Fishing Report

Updated on July 2, 2009

Click the green links for streamflow information to appear in a new window.

Fishin' Hole of the Week

Gardner River.  For those able to manage this rugged river and its canyon, dredging stonefly nymphs, fishing caddis dries, and soon adult stoneflies will bring excellent action.

Montana Rivers and Lakes near Gardiner, MT

Yellowstone River outside the Park (Corwin Springs, Livingston, Springdale, Big Timber)

Updated July 2

Still dropping into shape.  About a week should do it for streamers, a few days more for dries.  We're hoping for floatable conditions when the Salmonflies get moving.

Depuy's, Armstrong's, and Nelson's Spring Creek (Paradise Valley spring creeks)

Updated June 20

Some PMDs now hatching.  Fishing will get progressively better until early July and stay that way for a solid month.  Unfortunately, bookings will be tight.  Now on summer rod fees of $100/angler/day.

Yellowstone River Drainage Small Streams

Updated July 2

Still too high.  This will start to change in a couple weeks.

Beartooth Plateau Lakes

Updated June 20

No reports, but some of the lower lakes should be turning on now.

Boulder River

Updated July 2

Stonefly nymphs and streamers.

Madison River above Ennis Lake (1, 2,)

Updated June 26

With the stoneflies now hatching below Ennis, get over there and dredge stone nymphs.  Hint: Fish in the Madison drainage don't see NEARLY as many Matt's Stones as those on this side of the Gallatin Range. 

Madison River below Ennis Lake

Updated July 2

Starting to get too warm.

Gallatin River outside the Park

Updated July 2

High and dirty but probably fishable below the Taylor Fork, high and cold above, but worth a shot if you're in the area.  Will probably fish okay with streamers and stonefly nymphs

Missouri River above Canyon Ferry Reservoir

Updated July 2

Still a bit dirty.  Probably still some big rainbows around, but our main interest in this water is carp.

Missouri River below Hauser Dam

Updated April 26

There are a lot of better, less crowded places to fish until October.

Missouri River below Holter Dam

Updated July 2

With water in our area now "on" or turning on, we encourage you to check with Helena or Craig shops.

Yellowstone National Park: Yellowstone Mainstem and Tributaries

Yellowstone Lake

Updated June 20

Mike Cline, who wrote the Wikipedia entry on our shop, reported good success on opening day both for cutts and lakers.  The lake trout ate gray and white Clousers, while the cutthroat ate black Bunny Leeches.  Callibaetis Nymphs cast to cruisers are also good bets, though there are a lot less cruisers than there were fifteen years ago.  Remember, you must kill all lake trout caught.  They're good grilled or smoked.  If you don't want to keep them, kill them with a knife through the gills, then puncture their air bladders and practice your throwing skills by launching them into deep water.  This last bit is actually an NPS recommendation.

Yellowstone River below Yellowstone Lake, YNP

Closed until July 15 09.

Grand and Black Canyons of the Yellowstone

Updated July 2

The lake has stopped rising, so the Grand Canyon should turn on very soon.  Strip streamers or dredge stonefly and large attractor nymphs.  We use only four nymphs early on: A Matt's Black or Golden Stone trailing either a #12 BH Prince or a #12 Wiese's Four Feather.  Black Canyon needs a week. 

Yellowstone River Drainage Small Streams

Updated June 26

Now fishable.  Blacktail is looking good, though it's still high.  Cascade similar.  On the upside, these fish probably haven't seen many flies since September or even August.

Yellowstone Drainage Small Ponds and Lakes

Updated July 2

Blacktail Pond bird closure should now be lifted, so this brookie pond is now worth a shot, especially early in the morning or right before dark.  Beware the marshy ground along the lake shore!  It's good to fish this one with a buddy in case you fall into the peat bog.

Yellowstone National Park: Lamar River Drainage

Lamar River

Updated July 2

Blown.  It will probably be the 15th before this one's ready, at least in the famous valley portion.  We suspect it will fish a week from now above Soda Butte.

Soda Butte Creek (Park Boundary, Lamar Trail Bridge)

Updated July 2

Blown.  It will be the 15th or so.

Slough Creek

Updated July 2

Still really high and cold, but getting there.  Black buggers in the Lower Meadow should bring some big rainbows and hybrids now.  For the real "Slough Creek Experience," wait another week.  The upper meadows (especially Frenchy's and Third) will probably come on sooner than First Meadow or dry fly fishing in the Lower.

Small Streams

Blown and/or have cutthroat spawning in them.  Leave them alone.

