I. The Yellowstone River: A National Treasure

The Yellowstone River holds iconic status in American mythos for many reasons. Sharing a name with our first National Park, it’s the longest remaining undammed river in the Lower 48 States. From its origins in Yellowstone Lake, the river drops over massive waterfalls, winds through towering canyons, and meanders past herds of bison, elk, deer, and pronghorn antelope in some of the wildest country we have—and that’s just the first 50 miles!

The Yellowstone River also supports an incredible trout fishery. From wild, native Yellowstone River cutthroat that slurp dry flies in slow motion; to big, cagey browns that smash streamers and inhale hoppers; to fat, feisty rainbows that sip mayflies and caddis in swirling back eddies; every angler should experience fly fishing on the Yellowstone River.

This article outlines Yellowstone River fly fishing, introduces the different sections, and offers specific recommendations regarding river conditions, times of year, and fly fishing methods. Check out the Yellowstone River Fishing Guide for a detailed month by month, section by section breakdown of hatches, flies, and techniques.

II. A Very Brief History of The Yellowstone River

The Yellowstone has sustained humans for unknown generations. Before Europeans arrived, Native Americans from various tribes including the Lakota Sioux, Cree, Cheyanne, Crow, and others hunted, fished, migrated, and lived along the Yellowstone and its tributaries. The name likely derives from either the Minneataree or Cheyenne languages (who called it the Yellow Rocks and Yellow Rock River, respectively) and either refers to the vibrant rocks that line the upper river’s Grand Canyon or the sandstone bluffs common along its lower reaches. The varied geology of the Yellowstone’s course has both fascinated and confounded geologists. Here, you’ll find a unique landscape alternately shaped by volcanoes, glaciers, earthquakes, snowmelt, and hydrothermal features over the past 150 million years.

Fishes of the Yellowstone

The Yellowstone River is one of the few large cold water fisheries in Montana where native fish populations remain relatively stable. Anglers fly fishing the upper Yellowstone River will primarily encounter cutthroat, but even much lower (downstream of Livingston) cutthroat and cutthroat/rainbow hybrids (cutbows) are common. Populations of native mountain whitefish also remain high. Put on a shiny nymph (or two), and you’ll likely catch all the whitefish you want.

Widespread introductions of non-native fish throughout the Yellowstone region, however, have significantly altered the fishery. Most prominently, non-native lake trout (likely released by anglers in the early 20^th century) decimated the cutthroat population in Yellowstone Lake and its tributaries. Recent eradication programs have brought lake trout numbers under control, and the cutthroat population has rebounded. Rainbow trout, brought over from the West Coast, and brown trout from Europe, have thrived in the Yellowstone River since the late 1800s.

III. Section-by-Section Guide to Fly Fishing On the Yellowstone River

Yellowstone National Park to Joe Brown

The river exits Yellowstone National Park at the town of Gardiner, Montana. Anglers have their choice of 11 different access points in this stretch (eight on the north side, three on the south), but this water—like all of the Yellowstone—is big, swift, and difficult to wade. Wade fishing becomes more viable after water levels drop later in the season (preferably below 2500 cubic feet per second).

This cutthroat dry fly paradise flows through a stunning, pristine landscape beset by the Gallatin and Absaroka Mountain ranges. On a good day, skilled anglers can expect numerous opportunities at cutthroat trout from 12 to 16 inches, with occasional fish breaking the 20 inch mark. From mid-July through September, surface fishing is generally the name of the game, but nymphs also produce many fish, especially whitefish. This is a prime location to experience peak Yellowstone River fly fishing—from early summer stonefly and salmonfly hatches, to July PMDs and yellow sallies, to August grasshoppers and ants.

This section contains numerous rapids ranging from class I to II, so only experienced rowers should float here in driftboats. Additionally, make sure you don’t miss the Joe Brown boat ramp on river right. Below Joe Brown, you enter the whitewater of Yankee Jim Canyon.

Fins and Feathers Fly Fishing Guide Pro Tips: While this stretch gets pressure, much of it is novice. Skilled anglers who understand drift and line control can have exceptional days. focus on back eddies and complex seams; they generally don’t get fished well by passing boats. Additionally, while most anglers target the numerous cutthroat, this stretch holds a few monster brown trout. Strip large streamers at low light periods and on overcast days.

Joe Brown to Carbella

Yankee Jim Canyon begins just below the Joe Brown River Access Site. This stunning gorge lets adventurous anglers mix a little whitewater thrill into their float. The canyon walls close in, the water speeds up, and the fishing comes at you fast. Trout hold in the pockets and seams between whitewater, but you have to be quick and accurate. The first two miles feature three significant rapids—Yankee Jim’s Revenge, Big Rock, and Boxcar—between class II and III, depending on river levels. Only float Yankee Jim Canyon in a raft with an experienced rower. Driftboats are not advised.

