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Guide's day off - Johnny Noreika with a pig brown down low. Photo: Lawrence Stuemke

The last few days have been fishing well on the Yellowstone.  The bigger browns have been looking up for larger hopper patterns and midnight stones.  You’ll definitely catch more fish on smaller hoppers, but if you are looking for Mr. Big, larger patterns are the way to go.  Many guides are even fishing two hoppers now – with a smaller dropper hopper off the back, while keeping the larger hopper off the bank, over deeper holding water.  If you’re up for fishing a nymph dropper, rubberlegs are the ticket as beadheads will likely get gobbled up by those ferocious pucker-lipped natives.  Mornings have been on the slower side, so a later start won’t hurt.