Gibbon 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
Season:
The Yellowstone fishing season is relatively short, with
most streams open from June to November.
Spring:
The Yellowstone Spring season is very short but the
Gibbon River is usually one of the first streams to clear in
the park.
Summer:
Summer is the most popular time for fly fishing the
Gibbon River.
Fall:
Fall fishing on the lower Gibbon can be very good.
| 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. Copyright 2016 James Marsh |
Fly Fishing the Gibbon River Wyoming (YNP)
The Gibbon River starts out in Yellowstone National Park on a plateau from Grebe Lake as a small stream. It flows from there into Wolf Lake and out of it through some fairly steep gradients into Virginia Meadows. From there it flows through the Virginia Cascades into Norris
Meadows. There are some small rainbows in the upper fast water sections, but the trout are mostly brook trout in the meadows.
The river meanders back and forth through Norris Meadows and then through a fast water section into Elk Park, another large meadow. This water is a combination of slow smooth sections and some fast short riffles with some nice size rainbow and brown trout.
From Elk Park it flows into Gibbons Meadows, another large smooth water section with larger trout. From there the river continues at a steeper decline for a few miles down to the Gibbon Falls.
Below the falls is a deep canyon section where the stream eventually slows down and flows into the lower Gibbon Meadows. The fish in the fast water sections are not as large as some in the upper meadows, but they are generally much easier to catch and more plentiful.
There’s an exception to the size of the fish in the lower meadows. During the early Fall, large brown trout move into the lower Gibbon to spawn. The Gibbon River flows through the lower meadows where it joins the Firehole River to form the most famous trout stream in the United
States – the Madison River.
Fly fishing the Gibbon River can consist of a wide variety of fly fishing opportunities ranging for small brook trout to large brown trout. It all depends on where you fish the river. Other than the meadows, the river is primarily consist of fast flowing riffles and pocket water. There’s also a few pools mixed in making up the classic riffle, run, pool configuration.
The Gibbon is never a large stream from start to finish. If you enjoy fishing small stream, you will love fly fishing the Gibbon River.