In 2010 I’m going to have the opportunity to fish in Yellowstone. I’m considering 2 dates. The first date is the 3rd week of July and the 2nd date is the 2nd week of September.Which week do you think would be best for fishing ?
I’d go in September. The park is not as crowded.
Tim
My breakdown opinion…
July
[ul]
[li]More Crowded
[/li][li]More locations likely available for fishing (great option if certain areas of the park are raining)
[/li][li]Warmer weather
[/li][li]Great Surface fly action with Terrestials
[/li][/ul]
September
[ul]
[li]Less Crowded
[/li][li]Chance of Snow
[/li][li]Cheaper Hotel rates
[/li][li]Easier camping opportunities
[/li][li]Chance to fish spawning brookies in Firehole and other high water areas.
[/li][li]Chance to fish spawning Browns potentially.
[/li][li]More potential interactions with wildlife on back country rivers. (especially grizzlies)
[/li][/ul]
2nd week in September is less crowded with tourists and hotel rates are cheaper, but there will still be a lot of anglers, and on some streams, like the Soda Butte, you probably won’t notice much difference (used to be my favorite but way too many people now and the fish there really, really get hammered). By the 3rd week in July, streams on the western side of the park (Madison, Firehole, Gibbon) can be too warm to fish and folks move to other areas, particularly the NE end (Lamar, Slough Creek, Soda Butte) although I’ve seen the Lamar and Soda Butte still in late stages of runoff if snowpack was heavy and spring was cool; Slough Creek usually comes into shape before they do. I hit good hopper fishing over there last year and in 2008 in early August, pretty typical, but in 2007 because of poor snowpack,early warm spring and hot summer, the rivers were shut down by the end of July and 2006 wasn’t much better. 2010 is supposed to be an El Nino year, and projections are for warmer/drier winter in the northern Rockies, which means things could be a little tough in September, hopefully not. Probably be cool enough at that point that closures/restrictions would have been lifted but water levels could be pretty low (there are options if the rivers in the park are closed or hours are restricted, but it also means open water will be more crowded - ask folks what it was like on the Madison outside the park in 2007, although you can find peace and quiet if you’re willing to do a little searching).
Whichever you choose, there will be something happening somewhere, the scenery and critters will be spectacular and you’ll have a blast; check in with the flyshops (Blue Ribbon, Jacklins, etc) and they’ll steer you in the right direction. Hope you have a great trip.
Regards,
Scott
During the summer and fall, I live on the Yellowstone River about 35 miles north of the Park, and fish practically every day.
Both of these times can be very good for fishing; which one is better depends on the type of fishing you prefer, and of course how good of a fisherman you are. I like both of these times a lot.
We’re probably catching more fish on dry flies the 3rd week of July, and there are more hatches, while we’re catching fewer, and maybe bigger fish on hoppers and streamers by the 2nd week of September.
Have you ever been to a college football game with 100,000 spectators? How about one with 80,000? Now, imagine yourself in Yellowstone in July with 100,000 rowdy fans, or in September with 80,000. Get the picture? You won’t be alone whichever time you go.
John
Im with ya John. Although the wife and I havent fished all that much in / near YNP…the crowds in september anymore arent all that much less anymore. FAR FEWER KIDS…but the “old people” like my wife and I come out of hiding in late August and early September.
No idea what the motels are like in the fall in West Yellowstone because we go by RV…but if you pull into the Grizzly RV park anytime after 4 PM that first 2 weeks and they have an open spot…leave immediately and go to “Vegas”…because luck is with you!!
With out question September is the better choice.
Trav and I fished Soda Butte and the Le Mare with Tom Travis late Sept. We were the only people there. The fish were most co-operative, weather almost too warm, just terrific. There was traffic yes, but not people fishing. You might also consider fishing one of the Spring Creeks, either outside of Livingston or Belgrade Montana. Another unique fishing experience.
The week after Labor Day is my least favorite week to fish in the Park over the entire course of the season. Everybody who wants to fish without the crowds comes then. Anymore, the anglers don’t really go away until the last week of the month, if not early October. If you can hike, you can get away from people, but the roadside streams will be as crowded as they are in July, with less water to go around.
The Yellowstone outside the park is generally much less crowded than the Park rivers by September, I suspect because more of the September anglers go without guides and thus there’s less drifters out. We still stay quite busy. In fact, I ran more trips in September this year than July, though that was partially a result of more special request bookings.
The fishing is much more consistent in July than it is in September. Not saying it can’t be good in September, but it’s much more hit-or-miss. If you have good waters levels and have a cool, drizzly day with lots of Baetis, it’s epic. If it’s hot and bright and the water’s low, it can be awful. The last couple years have kept the fishing good on the Yellowstone in early September, but given the snowpack outlook I suspect next year it may be tougher until later in the month when the light is flatter. Late July is usually at least decent. The only exceptions are years of extreme drought like 2007. If we have at least a 75% snowpack, the fishing typically stays consistent through July (2007 it was 50% followed by a hot, dry summer). I’ve been here since 2001 and 2007 was the only year the fishing wasn’t still good in late July, though several years it was tough by the first week of August.
