Rainy Days

Yellowstone National Park Firehole River- The water is currently too warm and we are not recommending anyone to fish this river. Gibbon River- The best fishing has been in the faster current just above and below Gibbon falls. Royal wulffs and royal trudes have been attracting those aggresive browns. Be sure to work your fly along the banks and over deep holes. The meadow stretch can be very productive in the evenings when there is a caddis or rusty spinner hatch occurring. Madison River- With the recent cooler weather, I would expect the Madison to fish well. Caddis, rusty spinners, and PMDs are sporatically hatching throughout the morning and evening. If the wind is down, hoppers, ants, and beetles have also be producing fish mid day. Yellowstone Lake- The best fishing continues to be near the shoreline's dropoff. Woolly buggers in black, olive, and brown are catching cruising cuts. Trolling a large spoon or a rapala has been attracting few deep lake trout. Yellowstone River- PMD's in the morning have been working well. Hoppers, ants, and october caddis are also great methods for fishing the big cuts. Caddis may start to emerge in the evenings so an x-caddis or iris caddis is a good pattern to keep in your vest. Lamar Valley- Hoppers have been the best pattern for fishing Lamar river and Slough creek. Soda Butte is still temporarily closed due to bear activity, but if you are willing to do a little walking, you can hike away from the closed area. It is wise to drop off a copper john or pheasant tail behind your hopper to maximize your chances of catching the wild trout. Montana Gallatin River- Caddis and bushy stimulator patterns have been working well on this famous river. Nymphing a copper john or prince nymph in a deep hole or behind a rock is always encouraged. The water below taylor's fork may be slightly cloudy due to the recent storms we have been having. Hebgen Lake- The calibaetis hatch continues to be spotty for those wishing to fish drys. When the calibaetis aren't coming off, stripping woolly buggers continue to catch trout when nothing else will. Between Hebgen and Quake- Rusty spinners and bushy stimulators work well in the evenings. Sparkle stones or red copper johns are great nymphs to drop below your dry. The best days of fishing are on calm evenings when the sun is out. Below Quake- Rusty spinners have been hatching in the late evenings along with few caddis. Hoppers and ants work well mid day with a pheasant tail dropped below it. If the wind is down, you may be in for an incredible night of dry fly fishing. Idaho Henry's Lake- The fishing continues to be hit and miss. The trout are still congregated near the inlets of the lake, but few fisherman are having great days. Brown woolly buggers in the early morning have been producing fish. Henry's lake renegade is another great pattern when the sun begins to rise, and the trout begin looking for smaller nymphs. -Dillon Given

Yellowstone National Park Firehole River- This river is too warm, and is not recommended for fishing. Gibbon River- Small attractor patterns has been the best way to fish this cooler running stream. Small aggressive browns will come up from deep holes and shadows to eat your royal wulff, grizzly wulff, or royal trude. Take notice which side of the bank has a bigger shadow, for the browns tend to hold in them. Madison- The best fishing continues to be during the last hour of light. Reoccurring reports of big fish steadily feeding on an adams irresistable or Jacklin's rusty spinner are coming through the shop. Nymphing a caddis puppae or a san juan worm below your dry are producing numerous trout. Yellowstone Lake- As of lately, we are not hearing many reports of people fishing the lake. I would expect woolly buggers to still be working along the shore's dropoff. Trolling large spoons and rapalas at slow speeds will attract those hungry cuts. Yellowstone River- The best time of day is in the morning when the wind is down. PMDs and caddis have been the flies on the surface. Another option for catching those big cuts is swinging either a black woolly bugger or an october caddis. Most fisherman aren't fishing the river to catch a lot of fish, but to catch a couple big ones. Lamar Valley- Hopper with a dropper is a great way to start your fishing venture when fishing the Lamar river or Slough creek. There might be some PMDs in the morning and caddis in the evenings. Be aware that part of Soda Butte is closed due to bear activity. Montana Gallatin River- Jacklin's spruce moth pattern is a must for dry fly fishing the Gallatin river. Caddis can also be seen buzzing around on calm warm evenings. Regarding sub-surface flies, copper johns, sparkle stones, and caddis emergers are great nymphs to drop below a dry fly. Hebgen Lake- The calibaetis hatch continues to be spotty from day to day. If the wind stays down and a great hatch comes off, you just might be in store for hours of incredible fishing. Tricos are also just starting to hatch, but the trout aren't fully keyed in on them yet. Between Hebgen and Quake- Caddis and rusty spinners have been on the surface for the most part. Near the inlet to Quake, calibaetis could be a wise choice in the late mornings. Salmonfly nymphs, san juan worms, or copper johns are great nymphs for this stretch of the river. Below Quake- The last hour of light is the best time to fish this section by far. Rusty spinners have been a great pattern for some big trout sipping on the surface. Pheasant tails and red caddis puppae are great nymphs to fish below your dry. Black ants work well mid day along with an H and L varient. Few fish are eating hoppers, but most of the trout haven't keyed in on them just yet. Idaho Henry's Lake- Reports of hundreds of fish are all congregated near the inlets all over the lake. The downside is that no one has found the secret pattern yet. Fisherman are catching between 1-5 fish on average within a half day of fishing. Woolly buggers are always the best choice early morning. Small flies like pheasant tails or hares ear work better mid day when the water begins to warm up. -Dillon Given