Lakes

Updated June 26

Trout Lake now open and a good bet both for fishing and fish-watching.  LEAVE THE INLET AREA ALONE!!!  Yes, this means you, self-righteous float-tubers who seem to think casting a Woolly Bugger into the pod of staging spawners near the log from your inner tubes is somehow different from the guy chucking spoons that direction while standing six inches from the NO FISHING sign.  Catch and Release is worthless if you disrupt spawning.  Rant over.  Use small beadheads and midges under indicators with a twich every thirty seconds, strip leeches or damsels, or sight-fish to cruisers with a small attractor dry as an indicator trailing a #16-20 flashy beadhead.  It's amazing how often they'll eat the dry.  McBride Lake unreachable due to snowmelt until at least mid-July.  Others with even slightly reasonable access are fishless.  Head Guide Walter Wiese caught a 24" rainbow from Trout on 6/25, a day before his birthday.  Nice present.

Yellowstone National Park: Gardner River Drainage

Upper Gardner

Updated July 2

Clear but very cold and high.  The tribs are a better bet.

Lower Gardner

Updated July 2

NOW the stoneflies are hatching!  Numbers of stoneflies are down, presumably due to last year's gullywasher thunderstorms that silted in the lower river until runoff this spring cleared it out.  Nymphs are producing better than dries for us so far, but the river is low and clear enough that dries are a viable bet.  Good caddis and smaller stonefly hatches have also begun below Boiling River, while above it's still mostly a nymphing gig for another ten days, roughly.

Small Streams

Update July 2

Getting more consistent each day.  Obsidian Creek surprisingly crowded this PM.  These waters actually see heavy hatches of caddis, Green Drakes, Yellow Sallies, and even occasional Salmonflies and Golden Stones, but usually all you need is your favorite attractor trailing a beadhead.  We like the classic PFS Trude/Prince combo. 

Ponds

Updated July 2

Time to start looking at Grizzly Lake rather than Joffe.  Joffe has been fished hard since the opener and is at relatively low elevation, so it's best to let it be for awhile.

Yellowstone National Park: Madison River Drainage

Madison River

Updated June 26

Fishing well.  Some PMD and caddis in the PM.  If nothing's happening, try streamers and large nymphs in the slower runs.  Getting to the point where it can be crowded in popular areas.

Firehole River

Updated July 2

Warming up quick.  Follow the hatches: the Nectopsyche have hatched in the AM down low and the PM above Midway.  The water temperatures in the Lower Geyser Basin have reached the point that I'd avoid the water below Midway after 1:00PM.  Jump over to the Gibbon or Nez Perce.  Another week (or less) and the Firehole will be done for the summer season.

Gibbon River

Updated July 2

Good caddis, PMD, and drake hatches in the meadows.  Some caddis and PMD in the canyon, with darker (unknown) caddis in the AM and some Nectopsyche (?) in the late afternoon.  Still hitting Trudes, though there have been more refusals of late.  Water temperatures have been climbing into the high 60s in the canyon in late afternoon, though with the expected slight cooldown, it shouldn't get any warmer for ten days or so.  After the 15th everything below Norris will become very questionable.  The water above Norris is now ready to go for swarms of small fish, though there's an occasional larger one between Virginia Cascade and Norris and above Upper Gibbon Falls.  Also some grayling in these locations.

Grebe Lake

Updated July 2

Fishing well with small nymphs.  Some Callibaetis and midges will bring rises.

Small Streams   

Updated June 12

Nez Perce Creek is ready to roll, though don't get suckered into fishing the skinny water near the picnic area.  Hit the trail.  The Little Firehole is also purported to be fishing well, on soft hackles.

Yellowstone National Park: Gallatin River Drainage

Gallatin River

Updated June 20

Still very high and cold, but clear.  Sort of the same deal as the Gardner, in that it is fishable and may fish quite well without crowds.  It's all subsurface for a couple more weeks.

Small Streams

Unfishable until early July.  Check with West Yellowstone or Big Sky shops --we're not on this water much.

Yellowstone National Park: Snake River Drainage

Snake River

Updated July 2

Still blown.

Lewis River

Updated July 2

Some hatches in the meadows, while there should be caddis and smaller stones down in the crazy-rough canyon.  Hint: fish those deep pools where you can't raise a fish to a dry with streamers.

Lewis/Shoshone Lakes

Updated July 2

Streamers still the best bet, but maybe some risers in the evening or 9-noon.  Get the sinking lines out otherwise.

Small Streams

Updated May 22

There's a beaver dam on Aster Creek that looks mighty interesting, despite the waist-deep snow still surrounding it.  Otherwise, don't even think about it until July.

since4/8