Joe Moore with Big Sky Anglers is one of those fly-fishing experts that you want to hang out with every day so you can learn, learn, learn. Joe and I floated down the Madison together and we will be taking a second excursion into the back woods of Yellowstone National Park (but don’t ask me where we are going. Everyone needs to have a secret spot.)
Joe grew up in Quincy, IL fishing the Mississippi. (I always did love to spell that word.) He married a park ranger and they live in idyllic West Yellowstone. In addition to guiding full time throughout the season, Joe also runs snow cats into Yellowstone during the winter sharing his knowledge of the Park.
Among other things, Joe told me about the collapse of one of the spillway gates at the Hebgen Dam producing a huge surge of water in 2008 and the earthquake in 1958 that formed Quake Lake. The Madison also had to endure Whirling Disease in the early 1990s, so it has not been without its challenges. As with people, there are always issues.
It was a great day on the river with some rain and sunshine and good fishing. I can’t wait to hang out with Joe again in another few weeks. Thanks, Joe.
