Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Cutthroat Trout
Brown Trout
Brook Trout
Lake Trout
Size
Large
Location
Northwestern Wyoming, YNP
Nearest Towns
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Season
Last of May – October
Access:
Good
Park License
Yellowstone National Park License
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Seasons:
The Lewis River season last just about the entire Yellowstone Fishing season.
Spring:
There isn’t much fishing during the Spring because the water usually still to cold.
Summer:
Summer is a good time to fish the river.
Fall:
Fall may be the best time for fly fishing the Lewis River. Brown trout fishing is excellent in the Lewis Channel and
the lower section of the river just above the Snake 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.
Options For Selecting Flies:
1. Email us (sales@perfectflystore.com)
with the dates you will be fishing this stream and we will send you a list of our fly suggestions. Please allow up to 24 hours for a response.
2. Call us 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide which flies you need
3. Email us (sales@perfectflystore.com)
with a budget for flies and we will select them to match the budget and get them to you in time for your fly fishing trip.
All orders are shipped free in the
U. S. Orders over $100 are shipped via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2016 James Marsh
Fly Fishing The Lewis River –
Yellowstone National Park
The Lewis River has just about every type of water that exist in a trout stream. It flows from Shoshone Lake through the Lewis River Channel into Lewis Lake. From there it flows through some cascades, then a smooth section of water and off into a deep canyon for the remainder of its journey to the Snake River.
The Lewis Channel is the first part of the stream. It’s about three miles long. This is a fairly large stream. The trout in the Lewis Channel are brown trout that average 15 to 20 inches with some ever larger. There are also some lake trout in the channel.
This Lewis Channel is accessible by boat from the lakes or from the Lewis River Trail that you can access at the Dogshead Trailhead. It’s a three mile hike to the channel via the trail.
Just below Lewis Lake, the river flows over a few cascades. This is not far upstream from where the South Entrance Road crosses the river. The section below the bridge, about two miles long, is a wide, smooth flowing river that changes drastically when it heads over the
falls off into a deep canyon. The canyon section is very difficult to access and contains mostly small trout. The river levels out prior to converging with the Snake River
not far from the south boundary of the park.
Fly Fishing Guide to the Lewis River
You need to use a variety of fishing methods to fish the Lewis River depending on which species you are after and which section of the river you are fishing.
The trout in the Lewis Channel are brook trout and brown trout with a few lake trout. Some of these fish move in and out of Shoshone and Lewis Lakes and the population changes with the seasons. The resident browns probably average twelve to fifteen inches and the brook trout four to six inches. Large brown trout move into the channel during the Fall spawning season.
The trout in the smooth section of the river below Lewis Lake are mostly brown and brook
trout. While there are some nice size brown trout in this section of the river, they are difficult to catch without a heavy hatch occurring. In the canyon section the fish population changes to cutthroats and brown trout with some whitefish. During the Fall spawning season, large brown trout move out of Jackson Lake up into the Snake River and then into the Lewis River below the falls.
The Lewis Channel is considered the best part of the stream but the fishing there is very
seasonal. When the brown trout move into the channel to spawn, the fishing can be
fantastic. Most anglers use streamers to take the large browns. We hope you will avoid
fishing for them on the redds. It takes a boat ride or a three mile hike to and from the
channel, but it is well worth it when the fish are in the channel spawning.
The canyon section is very difficult to access and we doubt it is worth fishing from purely a fish standpoint. The fish average a small size but are easy to catch. We have not fished it but have talked to several friends who have. They all say its a good trip to take once in a
lifetime, but the fishing is less than average for the park. Of course, catching fish in only a
part of the fun of trout fishing and certainly when it comes to beautiful Yellowstone Park.
We suggest you have someone with you if you do fish the canyon.
Hatches and Trout Flies for the Lewis River- Yellowstone National
Park
The hatches on the Lewis River are usually not very prolific but they are varied and plentiful at times.
Blue-winged Olives may still be hatching when the water first clears. There are several species including the baetis. They hatch twice a year but the fall hatch is the most important one. It takes place in September and can last until the first week of October depending on the weather.
The PMD, or Pale Morning Dun, is the most consistent hatches that t ake place on the Lewis River. They are usually hatching when the water first clears and last through July.
Spotted Sedges are very plentiful, especially in the meadow sections or smooth water sections below the Grand Loop Road.. They start hatching around the first part of July and last through August. Little Sister Caddisflies hatch during the same time period. Green Sedges are very plentiful in the fast water sections. Species of these caddisflies hatch from about the middle of July all the way into October. Little Short-Horned Sedges hatch during the first part of July. There are a few Long–horned Sedge hatches.
Gray Drakes hatch from about the first of July until the first week of August This hatch occurs in the smooth meadow section of the stream. There are also some Brown Drakes in the smooth water section. They hatch from about the first of July and last a couple of weeks.
Salmonflies are present in the fast water sections. They start hatching about the first week of July and last for a couple of weeks depending on the water and weather. Golden Stoneflies will start hatching about the same time. They will be present in good quantities in the fast water sections of the stream. Yellow Sallies, or Little Yellow Stoneflies, are also plentiful. They start hatching the middle of July and last until the first week in August.
You will find Yellow Quills, or the Eperous species, hatching from about the middle of July
through the first part of August. Western March Browns start hatching about the same time and last through the middle of August. Both of these mayflies prefer the faster sections of the stream such as the riffles and runs.
Grasshoppers, ants and beetles are very plentiful in the meadow section of the Lewis River. The high grass along the banks of this section provide the perfect habitat for them. Imitations of these insect will work during late July, August, September..
Don’t overlook the possibility of flying ants. We have seen two huge flying ant falls occur on the Lewis River during the month of August.
Our “Perfect Flies” have proven to be more effective than any of the generic or attractor flies you could use on the Lewis River. We have specific imitations of everything that hatches and in all stages of life that the trout eat them in. If you haven’t already tried them, we certainly hope you will.