Fishing Forum

Today I got up at 3:30 AM to pick my neighbor up at 4:00. We headed up to Yellowstone and arrived at the Grebe Lake trailhead around 6:30. We didn't see much coming into Yellowstone it was still dark, but as we started out hike we came to full attention as there was a notice posted that warned us of bear in the area and said, "hike at your own risk." Being the windriver that I am I said "ok." and walked on.

Not 100 yards up the trail was the biggest pile of bear scatt that I have ever seen in my life and it was fresh!!! Now we were on full alert. As we went up the trail we noticed grizzly tracks coming down the trail towards us. So we figured it had already passed by. About 1/2 way up the trail a new set of tracks came onto the trail and stayed there for most of the rest of the hike. We know they were fresh because the bear was peeing all over the place. It seemed like he was signing his name in the dust.

We never saw the bear but it definately kept us awake.

The fishing was incredible. I caught and released around 80 greyling and rainbows. My neighbor caught around 60. Besides the fishing we were treated to an osprey show with the ospreys dive bombing the greyling over and over again. They did not pinch their barbs.[frown] lol.

I am not happy with my small "fishing" camera. I can not get it to focus properly. I wanted so bad to capture the flame blue tips of the greyling's big fin and the deep red stripe of the rainbows. None of my pictures came out very well but this is what I have.

Overall it was an awesome trip with a great neighbor.

Windriver

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Sweet report. I havent fished in Yellowstone since I was a kid. Looks like a great time. I need to get up there before winter starts again.
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Awesome, I felt like I was right there with you,I could almost smell the bear scat,I too fish with my neighbor.Like a wise man once said,you should love your neighbor as much as you love yourelf,Love thy neighbor,..Paul pro tip,each of you should always keep a fish handy ,just saying, incase a bear gets to close ,you can always give him a fish ,hopefully that will distract him enough for you to flee,can't always count on bear repellents ,a sure way to get through to a bear is through its stomach..Paulpro knows fishing like Bo knows baseball.."carefull out there".
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Thanks. That was a wise man who said, "love your neighbor." []

I don't know about your fish idea. I was worried about my breath from breakfast let alone carrying around a fish.[crazy]

Windriver
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Awesome trip! Grayling are on my wish list, but I don't like sharing an area with grizzlies. I can't focus on enjoying the scenery and fishing when the signs are that fresh. The pictures are great.
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I don't wish to offend you, but for the safety of all those others who read these posts I have to say that feeding bears at anytime is a very bad idea. It is important to keep you camp and yourself clean and the smells to a minimum. You don't want to attract their attention with food smells. Most bears will leave you alone unless they have been habituated to associate people with food that they have received or are startled. Giving a bear fish only makes him want more from you or the next person down the trail.

Trust the bear spray! So far when used correctly it has a very good record of survived encounters.

I carry it and thankfully haven't had to use it yet. I am not sure if I or the animal will come out the worst from its effects. lol

In this last month I have had it out and ready to use three times. None for bears, but twice for moose, and once for a bull (cattle) that was not happy with my presence.
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If grayling are on your wish list then Grebe is the place. You can catch some from the shore in certain locations, but it is easier in a float tube.

Windriver
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Nice report! The kind of fishing I live for. Grayling may not be the best fighting fish but they sure are pretty and are fun to catch.....especially the part of getting to where they are! Having been face to face with Alaskan brown bears/Grizzlies at 50 yards or less on more than one occasion, and in their close proximity without seeing them multiple times, I can honestly say I would rather know exactly where they are and see them than to just know they are in close proximity and not know where they are. It makes me very nervous to know a bear is in the area and not know exactly where it is! Although I always carry bear spray on my waist when in bear country, I have never had to use it andI dont know if I really trust it! Hope I never have to find out. Have to admit, when fishing in grizzly country in an area that it is legal to do so, a fishing partner with a 300 mag is more comforting than bear spray. So many places, however, one must depend on bear spray and noise alone. Good fishing, however, is always worth it!
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