Still no significant amounts of big stoneflies emerging, but any day now! Flow out of Palisades Dam has been about 13100 cfs for a week, with temperature of around 51 deg. F. So conditions are good. We’ll let you know when the big bugs arrive and fish begin to respond. Meanwhile rubberlegs and Super-X patterns can be good to imitate drifting stonefly nymphs.
Fishing just below Ashton Dam was very good two days ago. No green drakes , but volumes of caddis and PMDs. When the breeze blew some gray drake spinners in fishing picked up with bigger fish responding. Further down the river green drakes are still going, but diminishing. If you fish the river from Ashton Dam to below Chester Dam, expect company in the form of boats and wading folks—lots of both. Same thing on the upper river in the Last Chance-Harriman-Riverside part: good fishing (green drakes, PMDs, caddis, a few golden stones), but plenty of company (some polite, some not so polite).
Obsidian Creek
For years I pretty much avoided waters demanding lightweight equipment, but when I experienced the fun of using such, I succumbed to what Ernie Schwiebert named “The Song of the Small Stream.” Now I make it a point to fish small waters, especially ones new to me, and Yellowstone Park offers numerous candidates to enjoy.
When we think of fly-fishing Yellowstone Park, streams with the great names always come to mind. Such as the Bechler, Fall, Firehole, Gallatin, Gibbon, Madison, Slough, Yellowstone deserve all the renown they are given. But these are only “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the quality streams that the Park offers the visiting fly-fisher. The number of quality small waters here is almost overwhelming, but we can start here by describing some of the most approachable and best. To do this let’s first concentrate on those around the Grand Loop with words about location and strategy. For all of these small waters lightweight equipment is most appropriate. When one heads north out of Norris Junction the fun begins. The Gibbon River, especially around Norris Junction and its tributary Solfatara Creek offer brook, brown and rainbow trout with a very occasional grayling in the river. These eager fish take almost any offering, especially dry attractor and terrestrial and small beadhead nymph patterns. These streams do get “hammered” a bit because of the large campground at the Junction, but evening visits will offer some solitude. Further north on the Grand Loop heading to Mammoth, an number of small roadside streams are present. Obsidian and Indian Creeks and the upper Gardner River offer almost non-stop action for brookies that will take anything they can get their mouth around. When one pasts Mammoth heading east, Lava Creek offers browns and rainbows and Blacktail Deer Creek offers brookies, but all these are not quite as eager as the Obsidian and Indian Creek brookies. Fast water attractor, caddis, terrestrial and small bead head nymph patterns will work well as they will for Tower Creek rainbows further east at Tower Junction. After one turns south, descends Mount Washburn, and approaches the Canyon area, a short walk takes one from a picnic area to Cascade Creek and its Yellowstone cutthroat trout. This is a meadow stream, so any kind of hopper, ant or beetle pattern will bring the cutts to the surface. Not many small waters are available further south along the Grand Loop. But after one turns west from Thumb Junction and travels toward Old Faithful, DeLacey Creek crosses the highway near the halfway point. Brook Trout inhabit this creek, and if the adventurous fly-fisher walks down the creek about a mile on the well maintained trail, the stream passes through a meadow that offers terrestrial insects to its eager brookie population. After passing Old Faithful heading down the Firehole River one approaches Upper Geyser Basin, and Iron Spring Creek and Little Firehole River enter from the west. The lower parts of these streams act as a summertime refuge for Firehole River trout with their cooler waters. because of their increased summertime trout population, these streams attract fly-fishers. Further downstream as one approaches the Firehole River Canyon, Nez Perce Creek crosses the highway. If one parks in the nearby campground and walks upstream away from the highway, good fishing for brook, brown, and rainbow trout can be had.
So here’s a look at some of the best small stream candidates around the Grand Loop, the most visited part of the Park. Rest assured that roads from the five entrances feeding the Grand Loop pass by quality small streams. Perhaps an article describing some of these waters would be fitting. One thing for sure; you will find a better measure of solitude on all these streams.
