Yellowstone National Park Fly Fishing
Fly Fish the Rivers of our 1st National Park
Yellowstone National Park Fly Fishing Trips
Fly Fishing in Yellowstone National Park with our Montana fly fishing guides is a great way to experience fly fishing in the ultimate wilderness setting. Yellowstone National Park is one of our Nation’s greatest treasures.
The Montana Angling Company is an authorized permittee of Yellowstone National Park and we offer guided fly fishing trips on all of the major and lesser known waters. Our fly fishing guides are all experienced professionals that have the knowledge, patience, and commitment to safety to make your Yellowstone Park fly fishing trip a success.
Yellowstone National Park is as diverse as it is big. The fly fishing opportunities are similar as the rivers range from wild to intimate. Fly fishing trips in Yellowstone are well suited for seasoned and beginner anglers alike. The fly fishing season begins the Saturday of Memorial day weekend and closes the first Sunday of November.
We feel while the fly fishing is important, fly fishing trips in Yellowstone are about more than just fly fishing. Wildlife viewing opportunities are everywhere, the scenery is stunning, and there is a certain mystique about the land and rivers that is hard to find anywhere else.
Fly Fishing in Yellowstone National Park
From the opening weekend through the end of June our fly fishing guides operate primarily in the western half of Yellowstone National Park around Madison Junction. This includes rivers like the Firehole River, the Gibbon River, and the Madison River in the Park. This time of year anglers can expect consistent hatches of caddisflies as well as mayflies. Our guides’ preferred tactics are dry fly fishing and swinging soft hackle for the wild rainbow and brown trout that inhabit these rivers.
By July these rivers get too warm due to hydrothermal input from the geyser basins and our guide trips venture into the Northeast corner of the Park, primarily in the Yellowstone River drainage. This includes many of Yellowstone National Park’s more famous river such as the Lamar River, Slough Creek, Soda Butte Creek, and the Yellowstone River proper. Cutthroat trout flourish in these cold and clear waters. Consistent hatches throughout the summer and early fall make for excellent dry fly fishing opportunities.
By October these higher elevation rivers get cold and our guide trips return to the Madison Junction. The Madison River has a world-famous Fall run of brown and rainbow trout that regularly exceed 20-inches in length. This can be one of the best opportunities at a true trophy fish. Streamers and nymphs are generally the best method to catch these fish but a strong BWO hatch can bring them to the surface on occasion.
Yellowstone National Park has several lifetimes’ worth of fly fishing for the adventurous angler. There are more small streams and alpine lakes than we could ever list, and a short hike from any trailhead usually means total solitude and fly fishing paradise. Every fly fishing trip to Yellowstone National Park is an adventure and we encourage all anglers to consider a day in Yellowstone Park as a part of every Montana fly fishing trip.
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Prime Season:
Madison River Drainage (Opening Day-June 15th and September 15th-Closing Day); Yellowstone River Drainage (July 10th-September 30th)
Notable Hatches:
White Miller Caddis (Early June); Salmonflies and Goldenstones (June 1-August 15); Terrestrials (August 1-September 15); Fall Drakes (September 15-October 15)
Nearby Towns:
Bozeman, MT; Gardiner, MT; West Yellowstone, MT; Livingston, MT; Big Sky, MT
Nearby Rivers:
Yellowstone River, Gallatin River, Madison River, Boulder River, Stillwater River, Paradise Valley Spring Creeks