Montana Fly Fishing: Yellowstone National Park

Undoubtedly, one of the most coveted and revered fly fishing destinations in the world is Yellowstone National Park. Nowhere on this planet are there so many unparalleled fishing rivers, lakes and streams in such a condensed area offering exceptional opportunities to catch a variety of trout and other gamefish.

And nowhere on earth is there such a variety and consistency of aquatic insect hatches as there is in and around Yellowstone. Seven varieties of game fish live in Yellowstone: cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, and lake trout. There's also Arctic grayling and mountain whitefish. However, only cutthroats, grayling, and mountain whitefish are native to Yellowstone.

Fishing season begins around Memorial Day weekend. Often fishing the Firehole River opens the season in late May as it offers excellent dry-fly fishing with its afternoon mayfly hatches. Until the end of June, this river and the Gibbon, Madison and Lewis Rivers are the more productive places to fish.

Although there are so many excellent lakes like Lewis, Grebe, Fish and Trout inside Yellowstone for the fly fisher, Yellowstone Lake deserves special mention. A beautiful crystal clear lake located in the middle of Yellowstone National Park, at 87,000 acres and more than 110 miles of shoreline, Yellowstone Lake is the largest body of stillwater in the area. The entire north shore is accessible by road while the remainder of the lake must be reached by boat or on foot. Quality fly fishing for native Yellowstone cutthroat, the only trout species available, can be found right alone the shoreline where the bulk of all aquatic insect activity occurs. The trout averages 15 inches with a maximum size of about 18 inches.

In early summer, the trout also follow the shoreline to locate their spawning streams, and some of the best fishing is near the mouths of these streams, though there are restrictions. Make sure you read about them in Yellowstone's official angler guide.

The recent discovery of lake trout in Yellowstone Lake is posing some management challenges. Currently, a fishermen is required to kill any lake trout caught as these fish are predatory and do present a major threat to the native cutthroat trout.

YELLOWSTONE RIVER - THE LONGEST FREE FLOWING RIVER

Yellowstone fishing is all about the variety of its Blue Ribbon rivers, and Yellowstone River is synonymous with truly spectacular western fly fishing. Originating in northwest Wyoming at 12,000 feet in the Teton Wilderness, the Yellowstone is the longest free flowing undammed waterway in the lower forty eight states.

This 671 mile river holds rainbow trout, cutthroats, browns and mountain whitefish. With a multitude of feeder streams and other nearby rivers that also teem with trout, the Yellowstone River is a must fish river!

No matter where you are in Yellowstone you will be rewarded. Even if the fish aren't biting, there is the enormous diversity of the park's terrain, wildlife, scenery and geology.

The fishing and wildlife in Yellowstone is something that can only be experienced!

ROAD GUIDE

The Park is divided into four sections by a network of roads called the Loop Roads.

1. Northwest: West Entrance (West Yellowstone, Montana) - Madison Junction - Norris Junction - Canyon Junction - Tower Junction - Mammoth - North Entrance (Gardiner, Montana).

2. Northeast: East Entrance - Fishing Bridge - Canyon Junction - Tower Junction - Mammoth - North Entrance (Gardiner, Montana). Cody, Wyoming, is one hour east of YNP's East Entrance.

3. Southeast: South Entrance - West Thumb - Fishing Bridge - East Entrance. Jackson, Wyoming, is one hour south of YNP's South Entrance.

4. Southwest: South Entrance - West Thumb - Canyon Junction - Norris Junction - Madison Junction - West Entrance (West Yellowstone, Montana).