GALLATIN RIVER FISHING REPORT
The Gallatin River is on the rise at Gallatin Gateway. The river provided us with a few days of excellent fishing before the BIG Muddy came back again. The river is likely entering full runoff which will last for approximately 5-6 weeks.
The Gallatin River is about to experience a good, healthy runoff that will flush out sediment and create new habitat. We anticipate a fairly normal runoff that will subside in mid-June… hopefully in time to fish the salmonfly hatch.
During runoff the river will remain fairly productive for those who are intimately familiar with it. In fact some of the largest browns of the year are caught during runoff conditions. Streamers and large nymphs are the go-to patterns at this time. Fishing the mouth’s of clear-flowing tributaries is one tactic that can be successful.
If the muddy water has you down, conditions are typically a bit more conducive upstream of the Taylor Fork confluence. Keep in mind that Yellowstone National Park doesn’t open to fishing until 5/28, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. There is just a short stretch of river between the Taylor Fork and the park that is currently open to fishing, this reach of the Gallatin will see increased fishing pressure during May.
If you are here visiting and need your fly fishing FIX we can make it happen, just pick up the phone and call Wild Trout Outfitters and we will do what we do best (PUT PEOPLE ON FISH). Don’t forget to pinch your barbs down and practice catch and release, please love them and leave them in the river.
Currently: Large nymphs or dead-drifted streamers in the #4-6 size range such as the Pat’s Rubber Leg, Bitch Creek, Yuk Bug, Mega Prince, San Juan Worm, Bow River Bugger or Sparkle Minnow.
Patterns to stock up on for post-runoff:
Dries: Flutter Bug #6-8, Cat Puke (salmonfly & golden stonefly) #6-10), Rogue Stone (salmonfly and golden stonefly) #6-10, Chubby Chernobyl (Golden) #8-10, Stimulator (Yellow) #10-14, Elk Hair Caddis (Yellow/Tan/Olive) #14-16, X-Caddis (Olive) #14-16, Lime Trude #14-16, Sparkle Dun (PMD) #16-18, Purple Haze #14-18
Nymphs: Pats’ Rubber Legs #8, Mega Prince #8, San Juan Worm (Red) #12, CDC Pheasant Tail #16-18, Pheasant Tail #16-18, Lightning Bug #16-18, Copper John #14-16, Beadhead Yellow Sally #14, CDC Emerger #14-18, Shop Vac #16
Streamers: Sparkle Minnow #4-6, Bow River Bugger #4-6, Home Invader #2-6, McCune’s Sculpin#4, Gonga #4. Be sure to have an array of colors represented in your streamer box including: white, yellow, olive, natural/tan, and black.
UPPER MADISON FISHING REPORT
The upper Madison remains fishable and productive with about two feet of visibility. Flows at Cameron are currently around 1,400 cfs .
The upper Madison remains our most productive fishery in the region. Flows have increased with the recent warm weather, but visibility remains fair and the fishing is great. Anglers can currently expect about two feet of visibility above the West Fork, and a bit less below.
The nymph and streamer fishing has been excellent. A wide variety of nymph patterns are taking fish right now, and fish are holding in a variety of water. It’s definitely time to start fishing some of the water that we’ve been ignoring over the past several months. Particularly on warmer afternoons, those fishy looking, summertime type of holds are starting to produce again. We’re talking about the buckets and shelves below riffles… faster seams, and tailouts.
The streamer bite has been much more consistent over the past week, and we expect that to continue. Fish are chasing aggressively at times and large, articulated patterns seem to be attracting the most attention. Black has been a top producer, but olive has been hot at times, as has white.
Good numbers of caddis have joined the ongoing emergences of baetis, March browns, and midges. Despite the presence of all these insects, the dry fly fishing has been spotty. But it is good to be prepared for rising fish by having a rod rigged and ready for the possibility of dry fly fishing.
The upper, walk/wade stretch of the Madison River will remain relatively fishable throughout runoff. Water clarity will be diminished significantly at the height of runoff, but the fishing typically remains very productive with large nymphs and streamers worked along the banks. Some of our clients’ largest fish of the year come from this stretch of the Madison during May and June. We’ll be running guide trips daily, give us a call (800-423-4742) to arrange a trip.
Nymphs: Pats’ Rubber Legs #8, Mega Prince #8, Pheasant Tail #18, Soft-Hackle Lightning Bug #16-18, Lightning Bug #18, RS-2 #18-20, Shop Vac #16, $3 Dip #16-18, San Juan Worm #12
Dries: Parachute Adams #18, Purple Haze #14-18, Sparkle Dun (olive) #18 and #12 (brown), X-Caddis #14-16, Elk Hair Caddis #14-16
Streamers: Sex Dungeon #4, Circus Peanut #4, Barely Legal, Sparkle Minnow #4-6, Bow River Bugger #4-6, Home Invader #2-6, McCune’s Sculpin#4, Gonga #4. Be sure to have an array of colors represented in your streamer box including: white, yellow, olive, natural/tan, and black.
