GUIDE'S CHOICE: Yellowstone River

The Yellowstone is fishing great. Flows continue to subside, and the fishing has been great. Hoppers are all over the water, and fish from Big Timber to Gardiner are looking up. This is what August on the Yellowstone's supposed to be like! Hoppers, caddis and attractor dries are getting fish to rise, and dropping off a little beadhead nymph or soft hackle has produced as well. Streamers are still getting chases. If you plan on floating through town, be aware that the Ninth Street access is closed, as is the main stem of the river through town. If you are floating this stretch, you must take the right Ninth Street channel upstream of the highway bridge.

Gallatin

CFS: 647

The water is clear and looks good. The big news is the spruce moths are hatching and the fish are on them. Also, caddis and yellow sallies are fishing well still, as are PMD’s in the morning. Above Big Sky in the meadow section there has been some good hopper fishing using smaller patterns. Down in the valley stonefly nymphs and bead head droppers are your best bet still, but there are still PMD spinners and now Yellow Sally’s in the mornings. Fish are starting to eat hoppers, too.

Upper Madison

CFS: 959 Kirby Ranch

Fishing has remained consistent on the Upper Madison. The Spruce Moth hatch is going strong on the upper half of the river. Some Caddis, Yellow Sallies and PMD's are still hatching, and Tricos can be found in places. Fish are beginning to eat more terrestrials now. Fishing with hoppers, ants and small attractor patterns will be the mainstay here for a while. Evenings in the wade section have fished very well with Caddis and Mayfly Spinners. Mornings have fished decent with Spuce Moths. Tan Elk Hair Caddis make for a great Moth pattern. Small nymphs are also making for good subsurface action throughout the river.

Lower Madison

CFS: 1300

The tubers and recreational floaters are now out in force. Get an early start to avoid the mayhem. Fish are eating caddis and Sally's along the banks, but best action is still out in the weed beds in the middle with Bow River Buggers (Olive #4) and #14 Tan LaFontaine's Sparkle Pupae. Crayfish and buggers of many varieties are working. A #14 Olive Mangy Caddis has been taking some fish as well. Caddis swarms are returning to the water in the evenings making for some dry fly activity after the floaters are done, but by the afternoon water temperatures have been pretty high lately.

Yellowstone

CFS: 4,040 Livingston

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Upper Missouri

CFS: 4,610 Holter Dam

The Missouri is fishing well. Trico's are starting to get thick. Make sure you have a selection of Trico patterns including some Trico spinners. Caddis are still hatching in the late evening, but they are starting to fade out some. PMD's are hatching in the mid to late morning and still are an important part of the diet here. You will want to have a variety of PMD patterns as the fish are picky. Fishing to rising pods with a PMD spinner or cripple pattern can work great. Fish are also starting to look at terrestrials, and this should improve over the coming weeks. Nymphing has been consistent. Fishing something like a Two Tone Mini Worm #16 and a #16 Split Case PMD is quite good.

Bighorn

CFS: 2,750 St. Xavier

Flow have come down considerably and nymphing continues to be productive. Wade fishing should be much easier, and if you use a boat for transportation you should have no problem at all, other than the congestion. A #16 Salmon Soft Hackle, #18 Master Baetis, #16 Beerhead Baetis, Ray Charles, #20 Zebra Midge, and #12 Two Tone Worm. There continues to be some pretty good dry fly action. Baetis are popping and a #18 Thorax or Parachute BWO should do the trick. PMD's should be around, the black caddis will be showing up soon, and some fish have been taken on attractor dries and terrestrials. Streamer fishing has also done well. What else could you ask for?

Spring Creeks

CFS:

The spring creeks are on higher rates right now, but with many area rivers still being high, they are a great choice. The PMDs are now going strong. Dry fly action has been pretty decent. The PMD hatch starts around 9:00 a.m. and spinners start late in the morning Midges are also out in the early mornings. When the fish aren't rising, fish a Mini Wine Worm, #16 Ray Charles, or a #18 Split Case PMD Nymph. If you swing a #10 olive leech through the holes, you will get quite a few fish.

Yellowstone National Park

The best fishing in the park right now is probably in the Lamar valley. This is the time of year the fish in the Lamar Valley go crazy for giant terrestrials. Hoppers, crickets and other terrestrials help the dry fly fishing last until the afternoon and don't be afraid to go big. Anytime you fish in this part of the park be sure to bring insect repellent and bear spray. Both can bite the heck out of you. The Yellowstone in the park has produced some large fish but they don't come easy. This is trophy hunting for large cutthoat, not a numbers game. There are some big cutties but you may get skunked. The Firehole and the Madison have both been hot but should be starting to cool back down soon. Due to the increased flows compared to last year, baetis fishing on the Firehole should be fantastic this fall as well as fishing for lake run fish on the Madison.

The Dillon Area

CFS:

The Big Hole continues to fish very well. Big attractor dries are still working well. Caddis in the afternoons provide some good dry fly fishing. The flows have come down, and it's a great time to hit the Big Hole before it gets too warm. The Beaverhead is also high but fishing great below the dam. Higher flows should make for easier boat fishing. PMD's are coming off and the fish are taking dry and emerger patterns in a #16 or #18. Bubbleback PMD's are working well subsurface. If you're nymphing, you may be able to get away with some larger than normal flies for the Beaverhead. Try some buggers and cranefly imitations along the banks and if that doesn't work try a worm with some of the standard smaller nymphs.

The Missoula Area

CFS:

The Blackfoot is clear and fishing with attractor dries, hoppers, and streamers. Evening caddis action will bring fish to the surface as well. The Bitteroot has been fishing well, although the upper section is starting to get a little bony and the tubers are out. Rock Creek is fishing well, and has come down enough so that wading isn't difficult. We've heard some good reports from the Clark Fork west of Missoula, and there are a TON of little hoppers on the upper section through the Rock Creek confluence. I think that cloud cover will help the fishing on any of these western rivers right now.

The Henry's Fork

CFS:

The Ranch section of the river is now open to fishing. There are Flavs, Caddis, and PMDs on the water daily, but finding risers has been the challenge. Fishing has been best below Ashton with little nypmhs and worms. If you want the challenge of the Ranch, just be prepared to take long walks, nap between hatches, and look for subtle rises from easily spooked fish.

Area Lakes and Reservoirs

CFS:

The fish have made their way back into Hyalite Lake. Chironomids have been working well, and dry flies such as Adams will work late in the evening. Harrison Lake has been fishing well with leeches and chironomids. This is usually a good time to hit Cliff and Wade Lakes, and Hebgen is fishing well with Chironomids, Callibaetis nymphs and Pheasant Tails. Callibaetis have been hatching on the Madison Lakes (Hebgen, Quake, Ennis), and all have been fishing well. Although it's a little odd (in a really cool odd way), salmonflies are on the banks of Quake this week, and fish in the lake have been swirling at some big dries.