Yellowstone River Fishing Report
Date: 09/10/2025
Posted by: Toby SwankCurrent Conditions
The Yellowstone River has been fishing great. Late summer conditions are setting in, and we are starting to see that later starts have a better effect on the early bite. If you’re floating, especially between Point of Rocks and Emigrant, be mindful of the lower flows; there are stretches where a drift boat can struggle a bit. Planning ahead and knowing your takeout options is important this time of year, as flows continue to drop into fall levels.
Dry-fly fishing hasn’t completely faded thanks to terrestrials still hanging around. Grasshoppers in sizes 8–12 are still the ticket for covering water, particularly during the warmest part of the day. Running a large hopper with a copper john, perdigon, or lightning bug remains a consistent combo. While true hatch activity has quieted down, anglers may still see a few caddis or small mayflies on cloudy afternoons. And with the forecast calling for more overcast and cool spells, it won’t be long before fall BWOs.
Nymphing has been the most reliable approach. Stonefly patterns like pat’s rubberlegs, mega princes, and other dark, heavy beadhead imitations are producing. Covering water with long drifts through riffle corners and midriver around Livingston and below has been particularly productive. A two-fly rig with a larger stone followed by a smaller attractor nymph, such as a czech bomb, blowtorch, or lite brite has been getting it done.
Streamer fishing has been worth it under the right conditions. Low light in the morning and overcast afternoons have been best. Patterns like mini dungeons, goldies, rusty trombones, and sparkle minnows in olive, black, or white have all moved fish. Stripping quickly after a short pause near structure or along softer side channels has been the most effective retrieve.
Additional Resources:
Yellowstone River Fly Fishing in September
Bozeman Fly Fishing Guide to September
Livingston Fly Fishing Guide to September
Stream Flows
Flows
Recommended Flies
Tan and Yellow Double Gonga
Butano Lite Brite Perdigon
Coffee/Black Restless Stone
Golden Thunder Thigh Hopper
Golden Morrish Hopper
Olive Mini Dungeon
Brown Pat's Rubberleg
Royal Chubby Chernobyl
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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