SPRING FISHING ON THE YELLOWSTONE AND BEYOND
From sometime in late November to early March, the winter months can become most tedious and frustrating to some members of the fraternity of fly fishers. Not everyone cares to fish the spring creeks or travel to the Big Horn and some, through choice, care not for braving the elements. What with frigid north winds blowing over ice covered rivers and snow covered landscapes, some fly fishers turn to the fly tying bench and turn concoctions of feathers, furs and steel into imitations of insects and organisms which the trout feed upon. The hours spent at the tying bench have saved the sanity of some, while forcing others into extreme marital altercations when favorite pets are trimmed, or when thread, yarn or various craft items have been pilfered. But marital problems aside, the hours spent at the vise provide a creative and relaxing outlet for many fly fishers and helps to fill the days until we can once again venture out to our favorite streams.
Talk of fly patterns and tying techniques has filled many an hour during the winter months. For every fly pattern that is documented in a magazine or book, there are twenty local favorites which are known to only the individual tyer or a few chosen friends Fly tiers are, by their very nature, a creative breed, always expanding materials and tying techniques. They are always looking for better patterns and sometimes they are just "playing" at the vise. I would like to tell you that all patterns are created after many hours of careful study and that the design of each successful fly pattern was due to hundreds of hours of research and study. But alas, that wouldn't be true, for some of the most effective patterns were created quickly and with little thought, and some were even developed by those tyers who were just "playing" at the vise!!! However, it is the creative essence which endears us to our hobby and sport. For the most part, both the professional and gifted amateur tiers have shared with us, down through the years, patterns, tying techniques and fishing methods most unselfishly. This was done in the true spirit of sharing knowledge and advancing our sport.
Therefore, in that same spirit of sharing, I offer the following pages of notes and fishing tips (and other ramblings) on spring fishing on the Yellowstone River. In hopes that it will help some of you, inspire some and perhaps amuse others.
For those of you who are just starting your career in angling or fly tying, I suggest that you "Keep it Simple" with both fly patterns and fishing techniques. Trust me; it will become complicated soon enough!! Be sure to master each method before moving on. Everyone, even the best of fly fishers, all started the same at the beginning. Fly fishing and fly tying can be advanced to any level, where the person can be completely happy. Not all turn into crazed fishing junkies whose whole life is consumed by fly fishing and tying. Gee, that last statement sounds like...., well, moving right along.
For those of you who are more accomplished angler/tyers, I suggest that you be creative. Don't be afraid to experiment and don't get stuck in a rut. Always keep an open mind. An open mind learns whereas a closed mind stagnates.
There is no set formula or secret, mythical fly pattern, rod, reel, fly line, leader or fishing method which will always guarantee fishing success during your day’s astream. Rather, angling success depends on careful consideration of all the pertinent and available data, such as water temperature, water clarity, air temperature, weather conditions, hatches, past experiences, knowledge of aquatic organisms found in the water you intend to fish, knowledge of the trout and its habits, knowledge of pattern types, presentation methods and, of course, a measure of luck. I call this following a "Formula for Success".
For those of you who are just starting out, you must go through the trial and error method of acquiring this information or rely upon the angling expertise of your friends. Even with the help of an "Expert", luck is the one element which no one has control over. Regardless of our knowledge and skill level, there are still days when the trout seem to have taken a holiday. But with the proper angling knowledge, the fishless days are fewer.
If trout were always easily caught, soon many would find our sport boring and turn to other endeavors (like golf, Ugh!) Happily this is not the case, for the minute we think we have all the answers the trout promptly humble us. Such is the funny, sometimes frustrating, yet always challenging, world of fly fishing. I'll bet you're wondering if we are ever going to get to the Spring fishing part. Well cheer up! It's coming up next.
SPRING FISHING ON
THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER
Spring fishing on the Yellowstone River varies from year to year, depending upon how soon winter relinquishes its icy grip. In some years winter never seems to get a grip and we fish throughout the winter and spring. In some years winter acts like it will never end and we seldom get on the river before mid-March. But then again, there have been times when we have been able to fish during February. Therefore, to add to the confusion I have created, I will qualify my statements about spring fishing on the Yellowstone with normal . However, in view of the weather patterns of recent years, no one alive can still remember what "normal" is. Are you confused yet?!
There are several factors which come together and cause the fishing from mid-February to early May to be some of the finest trout fishing of the year on the Yellowstone.
During mid-February we have many bright, warm, sunny days and this slowly raises the temperature of the water, which may have been down to 31 degrees during the coldest part of the winter. Around mid-February the rainbow trout begin the annual spawning run which lasts into early May.
Brown trout will be actively feeding as the water temperatures warm. They are still recovering from their spawning run of October to December which has them going into the coldest months in the poorest shape. Also, as the water and air warm, the hatches start to appear. First it is the midges, then the blue winged olives, followed by the western march browns and finally the caddis hatch, which, by the way, has become rather famous on the Yellowstone River. Because of these factors, weather and water conditions permitting, the fishing during this time period is excellent.
