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2009 Season River Conditions Outlook
Updated July 3, 2009
This page is meant to give potential visitors an idea of what to expect for the upcoming season, from month to month. This is generally very similar information to that found in our Trip Planner and Month to Month Rundown Article, but tailored for this year based on current conditions. Bear in mind that this information can become invalid after a week of freaky weather, but it can serve to give you a rough idea of what to expect.
July
Generally moderate late June temperatures accompanied by a lot of rain and cloudy skies slowed things down somewhat. As of the third, the Gardner's stonefly hatches have just begun. These should continue (accompanied by caddis) throughout the month. Some portions of the Firehole are already too warm in the afternoon. Within a couple days the entire Firehole will be too warm PM, and around the 10th this river will become too warm to fish until mid-September. The Gibbon below Norris Geyser Basin will turn off around the 15th, and the Madison will get very questionable about the same time. Both these rivers come back into shape around the beginning of September. The Yellowstone will become floatable around the 10th. The Lamar drainage will start becoming truly fishable around the same time. Slough Creek is currently marginal, while the Lamar and Soda Butte will not be fishable at all until the 10th. The Yellowstone in the canyons will start fishing very well as soon as the discharge from Yellowstone Lake begins to noticeably drop, which should happen any day. The stretch from the lake to the falls will probably be tough again this year, with limited but very large fish.
Late July fishing should be absolutely GREAT except in streams that typically get too warm (Firehole, lower Gibbon). If you've ever thought of floating the Yellowstone or making the hike to the upper Lamar or the Second Meadow of Slough, and you didn't do these things last year, do them this year. Late July and early August last year produced the best dry fly fishing our region has seen in over a decade, and all signs point towards very similar fishing this year, with the added bonus of a better chance of hitting the Salmonflies from the drift boats.
August
August is probably going to be awesome. That's really all there is to it. The typical spring/fall fisheries like the Firehole and lower Gibbon will be out of play, but everything else will have some of the best fishing in a decade, a virtual repeat of last year. In 2008 August offered the best combination of high but "low enough" flows for easy fishing we saw all year, accompanied by outstanding dry fly fishing (especially hoppers and Spruce Moths, with hatches best early and late). July and August were both exceptionally busy months in our shop, both for over the counter business and guiding, and all signs point towards a repeat.
With Labor Day falling late this year, the last ten days of August should offer relatively small crowds accompanied by all summer amenities being open and comfortable late summer/early fall weather. This is always a "sleeper bet" for shedding crowds, since the "summer people" have all left and the fall visitors seeking to shed crowds come between Labor Day and the 25th of September, thereby creating their own crowds. This year it should be even better.
Walter Wiese expects to run floats through Yankee Jim Canyon starting around the 15-20th.
Note the road closure starting the 17th. This will probably reduce pressure somewhat on the famous rivers in the NE corner of the Park from this point until the end of the season; just make sure you don't stay in West Yellowstone on days you plan to fish this area!
September
It is really too early to predict conditions for September, because streamflow from this point in the year onwards depends more on summer weather than spring weather. September is usually excellent, though the fish can be spooky early in the month and the famous meadow streams in the Lamar Drainage tend to be crowded. The Yellowstone, Gardner, and small creeks clear out in a hurry around Labor Day, however. Also, the road closure should continue to help the northern Park waters. Note that you'll need to stay in West Yellowstone to be in easy range of the Madison, Firehole, and lower Gibbon once these waters turn on (usually around the 10th-20th).
October
With the road closures, we expect the Yellowstone and Gardner to be relatively empty of fellow anglers this October. Specific conditions will have to wait until October --October streamflow and fishing conditions depend more than any other month on what happens from day to day.
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Contact Information |
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| Phone: | (406) 848-7314 |
| Address: |
PO Box 196 202 Second Street South (US-89) Gardiner, MT 59030 |
since 3/31
