Yellowstone Park

Yellowstone Park 10-14-17

If you are looking at a trip to the interior of the park, it might be best to check its web site to see if roads to your planned location are open considering the storm that just passed through the area. Same recommendation with respect to trails to back country waters.  Right now would be a great time for a trip into Lewis River Channel to experience some of the best brown trout fishing anywhere in the region.  Presenting streamers is the name of the game. The only caveat is are trails to the river passable. Crowds certainly will be down considering the weather, so fish would be less disturbed.

Yellowstone Park 10-7-17

If you are looking for some of the best streamer fishing available for brown trout this time of year, locations on the Lewis River provide some of the most outstanding in this area. The river between Shoshone and Lewis Lakes offers the best in the park if not the Greater Yellowstone region, at least with respect to numbers of fish.  The trick is to arrive there as early in the day as possible making an overnight stay at the Shoshone Lake outlet campground the best way to do so.  Requiring a 4.5 mile walk as well as having appropriate gear is not suitable for some fly-fishers, but there are easier to approach locations on the river that can offer good fishing, but again the key is to arrive early in the day.  Lewis Lake outlet and the lake itself just above the outlet are good alternative locations requiring only a short walk.  There are fewer fish in the river flowing through the roadside meadow below Lewis Falls, but they run larger than in other locations. In all these locations unsettled or stormy weather typically results in the best fishing.  But because elevation is close to 8000 feet, there is an increased chance for winter driving conditions during this weather. So having a vehicle appropriately equipped is advisable.

Yellowstone Park 9-23-17

Lewis River Channel

It’s time to go back to the Firehole River as cooler weather means cooling water to offset the thermal water input. Fall season BWOs and caddis will bring action especially under low light conditions.  Some trico spinner falls remain on the Madison River with BWOs are coming on strong.  If you prefer to pitch streamers, the Madison River in the Park and the Lewis River between Shoshone and Lewis Lake and just below Lewis Lake  are the best places to try,  and these waters will see more trout moving in (browns in the Lewis River, browns and rainbows in the Madison River) as we go through October.  Brown trout runs in other streams (Gardner, Gibbon, Snake) will peak later in the month. Don’t overlook the Yellowstone River for presenting streamers to large resident cutthroat in areas open to fishing from the lake to the falls. Streamer fishing in Heart, Shoshone, Lewis, and Yellowstone Lakes will improve, but the weather will not, so prepare accordingly especially if you pack into any of these lakes.  With killing frosts look for terrestrial insects to diminish, but presenting hopper patterns on meadow sections of all streams will be effective well into October during good weather.

Yellowstone Park 9-16-17

Big news here is that Hebgen Lake browns and rainbows are beginning to move into the Madison River above. So streamer patterns presented on sink tip lines will become increasingly effective here as the season advances to the first weekend in November when the Park fishing season closes.  The other happening is that the Firehole River is cooling off to the point that resident trout are not in survival danger on being caught and released.  Look for good BWO and caddis activities to attract fish here. The Gibbon River along with Grebe, Wolf, and Ice Lakes have been chemically treated to remove resident rainbow trout and grayling which are to be replaced with grayling themselves. Thus reliable grayling fishing in the park is reduced to Cascade Lake in the Yellowstone River drainage.

Yellowstone Park 8-22-17

Yesterday park fisheries personnel began treating the Gibbon River to remove all salmonids above Virginia Cascades including Ice, Grebe and Wolf Lakes. Their plan is to eventually introduce fluvial grayling (those now present are adfluvial) and westslope cutts in that section of the drainage including the lakes.   View more details of this action visit the Yellowstone Park Fisheries and Aquatic Science Program web site.

Currently for most of the rivers worth a visit in the park, presenting terrestrial insect patterns brings the best responses from trout.

This time of the season most sources relate that park still water fishing slacks off. This may be true of such as Heart, Lewis, Shoshone, Trout, and Yellowstone Lakes, but it is not the case with Beula Lake. Right now it offers the fastest still water fishing in the park, and likely in the immediate surroundings. To enjoy Beula Lake you must be willing to drive the somewhat rough Ashton-Flagg Road, walk 2.5 miles to the lake, and either wade the shoreline or carry in a flotation device to fish the entire lake.  Cinnamon caddis, speckled dun, and damselfly life cycle and small leech patterns are the best for getting responses from resident Yellowstone cutthroat trout.  Not many regional fly shops tout this serene lake in the Fall River drainage, but we have “the goods” on it, so get in touch if you are considering a visit to this 107 acre lake.

