Description: DePuy's = 3 miles, Armstrong's = 1.5 miles, and Nelson's = 0.5 mile. When I fish myself or guide clients, I can cover from top to bottom at Armstrong's and Nelson's. I would even go back and forth several times a day. Before I became a guide I had tried to do the same at DePuy's on several occasions but found it impossible. I couldn't cover 3-mile in a day nor afford the money and time to keep visiting, paying a rod fee for a day and just spending time walking around. That doesn't sound attractive for anyone, not to mention, experimenting tactics, flies, spots, and cannot be accomplished in a day. Furthermore, the three mile length is filled with tremendous diversity. Different currents, structures, and trout habitats require the same amount of diversity in angler's head as well.

Wading out into the stream the welcome comfort of the waters pressure against my legs brought me out of the world of work and distraction. I was back again, in that place where the negatives are washed away, and where all else is erased and the pursuit of taking trout on a fly is all-encompassing. Assuming a position along the nearest seam, I would be able to cast and fish the entire pool without moving. The sound of the water against my waders joined in with the symphony of sounds that although were many, still seemed like the subtlest of background noises.

In this article I will be dealing with the Yellowstone River from the boundary of Yellowstone National Park to Billings Montana with a few notes and observations that extend to the river as it flows towards its confluence with the Missouri River near Williston, North Dakota.

Of all of the Montana Rivers that I fish the Yellowstone is by far the most challenging complex body of moving water within the state. Oh I am sure that the prior statement raised the hackles of a few of the readers who will soon be posting notes about how their river is tougher and more challenging, however before you grab the key board and start pounding out your incensed note I urge you carefully read the remainder of this article.

I had a chance to go to one of my favorite ponds, and it had been awhile since I had been there because there was some vandalism done on the property. The owner dropped a key off and said told me to lock everything behind me. He is going to be watering his cattle out of this pond, and he was afraid that many of the fish would die. I got out to the pond and found it down three feet. That is what happens when it doesn't rain. Hot weather with a wind does not help either. Places where I had caught fish were dry land.

I got the idea for this from the March/April, 1993 issue of The American Angler. Charles Byers of Fairview Heights, Illinois had an article on making these fly dryers in the Tying Tips section of the magazine. I use Mr. Byers' method with a couple changes. I use nylon screen, old fly line in place of monofilament and smaller windows. Here's how I make a fly dryer:

Usually I would fish this trailing behind a larger dry fly, usually something like a size 14 parachute fly. This helps me to locate the fly on the water. My eye sight may be failing but with this help I can usually find it.

In my opinion this is an excellent book, it was written with a view of matching the hatch while fishing nymphs and it was written by Professors who are fly fishers.

Even though the content is based on eastern insects there is much that any angler can learn from this volume. The information is tight, compact and understandable and the photograph is pretty good. As its title says Common Nymphs the authors have covered all of the common aquatic organisms with the angler will generally be imitating on the rivers of Eastern North America.

The Dictionary provides the following definition for minimalism; something achieved by using a few very simple elements to maximum effect. It seems to me that the recent rise of Tenkara fishing is a response to the increasing complexity of Western fly fishing techniques. I'm not quite ready to sell my conventional fly fishing equipment and fully embrace the Tenkara fly fishing method; but I can understand the desire to simplify.