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Fishing Reports |
Yellowstone National Park Fishing Report
August 14, 2009
It has been a good fishing season so far for Yellowstone National Park. Currently the Gibbon, Yellowstone, and Lamar Valley have been the Park’s work-horse rivers, but one shouldn’t over look the lakes and smaller streams. You would think with all the people that visit Yellowstone every year, that all Park waters receive a lot of pressure. That is not the case; most of the small streams in Yellowstone see very little fishing pressure and if you want to get away from people, try some of these little gems. For most of them, a short hike is all it takes to find seclusion. One river I would steer clear of would be the Firehole. It flows through so much geothermal activity, by mid-summer it heats up to such an extent it really isn’t worth fishing until fall conditions bring the water temperatures back inline. Also, with so much other water to fish in Yellowstone, it doesn’t make much sense to further stress the Firehole’s fish.
The lower Gibbon is great nymph and attractor dry-fly water. The three Kings of the nymph world; the Hare’s Ear, Pheasant Tail, and Prince Nymph will be steady producers. I would also consider Copper John’s. If the Copper John is not in the King Realm yet, it surely could be considered a Prince. The same thing goes for dries; don’t over think it. General dry-fly attractor patterns such as Royal Wulffs, Humpy’s, Parachute Adams, and Trude’s should work well. Grasshopper activity has picked up considerably throughout the Park, so don’t overlook searching this enjoyable little fishery with a size 10 Jay-Dave’s Hopper.
The fish population in the Yellowstone River below the Lake and above the Falls is still on the down side. There just aren’t the numbers of fish that there once were, but the fish that are there, are big. Twenty inch plus fish are fairly common. Look for morning and evening spinner falls, and a smattering of PMD’s and Caddis still lingering around. Mid-day should bring on hopper activity. Spotting fish and sight fishing to them with Ants, Beetles, and Hoppers is one of my favorite ways to fish this section of the Yellowstone. This also applies to streamers. You can do well by spotting inactive fish and running a streamer by them.
The Lamar is a great large attractor dry-fly fishery, so be prepared with Chernobyl Ants, Power Ants, Turck’s Tarantulas, and various other large attractors. Don’t necessarily look for rising fish. Fish good holding water with these large attractor patterns like you would with a nymph. Speaking of nymphs; a large dry attractor fly with a dropper nymph, is an extremely effective technique on the Lamar. Green Beans, Hogan’s Chubby Cousin, and Peterson’s Borealis Caddis can give you good action when the fish won’t commit to the big dries. Keep in mind, the Lamar Valley has numerous other streams and rivers to fish and I could go on writing for quite awhile. For many Yellowstone regulars, be they sight-seers, hikers or fishermen, this is their favorite part of the Park.
For those of you who like seclusion and small water, as already mentioned, don’t overlook the numerous small streams that Yellowstone National Park has to offer. Typically standard attractor dries will be all you need. Yellowstone is a great place to get out and do a little poking around and make your own discoveries. Some of the fondest memories you will ever have will be those discoveries you uncover for yourself. If you have questions on specific waters don’t hesitate to contact us here at the shop.
Until next time, good fishing,
Howard Cole
High Country Flies
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