The Yellowstone River is on the drop and clearing quickly. Flows are still high, but skilled anglers will be able to find plenty of fish in these conditions. The trick is to keep your flies on the inside of the heavy water. However, heavy flows pillow off the banks and make it challenging to keep nymph and dry/dripper rigs in the best water for too long.
The river is clearing nicely, bugs are out - including salmonflies - and the fishing is just starting to get going for the season in Paradise Valley. Once the flows drop below 7000 CFS, the river starts to fish well for less experienced anglers.
Nymph with tandem rigs under a strike indicator for the best success right now. Back eddies, bottoms of islands, and seams between slow and fast currents are the places to focus on.
You can check current water clarity through a handful of webcams in the area, here's one that our Bozeman fly fishing guides watch at Pine Creek and one that is hosted by Montana Whitewater in Gardiner.
Additional Resources:
Yellowstone River Fly Fishing in June
Bozeman Fly Fishing Guide to June
Hare's Ear Guides Choice
Purple Psycho Prince
Frenchie
Iron Sally
Black Pat's Rubberleg
Brown Pat's Rubberleg
Circus Peanut Water Walker
Chubby Chernobyl Pteronarcys
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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