The canyon attracts kayakers and rafters, but most fishing boats shy away. When the rest of the river gets crowded, this stretch receives lighter pressure. Dry flies, streamers, and nymphs are all productive. Expect a healthy mix of cutthroat, rainbow, and brown trout with plenty of whitefish as well.

Fins and Feathers Fly Fishing Guide Pro Tip: If you’re fit and stable on your feet, Yankee Jim Canyon hides fantastic wade fishing. Anglers able to safely scramble through scree fields and crawl over boulders can methodically work the seams and edges, which is nearly impossible from a passing boat. The wading is difficult and physical, but the rewards can be worth the effort.

Carbella to Point of Rocks

Below Tom Miner Bridge (just upstream from the Carbella Access), the river widens and slows into a series of long glides and shallow riffles with a few deep holes. Whereas floating and fishing through Yankee Jim Canyon is fast and furious, Carbella to Point of Rocks is calm and relaxing, giving anglers and rowers alike ample time to anticipate and execute oar strokes, casts, mends, and presentations. The landscape, however, still rises dramatically, and very few houses or other structures impede the sense of solitude. Elk come to the river on early summer mornings, and bear tracks are common along sandy banks.

Dry flies still bring numerous cutthroat and other trout to the surface during salmonfly, stonefly, caddis, PMD, and yellow sally hatches, but dry dropper and nymph rigs are most effective here. As river levels drop, look for trout subtly sipping mayflies in non-descript slack water and back eddies, especially during the Mother’s Day caddis hatch in May, the PMD hatch in July, and the trico hatch in August and early September.

Rowing this section is straightforward with a few easily avoided obstacles. Wade anglers can walk upstream from the Point of Rocks Access where a steep, rip rap bank holds numerous fish that often come to the surface at dusk.

Fins and Feathers Fly Fishing Guide Pro Tip: Pressure on this section can get heavy, but most boats stick to the banks. Fish hoppers and ants on this stretch in August, but focus on mid-river riffles, shoals, and buckets. Drag-free drifts on long leaders can produce lifetime cutthroat.

Point of Rocks to Emigrant

Point of Rocks marks the start of the classic Paradise Valley stretch of the Yellowstone River. The Absaroka and Gallatin Mountain ranges creep away from the river. Vast expanses of fertile agricultural land cover the widening valley floor. The streambanks sprout cottonwood trees, tag alders, and willows. A mixture of riffles, shelves, glides, back eddies, and bank seams create diverse fish habitat. Rainbow and brown trout become the dominant quarry, though you’ll find plenty of cutthroat and cutbows. Mountain whitefish remain plentiful through throughout Paradise Valley.

Early season is prime time on this section—typically late June through July. Because the Yellowstone is undammed, runoff can be difficult to predict. Some years, it’s low and clear enough to fish by mid-June. Other years, it’s high and dirty into August, but the first week of July usually marks the start of summer fishing. In August and September, when water levels drop, this stretch can get a little slow and “froggy,” so our guides focus elsewhere.

Approximately one mile upstream from Emigrant, on river left, you’ll encounter a side channel that cannot be floated. A ten-foot high diversion dam makes this channel extremely dangerous for boats. The entrance is clearly marked to warn boaters of the hazard.

Fins and Feathers Fly Fishing Guide Pro Tip: This stretch is a standout option for the big, early season salmonfly and golden stone hatches. Look for willow-lined and rip rap banks, as these are favorite locations for big stoneflies to emerge and congregate.

Emigrant to Livingston

You’ll find plenty of access points between the towns of Emigrant and Livingston including Grey Owl, Mill Creek, Mallard’s Rest, Pine Creek, and Carter’s Bridge. Note, however, that Mill Creek is an unimproved “ramp,” and should be used with caution.

The majority of this stretch, Emigrant to Mallard’s Rest, flows languid and calm—the easiest water to navigate on the entire Yellowstone River. Though it’s the most heavily used section (both by anglers and recreational floaters), fish numbers remain high, and old-timer guides will tell you that the biggest browns in the river live here.

If the Yellowstone is clear enough to fish in early to mid-May, Paradise Valley boils with Mother’s Day caddis and rising trout. During this hatch, rainbows congregate and feast in back eddies. Salmonfly and golden stone emergences can be very good here as well, but get on the water early to avoid crowds. As flows drop and clear, nymph rigs and dry droppers become far more effective.

Below Pine Creek, the river speeds up. Though the specific hazards change from year to year, expect fast corners and mid-river obstacles. Only take a driftboat through here with an experienced rower. The same gravel bars and bends that make rowing a challenge also create excellent habitat. This faster water fishes well as water levels drop. Trout congregate around mid-river riffles where they find plenty of oxygen and food.

