Yellowstone Fly Fishing Tips: Information on How to Fly Fish Yellowstone Courtesy Walter Wiese: Clothing to Pack When Visiting the Yellowstone Area

Clothing and Accessories to Pack for Fly Fishing the Yellowstone Area

Daytime temperatures in the Yellowstone area range from 100 degrees Fahrenheit at the lowest elevations along the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers on the hottest days in late July or early August down to perhaps thirty degrees below zero in January, even in the same low-elevation locations. Conditions can change in a manner of minutes; it's not unusual for late summer cold fronts to roll in, drop the temperature 30 degrees, and spit icy rain and hail following pleasant mornings with sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. Hypothermia is almost as big a risk in the summer as in the dead of winter, simply because people don't come prepared for changes in weather. This page is designed to ensure you bring the right clothing to be prepared for all eventualities. Odds are you won't need all the layers you bring on any one trip, but you're better off bringing items you don't need than leaving behind those you do.

In general, plan to bring layers. Temperatures almost always change by 20 degrees between early morning and midafternoon, and in early autumn they might change more like 40 degrees. Even in the summer, most people from warmer climates will want jackets first thing in the morning, particularly at high elevations in Yellowstone Park. Poly and other other breathable fabrics are far superior to cotton, particularly if you'll be doing any hiking or wet-wading.

Except when traveling for dinner in the evenings, or otherwise being out and about when you won't be exposed to direct sunlight for very long, I strongly suggest wearing long sleeves at all times. All fisheries in this region are at high elevations and the sun is exceptionally bright. My clients who get the worst sunburns are invariably from regions with beaches; they have beach tans, but beach tans don't do much to protect you from mountain sun. Contemporary lightweight quick-dry longsleeve clothing is as comfortable to wear as cotton tee-shirts and shorts, and dries faster if you get rained on or wet-wade. Long sleeves also protect you from insects, brush, briars, and the like much better than short sleeves. I am almost never outside for more than an hour or so without wearing such clothing.

Notes on Wading Gear

• Felt soles are now illegal in Yellowstone Park, though they are still legal in Montana. This means that sticky rubber-soled boots are now the way to go, with or without studs, cleats, or aluminum bars for additional traction. If you use studded wading shoes, note that studs must be removed if you'll be fishing from a raft or drift boat. Soft aluminum studs or bars are better than hard tungsten carbide spikes on Yellowstone-area boulders.
• Wading sandals or old sneakers are recommmended only on the flattest meadow-type streams or if you will be fishing from a boat.
• We commonly wet-wade most fisheries around here whenever it is warm enough to do so. Depending on the elevation, we can usually wet-wade from sometime in June through sometime in early September. The main exceptions are the highest-elevation rivers in Yellowstone Park such as the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, as well as some tailwaters. Therefore, if you come during the summer months it's a good idea to have clothing you don't mind getting wet (such as quick-dry pants as noted above), wading shoes and stockingfoot waders rather than boot-foot waders, and a pair of neoprene wet wading socks or booties so that you can wet-wade. I still suggest bringing waders if possible, but so long as you have a good raincoat if you'll be fishing afoot and a full set of raingear including rain pants if you'll be sedentary (in a boat), you'll be okay except in a few locations from about June 15 through August.