Yellowstone Park
YELLOWSTONE PARK
ReportYellowstone Park fisheries managers have ended all fishing restrictions on streams because of cooling weather. The Firehole River still offers great early-in-the-day dry fly fishing, with tricos, BWOs, midge life cycle, and soft hackle patterns producing action. Caddis hatches bring trout up during afternoons.
Brown trout are migrating from Lewis Lake into the river between it and Shoshone Lake, as well as into the outlet. Streamer and woolly bugger patterns are needed to interest these fish, which range to over two feet in length.
The river from Baker's Hole campground upstream to the Barns Hole can become crowded with fly fishers during daytime. Weather conditions are now a major consideration when visiting park waters — keep track of these through the park website.
| Insect | Size | Activity | Prime Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trico | #20–24 | Morning spinner falls | Early AM |
| Blue-Winged Olive (BWO) | #20–22 | Morning dry fly action | Early AM |
| Midge (life cycle) | #20–24 | Larvae, pupae, and adults producing | Morning |
| Caddis | #18–20 | Afternoon hatches bringing trout up | Afternoon |
- EARLY MORNING (dawn–10 AM): Dry fly and soft hackle fishing on the Firehole with tricos, BWOs, and midge patterns
- AFTERNOON (1 PM–dusk): Switch to caddis dries as hatches bring trout to the surface
- ALL DAY (Lewis River corridor): Streamer and woolly bugger fishing for migrating brown trout to 2+ feet