The Yellowstone River is one of my personal favorites to fish in the winter (and not because it's close to home either). Over the years I have developed a system of methods, flies, lines and leaders which I have found to be successful for me. (Of course, you know that this means that I have caught at least one trout on each.) Therefore, after enjoying such success I thought I would share this system with you.
These are by no means the only patterns or methods which will work, and I strongly urge you to get a second opinion. No, no, I mean that these are only guidelines to what I have found to be effective for me. I recommend that the angler constantly experiment with new patterns and presentation methods.
TACKLE FOR THE EARLY SEASON
Now I know that everyone always starts out these sections with, "If I had to choose one all around rod it would be a ...." Well, I don't have to choose one rod. As a matter of fact, I have FOUR fly rods that I use for my early season fishing.
For fishing small flies, like the midge and blue winged olive, my favorite rod is my Orvis One Weight. This rod allows me to make delicate casts over trout that can be very spooky and selective. As for fighting the trout, the One Weight allows me to land a trout (regardless of the size) faster than any other rod I use. Why? Because the rod allows me to "feel" everything the trout is doing and the rod absorbs some of the lunges of the trout without breaking the fine tippets. The only reel I use on my One Weight is a CFO 123 with 100 yards of 12 pound test micron backing and a DT1F line. For leaders I prefer to use a 10 foot braided butt leader generally I am using 6X or 7X tippets.
The next fly rod that I use is a toss up between my Orvis PM-10 844, which is an 8’4” rod for a four weight line, and my Orvis HLS Trico, which is an 8'6" rod for a three weight line. Both of these rods allow me to fish any of the dries I use during this time of the year, along with nymphs in the 12 to 22 size range. Both rods will lay out a decent line in a fairly stiff breeze, yet both allow me the "feel" I demand from a rod when fighting trout on light lines and fine tippets. For reels I use a Hardy Featherweight on the HLS Trico with 75 yards of 12 pound test micron backing and a WF3F Mastery XPS line from SA . I also prefer to use braided butt leader on this rod.
For the PM-10 844 rod I use an Orvis Battenkill 3/4 with 100 yards of 12 pound test backing and a WF4F Mastery XPS line from S.A. I also carry two extra spools for the four weight. One is loaded with a Mastery clear Stillwater sinking line which has a sink rate of 1.25-1.75 inches per second, and the other spool is loaded with a Mastery Wet Tip II WF4FS, which has a sink rate of 1.50-2.00 inches per second. On this rod I use a conventional monofilament butt section and leader. On the sinking lines and sink tip, I use a leader of 4 to 5 feet.
The next rod in my early season arsenal is what many refer to as the all around rod. This is an Orvis PM-0 856, 8-1/2 foot for a six weight line. I use this rod on windy days or when I am fishing nymphs in the 6 to 10 size range. I also use this rod when I am using sinking lines with fast sink rates. If pushed I can always use longer tippets and fish small dries or nymphs with it. Here again, this rod delivers the power I need yet retains the "feel" I demand of a rod when fighting a fish. On this rod I use an SA II 6/7 or Orvis Battenkill reel with 100 yards of 20 pound micron backing. I also carry three extra spools. For leader, all of my butt sections coming off the fly lines are made from .025 Maxima and all my leaders are monofilament. Many of them I build myself for a specific use.
On my six weight I use the following lines. All of them are S.A.: WF6F Mastery GPX, WF6S Uniform Sink Type I, 1.50-2.25 inches per second sink rate, Mastery Wet Tip IV WF6F/S, 3.75-5.25 inches per second sink rate, and a Mastery Windmaster Intermediate Sink Line WF6S, with a sink rate of 1.25-1.75 inches per second.
The last rod in my season arsenal is my "Big Gun", an Orvis PM-10 9010 which is a 9 foot for a 10 weight . I use this rod to fish big nymphs or streamers in heavy runs or deep pools. For a reel I use an SA System II 8/9. This reel will hold 200 yards of 20 pound micron backing plus 100 feet of sinking shooting line and a 30' sinking shooting taper. I carry all four sink rates of shooting tapers. I also carry two extra spools loaded with a Uniform Sink Type IV, WF10S, with a sink rate of 4.00-5.00 inches per second and a Mastery Wet Tip IV, WF10F/S, which has a sink rate of 3.25-5.50 inches per second. All of these lines have a 30 pound Maxima butt section and the leaders are all ones that I build myself. With this tackle system I can handle any of the presentation methods I need while fishing on the Yellowstone during the spring season.
Before we move into presentation methods and fly patterns, we need to discuss the effects of water temperature in relation to how it can affect the trout's activity levels.
If the water temperature has been a fairly constant 34 degrees the fishing will be rather slow as the trout will be sluggish. During this time period you would have to bounce the fly right into the trout's mouth. However, if the water temperature warms up to 39 degrees the trout's activity level increases. If the water temp stayed at 39 degrees there would be a flurry of feeding activity that would last for 3 to 5 days. Then, if the water temp remained at 39, you would notice a decrease in the feeding activity as the trout adjusted to the water temps. This goes on until the water temperatures reach 46 to 48 degrees. Then the feeding activity becomes fairly constant. Generally by late March the water temperature on the Yellowstone is 46 degrees or higher. Therefore, it can be important for the angler to determine not only what the water temperature is, but what it has been!! Now, on to presentation methods and fly patterns.