Fins and Feathers Fly Fishing Guide Pro Tip: Streamer fishing can be excellent here if you know when to go. The prime window comes just before the river clears, after the water has transitioned from brown to minty green. High flows concentrate most of the fish against the banks. Look for waist-deep, walking speed water, and start moving your streamers the instant they land. After the flows drop, trout continue to eat streamers the very early morning—just before and just after sunrise. Once the sun hits the water, the bite quickly tapers off.

Livingston to Big Timber

The “Town Stretch,” from Carter’s Bridge to the Highway 89 Bridge, features different scenery than you’ll experience elsewhere when fly fishing on the Yellowstone River—a lumber mill, numerous back yards, a trailer park—but what it lacks in aesthetics, it makes up for in fish numbers. Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks sampling surveys consistently record some of the highest rainbow and brown trout numbers through Livingston.

The town stretch fishes best after water levels drop, usually sometime in mid to late July, exposing a treasure trove of structure. Midsummer, trout stack along the big gravel bar ledges that bisect the river. You will often find them feeding right at dropoffs, but don’t neglect the shallower riffle water just upstream of the drop and the slower water just below it. Do not attempt to float through Livingston in a driftboat unless you’re with an experienced and competent rower. This water can be dangerous and has claimed the lives of people who underestimated it.

From the Highway 89 Bridge to the town of Big Timber, Montana, the Yellowstone begins to transition from a high-gradient river to a slower prairie flow. Just outside Livingston, it bends east toward North Dakota. Fly fishing the Yellowstone River here takes you through a transitional landscape where the Rocky Mountains give way to the Great Plains.

Make no mistake, however, this is still a big, powerful river. It’s also still full of fish. You’ll find huge basalt shelves, remnants of ancient lava flows. These dark fingers of volcanic rock extend across the river subsurface, breaking the current and creating huge areas of holding water. These basalt shelves are a key feature of the lower Yellowstone that anglers need to understand.

Streamers and nymphs are productive fly fishing methods here year-round. An olive wooly bugger followed by a mayfly nymph will usually produce fish. Later in the summer, nocturnal stoneflies hatch on the lower Yellowstone. In the very early mornings, trout will take large dries, but stonefly nymphs become more productive as the sun climbs. August also brings grasshoppers and other terrestrials to the water, and trout start looking skyward around midday. Try a grasshopper followed by either an ant or a beadhead soft-hackled hare’s ear.

Fins and Feathers Fly Fishing Guide Pro Tip: Psychedelic ants. For some reason, ant patterns tied in gaudy colors like purple, pink, orange, and red catch a lot of fish on this part of the Yellowstone River in late summer. If trout aren’t responding to hoppers or are rejecting them, try fishing a brightly colored ant a few feet behind your favorite hopper pattern.

Below Big Timber

Below Big Timber, trout numbers begin to dwindle, but there are still quite a few rainbows and browns down to Columbus. Fly fishing methods here are similar to those just upstream—streamers and nymphs will be top producers until late season nocturnal stoneflies and terrestrials bring fish to the surface.

You will also begin to encounter a broader diversity of fish species, both native and non, as you move downstream. Common carp patrol the backwaters, sucking up nymphs, crayfish, and anything else that catches their fancy. Streamers will entice the occasional smallmouth bass. Most common, however, are goldeye—silver sided, shad-like fish with big, yellow eyes that smash both hoppers and streamers in the summer. They are generally between 12 and 15 inches but can grow over 20, a fun bonus bycatch when fly fishing for trout on the Yellowstone River.

IV. The Takeout

Spend a few days floating and fly fishing the Yellowstone River and you’ll understand why this is hallowed water. While the trout fishing is world-class, the experience of the place and landscape brings people back year after year. It’s a unique river: the character, terrain, fish species, and fly fishing tactics transform several times between Yellowstone National Park and Columbus. You could fish this river for the rest of your life without discovering all its secrets.

After more than 25 years fishing and guiding it, however, we’ve learned quite a few of them. An experienced Fins and Feathers guide will safely pilot you through the sometimes tricky and dangerous sections of the Yellowstone River while pointing out some of the history, geology, and unique features. We will also ensure that you’re putting the correct flies in the right places to sample the diversity of fish species that live here, from Yellowstone cutthroat, rainbow, and brown trout, to mountain whitefish and goldeye.

Our staff call the Yellowstone home water, and we would love to show you why we impatiently wait for this undammed, wild river to naturally settle into proper fishing condition every summer.

Join us on a Yellowstone River fly fishing trip to experience some of the best fly fishing in Montana for yourself. Join our guides for a day trip to the Yellowstone River or book our services for a few days to sample the many world-renowned trout rivers near Bozeman, including the Yellowstone River.

Reservations can be placed online, via e-mail, or by calling us at 1-406-468-5019.

Additional Yellowstone River Fly Fishing Resources