5 Keys to Successful Fishing in Yellowstone National Park

The chance to catch native Yellowstone cutthroat trout draws anglers from around the world. Photo: Kubie Brown

Yellowstone National Park may be the top summer vacation destination in the country. From watching the iconic eruptions of Old Faithful, to standing on the edge of the Yellowstone Grand Canyon, to viewing wildlife like bison, wolves, and bears, Yellowstone offers something for everyone—and that includes fly anglers.

With more than 2,500 miles of running water full of wild trout, Yellowstone offers some of the best fly fishing on the planet. Thousands of anglers travel to the park every year to try and catch cutthroats, rainbows, browns, brookies, and even grayling that swim through the park’s celebrated waters. Yet not all these anglers have the iconic Yellowstone fishing experience they’ve been fantasizing about.

Like every other fly fishing destination, Yellowstone can be a fickle mistress, and weather, hatches, and water conditions can all affect the fishing. In addition, the oldest national park in the US is also the most regulated, with certain fishing opportunities limited and certain rivers even being completely closed during specific times of the year. When you combine all this with the additional influence of fishing pressure, the vastness of the area, and the unpredictable nature of the wilderness, fly fishing in Yellowstone can be an incredible challenge. Accordingly, if you want your Yellowstone fishing vacation to be all you’re dreaming of, there are certain things you need to consider.

Not all waters are productive all season long, so knowing where to fish at the proper time is a key to success. Photo: Kubie Brown

1. Fish The Right Rivers at The Right Time of Year

There are lots of famous rivers and trout streams flowing through Yellowstone, but not all these waterways are productive throughout the entire season. In fact, several of these rivers are completely unfishable or even closed to fishing during either the early or late season.

In the early part of the summer—from late-May to early July—the western part of the park is your best bet. Famous rivers like the Madison, Firehole, Gibbon, and their tributaries are full of a variety of trout that are very willing to play, giving you opportunities to catch a little bit of everything. However, by mid July the water temperatures in these rivers may reach 65 degrees or more, making for slow fishing and the onset of Hoot Owl restrictions which prohibit fishing between the hours of 2 p.m. and midnight. Later in the summer when water temps reach 70+ degrees, these rivers are closed to fishing entirely until things cool down in the early autumn. However, that doesn’t mean you’re out of options if you’re visiting Yellowstone in the mid-summer; you just have to look farther north.

During the late summer when the western rivers begin to close, the waters in the northeastern section of the park are just beginning to warm up. Swollen and cold from snowmelt until late-July, rivers like the Lamar, Soda Butte, and Slough Creek begin to clear during the mid to late summer, offering anglers fantastic opportunities to catch the park’s signature trout species—the Yellowstone cutthroat. Though rainbow trout have encroached into these waters over the years, the rivers in the northeastern corner of the park remain a stronghold for this native trout species, among the most beautiful and unique trout on the planet. From late summer to early fall, these iconic trout are happy to rise to a variety of dry flies, especially in the afternoon when the water has warmed up and the fish are feeling frisky.

The popularity of fishing in the park can mean crowded fishing spots, especially those close to the road. Photo: Kubie Brown

2. Escaping the Crowds

While we all wish to have the river to ourselves, when you’re fishing on Yellowstone National Park’s more famous rivers, you’ve got to be prepared for company. With around 4 million people visiting the park every year, some of the more popular spots can become crowded. Some anglers don’t mind this type of shoulder to shoulder combat fishing, but if you’re the type who prefers a bit more solitude, you had better bring your walking shoes.

Obvious pools and runs on famous rivers—such as the Lamar, Firehole, and Madison—that are close to the road and easy to spot will draw anglers like moths to a flame. Yet there are still plenty of stretches on these same rivers that can be completely devoid of other anglers, so long as you’re willing to travel a bit. Look for areas where the river meanders away from the beaten path and disappears into canyons or sections of thick forest, and then hike in and explore them. While this type of mobile angling may add a bit of miles to your odometer, if you keep at it, you’ve got a good chance of finding a couple of sweet fishing spots that you will have all to yourself.

Hundreds of ponds and lakes offer the chance for solitude, as well as multiple species of fish, including grayling. Photo: David Force

3. Fishing in Lakes and Creeks

While most anglers visit the park to fish the more notable rivers that Yellowstone has to offer, there are a lot of stillwater and small-creek opportunities in Yellowstone that shouldn’t be overlooked. The park has more than 600 lakes and ponds, most of which hold at least some fish, and an almost uncountable number of small streams where you can find everything from brook trout to grayling. Nearly all these waters offer fly anglers some excellent opportunities at both big fish and big fish numbers, so long as you know where and when to fish them.

During the early and late season, the more well known lakes—such as Shoshone, Lewis, and of course Yellowstone Lake—offer excellent shore fishing. All three of these waterbodies have opportunities to catch some truly giant trout on dries, nymphs, and streamers, so long as anglers are willing to explore and experiment with different patterns and techniques. In addition, there are also several small lakes located between Mammoth and Canyon Village which make for excellent fishing during the peak season, though getting to some of them may mean taking a bit of a hike.

