Yellowstone Park

Yellowstone Park 9-13-16

Because of the Berry fire flaring up again along the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway between Grand Teton and Yellowstone Parks, the south entrance road has been closed again.  Slough Creek campground and surroundings remain closed because of the Buffalo fire. When we receive info on these areas re-opening we will post such here.  The Norris Junction-Mammoth Hot Springs Road will re-open 7 AM, October 7th.

With respect to fishing, cooler weather means the Firehole River is offering improving conditions for fishing. Patterns for BWOs and caddis life cycle phases along with those for terrestrial insects will bring action. Hebgen Lake browns and rainbows are showing up in the Madison River, so streamer and large soft hackled patterns should be in the fly box.  On most other streams terrestrial insect patterns will bring best chances for action until a killing frost happens.

Yellowstone Park 9-10-16

If you intend to fish any of the Park streams that run through meadows, the choice of flies this time of year is easy.Take terrestrial insect patterns with an emphasis on those of hoppers. All of these: Bechler River, Boundary Creek, Duck Creek, Fall River, Gibbon River, Lamar River, Lewis River, Madison River, Slough Creek, Snake River, Soda Butte Creek, and others hosting large fish that relish hoppers this time of year.  If you arrive early in the day on some of these, look for trico swarms and fish actively feeding.

Yellowstone Park 9-3-16

The south entrance is now open. The lightning caused 7000 acre Buffalo Fire, northeast of Tower Junction, has closed day use of the Slough Creek area including primitive camp sites and Slough Creek Campground.  Access to Duck Creek is impacted by the Boundary Fire north of West Yellowstone.

Yellowstone Park 8-23-16

With the close of the Yellowstone River drainage waters in Montana, there is a chance that the same could happen to the river in the Park. The Park is extremely protective of its natural resources, and rightfully so. We will watch this situation, and you can do the same by going to the Yellowstone Park web site. Presenting terrestrial patterns brings the best chance for action on almost all Park streams this time of year.  The fastest action on still waters will be enjoyed the most on such as Beula and Riddle Lakes where gulpers work until the wind comes up.  Then switching to small bead head nymph or leech patterns takes over as being most effective.

Yellowstone Park 8-2-16

It appears that outflow from Grassy Lake Reservoir has been reduced. This will give better dry fly fishing in Fall River below.  Concentrate on presenting terrestrial insect patterns. Presenting trico patterns will soon be important there as we move through August into September. In fact terrestrial patterns will bring success on almost all park streams this time of the season. In addition, try soft hackled patterns on these waters, especially during evenings.

Yellowstone Park 7-26-16

Some of the fastest fishing in the park can be experienced currently at Beula Lake. Speckled dun and damselfly emergences and egg laying actions will bring cutthroat trout to the surface, while nymph and small leech patterns will interest those staying subsurface. Getting there is a bit slow because of the Ashton-Flagg Ranch surface condition and the 2.5 mile hike, but there are no major road construction projects to deal with on the way as are underway on US Highways 20 and 26.

Yellowstone Park 7-19-16

Some green drakes remain on Yellowstone River where it is open to fishing in the Hayden Valley area. Pelican Creek, except for the lower two miles, is now open to fishing, but is only a shadow of its former self. Some post-spawning cutthroat are heading back to the lake and will take most small or medium sized fly patterns offered. Beula Lake is living up to its reputation of being a great fishery.  Try small leech and damselfly nymph patterns for best wet flies. Dry adult damsel patterns work well close to shorelines and lily pad beds before and after mid-day winds take over.  Look for speckled dun and cinnamon caddis life cycle patterns to be effective soon. Only “fly in the ointment” is that the Ashton-Flagg Road is rough and dusty, so drive carefully.  If you plan to enter the Park west entrance from the south via U. S. Highway 20, see our road construction delay comments on the Henry’s Fork fishing report.

Yellowstone Park 7-16-16

The Firehole River is now warm enough that you do its trout a favor by fishing elsewhere. Brown drake hatches are done for the year on Duck Creek and the Gibbon River meadow reaches. Concentrate on presenting terrestrial patterns for better dry fly fishing on these. Slough Creek is fishing well through presenting terrestrial patterns (but hosts almost as many fly-fishers as fish). Also concentrate on presenting these on Bechler River and Boundary Creek. Yellowstone River is now open to fishing above the falls. Big stoneflies are about to go through. Fishing on Shoshone Lake tapers off this time of year, but picks up in September, same with Lewis Lake. If you intend to fish Fall River in the park, water releases from Grassy Lake much impact fishing success this time of year. These releases happen on irrigation demand, and can be irregular well into August. For a few days after such a release wet fly fishing (streamers, wooly bugger types, SJ worms, etc.) beats dry fly fishing if you want to encounter the large cut-bows present in the river.

Yellowstone Park 6-21-16

Good news for all you Beula Lake fans. The Ashton-Flagg Ranch Road is open. It’s a bit rough in places, so drive your vehicle accordingly. In the early season damselfly nymph and small leech patterns work best here. Cinnamon caddis, speckled dun, and damselfly emergences are not far away. Access to Fall River is also open at several places along the Ashton-Flagg Road. River flow is low for the time of year because April was warm enough to melt a good amount of snow at higher elevation.  Dry fly fishing is good along the river with PMDs, yellow sallies, caddisflies, and some green drakes emerging. Wind blown giant and golden stoneflies will bring trout to the surface.   Compare the visits to Fall River Basin with those to the Yellowstone and Madison drainages within the Park, and you will see why the Basin is such a great place to fly-fish. We can provide information for fishing Fall River Basin throughout the fishing season. It’s at your finger tips if you get in touch with us!

Yellowstone Park 6-18-19

Give Fall River Basin streams another week or so and dry fly conditions will prevail.  Our trip into Bechler Meadows yesterday resulted in wet fly conditions with streamer patterns fished deep being the best producers. As per usual this time of year the mosquito population is fierce, their nature the same, meadows a bit wet, and wildlife signs abundant. The Firehole River is still fishing very well, but with warm weather coming up, look for trout activity to begin tapering off.  Dry fly fishing on the Madison River is improving with PM caddisfly and oncoming PMD hatches providing action. If you are willing to carry a flotation device into Shoshone Lake and concentrate on fishing around weed beds with leech, scud, and streamer patterns, your reward will be non-stop action from juvenile lake trout (17″-21″), and a few brown and brook trout. Be sure to use a full-sink line.  Trout Lake opened to fishing on the 15th of this month. Some of the largest cutthroat-rainbow trout in the park reside here, and the next few weeks will be the best time encounter them until the lake begins it usual algae bloom.  Run-off prevails on Lamar River drainage stream but is decreasing.