The “Flush” is finished and it looks like flow out of Palisades Dam will be in the 12000-13000 cfs range for much of the irrigation season. The next big fishing event on the river will be the big stoneflies emerging. Nothing significant with them yet, but when it begins we will post it here. For now, depend on rubber legs during daytime and your favorite streamer patterns especially for evenings and early hours. Watch the riffles because caddis activity can become important.
Twenty-four Mile and Daniels Reservoirs feature damselfly activity with fish responding. Try just about anywhere on Twenty-Four Mile, and concentrate on the upper end and creek mouth at Daniels. Some folks are having success just walking the banks at Daniels, thanks to our friend the wind causing wave action stirring up the bottom and so freeing up all sorts of food forms. On both reservoirs fish also take midge pupa patterns under an indicator so long as you find the taking depth. Hawkins Reservoir also has fish taking damselfly nymphs, but its water level is beginning to drop because of irrigation demands. We do not have as much info on Chesterfield Reservoir, but based on what Twenty-Four and Daniels are offering there has to be some good fishing there with damselfly nymphs and midge pupa patterns.
Fall River is clearing and dropping a bit, so the river below is shaping up. Gray drakes are out on the lower river from Chester backwaters to below St. Anthony. Add this to green drakes showing just above from the lower river, and you have a destination. The Harriman State Park reach opens tomorrow, so expect crowds looking for green drakes there. If you go there via US Highway 20, expects delays up to half an hour. Flaggers are active 24-7 on the Ashton Hill construction section. Therefore consider traveling to Last Chance and above via the Mesa Falls Scenic Highway. Its a bit longer, but offers no through trucking and much less traffic.
The flush is about over with flow out of Palisades Dam currently at 13800 cfs. In a few days fishing will be back to where it should be for the time of the season. Just around the corner in time the big stonefly activity will begin. We will post its progress here, so keep watching!
The lower river below Ashton Dam is beginning to shape up with PMDs emerging in good numbers and golden stoneflies appearing. Look for green drakes to start here any day. The same for gray drakes in the Chester backwaters. The Warm River to Ashton reach is fishing well for those using caddis life cyle patterns, rubber leg nymphs, and streamers in the evening. At Last Chance PMDs are making an appearance and some march browns remain. The big stoneflies have just about finished their emergence with a few remaining in Box Canyon and a Coffee Pot. Waters throughout the river below Island Park Dam are low as Island Park Reservoir is being filled. This means warmer water making for earlier emergences. Henry’s Lake is full with only 14 cfs coming into the Outlet. For now fishing there is slow.
It appears that fish are moving away from shorelines and out into the lake. Trolling and presenting wooly bugger and peacock leech types is successful in deeper water. Use a fast sinking line to get down for the best action. Beware of what the wind can during otherwise nice days.
The Firehole River is living up to its reputation as an early season destination with fish responding to PMDs, BWOS, and caddis. Some giant stoneflies are emerging in the lower Firehole River canyon with wind blown individuals flying above and below. If you visit the Madison Junction area waters in the next few days, consider having some adult stonefly patterns on board. Duck Creek is in prime fishing shape. Runoff is out of it, but leech and woolly bugger patterns work best because post spawning ‘bows and ever hungry brookies look for this source of easy protein so recently abundant. Ice is off Lewis, Shoshone, and Yellowstone Lakes.
A Park policy which is causing some inconvenience is the necessary and suitable inspection of all boats for invasive species. Fishing regulations state that float tubes are excluded from this inspection, but it might be best to ask at any entrance or facility what the Park considers to be a float tube. These inspections are performed only at Grant Village and Bridge Bay Marina, and therein lies the inconvenience for boaters coming in the west, north, and northeast entrances. So for the remainder of this year, at least, put some extra time on the front of your boating-fishing trip into the Park and make sure that the Park agrees with you concept of what a float tube is.