Bad Caddis on the Stone.

April 24, 25 and 26: "Lord Henry, Rod and Soppe" Vietnam Vets.
Day One: Yellowstone Float. Flows were 2670 C.F.S on day one float from Mayor's to Sheep. Hwy 89 ramp still not completed by the FW& P guys.
Flies: Caddis were out a bit as well as Baetis and March Browns very sporadic. Air Temps in the 60's with bright sunshine. Royal Wulff # 12, Royal Trude # 12, BH Mangy Caddis # 14, BH Softy Caddis Brown # 14, Black Lite Brite Caddis # 14, BH FB PT # 16.
Day Two: Yellowstone Flows were 3140 C.F.S. on float from Mallard's to Carters. Clarity was well over three feet with a brownish tint to the water on both days.
Flies: Olive CH Bugger # 6, Lite Brite Caddis # 14, BH PT # 16, Royal Wulff # 12. Caddis never really showed up until the sun went behind the clouds. This was the best night of the hatch this year and the fish came up in the evening after we left.
Day Three: Upper Madison Float with flows at 848 C.F.S. 8 Mile to town float.
Flies: Orange San Juan #12, Two Tone Tommy Orange Bead head, BH PT Standard # 18, Idly BH Baetis # 18. Saw a few baetis and a couple of caddis near the Ennis boat Ramp.

Overall the trip was fair and the fishing was slow probably because of the skills of our anglers. They did want to keep a couple of the fish on the trip and we had two rainbows and a brown that were hooked deep and bleeding that I kept for them to eat. Sometimes you can learn something special by checking the contents of a trouts digestive system and keeping these fish may have me trying something new next year during this same time. The only question will be how to fish the fly and how to tie the bug to imitate the interesting contents in the stomachs of the three fish I had to vacuum seal. Should it be stripped with a little bit of movement or are they eating them deadrifted in the current. I hope that remember to check this post next year during and prior to the caddis hatch so that I might be able to unlock an unbelievable seceret that no one would ever figure out without checking the contents of a few trouts diet during an obvious amazing hatch. The fish all had 15 to 30 of this small aquatic species in their system and very little else, especially not caddis. All three fish were taken from different areas of the river and each of them had been eating this bug on a very regular basis. The bug must be hatching it's young during this time period because as far as I could conclude from some Internet research the insect in question is visibly larger than the ones in the contents of the fishes diets. I am still a little belittled by the "Beetle and Bailey" situation that this has created for me and I hope that I can come to a conclusion next year.