Yellowstone Update
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The Yellowstone fishing season opened early this year as Memorial Day (May 26th) came early. This combined with an average 165% snowpack in the region put the westside rivers out of their banks on the opening weekend. It took a couple of weeks for things to settle down to normal for the Firehole, Madison and Gibbon. The early season is always short lived as they will begin to get too warm in early July and won’t fish well until early September. The NPS changed the rules this year and Yellowstone Lake opened with the general opener instead of June 15th as has been for many a year. Didn’t much matter as the ice didn’t go out until late in the first week of June.
Have been in the park about a dozen times since the opener and the fishing on the Firehole (even with the high water) has been light’s out although cooler/wetter than average weather has limited the dry fly fishing. No matter, streamers on sink tips have been returning a lot of fish. Every year I try and fish a new stretch of water to see if I’ve been missing something. I finally found a short piece of water that is loaded with fish and probably neglected by most anglers. I’ve driven by it every year saying “I should really fish this spot.” Well this year I finally did and it paid off. It does however present some interesting challenges. In June, it is very much cannot be waded because if its depth (~4-6’), especially on the road side of the river. Also, it is so close to the road ~10’ that any decent back cast would snag any passing vehicle. On the far side of the river, trees makes normal casting difficult. It is this beautiful pool that pushes up against a ledge while the river really narrows making the center very deep and creating the perfect undercut bank on the far side of the river.
Looking upstream at the pool
The pool from the roadI’ve fished this twice now at dawn when there’s little or no traffic on the road catching more than a dozen decent fish each time. It would probably fish well late in the evening when traffic subsides. Otherwise, casting tempo would be dictated by traffic behind you. My casts easily reach the far bank and I occasionally hit the opposite side the road on my back casts. How much drag do you need to stop a car?
Because the waters been high and cold, I’ve been using some larger woolly buggers tied with palmered pine squirrel and lots of flash on a 5wgt, 150 grain sinktip. It really fishes this deep type Firehole water well.
All my usual haunts—Biscuit Basin, Muleshoe Bend, Goose Lake meadows and Fountain Flats–all have significant deep water pools and undercut banks and have produced well this Spring.
Despite the early high water, the big streamers have produced some nice fish.
High water pushing over the banks just downstream from Midway
High water brown out of the channels at Biscuit Basin.Made one trip to the Lake just days after ice out. Again another early dawn start to beat the wind. No lake trout but the cutthroat were world class-14 fish in 4 hours, all over 16”.
Dawn on Yellowstone Lake, early June just after ice out.
This cutthroat taped at 20” and looked more like a smallmouth bass than a trout. It was extremely fat.All in all it has been a good June so far in the park except for the occasional Grizzly encounter which always makes the day so much more exciting. Our good snow pack bodes well for the rest of the season although some streams such as the Lamar will struggle to come into shape before August. Next couple of week will see Salmon Flies on the lower Gardner, so that’s where I’ll be.
Strategy without Tactics is a Slow Route to Victory, Tactics without Strategy is the Noise Before Defeat - Sun Tzu
Great post and photos Mike! The wife and I are going to be camping at Madison Campground on July 2nd thru July 6th. The campground isn’t too far from Firehole. I’m not sure where you were fishing exactly but we will be close to Firehole river upstream of Firehole falls.
Do you expect the fishing in this area (Madison/Firehole) to be slow this year during the first week of July? If so, do you have any recommendations for other areas that are nearby?
Regretfully, we don’t have a lot of time (4 days) so I’m looking for places I can get into some fish near the campground for an hour or two in the morning and evening before we go driving around site seeing. However, we do have plans to make the 1hr 30min drive to Slough Creek for a hike and some fishing one day.
Thanks,
MikeMike….,thanks for the excellent report! I’ll be out there late July/ early August. I plan to backpack and fish the Lamar drainage.
I look forward to more of your write ups and excellent photos.
Do you expect the fishing in this area (Madison/Firehole) to be slow this year during the first week of July? If so, do you have any recommendations for other areas that are nearby?