The trip planner at www.parksflyshop.com has tons of information on flies, where to fish, what to bring, etc. etc. www.parksflyshop.com/planner.htm
september less people and great fishing that time of the year. my favorite time to hit the park
when you guys say the room rates are cheaper in sept, where are you looking at??
comfort inn is $126 per night for a senior rate.
I’m going to be out there around July 16 - first time in years we’ve gone out that early; we’re usually there around Aug 1 when the crowds really get crazy, and I’m excited. Caddis fishing should be great on the Madison, maybe some big stoneflies elsewhere, maybe hoppers.
Normand - on Expedia Comfort Inn in W. Yellowstone was about $220 in July, $170 in September. Didn’t say it was cheap, just cheaper.
Regards,
Scott
Holy moly. The most expensive room at my boss’ B+B is only $145 a night!
This is where my dad stays:
http://www.yellowstonerivermotel.com/yellowstone_rooms.html
We stayed there when hunting for elk a few years back, just dandy.:lol:
I stayed in one of the cabins at Faithful Street Inn in W. Yellowstone a few years ago and it was great. We were there in October, though and rates were less.
I’m no expert, but have been to Yellowstone several times in July. Twice fising and the other times just touristing.
There will be traffic jams when people see an elk, bison, bear, etc.
However, if you’re willing to hike a half mile away from the road up a stream, you won’t be seeing a lot of other people. The overwhelming majority of the people who visit the park never get beyond the boardwalks leading to the major attractions and a lot of them never step outside of their cars.
So, if you don’t mind some company on the roads, July has some great weather and if you’re willing to hike a short distance away from the road, you won’t see a lot of people.
For example, my son and I fished up black tail deer creek. There were 3 or 4 cars in the parking lot. We geared up and went to the creek. There were a couple families wading in the creek about 100 feet from the parking lot. Walked up the creek about 100 yards and started fishing. We fished for a couple hours ending up about a mile away from the car. The entire time we were there, we didn’t see another human being. We had the stream entirely to ourselves. We caught 20+ brook trout each. Nothing big, but they were not too picky about drift or matching the hatch. If it looked like food and was within eyesight, they hit it.
About a mile up, we saw some bear signs (like a fresh pile of poo and a track in the sand about the size of a dinner plate). We fished our way back to the car hitting some runs we skipped on the way in and saw our first person of the day back at the parking lot. It was a couple rangers in a truck with one of those tracking antennas.
Another day, we fished up Nez Perce creek. We parked at the bridge where it goes under the main road. We hiked about 3/4 mile and started fishing about at the tree line. We fished for another 1/2 mile or so up stream, caught a bunch of rainbows and a couple browns. On the way back to the car, we saw 2 other fishermen hiking in. Other than those two men, we didn’t see another human in the 2+ hours we fished the stream. Off in the distance, we saw a steady stream of cars going by on the road but nobody got out. There were some kids splashing in the water by the bridge.
We did fish the firehole river and the Madison right by the road and had some company but it wasn’t shoulder to shoulder. We could see other fishermen and they could see us, but we were a couple hundred yards apart.
I guess what I’m trying to say is if you spend 20 minutes or so walking away from the road, you’ll be fine.
Jeff
I agree in principle with the responses. Last year I drove out and “winged it” and spent a week in Yellowstone during the first week in September. Although it is definitely the better option of your two choices (July it is packed with people and potentially hot enough for the Park Service to start shutting down some of the fishing in the rivers if you are there in late July) you won’t even remotely be alone. I was surprised at how many people were there and that there was little or no vacancies in the hotels. Definitely plan ahead for your accomodations! I have been telling everyone who will listen since the trip that it was the best time to go- it was 39 degrees the morning that I left out of the East entrance and you could see hundred and hundred of bison. Also you could see more steam from all of the volcanic activity then you would ever see in July (literally for as far as the eye could see). Make sure you go prepared for any weather- it could be warm or it could snow!
Be sure to post your pics when you get back!
AZ
But thats up in Gardiner…LONG ways from say West Yellowstone.
When the wife and I STOPPED “flying and moteling” it to YNP…the airplane tickets were $425 and he Best Western IN W Yellowstone was $85 a night. Try on $700 for airplane now and $150 a room. Thats why we “motorhome” it.
We stay at the Grizzly RV park right in town for $48 a night in september
And I think the Grizzly was $65 a night in August. Baker’s Hole - with electric hookups - is somewhere around $14. It’s Nat’l Forest, 2 miles north of W. Yellowstone and you can step out of your trailer into the Madison. Crowded, but we’ve always found a spot by arriving on Sunday afternoon or Monday.
It was $12.50 without electric…18.50 with up to 50 amp electric. I can even run my hot tub with 50 amp…LOL