There are also a few duck blinds that make a good spot to sit out a rainstorm. The upper water is typical slow spring creek water with logs and boulders adding varied fishing situations and secure lies for the trout. The pond in the center is home to some large fish that may require all the patience an angler possesses just to get a take. Below the pond, the water is faster and flows over riffles. The trout in this lower water are a little more approachable as the faster water helps cover loud steps and blurs an angler's silhouette.
Careful drifts are still important, but there is a slightly greater margin for error.
Winter days when the ranch is covered in soft snow, you can find midges mixed in with the steam rising off the creek. Rainbows bent on procreation can be found in the creek in early spring, and the blue-winged olives provide the first mayfly activity of the new year. Summer brings the best hatches to Nelson's, and of course, the fly fishers are there to meet them. If you expect to fish the creek at this time, call for reservations six months to one year in advance or check in for cancellations. When the nights cool down and the leaves begin to turn, look for spawn-minded browns to move from the Yellowstone River up to the calm waters of the creek.