Yellowstone Help Please

[BH Spey]

Thanks for the suggestions thus far guys! I really do appreciate it! I'm definitely going to check out the lodging and fly shop website suggestions to gather as much info as possible for planning the trip. And Longs for Cutts will be my first call in looking at a guided trip!

As far as timing goes we are pretty flexible right now, he graduates mid-May and we could pretty much go any time from then until mid-September. He'll be looking for his first "Real Job" starting the end of May beginning of June so I'll have to be somewhat flexible; from what I'm hearing mid to late July is what I'll tentatively target. The original plan was to drive out with the pontoons, but based on your comments I'll start looking into flights to Bozeman and getting a car. Come to think of it, I think I've got a certificate for a free weeks car rental around here somewhere!


I've always thought of the Yellowstone area as Mecca for Fly Fisherman and am excited to be planning the trip and look forward to catch some new species of fish. There's no Grayling or Cuts to be found in the Driftless Area, our home waters. The best part of course will be spending some time with my son, if only the little $#!# would quit out fishing me!!!

[DG]

Grayling in Grebe Lake in the park, easy hike and easy to float tube. A few other spots around there with grayling, some common knowledge and others less so.

[narcodog]

Grayling can be caught in some of the lakes as was mentioned or in the streams. For stream fishing the upper Ruby, the upper Big Hole and the Red Rocks area. I was headed to the RR last year but was advised that it was not a smart idea due to a vey large presence of Grizzly's so I didn't go. Besure to pick up some bear spray before you hit the water.

[dave potts]

If you don't catch a fish, it will be a trip you will always remember. My wife and I went there in 1999, the year after I retired. We spent over a week there and still didn't see it all. Yellowstone is absolutely amazing in its beauty. It's like several parks rolled together with different scenery in different areas. I fished in a lot of places. Didn't catch a lot of fish, but I still consider it the best fishing trip of my life.

I told my wife-if God has a vacation home to get away to, it's somewhere in Yellowstone.

Dave

[BigA]

Scott,

I was in the park near the end of August and it was not unpleasant. The park was great, and the fishing in the park was decent despite the obvious heavy fishing pressure. I expected the crowds to be heavy, but it was worth putting up with the crowds to see the sights and be in the park. I did hike in the park to get away from the crowds, but there were quite a few people on the trails, too. I saw quite a bit of wildlife, including grizzly bears on the longer hikes that I took. I would assume that

I really like solitude. In my opinion, back packing or horse packing would be the best way of getting into more un-pressured fishing in the park and away from the tourists. I found that when I fished in areas outside of Yellowstone, I was able to get away from the crowds and into good fishing with much less effort.

[dunfly]

Yellowstone and Grand Tetons are too beautiful to just go fishing. I would plan on a lot of hiking and sight seeing in addition to the fishing. I would go early, Last week in May after fishing opens and the first week of June. By June 15 the Park gets very crowded and there are buffalo and bear jams everywhere. The downside is, that early your fishing is somewhat limited. The Firehole should be fishing well all the way up to the Gibbon.

Another place we fished was the upper part of the Gibbon beyond Virgia Cascades north of the road up to Wolf and Grebe Lakes (known for grayling). This area receives very little pressure and the trailhead is hard to find. It can also be marshy between the trail and the river. We saw a lot of bear scat on the trail, but no bears.

I tried to fish the Madison inside the park since it runs along the road, but the buffalo were so thick and aggressive I didn't chance it.

[planettrout]

When I go up there, I go for months at a time and usually stay here because it's about 10 minutes away from $3.00 Bridge:

http://www.driftwatersresort.com/Cabins.html

I don't fish inside the park until mid-September, when the crowds are gone...

Here is the hatch chart for the area:



...from the Blue Ribbon Flies catalogue

You and the kid will have a blast !!!

Mine always do...



My daughter Ally gives her brother Michael nymphing tips in the channels section of the Lower Madison...near Ennis, MT...




PT/TB

[John Rhoades]

; from what I'm hearing mid to late July is what I'll tentatively target. The original plan was to drive out with the pontoons, but based on your comments I'll start looking into flights to Bozeman and getting a car. Come to think of it, I think I've got a certificate for a free weeks car rental around here somewhere!

There is still 2 months of winter left, but this looks like a slightly less than average snowfall so far this winter. That sould make mid-July a pretty safe bet from a trip planning standpoint, but keep in mind that there could still be some runoff then.

Also, if you are flying and renting a car, Billings isn't much farther distance, and the airfares are often cheaper than flying into Bozeman.

[narcodog]

When I go up there, I go for months at a time and usually stay here because it's about 10 minutes away from $3.00 Bridge:

http://www.driftwatersresort.com/Cabins.html

I don't fish inside the park until mid-September, when the crowds are gone...



Here is the hatch chart for the area:



...from the Blue Ribbon Flies catalogue

You and the kid will have a blast !!!

Mine always do...



My daughter Ally gives her brother Michael nymphing tips in the channels section of the Lower Madison...near Ennis, MT...




PT/TB

That's a darn nice lookin place to stay

[Steve Molcsan]

PT, THANKS FOR THE HATCH CHART!

Cool wall hanger