Yellowstone River

Yes, that is a bison on Fishing Bridge.

On the first day in Yellowstone we decided to check out Hayden Valley and the Yellowstone River. I knew it was lat for fishing the river and returns from the lake have been low, but that wasn't enough to keep me away. As evening came to the valley I spotted a few large cutts rising. After many unsuccessful casts with assorted dry flies, I realized I was just seeing large tails, but the fish weren't breaking the surface. I put on a wet fly and shortly after that I felt a strong pull. After some thrashing around just a few feet from me this large decided to make a break for it in the fast water. I know most people consider cutthroat to be weak fighters, but I think they use the current to their advantage much better than other trout. After a long bolt downstream I was able to start making some ground. I had deep water to my left and fast water to my right. I decided I was stuck there for better or worse. Pulling a big fish upstream is not exactly what I choose to do, but sometimes there aren't other good options. I was able to get him up to the point where I could see the leader and then the line went limp. The fly had pulled out. I fished for a while longer with no more takes and decided to pack up.