Wyoming Invasive Species Stickers

The state of Wyoming is now requiring all boats to have a sticker on it indicating you have been educated on preventing aquatic invasive species from entering the State of Wyoming. It is very easy to get the stickers. Simply go to the Wyoming Game and Fish Website at http://gf.state.wy.us/fish/AIS/index.asp and buy your stickers. They will mail them out to you very quickly. The stickers are $5 for non-motorized boats and $10 for motorized boats. The money goes to staffing check stations around the state where rangers will inspect boats and clean any boats that need it.

Zebra mussels, Didymo, and New Zealand Mud Snails are just a few of the species found in the waters of Colorado and Utah that we are trying very hard to keep out of Wyoming. "Clean, Inspect, Dry" is the catch-phrase the game and fish department wants people to remember and apply to boats. Any time you are moving your boat from one watershed to another, please Clean your boat. Inspect it for mud, water, and algae. And allow your boat to Dry thoroughly.

Enjoy,

David Ellerstein

Jackson Hole Anglers

The beauty of "Easy Fishing"

So often in fishing, we focus on going after the ultimate prize, or test our skills against a wary adversary. Whether it be stalking 25" Brown Trout in a small spring creek, swinging flies for a steelhead, or wading the flats in search of a willing permit, there is a great joy in accomplishing a lofty goal.

Other times, however, it is great to just go out and catch a ton of fish. Today was one of those days. After a long winter, where fishing is next to impossible here in Wyoming, all you really want is to go out an catch fish. I wasn't looking to descend an impossibly steep canyon. I wasn't looking to change flies 8 million times to fool a wary trout. I wasn't looking for that "fish of a lifetime". I was looking to bring them in hand over fist.

After spending the morning in the office, I finally escaped at about 1:30pm. I headed down to a spot on the Snake I knew was loaded with trout waking up from a long winters slumber. I parked my truck in the pullout, put on my waders, and tied 2 flies onto my 9 foot 5X leader. The top fly was a size 16 Parachute Adams. This was meant to be an indicator as much as anything. About 8 inches below it I tied on a size 18 Griffiths Gnat. After a short walk through the willows with the obligatory "hey bear" I arrived at the river's edge.

At first look I didn't see any fish working the surface, despite an abundance of midges along the banks. I cast out onto the seam line between the fast and slow water. Nothing. Then I saw a small rise a bit upstream from me. I took a few steps up and saw Trout feeding aggressively just below the surface. I cast my flies into the feeding zone and wham. Fish On!

Soon it was fish after fish after fish. This was perfect, just what I needed after 5 months in ski boots. Over the course of 1 hour I landed roughly 20 fish. Only changing my dropper fly once because the original was mangled from fish. At the end of the hour I decided not to push my luck. The memory was perfect as it was and I headed home.

This day will not rate as a qualifier to make me a great fisherman, or a cagey fisherman, a smart fisherman, or even a lucky fisherman. This day made me one of the most important things of all: A happy fisherman.

Enjoy,

David Ellerstein
Jackson Hole Anglers