YELLOWSTONE RIVER FISHING REPORT
The Yellowstone River is on the rise and is unlikely to be in fishable condition again until runoff subsides in mid to late June.
After a few days of good fishing conditions on the Yellowstone, river levels are on the rise again and the river is muddy. The Lamar, Gardner, and Shields – all major tributaries of the upper Yellowstone – have spiked substantially over the past 48 hours. It appears that the river is now entering full runoff. We expect runoff to subside in mid to late June this year, hopefully in time for the salmonfly hatch.
Currently: Large nymphs or dead-drifted streamers in the #4-6 size range such as the Pat’s Rubber Leg, Bitch Creek, Yuk Bug, Mega Prince, San Juan Worm, Bow River Bugger or Sparkle Minnow.
Patterns to stock up on for post-runoff:
Dries: Flutter Bug #6-8, Cat Puke (salmonfly & golden stonefly) #6-10), Rogue Stone (salmonfly and golden stonefly) #6-10, Chubby Chernobyl (Golden) #8-10, Stimulator (Yellow) #10-14, Elk Hair Caddis (Yellow/Tan/Olive) #14-16, X-Caddis (Olive) #14-16, Lime Trude #14-16, Sparkle Dun (PMD) #16-18, Purple Haze #14-18
Nymphs: Pats’ Rubber Legs #8, Mega Prince #8, San Juan Worm (Red) #12, CDC Pheasant Tail #16-18, Pheasant Tail #16-18, Lightning Bug #16-18, Copper John #14-16, Beadhead Yellow Sally #14, CDC Emerger #14-18, Shop Vac #16
Streamers: Sex Dungeon #4, Circus Peanut #4, Barely Legal, Sparkle Minnow #4-6, Bow River Bugger #4-6, Home Invader #2-6, McCune’s Sculpin#4, Gonga #4. Be sure to have an array of colors represented in your streamer box including: white, yellow, olive, natural/tan, and black.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK FISHING REPORT
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK’S FISHING SEASON IS CLOSED AND WILL REOPEN ON THE SATURDAY OF MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ( MAY 28, 2016).
Twenty-three days and counting, that’s all that remains until the fabled waters of Yellowstone National Park reopen to anglers for a new season of fishing. The Saturday of Memorial Day is opening day and will greet anglers with opportunities for quality fishing. Opening weekend typically finds most of the park’s streams and rivers swollen with snowmelt. Many river systems such as the Yellowstone and its tributaries (the Lamar, Slough Creek, etc.) are virtually unfishable during the early portion of the park’s fishing season. The portion of the Gallatin River within the park is typically fishable from a clarity standpoint, but the river and its tributaries will be flowing high and water temperatures will be cold.
Some of the best early season fishing opportunities in the park can be found along the Madison River and its two primary tributaries: the Firehole River and the Gibbon River. These fisheries are located near the park’s west entrance and are go-to destinations for most of our guide trips in the park. The Firehole is a popular opening weekend destination for anglers, and for good reason – flows are typically moderate and it’s a fairly safe bet that trout will be found rising to hatches of both caddis and baetis in the classic meadow water above the falls. Below the falls on the Firehole anglers may still find a few large, holdover fish that migrated up from Hebgen Lake during the fall spawning run. These fish can be taken on large stonefly nymphs imitating the giant salmonfly, a hatch that occurs in early June on the lower Firehole due to its thermal influence. Should opening weekend find the Firehole flowing high and turbid, anglers can still find success, but may need to shift gears and trying swinging soft hackles or nymphing.
The Gibbon River is a very diverse fishery that provides less reliable fishing for opening weekend – some years it fishes very well on the opener, and during other years it is too high and off color to be productive. If conditions allow, anglers will do well nymphing below the falls with stonefly patterns, or with baetis imitations along the river’s upper meadow reaches.
Opening weekend in Yellowstone is a tradition for many anglers, give us a call (800-423-4742) to discuss planning your own trip.
Patterns to have on hand for the opener:
Dries: Adams #18-20, Sparkle Dun (olive) #18-20, Purple Haze #18-20
Nymphs: Pheasant Tail #18-20, Soft-Hackle Pheasant Tail #18-20, CDC Emerger #18-20, Partridge & Olive Soft Hackle #18-20, Lightning Bug #18-20, WD-40 #18-20, RS-2 #18-20, Pat’s Rubber Leg #8
