Yellowstone River Fishing Report
Date: 07/16/2025
Posted by: Toby SwankCurrent Conditions
The Yellowstone River has been having good and bad days, but is overall still fishing well. From the upper stretches near Gardiner down through Livingston and into the Big Timber area, the river is flowing clean, cool, and is very fishable. Water levels have stabilized in the mid-valley, with temperatures in the ideal range for trout activity. Fishing has been solid, and regardless of the river stretch, there are a variety of ways to have a fun day on the water.
Early mornings and dusk on the upper river sections near Yankee Jim, anglers can expect reliable dry fly action. Patterns like chubby chernobyls, foam caddis, stonefly attractors, and smaller stimulators are all producing on the surface.
Midday fishing remains productive with double-nymph rigs. Nymphing with a pats rubber legs to a smaller attractor nymphs like a lightning bug, prince nymph, or PMD style perdigon below a strike indicator has been the most successful. Some bigger browns have been seen poking around the edges and slots, especially during mid-morning and late afternoon when sunlight pushes bugs loose from the rocks.
Streamer fishing on the Yellowstone has been pretty day-to-day, covering water and targeting structure has been the most successful at getting quick grabs and aggressive eats on overcast days. With that slight green tint in the water, fish have been the most receptive to white or olive patterns.
Additional Resources:
Yellowstone River Fly Fishing in July
Livingston Fly Fishing Guide to July
Stream Flows
Flows
Recommended Flies
Olive Double Gonga
Brown Pat's Rubberleg
Tan and Yellow Double Gonga
Royal Chubby Chernobyl
Gold Lightning Bug
Brown Elk Hair Caddis
Sweetgrass Hopper
Coffee/Black Restless Stone
Tungsten Jigged Prince
Yellow Sally Stimi
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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