Thanks,
MikeMike,
The Firehole and Madison will fish fine during the first week in July, especially in the morning. It really depends on water temperatures which can tend to rise to unacceptable levels in late July and August. I’ll point out some go-to water on the Firehole and Madison a bit later. As you are staying at Madison Campground, you have an advantage of proximity. The real thing that most visitors to Yellowstone don’t understand is the road system. There are no four lane roads, there are no “passing zones”. Midday, it can take four hours to get from West to Old Faithful because of traffic. The road(s) to the Lamar Valley and Slough Creek from Madison can be very congested at times. The Norris/Mammoth road is under construction and won’t even open until 7AM. After that its big time congestion. Lesson one, start out early—before or at dawn. You will see more wildlife and get to your destination without a lot of anxiety.Although I would encourage anyone to go see the Lamar Valley during their visits to Yellowstone, Slough Creek in the first week in July this year is an iffy bet: http://www.parksflyshop.com/news.html and quite a distance. A much better fishing experience would be had on the Gardner River for the Salmon fly hatch. If I had 4 days in Yellowstone the first week in July, here’s where I’d fish. All of these locations are within a 20 minute drive of Madison Junction:
Firehole River: (in order of preference: Biscuit Basin, Goose Lake Meadows, Muleshoe Bend, Fountain Flats (just above and below the first Iron Bridge (Ojo Calienti Spring).)
Madison River: Seven mile bridge downstream to Riverside drive (cross the river to grass hopper bank at Riverside Drive or at the islands just upstream)
Gibbon River: Entire river below falls, 2 miles of river just above Gibbon Falls
What would I use?
On the Firehole, Madison, and Gibbon below the falls, a woolly bugger with traditional soft hackle (think partridge and anything) trailer is a can’t miss approach. Fished on a 4 or 5 wgt floating line, swung through rising fish or along cut banks, this is a killer approach. You can use bigger #6 or #4 buggers on the Madison, while #10, #8 are suitable for the Firehole. The only real dry fly you might need in July is an Elk Hair Caddis or Sparkle Dun. An Elk Hair Caddis or Stimulator would be an excellent choice for the Browns immediately above Gibbon Falls.
If you bring up a map of Biscuit Basin, you will see the river braids just below the Biscuit Basin parking area. The largest fish in the Firehole system above the falls are found in the braids and meadows below this parking area. To fish this area park at the turnout just north of the entrance to the Biscuit Basin parking area. Walk down to the very narrow, but deep channel on the south side of the meadow. Fish this channel down to its confluence with the other channel (wider but much less flow). If you want to fish dries in challenging water, cross the Firehole at the confluence and fish up the wide channel for a couple of 100 yards. Otherwise fish downstream until the river leaves the meadows. This area is just loaded with fish, especially along the undercut banks.
If I had just a few hours to fish the Firehole in the early morning or late evening, this is the stretch I’d fish. Biscuit Basin just downstream from the Biscuit Basin parking area.
Good Luck and I’ll be looking for a report.
Strategy without Tactics is a Slow Route to Victory, Tactics without Strategy is the Noise Before Defeat - Sun Tzu
Dang, Mike T., you can’t ask for better than that. I’m going to bring my map on Sunday and I’ll get you some additional spots as well. Thanks Mike Cline!
Zach
Son of a Biscuit Basin Mike Cline! You are indeed the man. I’m so excited right now. My wife decided a week or so ago that she was not going to fish with me (she’s as green as a newbie can get) and instead just drive around and take photos while I reel in the big one. However, after reading your post I’m pretty sure I can convince her to fish with me. I certainly have my work cut out for me because she hasn’t been trying to learn so the next two weeks I’m going to do my best to bring her up to speed on the basics (casting, knot tying, etc)… Man I’m excited!
THANK YOU for the VERY detailed recommendation, Mike. I owe you and I’ll definitely post a full report. I hope Holly (wife) will get hooked and we spend a decent amount of the trip fishing.
I’m so excited right now.
Mike, it sounds like you are getting pumped for the experience, that’s good. But I would be remiss in not warning you that fishing the park streams, especially the Firehole can have its disappointments for the uninitiated. I’ve fished the Firehole and Madison off and on for 42 years. There are three things you really need to think about/understand when fishing in the park to avoid disappointment, and none of them involve angling skills. The fish in the Firehole, Madison and Gibbon are actually very easy to catch with moderate skill and there’s lot of them. Here’s what you may encounter.
