Yellowstone River Report

Yellowstone National Park Season Opens Tomorrow

BigCutty — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:57:30 +0000

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the opening day of the fishing season in Yellowstone National Park. At least a few of the waters should be fishable right now, including that ol’ standby, the Firehole. The weather this weekend is going to be a bit ugly, but the hardy shouldn’t have any competition. Be sure to stop by the shop to pick up your 2012 YNP fishing permit. And also be sure to pick up, and read, the regulations, as some waters don’t open right away. Remember, YNP is lead-free; grab some bird-friendly split shot when you come by. We also carry bear spray, just in case.

Lake Time

BigCutty — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:40:26 +0000

With our freestone rivers entering full runoff, it’s a great time to check out some of our local lakes. They tend to fish very well this time of year. I myself have hit a couple in the last few days.

Story Lake Fattie

On Wednesday, my wife and I spent the day at (Upper) Story Lake, near Emigrant. The Story Lakes are a pair of small private lakes that can be fished for a moderate rod fee. After a somewhat hairy drive up the unimproved ranch road, towing the boat, we arrived at the lake, with it’s stunningly scenic views out over the Paradise Valley. We caught a number of fat, feisty Rainbows up to about 19″ (far from the largest in the lake). All of our fish were caught on CDC Pheasant Tail nymphs, allowed to drift or retrieved with a slow hand-twist retrieve. There were plenty of callibaetis mayflies in the air, and fish rising sporadically, so it would be worth taking some callibaetis dries with you as well. Other flies to try include chironomids and scuds. Call us at the shop (406-222-9393) for more information about these scenic lakes or to arrange a guided trip to this or one of the other private lakes we fish.

Hyalite Reservoir

Yesterday, I made my annual spring pilgrimage to Hyalite Reservoir, South of Bozeman (yes, the road is now open). The fishing was rather silly. The cutthroats (and even a few grayling and brookies) are schooled up near the inlets and are greedily chomping on small buggers and bead-head droppers (pheasant tails, prince nymphs…, it didn’t seem to matter). Expect the lake to be a zoo this weekend, but it’s worth the drive up on a weekday. If you’re going to wade, be sure to dress warmly, as the water was very recently a snow bank. And remember that you can’t legally fish the inlet streams themselves until July 15.

Today is also the general opener for streams in the state. Many of the higher altitude creeks will still be too cold for much action, but some of the lower altitude streams are still running clear and worth giving a shot. Get out there and explore a little while the Yellowstone and other “destination” rivers are out of commission.

Mother’s Day Caddis?

Superfly — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:38:37 +0000

Unfortunately the fishing on the Yellowstone never got as nutty as we were all hoping for. With expectations of Caddis mats for Tuesday and Wednesday we instead saw a rising river that remained fairly cold and just spotty caddis activity. But never fear, it looks like we may have another round of fishing. As we look towards the weekend we have a river that is dropping again at Corwin. So combined with overnight lows in the the 30′s tonight and tomorrow, we may yet have another wonderful Mother’s Day on Sunday. Keep in mind the best caddis fishing of the year for the last two years running was on Mother’s Day. Can you say Threepeat?

Enjoy the shot of Tony Valeriano holding a nice Yellowstone River brown. To book a trip with Tony Valeriano please email or call the shop. 406 222 9393. Thank you for checking the Yellowstone River Report and we hope to see you this weekend.

Caddis Up High

BigCutty — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:02:50 +0000

There was great caddis fishing up toward Carbella yesterday in the late afternoon and evening. Nothing much caddis-wise was happening down here near the shop, though the dry-dropper fishing was very good from Emigrant to Mallard’s Landing. So you might want to head upriver today. Clarity could be an issue today. There’s still a good 2 feet of visibility here at the shop, but the Lamar is up, as are flows at Corwin Springs. As long as you’ve got a foot or so of visibility, it should still be fishable, even with dries along the banks. If you’re not getting anything on top, try drifting something big and dark (a black stonefly nymph or Conehead Bugger?).

