We had a terribly warm and dry winter and an early start to the spring runoff in late April, but May has been just the opposite: cool and wet. This has cut the top off the spring melt and the Yellowstone came back into shape last weekend. Based on the 10-day outlooks showing no day with temperatures getting higher than 61 degrees here in Gardiner, I expect the good fishing to continue through AT LEAST Memorial Day, assuming of course they don’t change the forecast on us. Some days will be better than others, especially since there’s been rain knocking around, but overall the fishing has been great for the past five or six days and I expect it to continue.
The most consistent fishing has been on streamers and this will likely continue. Trail them with caddis pupae.
The Mother’s Day caddis hatch should continue throughout this period, with the best hatches now in Paradise Valley and likely to move up to the Gardiner area as the week progresses, but there are good numbers of caddis everywhere. You might see some BWO or March Browns as well.
On days when it rains a lot, when the Yellowstone might get too dirty, the private lakes and the lower Madison River are great options. Montana small streams also open Saturday, and I don’t expect them to get even slightly dirty even when it does rain, so they’re good choices, too.
Thanks for the info, wish I could get there now. My plans are for mid July, no way to change them now. Take what I can get hopefully there will at least be the mornings.
July will be fine. In fact probably excellent. August is the question mark. But this cool/wet weather is helping. If it holds on until the end of May, it will slash the likelihood of any closures.
Well, never mind. At least for a couple days. It rained all night, hard, and the Yellowstone blew again overnight. I do suspect it’ll come back one more time before it stays muddy until mid-June, though…
They all have there seasons Byron, I’ve been on the Henry’s Fork in mid July for the Flavs, good flows and plenty of bugs. No matter where you are every season is different. Here in the east this year even the tailwaters are low. No releases until the end of May, and that’s a maybe. This past winter was very cold and plenty of snow, now basically no rain for 3 weeks. We got cold when the west got warm at the end of January. Oh well that’s fishing, enjoy your trip and I hope the Fork treats you well.
Gene,
I was trying to make the point that tailwaters, such as the Henry’s Fork, are safe bets in early season fishing as it can protect against early season runoff.
in addition, the fishing community has made progress in having a voice in the flows out of the reservoir.
Plus, the Rainbows are great and often quite large!
Yes and I monitor the Catskill NYC resevoir system the same way and that’s my point. Idaho is at 88%, I bet they would be happier at 100%. I think when I visit the Fork on the 14th of July I will find flows perfect. Again have a good trip.
Here’s the example. Although the Yellowstone. And other rivers may be “blown out” from run-off, here’s one of my fishing buddies on the upper Henry’s Fork (bank) observing the rises…picture this weekend
Been there, although not as crowded as this pic. I may get there this year, may drive over and have dinner at Trouthunter and fish after. Plan on fishing the Madison, Gallatin, and water in the park. We love the park and catching cutthroats is certainly special.
