Yellowstone River Fishing Report
Current Conditions:
The Yellowstone produced a lot of inconsistent days near the end of the summer but as temps drop and the number of anglers on the water has dropped the fishing has really turned on. Nymphing is still producing – try a rig with a very long indicator with no weight and make sure not to over mend. Big trailed by small is still the way to go so a wooly bugger, sculpin, rubber lets etc. on top trailed by a smaller attractor nymph is a good choice. The dry fly fishing has also really improved but the small mayfly style patterns from size 18-12 like grey wulffs and adams patterns are out producing terrestrials on many days. A pot luck of mayflies sprinkles off this time of year but it is enough to get trout looking. On overcast days there is a decent mahogany spinner fall in the later afternoon and evening. There are still some fish in the faster riffles and heavy water but they are starting to slide further back in the runs as water temperatures drop. Some trout are also moving into the slower tailout slicks and the big foam eddies looking for baetis mayflies and larger mahogany duns and spinners. Streamer fishing is slowly improving and should get better as we move farther into the fall.
The Month Ahead:
Fishing should remain very good for the next few weeks on the Yellowstone. Baetis hatches will continue to grow stronger by the day, especially with cloud cover. Streamer fishing will also improve. As water temps drop try a sinking head like a 200 grain line. The shorter “streamer tip” lines aren’t much better than a floating line so if you are going to go big you may as well do it right.
Long Term Fishing Forecast:
The Yellowstone can still be productive in November with continued baetis hatches but begins to turn off in December as winter settles in for good and ice shelves develop.
River Webcam in Gardiner