Matching the Hatch

Yellowstone National Park- Firehole River- This river is too warm and is not recommended for fishing. Gibbon River- The best times of the day are from 9-11am and from 6:30pm-dark. Small attractors like a royal wulff or a grizzly wulff in a size 14 are great patterns for the aggresive browns. Keep in mind, dropping a pheasant tail or a prince nymph behind one of these dries can be deadly. Madison River- Madison has been fishing well with an adams irresistible and a san juan worm trailing it. Terrestrials or nymphing is advised mid day. Many of the wild trout are looking for a red and black ant, more so than a hopper. Yellowstone Lake- The best fishing is still from a boat or float tube with a size 6 or 8 woolly bugger. Black and orange have been favorable colors. Most of the fisherman that fish the lake are not going to catch many fish, but one or two big ones. Yellowstone River- Fly fishing has been great when there are PMD's coming off in the morning. We have heard reports of cuts still coming up to golden stones and salmonflys. This river isn't advised for novice fisherman, simply because many of the trout require a long cast with deep wading to reach them. Lamar Valley- The valley is currently blown out from all the recent storms we have been having. I would expect it to clear up within the next 3 days if we don't get anymore rain showers. Montana Gallatin- Caddis hatches have been sporatic as of lately on the Gallatin. Calm sunny evenings have been producing the largest caddis hatches. This river is a great nymphing river, so if there aren't any hatches coming off, don't be afraid to use an indicator and two nymphs. Any caddis puppae work great throughout the whole river, also if mayflies are hatching, flahback pheasant tails have been doing the trick. Hebgan- Calibaetis hatches have been hit and miss for most dry fly fisherman looking to catch a few gulpers. If the wind stays down long enough, dry fly fishing can be great for those who wish to chase those cruising trout. A pheasant tail is always a smart dropper in a size 14 or 16 off of the calibaetis dry. When the hatch subsides, dark woolly bugger patterns still attract those healthy rainbows and browns. Between Hebgan and Quake- Caddis and rusty spinners are coming off in the evenings in decent numbers. Hoppers and ants have been working mid day along with a small black beetle. Nymphing always catches fish, a lot of them being white fish. Streamers in an olive color just might move a few sizeable browns from the river's deep holes. Below Quake- Rusty spinners has been the best dry fly in the wade section during the evenings. Cinnamon colored ants also work very well mid day when there is some light cloud cover. Red serendipities in a size 14 is a great nymph to drop off of your dry. Idaho Henry's Lake- We are still waiting for the water to warm up to 70 degrees, and when that happens, I would expect the fishing to pick up tremendously. The water temperature is currently ranging from 65-67. Woolly buggers are always a great pattern for this lake, especially in olive. -Dillon Given <

Fishing Warm Evenings

Yellowstone National Park Firehole River- The water is too warm for fishing the Firehole River. Gibbon River- The faster moving water below Gibbon falls and just above Gibbon falls is fishing the best. Royal wulffs in a size 12 or 14 work very well when fished behind fallen logs and rocks. The meadows still hold a lot of browns, but is more technical fishing and may be difficult for novice fisherman. Madison River- Nymphing has been very productive with a san juan worm or a copper john. The caddis hatch has been prevalent in the evenings in a size 14 or 16 in brown or white. The Madison hasn't been one of the better fishing rivers lately, but fisherman can still expect to catch a few nice sized browns and rainbows. Yellowstone Lake- The best fishing has been from a boat or float tube, although people are still catching few from the shore with spinners and woolly buggers. If you were to fish Yellowstone Lake, it is best early in the morning when the sun is just rising. Yellowstone River- Fishing has been fair for those who are experienced and know how to make a decent cast. PMD's in the late morning have been the best way to fish the river since the salmonflys have moved through. Few remaining golden stones still flutter around along with size 12 and 14 yellow sallys. Slough Creek- Small attractor patterns like a royal wulff or an orange stimulator usually bring up the trout. Also, a parachute adams have proven productive for those especially choosey fish. Lamar River- PMDs hatch well in the morning along with few green drakes. Watch out for rain storms, for the river may become murky shortly after a passing storm. Montana- Gallatin River- Caddis hatches in the evenings have been great starting around 7:30 pm. Nymphing is a successful way of fishing this river mid day. Sparkle stones, copper johns, and Jacklin's salmonfly nymph are great patterns for attracting those wild rainbows and browns. Hebgen Lake- Calibaetis hatches have been coming off strongly on bright sunny days without wind. The hatch will continue to get better and better as the days go on. Woolly buggers are still catching trout when the wind is up or there isn't a hatch coming off. Between the Lakes- Spruce moths are beginning their annual hatch so a Jacklin's spruce moth is an excellent fly for this stretch of the Madison river. Caddis also have been hatching in the evenings, and common nymph patterns such as prince nymohs and pheasant tails are catching sizeable rainbows and browns. Below Quake Lake- The caddis hatches have been spotty, but if you can hit the hatch on a good sunny calm evening, the fishing can be incredible. Iris caddis and X- caddis are always great patterns for this strech, along with a three dollar serendipity. Idaho Henry's Lake- With each passing warm day, the fishing gets a little better. The water continues to warm up, forcing the fish to move closer to the lake's inlets. Olive and brown crystal buggers work well early morning, and as the day goes on, size 12 phesant tail and copper johns attract the cutthroat. The weeds are pretty high now so it is important to find channels where there are less weeds. -Dillon Given- Fly Casting Lessons are now from 7:00-8:00 for the rest of the summer