Two childhood friends and I are planning a guys week fly fishing, camping and hiking. We are are setting our sights on Montana and Wyoming. Yellowstone Nat’l Park seems like it may be the answer to our quest.
We’re coming up from TX (Jun-Aug timeframe) and will have about a week.
Any input from locals/natives as to which rivers/streams not to miss while we are up there would be greatly appreciated.
FWIW, I’ve already been actively reading the GREAT RIVERS section on FAOL related to YNP but we’d probably wanna narrow that down from 19 rivers to a more manageable number Unfortunately, all 3 of us will have to report back to work and reality following the adventure.
You could stay in west Yellowstone and fish some great Idaho water as well as Yellowstone. The South fork of the snake river and it’s tributaries, The Henry’s fork of the Snake River, Float tube on Henry’s lake or Island Park Resevoir. You can get into some nice Cut’s, cutbows, and rainbows, and an Idaho Liscence is not very expensive for out of staters. Many people also rent out thier personal cabins in the Island Park area. You could also fish below Macky Resivoir on the Big Lost river.
Drift boating is also great fun on the South fork of the Snake.
I am not much of a hiker, about as far as I can hike is two - ten miles to a high mountain lake.
Much of your decision needs to be based on the time of the year you plan on fishing.
By the end of June the Firehole, Gibbon and Madison rivers (In YNP)are usually much too warm to fish until sometime in the fall again.
The Yellowstone river does not open in the park until July 15th. I heard as of right now the river is not fishing very well. The Cutthroat numbers seem to be in serious decline.
The Henrys fork can be iffy by early July. By then the water gets so warm the the hatches tend to peter out.
The Madison below Hebgen lake usually fishes well all season.
The Gallatin River usually gets good by early July.
If you have the option I would plan a trip for mid June, or wait until late September
rob Wrote: … The Yellowstone river does not open in the park until July 15th. I heard as of right now the river is not fishing very well. The Cutthroat numbers seem to be in serious decline. …
I ask: Do you know why the cutthroat numbers have declined?
Scruffyfly, IMO the decline is directly related to the drought we have been in the last number of years out here. The drought has done a serious number on our CT populations in Eastern Idaho.
The other serious problemfacing the CT is the growing lake trout population in Yellowstone lake. Lake trout are verorious fish feeders and I am sure they are decimating juvenile CT populations.
When I guided in Alaska I witnessed first hand many times large lake trout chasing and trying to eat hooked Rainbows as large as 18".
I am sure some of the larger lake trout in there are eating adult CT also.
The Firehole and Madison (The Firehole was over 70 degrees and the Madison was around 65) are to warm to fish. I had good luck on the Gibbon and most places along the Snake at the South Entrance to YNP and everywhere in GTNP.
Really wanted to go to the North East side of YNP, but ran out of time.
By the way… There is a 20" Brown in YNP. I caught her!!! I just won’t tell you where. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Hi
I don’t fish the park very much, but the time of the year from now on the Lamar River, Soda Butte and Slough Creeks should fish well. It’s been very hot here the last week or so.
You might consider spending a portion of your time up in Cooke City or Gardiner. Those areas will offer you better access to Slough Creek and the Lamar drainages. Both of those areas offer very good YCT fishing during that time of year. Cooke City is also a good spot to fish the lakes and creeks in the Beartooths. An area that should have plenty of cold water…
Water wise, things are really heating up right now in Montana. The lower Yellowstone is very warm and we haven’t even hit August yet. <sigh>
Unfortunately, all 3 of us will have to report back to work and reality following the adventure.