Yellowstone River Open to Fishing!

Yellowstone National Park Firehole River- Not recommended for fishing because the water is too warm and places a great amount of stress on the fish. Gibbon River- Caddis in the evenings and rusty spinners in the late mornings has been the best way to fish this beautiful small river. Large quantities of brown trout are holding in deep holes and behind rocks below Gibbon falls. Be sure to walk cautiously along the bank when fishing above Gibbon falls, for the browns are very spooky and like to hold near undercut banks. Madison River- The best time to fish the Madison in the park has been the evening by far. Brown elk hair caddis and PMD's in sizes 14 and 16 have been working well in the last hour or two of light. General nymphs also work great such as a flashback pheasant tail or a CDC pheasant tail. Yellowstone Lake- The best fishing continues to be from either boat or float tube. This is simply because the cutthroat tend to cruise just offshore near the lake's dropoff searching for small baitfish or leeches. this is why halloween and christmas tree woolly buggers have been producing. The Lake trout will be harder to find because with this warmer weather, most of the schools have moved into the depths of Yellowstone lake. Yellowstone River- Salmonflys are beginning their journey through the Yellowstone river, but it seems like most of the fish aren't keyed in on them just yet. Reports of great caddis and PMD hatches are occurring in the mornings, so it might be worth it to get on the water around 9:30am. Don't expect to catch large numbers of fish by any means, but if you do get into a couple, they should be big cutthroats. Lamar River- This river is still cloudy, but should clear up in a few days as long as we don't get any big rainstorms. Bushy stimulators and attractors should just do the trick to rise those wild trout. Slough River- Green drakes are just beginning to hatch on this river. PMD's work well for catching the wild cutthroat. Mornings will be better than mid day and evenings with the trout feeding on size 16 PMD's. Montana Gallatin River- Because of the Gallatin's natural cool running water, this stream has been the most consistent throughout the day. In many cases, the Gallatin fishes better mid day when temperature is at its highest. This is when the fishery becomes most active simply because the fish warm up along with the water. Caddis hatches have been great mid day and in the evenings. Nymphing is always a wise strategy for fishing this fast moving river behind rocks and in deep holes. Various patterns of caddis larva work well along with stonefly nymphs and copper johns. Hebgen Lake- Calibaetis hatches are getting better with each sunny day, but the hatches still aren't even close to what they will peak at in August. Cruising trout can be caught on various calibaetis patterns and nymphs. Woolly buggers also work well when fished within 10ft or in front of those cruising trout. Between the Lakes- Like everywhere else, caddis hatches have been happening in great numbers in the evenings. Nymphing usually produces fish during the times of day when nothing seems to be hatching. Salmonfly nymphs are great to fish above a smaller nymph like a prince or copper john. Below Quake Lake- Caddis hatches are great in the evenings, but the crowds aren't. Many fisherman are fishing the reynolds pass and three dollar bridge stretches every evening and catching nice rainbows and browns with caddis patterns. X-Caddis, iris caddis, and elk hair caddis are great ways to start your fishing venture. Idaho Henry's Lake- Most of the fish are seeking cooler water near the inlets of Henry's lake. Woolly buggers in brown and black work well in the early mornings, along with pheasant tails and hares ears in the late morning. Fish sometimes move further offshore after a storm has run through the area, so keep that in mind when trying to locate the trout. Spruce moths are just beginning to hatch throughout the region, so it might wise to pick up a few of Jacklin's spruce moth pattern. Also, it is the time of year when we start thinking about using terrestrail patterns up againist those grassy banks. -Dillon Given