The innumerable small streams and creeks flowing through Yellowstone—especially the ones that act as feeder streamers for the larger, more popular rivers—also have some fantastic angling opportunities during the middle of the summer. These smaller streams are usually cool and highly oxygenated, offering the trout in bigger rivers a refuge from the summer heat. With a 3-weight rod and a willingness to explore, you can have a bang-up time on these tiny creeks which can contain anything from small resident brookies to giant migratory browns.

If you’re willing to invest some boot leather, you can find stretches of water all to yourself—but you must be prepared for anything to happen. Photo: Kubie Brown

4. Be Prepared for the Backcountry

Part of the appeal of fishing in Yellowstone is going off the grid. With only a limited number of roads winding their way through the entire 2.2 million acres, there are a ton of backcountry fishing opportunities in the park. Yet choosing to go this route means you’re going to have to channel your inner Boy Scout and prepare for everything.

Whether you plan on spending a couple of hours or a couple days in the Yellowstone backcountry, it’s important to remember that the off-road access in the park is true wilderness. There aren’t any grocery stores, gas stations, or hospitals close by to get you out of any trouble, so aside from your fishing equipment, make sure to pack beyond the essentials.

Freeze-dried food, drinking water, a mylar blanket, flashlight, battery charger, satellite phone, rescue beacon, whistle, and signal flares are all a must, even on a short trip. If you’re planning on an overnight venture, bring a good waterproof tent along, as the weather in the park is famously unpredictable. Finally, use a solidly built, lightweight backpack to carry all your gear to and from your fishing destination. While it may seem like overkill, there’s nothing worse than getting lost or stuck in the wilds of Yellowstone without having everything you need.

Yellowstone’s thermal features are spectacular, but they are also dangerous. Photo: David Force

5. The Dangers of Wildlife and Thermal Features

The final and perhaps most important thing that you need to consider before a Yellowstone fishing trip are the dangers of wildlife and thermal features. Whether it’s an unstable piece of ground or an angry bison, there are a ton of different ways to end your Yellowstone fishing vacation with a trip to the hospital or the morgue. To stay safe, you need to be overly cautious.

Aside from traffic accidents, thermal features are the number one cause of injury or death in Yellowstone, and every one you fish around needs to be treated with caution. While it may seem obvious that you shouldn’t walk around the edge of a hot spring or stick your face in a geyser, there are still a lot of ways that this hot water can hurt you.

Most of the ground around thermal areas is considered unstable, and if you step in the wrong place, it can lead to disaster. When you’re fishing, avoid any of the clearly marked areas of unstable ground, any places where the ground over or around a water body looks unusually pale or crusty, and any water that is bubbling for no apparent reason as these can be unknown pockets of thermal activity.

In addition to the thermal features, the wildlife in Yellowstone National Park can be extraordinary. Everything from bison to bears to elk and wolves all roam freely near the water. They may seem docile and completely harmless in such a tranquil environment, but they’re not.

Fishing near wildlife can be exciting, but it’s important that you recognize that these animals are wild, unpredictable, and possibly dangerous. Photos: Kubie Brown (left)/David Force

Yellowstone National Park is not a zoo or a circus where the animals are contained or trained. It’s a wild environment where the animals behave as they have for millions of years, completely unrestrained and unpredictable. To fish among such creatures, you need to exercise every caution.

The National Park Service recommends that all visitors stay at least 25 yards away from the bulk of the wildlife and more than 100 yards from predatory animals like wolves, bears, and mountain lions. While this is simple enough to do with the animals you can see, it’s important to remember that when you’re fishing or hiking, it’s easy to become distracted and miss the animals you don’t see. You can come around the corner of a trail and find yourself face to face with a bison or look up from a rising cutthroat to see a grizzly staring across the river at you, so it’s important to always be alert and ready for anything.

Whenever you’re hiking and fishing in Yellowstone, make some noise. Yell, sing, play music, or have a conversation with yourself (no matter how crazy it seems) to let any wildlife in the area know you’re around. In addition, purchase and carry a can of bear spray anytime you’re away from the road, as it can make all the difference between returning home safe or ending up in a grizzly situation. (Sorry; I couldn’t resist.)

Yellowstone National Park features every kind of natural trout water you can imagine. Photo: Kubie Brown

A Fishy Vacation

Yellowstone National Park is a truly wondrous place. Within its borders, you’re suddenly transported back in time and allowed to observe a wild place and a completely intact and unspoiled ecosystem. It offers a special and unique opportunity for fly anglers to fish for trout that are living as they’re meant to live—except for the introduced species, of course. Pursuing these fish can be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many fly anglers and with the right approach, it will be an opportunity you can make the most of.