Yellowstone River Fly Fishing
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Fishing //
When trout anglers around the world are asked what river in Montana best captivates their interest, the Yellowstone is often mentioned within the top 3 routinely. Is it due to fish size? Fish numbers? Surrounding scenery? We think it is all of the above.
Flowing unobstructed for its entire 671 miles, the Yellowstone is the longest un-dammed river in the lower 48 states. The Yellowstone is "Big" water, with the average width at over 150 feet and the river ranging from 75 to 300 feet wide throughout its course.
Beginning high in mountains of northwest Wyoming off the Continental Divide, the Yellowstone River offers amazing fishing as it winds through Yellowstone National Park, through the town of Gardiner, the Paradise Valley, past the town of Livingston, and continues on through Big Timber and Columbus, Montana - a stretch of over 240 trout-fishable miles of water.
Headwaters Region
The thirty miles of river above Yellowstone Lake is true wilderness fishing. Hiking and horseback are the only methods of gaining access to this meadow stream portion of the Yellowstone River. The fish are pure strain Yellowstone Cutthroat, and average 14-16 inches in size. These native fish are large given the small size of the stream, but summer migrations up from Yellowstone Lake provide anglers with ample opportunity at catching a true trophy in one of the most remote sections of wilderness in the lower 48 states.
Upper Yellowstone
From its departure with Yellowstone Lake until it reaches the park boundary, the Yellowstone River offers as much diversity in fishing opportunities as any stretch in America. Below Yellowstone Lake and the famous Fishing Bridge, the water is flat and wide for miles, with numerous opportunities to sight cast to rising trout. The stretch through Hayden Valley in closed to fishing, but the remainder of the stretch above the upper falls provides abundant wading access options. After the falls, the Yellowstone begins a run through two stunning canyons with walls reaching as much as 1200 feet above the river. The river is fishable through these stretches, but requires a hike into the canyons. Those that take on the challenge are rewarded with fat cutthroat and rainbow trout, as well as hours of solitude and incredible beauty.
Middle Yellowstone
The most popular, and best fly fishing, section of the Yellowstone begins as it leaves the park boundary at Gardiner, all the way through the Paradise Valley and the towns of Livingston, Big Timber and Columbus, Montana, nearly 130 miles later. It is in these stretches that many characterize the Yellowstone as "the true western fly fishing experience".
Through the middle stretch of river, most anglers attack the 'Stone from a drift boat so they can fish the banks hard and cover more water. Long stretches of great habitat and numerous braided channels provide ample opportunities for anglers to get out and wade along their journey. In addition, the diversity and quality of fish habitat - long riffles, miles of deep cut banks, and hundreds of pools - provide for an unmatched environment that will challenge the angler to utilize all their tools and techniques in an attempt to fool the Yellowstone's wild trout population. Fish in these sections average 13-18", with many exceeding the 20+" mark. Spring caddis, Summer Salmonflies and hoppers, Fall mayflies and streamers, and even winter midges, provide year round fishing for native cutthroat, rainbows, and brown trout.
And the scenery is just as amazing as the fishing. The high mountains of the Absaroka, Crazy and Gallatin ranges, the abundant wildlife along the riverbanks, and the natural meandering course of a river that Lewis and Clark floated 200 years ago, provide the perfect backdrop to a wonderful fishing day in Montana.
Spend a day, a week, or even a lifetime on the river, and you will see why the US Fish and Wildlife Service rated the Yellowstone River as the best trout water in the country!
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