Fishing Yellowstone Np

[budman]

I will be camping in Yellowstone NP at the end of June and first of July. I visited there about 15 years ago but did not fish. Trying to find some ideas about fishing there. Looking to wade fish some but have no clue where to start. Looked up the NPS site and it gave me some regulations and then did a search and found lots of guide services that talked about what they offer but I plan on going it on my own. Any ideas would be helpful.

[Al Agnew]

This summer you may run into high water at that time...Yellowstone River watershed overall has 185% of normal snowpack, and it may take a long time to melt unless there's a lot of really warm temps in May and June. You can usually find fishable water in the park, but Lamar, Soda Butte, and maybe Slough Creek could be unfishable then. IF they are fishable, though, I'd hit those streams hard, and be willing to hike for a while to get away from the crowds. If you do, you should find some of the best cutthroat fishing you'll ever experience. If the streams on the northeast side of the park aren't fishable, the Madison and Gibbon are more likely to be, but that will mean the crowds will descend upon them.

So it's hard to give good advice for this summer. Going to be a lot of places in Montana and Wyoming that won't be fishable until late July, maybe even early August.

[Bill Butts]

Great point Al makes regarding snow pack and the associated runoff.

Highly suggest you contact both Bob Jacklin's Fly Shop and Blue Ribbon Fly Shop a couple of weeks before your planned arrival out there, and then again a couple of days prior to get the latest update.

The current info will not only determine where you will be able to fish, but also what fly patterns and sizes you will need.

Good luck and have a great trip to one of this country's most beautiful NP.

[Gavin]

I don't think Soda & Slough open to fishing until July 15th...so you might be limited to the South East part of the park in that time frame...Firehole, Gibbon, Madison, etc...Might try the Boulder or the Gallatin...depending on water level...Its usually more predictable in August.

[tnangler]

i recommend the Madison and firehole. they may be doing some work on the gibbon.

take a hike up a small hill and fish trout lake for nice cutties

also, if you don't mind hiking and have a float tube handy, Grebe Lake can be fun. they have artic grayling there.

don't be scared to fish the Madison outside the park. could catch some stoneflies.....between the lakes is good. 3 dollar bridge

stop in and see Kelly gallup at slide inn or MRO or Blue Ribbon are all good shops in or near west Yellowstone

enjoy your trip...if you have extra time go fish the green river in Utah and you might hit some late cicadas

[Tim Smith]

I actually ended up in Yellowstone about this time and while my fishing time ended up being family time, that actually worked out pretty well.

The Gardner, though high, was still loaded with naive, aggressive brook trout and I was able to take an army of fly fishing newbies from the family (ages 10-76) and hook them up with their first catches ever on the dry fly. Not a bad day fishing among the elk and bison (at a distance). We even had a family of bears walk in on us at one point...pretty exciting.

High water did seem to be an issue elsewhere. Snow pack was still high and rain was coming in almost daily.

Grebe Lake was not easily accessible as Wolf Lake had overflowed onto the connecting trail.

My camping neighbors tried Slough Creek, but high water made that unsuccessful.

The Gibbon was fishable, but again, only brook trout were available there...

I suppose a plate full of brookies doesn't really compare to the juggernaut browns in the Yellowstone or Yellowstone cutthroat on the main lake, but for kids and novices, it was a pretty good time.

[Al Agnew]

I haven't been able to fish while out here so far because we're remodeling the house and at the same time I gotta get several paintings done for a one man show at the gallery in Jackson WY that handles my work. But the Yellowstone is still quite high, flowing 11,000 cubic feet per second at Livingston. It's also still very murky, visibility no more than a foot and often less. It got up to well over 30,000 cfs back in May, and has changed considerably next to the house. It looks like our little side channel that was usually very wadeable and easy to cross to the island is now carrying close to 1/3rd the volume of the whole river. If it goes down enough to cross it, though, the island has gotten even longer than it was, and I would be able to reach and fish nearly a half mile of river from the house. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be wadeable once the river goes down, but it has to drop 2-3 feet yet to get down to a normal level (and 2-3 feet on a river like the Yellowstone takes a LONG time).

Salmon flies are apparently hatching like crazy 30 miles and more up the river from the house, and it's fishable up there though still very high.

[Roger Craig]

Not sure when it opens, by the fishing bridge is Pelican Creek, its a hike, 12-15 miles round trip, have to be in at sunrise, out at sunset, great hike, good fishing if water will let ya fish it.

Miss that area, lived in Jackson for 12 years, envy ya, wish I could go, came back to Branson to take care of mother pre nursing home, give me a holler, I know a few good places to check.

But like one previous said, June is 'early' for that are with snow melt and such, especially this year. Might try under Jackson darn also, over the pass into Idaho and north are some great places also.

Flag Ranch, area you can drive behind it, hike back and fish.....SO MUCH GOOD TIMES THERE

I should take people out there from the area, show them places, be the 'local' guide lol.

[Roger Craig]

Also be careful, lots of differant fishing rules, flies only, barbless only, be extra attentive to where you are fishing.

[Tim Smith]

Also be careful, lots of differant fishing rules, flies only, barbless only, be extra attentive to where you are fishing.

This is one reason the brookies were a positive alternative. The restrictions were much less on this species. The policy there is pretty much "take my brook trout please" and there is a long term policy in place to gradually replace the brookies with native cutthroat.