Caddis Cutty

As thoughts turn to runoff, it’s good to remember that there remain a number of good options for fishing in the area. There’s always the Spring Creeks, of course. You can also go after big fish for a modest rod fee at several private lakes in the area, including Story Lake near Emigrant. Give us a call at the shop (406-222-9393) if you want to discuss the options or arrange a day at one of these spots.

These Could Be The Days!

BigCutty — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:43:34 +0000

The predicted warm weather today and tomorrow could get the big caddis hatch going. It all depends on how much the water warms up. If it happens, expect the bugs to be out in force starting in the mid-afternoon. Chances are, the hatch should be best from town up through the Paradise Valley. Prior to the hatch, you might try a caddis pupa pattern; start fishing it deep and move it up in the water column (e.g., as a dropper off a dry fly) as the hatch time nears. Streamers can be effective, too, even during the hatch itself. Take an afternoon off and get out there!

Keep Fishing!

Superfly — Sun, 06 May 2012 16:35:39 +0000

A week from Mother’s Day and the fishing remains steady on the Yellowstone. The weather was colder than expected yesterday and the dry fly fishing wasn’t as productive as Thursday or Friday, but the fishing was good. Floating in the lower valley we were able to pull fish off the banks between squalls, generally fishing a dry dropper combo. It seems that the Sweetwater McDougal continues to be the Hot Dry and the nymph of the day was a toss up between the King Prince and the CDC Pheasant Tail (go figure).

Looking forward it appears as if the Yellowstone is going to stay in shape for at least the first part of the week.. Over night lows will remain in the 30′s….so get out and fish! Thanks for checking the Yellowstone River Report and please stop by the shop for updates and recommendations.

Dry Fly Action on the ‘Stone

BigCutty — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:01:25 +0000

I need to amend yesterday’s post; there is good dry fly action to be had on the Yellowstone River right now. We floated from Carter’s Bridge to 9th Street Bridge yesterday afternoon. The dry fly fishing was steady, if not spectacular. We came across plenty of fish rising along the banks. We saw both March Browns and a few caddis, but the fish seemed to be munching on the former. The evidence? Most of the fish were caught on Parachute Hare’s Ears (size 14), Rat-Faced McDougalls, and Irresistibles. Oops, we forgot to take any pictures, so you’ll just have to trust that we were catching fish.

Waiting…But Why Wait?

BigCutty — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:06:54 +0000

While you’re waiting on the caddis, you may as well get out and fish. The fishing was good on the Yellowstone River again yesterday and things should be just as good, or better, this weekend. The Yellowstone continues to drop (it’s down to about 5300 cfs) and clarity to improve. Fish are primarily being caught on nymphs, but a few are rising to dries. For nymphs, it’s hard to beat a King Prince or a CDC pheasant tail. Try either in about a size 14. If you want to prospect with dries, you might go with a March Brown imitation, an Irresistible, or a good old Parachute Adams. As for the caddis, the water temperature just hasn’t come up enough to get them going again. We need a warm spell (but not too warm, of course) to start the hatch up again.

Yellowstone Fishing Well Again

BigCutty — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:07:20 +0000

Word from our sources is that the Yellowstone River fished well yesterday. There were even a few caddis about, and fish munching on them along the sheltered banks in the late afternoon. Flows are down below 6000 cfs at Carter’s Bridge, with a bit of a bump from last night’s rain. I haven’t had a chance to look at the river this morning, but if the clarity was affected by the rain, it should be moving through pretty quickly. Water temperatures are still relatively low, which could put off the big hatch a bit longer. As long as we don’t get a lot of rain later in the week, things should be looking good towards the weekend, even if the bug explosion isn’t here yet. Get out while you still can.

Lower Madison Redux

BigCutty — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:20:49 +0000

Floated Warm Springs to Black’s Ford yesterday with my wife. The fishing was slower than yesterday; not sure why. She did manage to hook a few fish on the mangy caddis pupa. Didn’t see any risers or bugs on the water. The water temperature has fallen to about 51 degrees. Look for the caddis hatches to return when it gets back up to 54 or 56. Other flies to try include crayfish patterns, small mayfly nymphs (e.g., pheasant tails, lightning bugs), red copper johns, rubberleg stoneflies, and midge larva and pupa patterns, as well as streamers (buggers, JJ Special, etc…).