MINNOWS & SCULPINS
The Yellowstone River has a very healthy population of sculpins, dace, trout, whitefish and sucker minnows. These minnows represent a large meal and large prey so they are seldom ignored by the opportunistic trout. The prime factors which can govern the techniques used are the water temps and the depth of the water to be fished.
Remember that the activity levels of the trout and the minnow forms are directly tied to the water temperatures. Therefore in cold water temperatures of say 36 to 44 degrees, I like to fish minnow imitations in the long, deep, slow pools. For this I will use a Western Feather Streamer and a sinking shooting taper. I will cast slightly up and across the pool and allow the imitation to sink to the bottom and just bounce along the bottom of the pool at the speed of the current. The takes are very subtle and you have to be very alert. However this technique has produced some very large trout over the years. As the water temperature rises I might impart a little action in the form of twitching the rod tip. In a heavy run under similar conditions I would use either the sink tip or the Uniform Sinking line. My first choice would be the tip as the floating portion of the line would allow me to mend and actually slow down the imitation to even a slower speed than the current. or this method I prefer a sculpin pattern, something like Travis Yellowstone Sculpin or the Olive Mottled Sculpin Bugger.
As the water temperature reaches that 46 to 48 degree range, I would switch to the six weight outfit and fish the minnow imitations in several different areas. One of my favorite and most effective methods is to use the WF6S, Mastery Windmaster Intermediate Full Sinking line and fish both feather and marabou style streamers through medium fast, medium depth riffles. I use short 50" leaders (sometimes shorter) on all my sinking lines. When using this method I both dead drift and dart the imitation.
Not all streamers are fished deep. I have seen brown trout in only 3 or 4 inches of water chasing sculpins and dace minnows. Therefore I always have a few unweighted streamers in my box. As you might guess, these are fished on a floating line. However, because the trout in shallow water tend to be a wee bit spooky, take care in your approach and your casting.
NYMPH FISHING
Throughout the early season I tend to do a lot of nymphing. First off because it's productive and secondly because I enjoy it. Oh don't worry, when there is dry fly or emerger action I am quick to change and take advantage of it. During this time of the year the bottom of the river is alive with mayfly, stonefly and caddis nymphs and larvae. The trout take full advantage of this bounty. Many days I have stood and watched trout tailing and grubbing along the bottom in their efforts to dislodge nymphs of one sort or another. In the flats and slow pools I use a floating line. Often in the riffles I will use an intermediate sinking line. In the heavier runs and rougher water I will use a sink tip. In the deep, slow pools I might use a Type II or III Uniform Sink. There is nothing secret about the nymphing methods. They are nothing more than the standard methods like upstream dead drift, up and across dead drift, Leisenring lift and the old, down and across wet fly swing.
However, I do have some favorite patterns such as the Rubber Legs Hare's Ear Nymph, the Whitlock Red Fox Squirrel Nymph, Travis Beadhead Flexi-Prince, George's Brownstone Nymph and the Peeking Caddis Nymph in sizes 8 to 14. For Blue Winged Olives I use Black Sawyer Pheasant Tail Nymphs in sizes 16 & 18. For midge nymphs I prefer Tom's Copper Nymph and Tom's Black Wire Midge Nymph in sizes 16 to 20.
Often when nymphing I will use a multi‑fly cast, (using two or more flies at the same time). For this I have a special leader design See our "Free Take One", Fishing the Forgotten Wet Flies for that leader design. Editor’s Note: [Will be published at a later date]
MIDGE FISHING
From early February until late April the Yellowstone River has some of the finest midge fishing in the state. The midge hatches are prolific and heavy. The trout feed actively during the midge hatches. This is the time for the Orvis One Weight or the Orvis PM10 844 rod. This is careful, fine tippet work, where the trout can be both shy and selective. Often times I look for foam pools or back eddies for the best midge action. Another favorite method I use is to fish the clear Mastery Stillwater WF4S line as the hatch starts to fade. Then I fish a pair of drowned adult midges down through a flat and through the riffle. Often this will produce several more decent trout.
The caddis hatch on the Yellowstone starts around the 25th of April and carries on into May until we lose the river to the annual spring run‑off. If you've never fished the caddis hatch on the Yellowstone, you owe it to yourself to make sure you do. Why, the fishing is so good that even guide types like me can catch fish and that is pretty remarkable in itself.
For more detailed information on midging trout see our "Free Take One" Tips on Midge Fishing Western Waters. [Editor’s Note: This will be published later]
The spring fishing on the Yellowstone offers the visiting angler plenty of action on some great water and is a time of year when it is seldom, if ever, crowded.
So next spring grab your gear and come on out. Maybe I'll see you on the river.
Good Fishin' & Enjoy