Other

Most of the things mentioned on this page aren't hatches in the usual sense. Still, it makes sense to know when to expect to fish certain things, ranging from streamers to beetles. The following tables and discussion note these other possibilities you need to be aware of. As for all of the other hatches of note, specific information is given on the appropriate sub-page under the Our Waters page.

Click one of the following links to jump directly to the subject of the link, or simply scroll down to view all information on other flies and hatches important when fly fishing the Yellowstone area.

Fortunately for anglers in the Yellowstone area, midges are usually not important enough to warrant matching. Exceptions are smaller stillwaters and spring ponds like Joffe Lake and the Glen Creek Beaver Ponds, where fish sometimes target emerging midges and a Griffiths Gnat is needed. The only midge I've ever seen draw the attention of fish in a river besides during the winter is a fairly large black midge that I've seen a handful of times on the Yellowstone in early July (it was never the bug) and once on the Gibbon (where it was). A small Black Caddis is close enough to match this insect.

The importance of terrestrials in Yellowstone country is both overrated in some respects and underrated in others. It is overrated in that many of our streams continue to have hatches all summer long, especially of mayflies, and therefore don't require the angler to show the trout in said streams imitations of insects that do not, in all honesty, appear on their menu very often. Even on streams where daytime hatches tend to peter out by the end of July, like the Yellowstone and Gardner, attractor patterns often outperform terrestrials. On the other hand, terrestrials are underrated in terms of the timeframe most people commonly believe they are effective. Hoppers can be effective in non-hatch situations by the 10th of July, at least two weeks before most authorities suggest their use. Beetles become effective even earlier. The Firehole can fish well with them in mid-June, for example.

Terrestrials are by their very nature searching patterns or patterns to use when targeting an individual fish that is either not feeding or not feeding on anything one can discern. This is especially true of grasshopper patterns. Of the insects listed above, the only ones likely to draw truly selective rises are ants and spruce moths. Ants draw selective rises when swarms of flying ants are blown into the water or otherwise become available in large numbers to the trout, an event most common on Slough Creek, while spruce moths attract fish when they fall into the water from overhanging evergreens, most common in well-wooded areas like upper Soda Butte Creek, some areas of the Lamar and Yellowstone, and the upper Gardner. A flying ant pattern imitates the former occurrence while a moderate-sized Yellow Stimulator or dedicated Elk Hair Spruce Moth (basically a big, fat, pale Elk Hair Caddis) matches the latter.

Regarding hoppers: Don't stick to standard patterns, especially after the 10th of August. By this time the trout have seen enough Parachute and Dave's Hoppers to tell which shop they came from. Odd, new, or strange patterns are almost always better. Lamar River Hoppers and other Chernobyl Hoppers that utilize different color combinations than the standard yellow and tan are extremely effective, as are natural and light green Letort Hoppers. When fishing "fur and feather" patterns like Letorts, feel free to let them sink slightly, as hoppers don't float well. Other good hopper patterns are usually considered attractor flies: Turck's Tarantulas, Yellow Stimulators, and even large caddis patterns all serve as grasshoppers and some other fly fish might see.

Regarding beetles: most contemporary beetle patterns are too "busy" with deer hair legs and so on sticking out all over. Avoid these patterns. They're designed to catch anglers instead of fish. By far the most effective beetle pattern is also the simplest: a foam beetle with a peacock herl or dubbed body and the foam pulled over the back and tied down at the head, with or without an indicator. That's it. Don't feel limited to black beetles, either. Brown, cinnamon, and olive are also effective.

Attractor dries are absolutely crucial for Yellowstone angling. If only allowed one category of dry flies, I would pick this category. If only allowed one single pattern, I'd choose a Coachman Trude. There are three reasons why attractors are so important. One, they are good searching patterns when no insects are on the water, because trout can "see what they want" when an attractor floats overhead. When coupled with a generic attractor nymph like a beadhead Prince, the combo is doubly effective. Two, attractors are highly visible and float well, factors which make them highly-suited to the many rough-and-tumble streams of our area. Flies that float and that you can see will get eaten more and you'll see more of your strikes. Three, trout will frequently single-out an attractor pattern even in the midst of a dense hatch, because it stands out slightly from the naturals. This is especially true when fishing caddis hatches late in the day, when the light is bad and the fish have as hard a time seeing flies as you do.

The attractors given here are only a baseline, so you can add your own favorites, but it's no coincidence that all the patterns I give above are listed in our table of "year-round standby" patterns. Attractors can do so much, so often, in so many water types (even Soda Butte and Firehole trout are suckers for a Trude or Royal Wulff at the right times) that they are indispensable.

Except for craneflies, the above critters are essentially lake prey, and all of them can be important, especially if no mayflies or caddis are hatching. Our area damsels are usually red-brown in color, and their nymphs are olive-green. A Skinny Damsel is my fly of choice to match them. Otherwise, gray-olive and pink scuds and black, brown, olive, and rusty Mohair Leeches or Woolly Buggers serve as leech patterns. I have yet to run into a situation where a cranefly would catch fish but nothing else would, so I don't recommend worrying about them.

Streamers are useful year-round to a degree limited by three factors: water temperature, aggressiveness of trout, and the availability of insect food for trout. In cold water, trout won't move for a streamer. If trout are not aggressive, they won't chase a streamer but may eat one bounced on their noses in a near-dead drift. If there's plenty of insect food available, as during most of the summer months, trout won't bother chasing food since it comes to them. On the other hand, cool water can prompt aggressive feeding frenzies, either because fish are preparing for the winter or recovering from it. Fish can also become aggressive when spawning or just prior to spawning. Likewise, when insect food is limited trout have no choice but to eat baitfish or things they think are baitfish. All of this adds up to spring and fall being the best times to fish streamers. Smaller streamers like Zonkers, buggers, and sculpins are all items that trout will see as food at certain times of the year and as enemies trying to intrude upon their redd or even just their lie at other times. Baby trout patterns are useful when brown trout are spawning, but are primarily useful for targeting lake trout.

Irritators are flies that don't look like food, often aggressively so, and which are designed to anger prespawn or spawning trout. I don't target spawning trout, but prespawn fish are a different story. Many traditional patterns in larger sizes serve as irritators at the right time of year (such as Matt's Stonefly Nymphs), and smaller, generic or attractor nymphs like beadhead Princes and Matt's Bead, Hare, and Coppers can work very well as small irritator nymphs. Early in the spawning cycle, when fish are running but have not yet become aggressive, these generic nymph-type irritators drifted through holding pools are more likely to attract pre-spawn fish than streamers or streamer-type flies. Later, larger nymph-type irritators like Matt's Creeps or large, flashy stoneflies with rubberlegs begin to work, but the smaller flies never lose their effectiveness.

Small streamer-type irritators are generally excellent for brook trout through most of the year. Of these, Matt's Joffe Jewel is the best. Larger irritators like Woolly Buggers in vibrant colors, Bunny Leeches, and other large, flashy patterns work best for browns in the fall and rainbows in spring, along the same lines as large traditional streamers.

Contact Information
Phone:	(406) 848-7314
Address:	PO Box 196 202 Second Street South (US-89) Gardiner, MT 59030
E-Mail	Richard Parks, Owner Walter Wiese, Head Guide

First Column:	The first column shows the insect/prey item or type of fly.
Second Column:	The second column shows hook sizes.
Remaining Columns:	The remaining columns show the months of the year. If a large X is present, the fly or insect is of major importance. If a small x is present, it has some importance. If a blank space is present, the insect/prey item or fly is not likely to be important.