The next day was a full day drift on the Yellowstone starting above Columbus and drifting about 12 miles. Marek’s raft was set up with seats and a bar for the client to lean on while fishing.

The Yellowstone section we floated was like the lower Oreti, or the big breakaway corner, only four times as wide, shallow and fast, sometimes slow but always very fishy with countless gravel drop-offs.

In some places there was rock structure and cliffs, huge pressure waves and a 200 metre long chute over a rock bar. As we were departing, so too were another eight boats.

We fished hoppers with droppers (nymphs). The water was warm and nothing was rising for long stretches. Then the action got going about 4pm. The ban had now been lifted after a couple of cool nights. I nailed three fish about one pound each, and then Marek hooked a great 20 inch rainbow that tailwalked all over the river.

The Yellowstone is massive and the fishing awesome. By 6pm we had covered about eight miles for two great fish and several smaller ones.

My diary reads:

Today, Wednesday and we will fish the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone.

Imagine a large horseshoe of mountain ranges, in the centre is Yellowstone Park with Yellowstone Lake.

Flowing north out of this basin is the Yellowstone River that captures all the drainage in the top half of the arching horseshoe of mountain ranges.

Flowing off the northern top of the horseshoe are five rivers that also join the Yellowstone as it heads right (to the east) and into the heartland of America. These are the Clark’s Fork, Rock Creek, Rosebud, Stillwater, Boulder and finally the Yellowstone itself.

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