On the 2nd Day of 2011

I missed fishing yesterday, the first day of the new year. This was the first time in a few years I'd missed New Years Day fishing on the Madison. The temps ranged from a measley minus 12 to a balmy 5 above with a 30 mph constant breeze and blowing-drifting snow. Our snow crew showed up to blow us out in time to make it to $3 Bridge Ranch at 1pm for dinner. Most invited guests made it but a few were snowed in and unable to be with us. I'm sure most of you, when attending a dinner like this one, do not have to fret over leaving the fun times after only an hour or  two at most due to the possibilty of being snowed out of your driveway when you return home....We busted 2-3 feet drifts and made it home by 3pm. Driving over the bridge I looked a few minutes at the river and could see several fish moving in and out of view between ice flows.....I long for a warm-up!

The weather folks tell us it may reach into the high 20's this week with little chance of new snow and light winds so we will get in some river time soon. In the meantime we are tying lots of flies and working on some new fly ideas.

This morning we are checking out 5 good bull elk on a wind swept ridge of the Madison Range of mountains on the east side of the river. I like to think these are the same 5 animals we have watched for the last several years on the same ridge. In the past one bull had a distinct limp owing to an injured left front shoulder, and  he seemed much larger than the others. Plus, over the last several winters the 5 bulls showed up later in January. But, this year the snows are deeper and temps have been colder so they may have showed earlier this winter. Today I cannot detect any appreciable size difference in these bulls, nor a limp. These guys are on a ridge about 2 miles from where we've been watching 9 wolves zeroing in on a wounded 6 point for the past month. We have not seen this animal for a few days now and the wolves have not been around either.

There is never a dull moment here in the valley. All we have to do is look out a window with our spotting scopes and whether it be a mountain goat, pronghorn, wolf, deer or elk there is always something to watch even if the outside temps can't break zero and there's no fishing to be done. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! And stay tuned here for more reports.