Class is at the Gallatin Fly Shop in Big Sky about an hour away. I leave before 7, the mist is rising over Quake Lake and Beaver Creek. Of course, I must stop to photograph! The drive through the western part of Yellowstone is incredibly beautiful, then very foggy. I see that the Gallatin River is brown and not fishable. I later learn the daily rains have blown out the river all week.
There are only 3 in our class; the other 2 are a mother daughter from Bozeman, the daughter had outfitted her mother and signed them up to do the class together, very sweet. Kim, our instructor is a native of Montana and has been fly fishing for 9 years. The morning session is in the classroom and she assumes nothing, covering everything from how to put your rod together, to insects. We assemble our gear, tie knots and attach flies, then we suit up and are off. First stop is the river where we learn to fish. Surprisingly, there is no casting instruction and Kim is surprised to hear about our casting only classes in the bay area. We nymph but the water is too muddy to catch anything. We spend some time in the pond out back, casting pellet-like flies while she throws pellets in to attract the fish, with the intent that a fish will take the fly by mistake. The purpose is to feel what a bite feels like, and learn how to react.
Driving back I encounter horses crossing the highway and the usual Yellowstone wildlife gawkers stopped mid highway; a lone moose in the pond.
We go back out on the Madison close to sunset and I catch a 15 inch rainbow on a dry fly! What a thrill and what fun it was to see the fish jump up for it. Great day!
