Ken Takata ties on a fly during a foggy morning on the Biscuit Basin stretch of the Firehole River.

While fishing the Madison River in Yellowstone Park early one morning, I happened across this adult dragonfly. The cool of the morning kept the fly immobile, allowing me plenty of time to capture this closeup.

As a general guideline, I think it's a good idea to spend more time fishing with our eyes than with our rods. This photograph—taken on the Madison River—illustrates one reason why. This trout is holding in perhaps six inches of water, and just a few inches offshore. He is "in position"; his posture and eyes clearly reveal a feeding attitude. It is common for brown trout in the Madison to be in such spots, but most go unobserved. Too many anglers cast without looking at the water first, or they commit the equally fatal error of wading into the river without giving it even a cursory examination. In either event, trout like this one—active, willing feeders—will be long gone. Remember, there is seldom such a thing as too much observation. It may seem paradoxical, but casting less often leads to catching more.

As we approach August, the cutthroat streams in Yellowstone Park are beginning to hit their stride. I think there are few thrills in angling to rival the classic, methodical rise of the cutthroat. This rather robust specimen fell to a Drake imitation a couple days ago.

This minimalist landscape photograph of the Lamar Valley was taken last week while fishing the Lamar River. Both the fishing and photography were good.