Weather: These rivers are at an altitude of 6500’-7000’. For the first few hours in the morning, especially after clear nights, it is cold, sometimes below freezing. Ice in guides, cold fingers, etc. are par for the course when you fish early and especially if it is windy, deal with it. However, once the sun rises and things begin to warm, it can reach 60 degrees pretty rapidly. Don’t over dress as you may be comfy early, but you’ll be roasting later. Additionally, at altitude, in windy conditions and away from the road, getting seriously wet is dangerous. Don’t wear any cotton when fishing. Underwear, socks, thermals (I use cold gear 1.0), pants and shirt should be synthetic and quick drying. Everyone gets dunked sometime, and in the Firehole, Gibbon and Madison it can happen quickly because of the irregular streambed. I’ve been on my ass a number of times. Wearing quick dry material, lightly layered ensures your safety if you do get wet. A note about the wind. You can almost guarantee that the wind will blow 50% of the time you are on the river. The winds in the open meadows can seem like gale force at times. Doesn’t effect the fishing one bit, but it sure does making casting difficult and tedious. The Firehole and Gibbon are ideal streams for 3 and 4 weight rods. I fish them a lot with 3 and 4 weight glass rods. However, if it is windy, leave the light rods home and stick with a fast 5/6 weight. It is more rod than you really need, but in wind, it will make the experience so much easier. If it is really windy, stay out of the trees. Dead, but still standing lodgepole pines are dangerous in wind. One poor fellow has already been killed by a falling tree this season.
Wildlife: Wildlife in Yellowstone is on the move in the morning hours. If you fish early, especially away from the road, you will most likely encounter wildlife. In Yellowstone, once you leave the roads, you’ve violated the sign on the bus that says: “Don’t get out of the bus inside the Safari Park”. Yellowstone is a very wild place and two animals require diligence when you are away from the roads—Bison and Grizzly Bears. Bison are not aggressive and essentially ambivalent to humans unless you get too close. In the spring and early summer the big bulls leave the herds and forage one and two at a time. They are everywhere in the park. Until they bed down during midday, they are moving. When you are on the river focusing on the fishing, they will appear from nowhere out of the trees, etc. Always be alert for them as if they want to cross the river where you are, they will. You just need to stay out of their way and try and not get boxed in somewhere you can’t leave from easily. Grizzly Bears are another story. They are truly dangerous. I’ve encountered two this year on the Firehole very close to the river. They too can just appear from nowhere as you fish. But they move fast and like Bison, they go where they want to go. They will shy away from humans, so if you see one, make your presence known and above all carry, have immediately available and know how to use bear spray. Take the safest route to slowly create distance between you and the bear. If your wife is with you, she should have bear spray as well.
Congested streams: This is probably the biggest disappointment for new anglers to these rivers. The good spots can get crowded, limiting your angling opportunity. Starting early is the best solution, but invariably you can arrive at your favorite spot and someone is already there. Find another spot. The worst campers as I call them are guides with their dudes who will take over several 100 yards of river by putting the anglers along the river and working in between them. I’ve seen guides and their dudes hold on to a stretch of river for more than three hours. The other situation that can cause angst is this. You are diligently swinging buggers, etc. along cut banks on the opposite side of the river. You are catching fish and have another 100 yards to go with very productive banks in front of you. One, two or three dudes come pounding down the opposite river bank. They stop and ask how the fishing is before continuing downstream along the river. Unfortunately you are too polite to tell them they just screwed up your fishing by scaring all the fish holding along the bank. It can be very frustrating at times. We have to tolerate crowds and clueless anglers in Yellowstone, but starting early, especially on a weekend like the 4th, will mitigate some of that.
Again, good luck, get prepared and keep the excitement up.
Strategy without Tactics is a Slow Route to Victory, Tactics without Strategy is the Noise Before Defeat - Sun Tzu
Mike,
Since I’ll be fishing the area in October, I was looking to tie up some of those pine squirrel buggers. Do you still use the traditional marabou tail? Also what colors do you suggest, black,olive,natural…?
As always thanks for the info you provide.Eric
Eric, here’s some good instructions: http://www.jsflyfishing.com/blog/try-tying-these-pine-squirrel-buggers/. Where are you headed in October?
Strategy without Tactics is a Slow Route to Victory, Tactics without Strategy is the Noise Before Defeat - Sun Tzu
Mike,
We will be staying by west yellowstone and fishing the madison, fire hole, gibbon and maybe some others depending on what goes on.Eric
Well, we’ll have to meet up some how, some where. Keep me posted as to when. Fishing has been very good post runoff this year. I might try and get you on one of my favorite kayak sections.
Strategy without Tactics is a Slow Route to Victory, Tactics without Strategy is the Noise Before Defeat - Sun Tzu
Great pix & story – thanks Mike.
www.dsaphoto.com
A picture is thousand words that takes less than a second while a thousand words is a picture that takes a month.
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