Firehole River Fly Fishing Report & Options for Selecting Flies: Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
We have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes that make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Brook trout (wild)
Brown trout (wild)
Rainbow trout (wild)
Whitefish
Size
Medium
Location
Yellowstone National Park
Nearest Towns
West Yellowstone, Montana
Season
Last of May through October
Access:
Good
Special Regulations
Yes, barbless hooks and others. Fly
Fishing Only
Fishing License
Yellowstone National Park
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Season:
The Yellowstone fishing season is a relatively short one to begin with. Because the Firehole River is affected by the hot springs, the prime time to fish it is even shorter
than most other streams in the park.
Spring:
When the season first starts, it is usually the best stream to fish.
Summer:
Unless there’s a huge snowpack and lots of water, you will find most of the water in the river too warm for good fishing during July and most of August.
Fall:
September and October is usually an excellent time for fly fishing the Firehole River.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly Fishing the Firehole River
The Firehole River is one of the strangest trout streams in the World. It flows through some incredible thermal features that rival any in Yellowstone National Park. The river can actually appear to be on fire at times. It’s one of the most photographed rivers in the world.
The Firehole River contains all types of water from spring creek like, smooth flowing slick water, to pools, runs and riffles. The water in its canyon section below the falls is completely different from the many miles of water above the falls. Its headwaters above Old Faithful is also very different from its section below the big geyser. It is strictly small stream fishing and unlike the popular lower sections, you usually have plenty of water to fish by yourself.
There are several tributary streams flowing into the Firehole River. Sentinel Creek, Iron Spring Creek, Little Firehole River, Nez Perce Creek and a few other smaller streams also have populations of trout. During the warmer part of the season, many of the trout leave the
main river and go into the cooler water of the tributaries.
The fact it’s so popular and easily accessed can make it tough to fish at times. It seems the longer the season has been open, the more difficult it becomes to fool the trout. It is also a very strange river from a water temperature standpoint. The influence of warm water at various
locations makes it difficult to judge the water temperature at times. A thermometer can really come in handy on this stream. The trout will move into certain areas of cool water when the water begins to warm in late June.
It is a very fertile stream with not only a large diversity of aquatic insects, some of them exist in very large quantities. The trout can be very selective at times but even so, It is one of the best dry fly streams in the nation. Fly fishing the Firehole River can test the best anglers at
times.