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Fishing Report
Updated August 14, 2010
Click the green links for streamflow information to appear in a new window.
Fishin' Hole of the Week
Now is a great time to hit one of the small streams outside the Park. As long as you're in the National Forest above the headgates and not right next to a campground, you should expect aggressive small-medium size trout on dry flies, with attractors like Trudes and Purple Hazes and terrestrials like spruce moths the top bets.
Montana Rivers and Lakes near Gardiner, MT
Yellowstone River outside the Park (Corwin Springs, Livingston, Springdale, Big Timber)
Updated August 14
A little squirrelly lately due to a series of weather disturbances. This should even out over the upcoming week. Hoppers, attractor dries, and their beadhead droppers are the usual tickets. ostly we stick to dries. Pink, yellow, and bright green hoppers have been our usual best bets, but crickets have worked some days as well. In attractors, the #14 Clacka Caddis has been king. For droppers we've mostly been fishing either #16 BH Prince nymphs or #14 Matt's Bead, Hare, and Copper nymphs, or trailing a second dry or emerger, usually a combo of the hoppers and attractors mentioned above or a spent caddis, Purple Haze, or Trude Cripple (see Blue Ribbon Flies' website) behind one of the larger attractors. We have had a couple good days of Epeorus and Gray Baetis emergences, though the upcoming seasonal weather will knock them back for a few more weeks. On mayfly days, a #12-14 Royal Wulff has outperformed the Trude-types.
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Top Dries Coachman Trude, #12-14 Coachman Clacka Caddis, #14 Tan Clacka Caddis, #14-16 Tan X-Caddis, #14-16 Card's Cicada, #10 Gold Chubby Chernobyl, #10 Pink Pookie, #10 PFS Winged Chernobyl, Pink, #8-10 Yellow Foam Hopper, #10 Chart. Grand Hopper, #14
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Top Wets/Soft Hackles Hare's Ear Soft Hackle, #14-16 Glasshead PT Soft Hackle, #14
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Top Nymphs BH Prince, #16 Wiese's Hula Princess, #16 Tan SCHWARPF, #14-16 Bead, Hare, and Copper, #12-16 BH Pearl Lightning Bug, #16 |
Top Streamers Olive and Black Zonkers Black, Olive, and PT-Buggers, all under an indicator.
Double-Buggers, Love Bunnies, other articulated stuff early AM and late evening, stripped. |
Paradise Valley Lakes
Updated June 30
The recent very hot weather may have put these into the summer doldrums. With so many higher elevation streams now falling into shape, we don't think these are worth the rod fee for the rest of summer.
Depuy's, Armstrong's, and Nelson's Spring Creek (Paradise Valley spring creeks)
Updated June 26
Expect good PMD hatches from now through July, especially on cloudy days. Bookings will be hard to get, however.
Yellowstone River Drainage Small Streams
Updated August 14
The lower ends of most are now nearly dry with irrigation drawdowns, but above the headgates all will be fishing great. Make sure to access these streams legally. As long as you access them from a public right-of-way and stay below the high water mark, you're golden.
Beartooth Plateau Lakes
Updated August 14
Should be fishing very well. Terrestrials on these high elevation lakes are often a sleeper bet.
Madison River above Ennis Lake (1, 2,)
Updated August 14
Evening caddis and Epeorus mayflies are the best bets. Nymph during the day. Check with shops in West.
Madison River below Ennis Lake
Updated July 20
Too warm.
Gallatin River outside the Park
Updated July 20
Caddis and attractors best bets, maybe some drakes and PMD in the park, plus small stoneflies.
Missouri River above Canyon Ferry Reservoir
Updated August 14
The carping should be epic right now. Squirrel tail Clousers, my friend...
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone Mainstem and Tributaries
Yellowstone Lake
Updated June 17
Same drill as the last few years. Streamers, scuds, and Callibaetis nymphs fished along the shoreline will bring a few big cutts. Big baitfish imitations like Double Bunnies, fished in the West Thumb area, will bring even fewer big lake trout. Kill them (required) to do your part to help the native cutthroat.
Yellowstone River below Yellowstone Lake, YNP
Updated August 14
Not many fish, but big ones. Spot and stalk is the name of the game. Various mayflies and evening caddis are all possible. This is an experts-only option, but it has its rewards.
Grand and Black Canyons of the Yellowstone
Updated August 14
Great shape but will be heavily fished near the easy access points. Best to beat yourself up a bit. Attractor dries and attractor/terrestrials like Tarantulas are the bread and butter right now. Near wooded areas, try spruce moths. It's also VERY important to have some streamers. Sometimes it's all they want this time of year.
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Top Dries See entry for Yellowstone downstream of Gardiner, and add some spruce moths and focus on more nondescript bugs that can be several insects. |
Top Wets/Soft Hackles
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Top Nymphs Same as above, plus a few #14-16 Four Feathers. |
Top Streamers Olive Woolly Bugger, #6-8 Black Woolly Bugger, #6-8 Wiese's PT-Bugger, #6 BH Sparkle Bugger, #10 Olive Squirrel Zonker, #10 White Marabou Muddler, #6 |
Other
Updated July 20
Cascade Lake has been fishing well, with both Callibaetis and blue damselflies bringing risers.
Lamar River Drainage
Under no circumstances should you fish in the Lamar Drainage right now without having a can of bearspray on your person.
