Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

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snorider
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Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#1

Post by snorider »

Hey Guys, Well this weekend I got permanently cured of fishing by myself in Yellowstone NP! :eek :\ at least till my kids leave home. I have hiked alone in YNP many times but this was the last trip alone.

On Saturday I hiked into the Bechler meadows early in the morning and as I was approaching Boundry creek I came upon a big pile of bear poo in the trail, it was 6:30am and the steam was still rising off the pile. As I approached the ford, making a lot of noise! I got false charged by a HUGE Griz in the willows, just about soiled my drawers. Oh and Bears Stink, literally! I had about 15ft to react if that bear had left the willows and was standing there with a pistol in one hand, and bear spray in the other. The bear stopped just at the edge of the willows and then turned around and stormed off thru the brush. I waited for a few minutes but just could not make myself go fishing, I walked to the river and watched for rising fish, but me heart was not in it, all I could think of was my kids, so I left. I walked out looking over my shoulder every few seconds.

After driving back to West I decided to fish the Firehole above the Kepler cascades. Heck there is a road/trail 15 ft from the creek. Fished about 25 yards up stream and as I passed a willow patch I realized I was less than 50ft away from a cow moose nursing it's calf. I froze, she stomped and snorted and gave me an evil look! I slunk back into the willows and stealthfully tiptoed back to the road.

After that I thought Madison! hey it is right along the highway. Pulled over and started gearing up and as I started hiking I noticed a group of cars just around the corner to my right. AND Right where I was about to walk down to the river, a sow and cubs were lazing in the grass along the bank. HOLY SMOKES! the trifecta of dangerous critters! After that I drove to a very open picnic area low down on the Madison and fished to a pod of rising rainbows, caught 1x 16" bow on a #20 pmd and packed it up. I was feeling kind of ill from all the stress and to add to the fun I almost got head on'd by an idiot in the canyon driving home, I was physically sick by the time I made it to my house.

Was planning on fishing again this weekend but I am not going alone, NO WAY! Anyone want to go fish the park with me over the long weekend? :rollin Seriously tho PM me...
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it. T.R.

jimwright
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#2

Post by jimwright »

While working on the Alaska Pipeline I was in close proximity to a number of Grizzlies and still have a very healthy respect for them but frankly I would be more leery of the cow Moose you mention.

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CDCdun
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#3

Post by CDCdun »

Holy smokes Snorider! Quite an experience. Sounds terrifying to be false charged by a Griz! I haven’t been back in the Bechler Meadows. Did you see any fish rising?

Jake

snorider
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#4

Post by snorider »

No, I did not even see a single rise. I was planning to ford boundary creek and fish above, but instead I just walked to the river below the creek mouth, failed to relax at all, saw no fish and left. The reason I hiked in so early was that I broke a shock absorber on my truck on the HORRIBLE road into the ranger station and needed to get to town by 1pm to hit the NAPA store. As it was I made it back to my truck by 9:15am :lol which is normally the time I am hitting the trail. It took two hours to drive out with only one shock, could have done it faster but the sound of the broken shock hitting the mount was awesomely bad. I do really want to fish the Bechler this year, but I sure as heck ain't going alone...
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it. T.R.

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Flykuni3
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#5

Post by Flykuni3 »

Need a fishing partner, eh? Like what...a slower one than you?

But seriously, I've fished the NE corner of park around Slough (lower river) and others and always felt weird about it, esp when seeing ripped open logs and big bison bones laying around. Whoa.

billems
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#6

Post by billems »

Jaysus, I almost crapped just reading that! I've fished those rivers and never had the displeasure. I had a bugling elk warn me away once. Other than that, nada. Is there something about this time of year that brings in the bears? And I always considered the Firehole like fishing in a crowded city. Damn.

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CDCdun
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#7

Post by CDCdun »

Broken shock, charged by a bear, grunted at by a momma moose, more bears...you made the right decision to cut your losses. Regarding the NE corner, I’ve fished up there alone too much, but have been lucky so far. I have only encountered black bears and never anything too close. My brother and dad were standing together and saw an antelope being chased by another antelope. At first they thought it was cool until the antelope turned and ran right at them at full speed. They were too scared to move. At the last possible second the lead antelope turned to avoid them and the chasing antelope followed suit. They were white as ghosts when I caught up to them.

Jake

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jhuskey
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#8

Post by jhuskey »

"I wonder if they're gonna have that on the tour?" Jurassic Park, 1993 :hat

Be Safe and Well snorider! :eek

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specialk
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#9

Post by specialk »

I see this going one of two ways for you. No one will want to fish with the "animal magnet", or they figure you got all your encounters out of the way and the odds should be in your favor for a while now. Either way I hope you get to hit the rivers again "worry free" sometime soon.

