Yellowstone River Fishing Report
Date: 08/28/2025
Posted by: Toby SwankCurrent Conditions
The Yellowstone River is fishing well. The recent cold front that is passing through has cooled things down. The river still looks good overall, with a slight greenish color showing up in some stretches. It hasn’t hurt the fishing. If anything, it’s helped the streamer bite and made the nymph game even more reliable. The morning windows are where most of the consistent action has been, especially on the upper sections near Livingston and down through the valley.
Nymphing continues to be the go-to approach. A two-fly rig with a mega prince, pat’s rubberleg, or worm pattern as the top fly is doing the heavy lifting. Trail that with a perdigon or Lightning Bug and you’ve got a solid setup for this current color and flow. Fish are still holding tight to structure, think behind boulders, in inside bends, and anywhere the current softens just enough. Adjust your weight to get those bugs down fast and keep your drifts tight.
Streamer fishing has picked up noticeably with the drop in air temps and the slightly murky water. Bigger patterns like sex dungeons, double gongas, and home invaders are drawing reaction strikes when fished on a slow strip or swung tight to banks. Focus on shaded water, side channels, and transition zones with softer current. Late afternoon and evening hours have shown the most activity on the streamer front, especially on overcast days like we’ve had this week.
Additional Resources:
Yellowstone River Fly Fishing in August
Livingston Fly Fishing Guide to August
Stream Flows
Flows
Recommended Flies
Brown Pat's Rubberleg
Tan and Yellow Double Gonga
Butano Lite Brite Perdigon
Golden Thunder Thigh Hopper
Olive Mini Dungeon
Royal Chubby Chernobyl
Coffee/Black Restless Stone
Golden Morrish Hopper
Yellowstone River Fishing
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.
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