Yellowstone Park 8-19-17

For sure such great but easily approached park waters such as the Gibbon, Lamar and Madison Rivers, Slough and Soda Butte Creeks have as many fly-fishing visitors as resident trout. Fall River Basin features streams where the sames strategies apply (current emphasis on presenting terrestrial insect patterns daytime, and trico spinner patterns in the AM, caddis life cycle patterns in later PM) but much fewer fly-fishing visitors.  But Fall River Basin also features Beula Lake which this time of year offers perhaps the fastest fly-fishing in the park.  It is only a 2.5 mile walk off the Ashton-Flagg Road and can be fished from shore to enjoy a Yellowstone cutthroat trout population with individuals ranging to trophy size. Before usual PM breezes kick in, dry fly action through presenting  cinnamon caddis, speckled dun and damsel fly adult patterns around the shoreline can be excellent. Afterwards small leech, and nymph patterns bring the best action.  The Ashton-Flagg road is rough but with care can be traveled by such as sedans.   Like much of the park Fall River Basin is bear country and PM thundershowers are frequent. Other than these for which standard precautions apply, no big dangers exist. Contact us for more information on fishing not only Beula Lake but other Fall River Basin waters whether Beula Lake or the other quality waters within.

Yellowstone Park 8-12-17

If you enjoy presenting terrestrial insect patterns on meadow streams, this time of year the park offers an unmatched variety of quality waters for doing so. Starting in the southwest corner, all Fall River Basin (Bechler, & Fall Rivers, Boundary & Mountain Ash Creeks) streams have meadow reaches full of ants, beetles, crane flies, and grasshoppers and not many fly-fishing visitors. The same insects prevail in the meadow stretches on Duck Creek and the Gibbon River, and the “Grasshopper Bank” on the Madison River was named for good reason.  Do Firehole River trout a favor and try elsewhere until late September cools waters to their comfort. Now that the big stonefly events have moved through the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone River, terrestrial insect patterns bring the big interest from trout as they do on the Gardner River meadow sections. Not to be outdone, the northeast corner of the park offers almost a many quality meadow streams as Fall River Basin, but in a more crowded manner. Lamar River and Slough and Soda Butte Creek offer roadside convenience as well as upstream isolation.  To the south, Lewis River meadow sections and the Snake River around and above the south entrance offer the same.

Certainly aquatic insect activity attracts trout on all these waters with such as AM spinner falls,  daytime PMD & speckled dun emergences and some afternoon caddis activity. But you can bet on those big fish lurking in undercuts and beneath well-vegetated banks waiting for that unfortunate terrestrial guy drifting by and a resulting take!

Yellowstone Park 7-28-17

The giant and golden stonefly hatches are progressing up the Yellowstone River.  Now into September is when terrestrial insect patterns work well on Fall River Basin streams. Streams in the northeast corner of the park are now in good fishing shape. Lamar River, Slough and Soda Butte Creeks offer good dry fly fishing  with caddis, PMD, yellow sally life cycle patterns and those for terrestrial insects bringing action. Be aware that these streams tend to get crowded from now through August.   Some smaller streams in that area offering better solitude, but smaller fish, include Buffalo Fork off Slough Creek, Pebble Creek off Soda Butte Creek, and Cache Creek off the Lamar River. Leave the Firehole River alone until September when cooling air temps will bring water temperatures down to levels where fish can better withstand the rigors of being caught and released

Yellowstone Park 7-22-17

All Fall River Basin streams (Bechler and Fall Rivers, Boundary and Mountain Ash Creeks) are in dry fly fishing shape now. Damselflies, Yellow sallys and PMDs are emerging to interest fish.  Fish take patterns presented for these during late AM to late afternoon hours as well for the few golden stoneflies brought in by the wind.  During evening hours their interest turns to brown drakes. Terrestrial insects are building around the edge of the meadow reaches meaning its time to stock up on ant, beetle, cricket, and hopper patterns.

Yellowstone Park 7-8-17

The Ashton-Flagg Ranch road is open, but a bit slow going east of Calf Creek Hill. Fall River is still running about 50% higher than normal meaning any pattern imitating a drifting earthworm presented deep works best.  For sure the best fishing action off the road is in Beula Lake. Damsel fly and speckled dun life cycle patterns work well along with small leech patterns.   Also consider that Hering Lake may offer good fishing, but you will need to pack in a flotation device to enjoy it. The lower half of Bechler Meadows  may just as well be a rice paddy, and any pattern resembling a drifting earthworm works best in the river for now.