Teton county residents of the Cowboy State do not even consider Jackson part of Wyoming. Heading South to the Green is always a drive I look forward to. Climbing out of Bondurant to the top of the Rim, the "real" Wyoming appears. Wide open, sage-brush flats with mountains in the distance, in every direction. Antelope dot the landscape, along with cattle and their ranchers. It feels like another world, in a different time. As for the fishing...it was solid. The river is still low, hovering around 400 cfs, which is a great wading level. I picked up a few fish on dry caddisflies early, and then found great action on streamers. The river is still a little low to float, in my opinion. Hopefully, the runoff will kick in soon down there. Once it does start, I don't think it will last long. On a related note, now that winter is over, our second "season" in Wyoming has arrived: road construction. They have just started a project north of Bondurant on highway 191 that stretches for about 6 miles. It should slow things down all summer on the way to and from all the Pinedale fishing. Beware! Here's a classic shot of the upper Green River and the wide-open country around it. More soon!