Yellowstone Park

Yellowstone Park, October 20th, 2024

A few nice afternoons remain for swinging soft hackle flies and presenting BWO life cycle and white miller caddis patterns on the Firehole River. Other than that, brown trout season is running supreme. Expect crowds pitching streamer and big soft hackle patterns on the Madison River, whether it be along the west entrance highway or in the Beaver Meadows between the Barns Holes and Baker’s Hole campground.  The Lewis River channel between Lewis and Shoshone Lakes will become a destination for fly fishers from all over the world. Best times of day to enjoy these fish is first light before shoreline angling traffic puts them down.  The brown trout runs into the Snake and Gardner Rivers are starting with peaks coming late in the month. Watch the weather, as “Old Man Winter” can take month long residence any time.

Flies to try:

• RS2-Olive
• Peanut Envy-Tan

Yellowstone National Park, October 12th, 2024

Other than continuing Firehole River BWO and White Miller activity, it essentially “Brown Trout Season” in the park. The Lewis River System offers perhaps the biggest number of migrating browns (mostly of trophy size) in the area.  The densest concentration is in the channel between Lewis and Shoshone Lakes where fish from both lakes concentrate. Getting there early in the day to present streamer and large nymph patterns before other wading and bankside anglers disturb the fish is the best strategy. Another location where good numbers of browns concentrate is in the river just below Lewis Lake. Rather than disturbing fish in the act of spawning there, fish the outlet bay in order to intercept migrating browns. 

The Madison River drainage features a great run of browns and accompanying rainbows from Hebgen Lake, but the number of fly fishers can equal the number of fish to the point that social problems can arise. Other brown trout runs worth a visit are in the Gardner and Snake Rivers, but these peak a bit  later in the season than the Lewis and Madison runs.

Flies to try:

• Elden’s CDC BWO Emerger
• Mena’s Cousin It Streamer- Ginger
• Craven’s Dirty Hippy-Brown

Yellowstone Park, September 28th, 2024

The Firehole River continues to provide the best dry fly fishing in the Park with BWO and white miller activity and bank side terrestrial insect populations providing the reasons. Now that the northeast part of the park has drier weather, streams there are back in great shape with BWO, mahogany dun ( and some hecuba) mayflies along with hopper and ant populations making for good dry fly fishing. Much of the same applies to Fall River Basin streams which are now at base level flows making stealth necessary for top water fishing success.

Brown trout runs in the Madison River are increasing but so are the number of pursuing anglers using deep running streamer and large soft hackle patterns with success mostly early and late during the warm, sunny days. Brown trout are also staging to move into the Lewis River channel between Lewis and Shoshone lakes to provide result in the famed fall run that attracts world wide fly fishers.

Yellowstone Park, September 21st, 2024

Storms earlier this week are helping push Hebgen Lake browns and rainbows into the Park portion of the Madison River. Streamer and large soft hackle patterns fished deep will be active here for several weeks to come. Crowds will increase along the river as word of good numbers of migrating trout becomes public. Those storms persisted for days in the northeast corner of the Park making Slough and Soda butte creeks and the Lamar River quite discolored. The Firehole River, however, is offering great late season fishing with BWO and caddis activity peaking. Swinging soft haclle patterns this time of the seson is always effective. Discolor in Fall River Basin streams is receding significantly and terrestrial inesct populations are active again. Long drag free floats produce best for those fly fishers cautious enough to avoid close ventures to stream banks

Yellowstone Park, September 14th, 2024

Thunder showers and rains have discolored streams in the northeast section of the park with more to come next week. Unsettled weather is good news for Firehole River enthusiasts where BWOs are making for good top water fishing. Brown and rainbow trout are moving into the Madison River drainage above Hebgen Lake, and the upcoming unsettled weather gives a good time to experience their superb fighting qualities. Swing those streamer and big soft hackled patterns deep through holding water, and hang on!. Look for Lewis River brown trout to also become more aggressive as we move through September. No killing frosts yet in Fall River Basin. That means good population of ants and hoppers remain along the banks of all streams.

Yellowstone National Park, September 4th, 2024

Give the Firehole River a few more days of cool weather. Longer nights will help bring water temperatures back to where there will be less catch and release stress on hosted salmonids.   Northeast corner streams (Slough and Soda Butte Creeks, Lamar River) are at base level flows and have many visiting fly fishers. Stealth is required on these three meadow streams for any measure of fishing success. As with so many streams in the area, flying ants are now a top insect for foraging trout.  These comments also apply to Fall River Basin streams except that a lot fewer fly fishers are in attendance.    

Flies to fish:                                                   

• Chubby Cubby-Black
• Will’s Chubby Peanut-Micro

Yellowstone National Park, August 28th, 2024

Fall season is just around the corner. For the Madison River the very beginning of brown and rainbow trout out of Hebgen Lake into the Park drainage is arriving. The Firehole River will cool to the point that water temperatures will drop from the dangerous range for salmonids to that suitable for surviving the rigors of catch and release.   Top water fishing on all streams will continue thanks to the fall may fly activity emergence peak and the presence of terrestrial insects. Most insect pests have gone, and soon the same happens with the numerous visitors. So perhaps the best time to fish in the Park is just ahead. 

 If you do not mind walking a couple of miles, Beula Lake still offers the best still water fishing in the Park

Flies to fish:

• Harrop’s CDC Water Wasp
• Fancy Pants Hopper-Tan
• Harrop’s CDC Thorax Mahogany

Yellowstone Park, August 24th, 2024

Tricos make for the biggest mayfly activity on many park streams these days. PMDs are decreasing as we move towards fall.  Speckled duns populate some still waters including Beula and Trout Lakes. However other mayfly species will become active. One is hecuba timpanoga also known as the “Drake Mackerel” or red quill. Hecuba can also be mistaken for the green drake. Mahogany duns are another species that will become active on park streams and are more widespread than hecuba. Even more widespread will be the fall emergence peak of the BWO. Meanwhile, terrestrial insects are a major reason for the great top water fishing most park streams offer this time of the season and will continue to be such until a killing frost arrives..

Yellowstone Park, August 17th, 2024

Beula Lake

Are you still looking for good to great still water fishing? If you have a Park fishing license and follow the trail ( begins at east end of Grassy Lake Reservoir on the Ashton-Flagg road) to Beula Lake, you will certainly find it. Only Yellowstone cutthroat ranging to trophy size inhabit Beula, and now they are foraging on speckled dun mayfly, damsel fly and cinnamon caddis activities. Yes it is a 2.5 mile walk, but the reward is certain responses to your life cycle patterns for these insects. For best action, pack in a flotation device, waders and fins to get out on the lake. But toting in this gear is not necessary because. fishing from shore around the southeast corner inlet and wading along the north shore works.

If walking this far is not to your liking, very similar activity can be had by walking to Riddle Lake and wading the north shoreline. Riddle is a bit more that a mile walk from its trailhead a few miles south of West Thumb Junction off the South Entrance Road. Riddle Lake cutties range smaller than those in Beula, but they are just as active.