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Matt Carara with a solid Yellowstone brown caught on a streamer... Photo: Jedwards

We were hoping the Salmonflies would be happening on the Yellowstone, but it looks like we are still about a week out from prime time.  The heaviest part of the hatch is now between Loch Leven and Mill Creek bridge, basically wherever you find patches of willows lining the bank.  We’ve had reports of a couple bugs spotted above Emigrant, but the majority are still just above Loch.  There has been hundreds of big size 10 chocolate caddis coming off in the Valley, the problem is that the river is still more brown than green.  A quick look at the CFS charts shows the river has been going up and down like a yo-yo, visibility has varied from 10-18 inches depending the swing.  CFS today in town was 11,500.  Hopefully by early July we’ll be looking better.  Historically the Yellowstone has always started to fish well around 8,000 CFS.  Last weekend, while scouting for bugs I saw about 20 rigs at Pine, about 10 at Mallard’s, and a few a Loch Leven.  The wind has been blowing hard lately with gusts up to 50 mph, (the Madison has also been extremely windy – which hasn’t helped with the fire in Bear Trap canyon)…