LATE & EARLY SEASON FISHING AT DEPUY'S SPRING CREEK
| Sysadmin Note |
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| Part 4 can be found here |
PART 5: WHAT TO EXPECT DURING WINTER MONTHS (DEC., JAN., & FEB.)
Quiet Time: After spawning, fall-run brown trout head back to Yellowstone River (REMINDER: that doesn't mean all brown trout are gone from the creek!!). Aquatic weed beds die down in the early part of December. After that the creek marks the lowest water level till weeds grow back in next summer. Water comes out around 56F from Armstrong's spring within the O'Hair Ranch. Toward the lower end of DePuy's, it could be as low as 44F on cold days but it never freezes up. In December, some very late spawning browns can be observed. Rainbows that have come into the creek in the fall remain there. Along with resident cousins, some of them start mating even in December. Although our outings could be limited by several feet of snow or snow-drift (wind chill!!), fishing is still fun. It's a good idea to get out with family/friends on holidays too (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year). I always catch the very last and the very first fish of the year at DePuy's.
Midge: If one still wants to have dry-fly action, it can be with midges. Calm days are needed. We do have windless days in Paradise Valley every now and then. At least we can expect less windy days. Midges can hatch during the warmest period of the day (noon to 3pm). As long as we don't have too many waves on the surface, trout will rise.
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Goose Biot Midge |
Foam Wing Emerger |
Yamamoto's MMM (Matt's Moose Mosquito) |
This is the staple midge dry. Easy to tie and see. Trout take this without any doubt. |
This little & simple pattern is super effective. Another pattern that trout take without any doubt. It should be fished behind more visible patterns. Those patterns will let you know the take on this one. |
A cross-dresser pattern for both adult and emerging midges. If trout are keying on only adults, one can trim tail/shuck at the creek. Tied large, it can be a chronomid pattern as well. |
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Midge fishing under inclement weather can be one of most popular winter attractions (as long as winds stay calm). |
And its stomach content: piles of midges……….. |
Aquatic Foods: Hits on egg fly decreases as browns wrap up their mating. Imitations for scud, sowbug, midge larva, aquatic worm, and so forth will be main arsenals. Set up a nymph-rig with an indicator and split shot(s) and combine two of these. Adjust the position of indicator and amount of split shots based on the location where you are fishing. Sculpin/leech imitating streamers can work too. But those also have to be fished with bottom-bouncing or very slow retrieves.
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Yamamoto's Royal Ray Charles |
Yamamoto's L.L. Beads – Black |
Yamamoto's Giant Sowbug |
Orange "hot-spot" is tied in Royal Wulff method. Hence the name. This is a killer scud at DePuy's and any other waters that contain scud!! |
This simple (almost idiotic) pattern has been catching trout at DePuy's! Size 16 represents tiny leeches and cased caddis larva. |
Tying method is nothing different from classic Ray Charles, yet silhouette and size are more realistic to represent large sowbugs. When mating is coming to end, trout look for egg substitutes. Giant sowbugs are top of the list! |
Other Destinations: Bridger Ski Bowl, Big Sky Ski resorts, Chico Hot Springs, snowmobiling in Yellowstone Park……….all of those can be fun for sure but do keep in mind that the Yellowstone River in Montana is open year around. There are several accesses where one can enjoy fishing in the middle of winter, even dry-fly fishing for midges!! One easiest spot to find is actually where DePuy's spills into river. We locals call it "Livingston Ditch". As warm spring-creek water coming out, that braid can be very enjoyable to fish during midge hatches during winter month. Another "just-off-town" spot is below "Twin Bridges" at northeast end of Livingston. That's where processed city water comes out with extremely warm temperature (not boiling though!). Along with nutrients and ingredients of processed water, midges/chronomid hatch there and trout will take advantages of them.
Early season 'Bow on midge dry!
As you visit Yellowstone Park from North Entrance for wildlife watching or snowmobiling, don't forget to bring your fishing gears and stop by where Gardner River merges into Yellowstone River in the town of Gardiner. Due to "Boiling River", Gardner also spills warmer water into Yellowstone River. Midges hatch and trout rise to take them at likely spots. Another good bet is below Gardiner municipal airport (2 miles north from town). This stretch is more like freestone type with more slicks and pockets, compared to around Livingston. Besides, weather/wind pattern in Gardiner is oftentimes different from Livingston. Winds tend to be less brutal. So if you can't find many opportunities for dry-fly fishing around Livingston, hit south!!
Satoshi Yamamoto - Livingston, MT
Blog @ http://leftyangler.blogspot.com
Japanese Blog @ http://leftyanglerjpned.blogspot.com
Fly Sales Online Catalogue @ http://leftytyer.blogspot.com
| Sysadmin Note |
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| Part 6 can be found here |