WNCtroutstalker
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#10

Post by WNCtroutstalker »

I've always envied you guys who live out there, being within reasonable driving distance of so many fabled waters that so many of us can only read dream/read about and maybe make an occasional trip to fish. But after reading the above the small, rhodo-choked streams that I tend to frequent in NC don't sound so bad. A good idea to watch where you step (copperheads) and if you do a deep hike-in outing bear encounters are a possibility (black bears), but for the most part quite boring. And when it comes to close-up wildlife encounters boring isn't such a bad thing. Stay safe!

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Hellmtflies
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#11

Post by Hellmtflies »

I dunno. Sounds like a pretty awesome day to me. Isn't that the stuff we live here for? :)

snorider
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#12

Post by snorider »

Flykuni3 wrote:
06/29/20 15:33
Need a fishing partner, eh? Like what...a slower one than you? Whoa.
Now it is not like I will be doing interviews with a 100yard dash time as a qualifier, but old guys with limited mobility are welcome to apply. Just saying... ;)

Mark, that is the point! I would like to go on LIVING here. The bear charging me before 7am was a bit much for my constitution, if I would have had a second set of eyes I would have probably just gone fishing.
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it. T.R.

Bee
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#13

Post by Bee »

Sobering events to make you appreciate seeing those kids.

There no mosquitos in the Bechler right? Seriously, IMO the ones in here are bigger than hummingbirds and more aggressive than yellow jackets.

snorider
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#14

Post by snorider »

I did not even notice them after the bear, but before that they were horrible!
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it. T.R.

WiFlyFisher
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#15

Post by WiFlyFisher »

Michael, if I were out there I would go with you. I figure the force must be with you between the lightning strikes and animal encounters you have survived without a scratch. Plus, I enjoy hiking back in versus fishing by the crowded roads.

BTW, I have had three close encounters with moose. They are big, ugly creatures (compared to a horse) and can be unpredictable. A couple of years ago talking with a Gallatin National Forest Ranger he said they have more moose incidents each year than any other animal.

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Flykuni3
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#16

Post by Flykuni3 »

snorider wrote:
06/29/20 17:14
Flykuni3 wrote:
06/29/20 15:33
Need a fishing partner, eh? Like what...a slower one than you? Whoa.
Now it is not like I will be doing interviews with a 100yard dash time as a qualifier, but old guys with limited mobility are welcome to apply. Just saying... ;)

Mark, that is the point! I would like to go on LIVING here. The bear charging me before 7am was a bit much for my constitution, if I would have had a second set of eyes I would have probably just gone fishing.
Old saying goes, all you need is a .22, cap your buddy in the knee and run like hell.

PT48
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#17

Post by PT48 »

You need to get the tourist hordes back into YNP!!

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Loogie
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#18

Post by Loogie »

Snorider, I think you are safe now, you got all the bad mojo out of the way! It will be years before all that happens to you again. I would say, press on my friend! Its a day you will remember a long time!

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flyfishingpastor
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#19

Post by flyfishingpastor »

Snorider;

I've been spared the bear charge, to this point. I'm not at all disappointed. Cathy and I went fishing in Idaho - only when we got there, Cathy and Max the Wonder Dog decided to stay in the car and read and drink the rest of the coffee. :) So, I went fishing. I wasn't 50 yards from the car, parked in a camping area when a mom moose and this years' calf blasted out of the weeds not 20 yards from me. Scared the heck out of me, I'll tell you that! But, when she saw me she came right for me - for about 2 steps. I was backing away but she was having none of it. She was probably 10' from me, snorting and shaking her head when a kid on a motorcycle came blasting right by her and the calf bleated - and she whirled around and took off up the creek.

When I got back, I asked Cathy if she got that on film (I didn't have a camera with me and wouldn't have bothered with it if I had). She said, "Did you catch a fish?" I said, "No, but a momma moose about caught me!" She said she didn't see the moose, but she did see the calf running back and forth and "...noticed that I was walking much faster back to the car than I had left it."

Anyway, you had the far worse day! I know you were looking forward to fishing Bechler. I'm glad I didn't go with you. I clearly identify as an "old guy with limited mobility" but I don't wanna be bear bait! That's illegal in YNP. :)

Glad you survived the day and thank you for sharing your day with us. I almost said, "I wish it had been better" but you made it safe and sound. Something to tell the kiddos when you talk with them next.

Pat

NewUtahCaneAngler
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Re: Fishing Alone in Yellowstone.

#20

Post by NewUtahCaneAngler »

What type of watch do you wear? This will be important for properly identifying your remains in the bear poop should we be unlucky enough to fish the same section. :rollin

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