Yellowstone Park

Yellowstone Park, June 21st, 2022

The Park plans to open its South Loop roads tomorrow. There are conditions with respect to entry. View the Yellowstone Park web site for entry details. The Firehole River, where flow is dropping to normal, offers the best stream fishing because of cool unsettled weather with precipitation. Presenting BWO and caddis life cycle and soft hackle patterns are the best bets. Lewis and Shoshone Lakes are ice free and fishing on each should be good for those using boats. For Shoshone Lake, fishing from a boat requires travel up the river between the two lakes, or packing a flotation device to the lake. All permits and inspections required for boating must be obtained beforehand. Refer to the Park web site for details.

It is uncertain when to the North Loop roads will open. This isolates the Lamar, lower Yellowstone and lower Gardner Rivers and drainages from any access. Follow any progress through the Park web site.

Yellowstone National Park, June 14th, 2022

All entrances at the Park are closed until further notice. Check with the Park web site to find when entrances are/will open.

Yellowstone Park, June 4th, 2022

Fishing season is open in the park. As usual, the Firehole River offers the best stream fishing with BWO and caddis activity interesting fish. Soft hackled patterns make great emerger imitations for both insects. Spring spawning rainbows in the Madison River are done and are returning to Hebgen Lake providing some streamer fishing. Most other streams are high with run-off.

Here is the park fishing license situation. Lack of supplies to print and then send hard copy versions to retailers is behind, but should be solved soon. When they arrive here, we will post such on this report. For now,obtain park fishing licenses by going on line to recreation.gov.

Yellowstone Park, November 6th, 2021

The Park fishing season closes the end of the day this coming Sunday.

Yellowstone Park, November 2nd, 2021

Even though the park 2021 angling season terminates at the end of the day next Sunday, there are many fly-fishers chasing migrating brown and rainbow trout on the Madison River.

Yellowstone Park, October 26th, 2021

Want to fish in the park? You’d better hurry: there are only six days left to join the crowds on the Madison and the Gardner Rivers. The Firehole River still offers good top or near top water fishing,but getting there could be a bit “iffy” because of road and weather conditions. Check with the park website for current road conditions to the Firehole and also to the Lewis River where the best concentration almost anywhere of migrating brown trout is ongoing.

Yellowstone Park, October 23rd, 2021

Only eight days remain in the park 2021 fishing season, and most of it will be wrapped around encountering migrating brown trout (and rainbow trout in the Madison River). Especially visited will be the Gardner, Gibbon, Madison, and Lewis (and to a lesser extent the Snake and lower Firehole) Rivers. Ethics comes into play here perhaps more than in any other season. Crowds, much denser than in the past, will be present on all waters, so courtesy comes into play, especially when encountering less experienced or thoughtless anglers.

Caution and ethics play a big role where spawning redds are observed. These are concentrated in water usually less than three feet deep and of almost a walking speed current. They appear as light colored round or oval area with a central depression compared to a darker general substrate. It does not matter if redds or occupied or not; all should not be disturbed physically or fished over if occupied.by spawning or fighting fish. What is going here is formation of the next generation of brown trout, any fly fisher of forward hinking wants the next generation

Yellowstone Park, October 16th, 2021

Lot’s of anglers are present on the Madison River from Baker’s Hole upstream to the Gibbon-Firehole Rivers confluence. The Firehole River continues to offer good fishing (BWOs, PM caddis, and diminishing white millers are active and soft hackled patterns are a “must have ” item), but cold weather gear is in order. So is watching road conditions as unsettled weather is coming. This really applies if you plan to fish the Lewis River brown trout run which is a lot tougher to approach than the runs up the Madison and Gardiner Rivers.

Only a few weeks remain in the 2021 fishing season.

Yellowstone Park, October 12th, 2021

The brown trout run is on- going in good numbers in the Lewis River channel, but the snow is deep! Cross country skis or snow shoes may help, but the park discourages going there under present weather conditions. Fishing the brown-rainbow run in the Madison River is different with crowds and passable roads to a point. For certain, the Firehole River features very good fishing but the problem is getting there. The brown trout run up the Gardner River should come on soon, but so will the crowds.

Yellowstone Park, October 9th, 2021

The Hebgen Lake run-up fish are moving through the Madison River and the crowds are building anywhere within from Baker’s Hole to the Gibbon-Firehole River confluence. If you venture to the river to enjoy these browns and rainbows, bring you tolerance for folks who are either impolite or not understanding of on the stream etiquette. The Firehole River still offers good top water fishing with BWOs and some white millers, but watch the weather.