Updated August 14
Terrestrials now coming on in a big way, but the smaller bugs (ants, beetles, bees, spruce moths) have generally brought better action than hoppers. Still some smaller drakes (Flavs? Small doddsi green drakes? Maybe Heptagania?) around, but PMD are now the dominant hatch. Midges also possible now.
Soda Butte Creek (Park Boundary, Lamar Trail Bridge)
Updated August 14
Basically the same drill as the Lamar, but more people and more fish eating spruce moths. Give other anglers 100 yards here. Some sections have been intermittently closed due to bear kills.
Slough Creek
Updated August 14
Fish are snooty now. Midges are now likely the most important aquatic insects except perhaps on drizzly days. The exceptions will be the faster water stretches, where there are still some drakes and Yellow Sallies. Bring your A game in Lower and First Meadows. Second and Third Meadow are excellent bets now. Terrestrials will be similar to the Lamar, but the fish will be even less interested in run of the mill hoppers.
Other
Updated August 14
The small streams will likely all have good spruce moth falls.
Gardner River Drainage
Upper Gardner
Updated August 14
About 2-3 more weeks of good fishing above Sheepeater Cascade before the brookies do their annual vanishing act up into the extreme headwaters to spawn. This is GREAT introductory water.
Updated August 14
Fishing well, and the recent cooler weather has gotten the section below Boiling River fishing well in the afternoon again. Close to Gardner, hoppers and evening caddis have been the top bets, while up in the rugged/remote water in the trees, spruce moths have been a better choice.
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Top Dries Coachman Trude, #12-14 Elk Hair Caddis, #12-16 Coachman Clacka Caddis, #14 Tan Clacka Caddis, #14-16 Chart. Grand Hopper, #14 Charlie Boy Hopper, #10 Gold Chubby Chernobyl, #10 Tan Turck's Tarantula, #10-12 Korn's Spent Spruce Moth, #14 Para. Spruce Moth, #14 |
Top Wets/Soft Hackles
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Top Nymphs Minch Stone, Black, #6 Minch Stone, Golden, #10 Bead, Hare, and Copper, #12-16 BH Prince, #12-16 MT Prince, #14-16 20-Incher, #10 Tan and Olive SCHWARPFs, #14-16 Various other stonefly types, #6-10 |
Top Streamers
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Small Streams
Updated August 14
Fishing very well except near campgrounds and where pulloffs are right by the creeks. Same drill as the upper Gardner, including the bit about the vanishing act.
Ponds
Updated July 10
Getting streaky if no hatch, but Callibaetis are now popping on cloudy days.
Madison River Drainage
Please Note: New Zealand Mud Snails are present in the Madison Drainage. Please follow the guidelines at http://www.protectyourwaters.net/ to clean your gear before fishing another drainage. Better yet, use different gear on these rivers than elsewhere.
Updated August 14
Starting to fish some, especially AM. A few browns are reportedly on the move already --the recent cool, rainy weather should send up a few more. These early runners usually prefer nymphs and soft hackles, not monster streamers.
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Top Dries |
Top Wets/Soft Hackles Big ones, or a medium-sized one trailing a slowly swung streamer. |
Top Nymphs Medium-sized impressionistic nymphs like Bead, Hare, and Coppers, usually trailing a stonefly nymph or another big "attractor-type" bug. |
Top Streamers Medium-sized buggers fished slow. |
Updated 7/10
Too warm below Old Faithful. Above the Old Faithful closure, little brookies will eat your attractor dry/dropper combo. The famous water will be unfishable until Labor Day due to temps often reaching 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Top Dries Coachman Trude, #12-16 |
Top Wets/Soft Hackles |
Top Nymphs BH Prince, #16 |
Top Streamers
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Updated July 10
Too warm below Norris. The upper water is brookie city. Having lunch (and a serious Pinot Noir) above Virginia Cascades with a repeat client Monday, we had great fun watching the micro-brookies rise like mad to a caddis hatch.
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Top Dries Coachman Trude, #14-16 Coachman Clacka Caddis, #14-16 Tan Clacka Caddis, #14-16 Purple Haze, #14-16 Purple Hazy Cripple, #16 |
Top Wets/Soft Hackles
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Top Nymphs These are 6" brookies, man! Fish dries or go home! |
Top Streamers
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Grebe Lake
Updated August 14
Soft hackles trailing a small bugger probably your best bet.
Gallatin River Drainage
Gallatin River
Updated July 10
Should be fishing well on nymphs, caddis, and small stoneflies. Talk to a shop in West about this. This one is only 15 miles as the crow flies from us, but two hours drive time, so no firsthand reports yet this season.
Small Streams
Updated July 20
Ought to be hopping right now. Head over there and get some westslope-ish cutts.
Snake River Drainage
Updated July 20
Long way from us, but should be fishing well on caddis, Yellow Sallies, Green Drakes, and attractors. Or throw a mouse pattern near the logjams four or five miles in. Does this sound like a bit of a hint?
Lewis River
Updated July 20
Some big browns will laugh at your best PMD/caddis/Drake presentations in the meadows. Down in the canyon fish attractor/dropper combos for fewer an smaller browns and cutts than you might expect, or streamers for the occasional stray laker or bigger brown/cutt.
Lewis/Shoshone Lakes
Updated July 20
Maybe some Callibaetis or evening caddis. Otherwise troll for lakers. Fun fun fun.
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Contact Information |
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| Phone: | (406) 848-7314 |
| Address: |
PO Box 196 202 Second Street South (US-89) Gardiner, MT 59030 |
| E-Mail: | |
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