August 26, 2023 Yellowstone River Fishing Report
Date: 08/26/2023
Posted by: Toby SwankCurrent Conditions
Heavy rains last week kind of made a mess of things for the most part last week as "plugs" of mud seemed to pop up every other day thanks to some heavy rains early in the week. It seems like that has moved through the system for now, and we should be in for another nice run the next several days.
Nice weather and sunny skies will have fish looking up for a variety of dry flies throughout the river. Fishing attractor dry patterns in size 14-16, such as Spruce Moth's, Royal Wulff, and Purple Haze are always productive in the upper and middle Paradise Valley stretches early in the day this time of the year - fish them in shallow water riffles and seams. As the sun comes up, the hopper fishing will improve around the ledges and deep runs. The lower river has been fishing well with hopper and nocturnal stone patterns such as Chubby Chernobyls in purple or royal color ways. Nymphing in the fast water with rubberlegs followed by a small lightning bug has been productive on cloudy days and in the early mornings.
We offer Yellowstone River guided fly-fishing trips throughout the year and float the river from the top of Paradise Valley, all the way to Columbus, Montana at different times of the year. You can book with us online or through e-mail.
The Yellowstone River can go off-color quite quickly during the summer months following heavy rains in Yellowstone National Park and Paradise Valley. You can check current water clarity through handful of webcams in the area, here is a link to one that we check regularly.
Stream Flows
Flows
Recommended Flies
Purple Chubby Chernobyl
Brown/Black Pat's Rubberlegs
Yellowstone River Fishing
The Yellowstone River is a 600-mile-long river in Montana that originates in Yellowstone National Park. The river offers world-class trout fishing opportunities and flows through breathtaking mountain landscapes with cottonwood-lined banks. Anglers can enjoy diverse fishing experiences, ranging from the whitewater of Yankee Jim Canyon to the peaceful glides near Livingston and the broad riffles near Big Timber.
Read our "Yellowstone River Fishing Guide" for a detailed overview of fly fishing the Yellowstone River in Montana. This is a great resource for anglers fishing near Bozeman Montana and details the various river stretches and seasonal hatches with tips from our Bozeman fly fishing guides on Yellowstone River fly fishing.
