Yellowstone 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
Cutthroat Trout
Rainbow Trout
Brown Trout
(Wild Trout)
Size
Large
Location
Northwestern Wyoming, YNP
Nearest Towns
Gardiner, Montana
Season
Last of May – October (parts open on
July 15th)
Access:
Good in most areas, some difficult
Park License
Yellowstone National Park License
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Stream Flow Data:
Real Time USGS Data (Lake
Outlet)
Seasons:
The season varies depending on the location your fishing the big river.
Spring:
There’s little fishing on the Yellowstone River prior to the
beginning of Summer and parts of it are closed to fishing.
Summer:
Summertime is the best time to fish the river. It is when the water levels are best and the aquatic insect hatches are the most plentiful.
Fall:
Early Fall can provide good fishing on most of the river.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 & 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 Superb Five or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Recommended DVD:
Fly Fishing Yellowstone National Park
Fly Fishing The Yellowstone River – Yellowstone National Park
The Yellowstone River is the very heart of Yellowstone National Park. It flows from outside the Southeast Corner of the park all the way to the Northwest Corner of the park. That is just the beginning of this great river and the part that we will cover.
There are generally four main sections to the Yellowstone River in the park. The first is the upper river above Yellowstone Lake. This includes most of its headwaters. The upper river flows through the most difficult to access part of Yellowstone National Park.
The river below Yellowstone Lake down to the head of the Yellowstone Grand Canyon is the second section. Although parts of this section are closed to fishing it still remains the most popular section to fish due to its easy access.
The Grand Canyon extending from just below Yellowstone Falls down to the Grand Loop Road near Tower is considered the third section. It’s very difficult to access and can only be fished in a few areas.
The last section in the park is the Black Canyon which extends from the Grand Loop Road Bridge to the park’s northern boundary at the town of Gardiner. The majority of this section requires a hike of one to four miles to reach.
The Yellowstone Lake is home to the largest remaining population of native Yellowstone Cutthroat trout. Although there have been some treats to the cutthroat in the lake from the illegal introduction of non-native Lake Trout, plenty of Yellowstone Cutthroat exist in the
lake and river throughout the park.