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Tackle and Accessories
Yellowstone National Park and the area in general offer a very wide range of fishable waters and situations you may be forced to meet. Every piece of gear you own, from your six foot cane midge rod with a double-taper silk line to your 14' eight weight spey rod with a Hi-D sink tip might prove useful at one time and place or another. Most situations, however, can be met by a much smaller set of gear. We can provide everything mentioned on this page, if you don't have it or don't want to bring it on the plane, and rent both rods and wading gear, but if you do want to bring your own gear, the following recommendations will ensure you've got the right stuff. Click the appropriate link at the top of this page for fly pattern and hatch information.
Rods
In general, rods in Yellowstone should be long and of medium weight, from three to seven weight. The wide range of fishable waters in Yellowstone means that you will be most successful if you come equipped with several rods, to meet a fairly wide range of circumstances. Even if you plan to only fish dry flies on Soda Butte Creek with light tippets, a thunderstorm that turns your stream of choice into a roiling red-brown mess might make you wish you had the necessary gear to dredge stonefly nymphs on the Gardner. If you do have only one rod, it should be either a nine foot five weight or a nine foot six weight. Otherwise, here are our suggestions on which rod to bring. All rods should be paired with reels with a smooth drag and a palming rim and at least fifty yards of backing. Reels need not be top dollar, but having something smooth helps avoid breakoffs when fishing light tippets. For more-specific tackle recommendations, contact us.
| Rod Purpose | Line Weight | Length | Line Type |
| Light, match-the-hatch dry fly fishing, protecting light tippets | 3-4 | 8-9 feet | floating DT or WF |
| All-around rod: light fishing from a boat, fishing hoppers and attractors, most nymph fishing | 5-6 | 8.5-9 feet | floating WF |
| Thunderstick: fishing from a boat in the wind, nymphing with large flies, Salmonfly season, streamer fishing | 6-7 | 9-10 feet | floating and sink-tip WF |
The next rod to add would probably be a short, light rod for stalking small creeks. Walter uses as an 8' two weight. In the fall or when fishing extremely large flies on sinking lines, an eight weight with a shooting head might be nice.
Accessories and Terminal Tackle
In addition to your spare leaders and tippet material, you'll want to be sure to bring (or be ready to buy) the following accessories and pieces of terminal tackle:
| Polarized sunglasses | tape measure | sunscreen | bug spray |
| barb smashers and forceps | flashlight (for evening fishing) | camera(s) | bear spray and/or bear bells |
| dry fly floatant | flip-focal if needed | allergy pills | head net (late June and July only) |
| strike indicators (large and small) | hat, preferably one that covers your ears | aspirin or equivalent | knot-tying tool (optional) |
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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 |
