Yellowstone Park 8-2-14

Terrestrial patterns are about the most important dry flies to have in the box these days for success on Park streams. This includes hoppers (of course), ants, craneflies, and beetles.  So many flyfishers forget patterns for a terrestrial not in the above list of suggestions.  That would be  patterns to simulate deer flies and horseflies. If you enjoy fishing meadow streams such as Slough, Boundary, Duck, and Soda Butte Creeks or Bechler, Fall, Madison, or Gibbon Rivers, you know how annoying these pests can be. They seem most numerous on the brightly sunlit areas of these and other like waters, and their bite hurts like “——!” I have been accused of “chumming” when I swat one, then flick the crushed result into the water to wait for a downstream take. When I hear that rise take place, I put an imitation on and go for it.  A big, juicy looking humpy is my favorite for this purpose, but choose your favorite, and with a downstream drift, you are sure to have action.