Yellowstone River Fishing Report
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This Yellowstone River fishing report is valid from December 5 through January.
It’s early winter. That means darkness for all but about eight hours a day and not enough sunlight getting in the water to get the bugs and therefore the fish excited, and thus at most a couple hours of good fishing on the ‘Stone. This is the hardest time of year except the spring melt. It’s much better in late winter when more light gets in the water.
Fish the largest, slowest, walking-pace runs at the heads of pools. Chest-deep or deeper water will be best. Dead-drift your nymphs or very slowly swing streamers. There’s some chance of dry fly eaters, but this shot is very low except right below Depuy Spring Creek or the confluence with the Gardner River.
- Hatches: A few midges and BWO, primarily near warm water sources.
- Dry Flies: #18-20 Hazy Cripples (copper and purple are both working), #18 Parachute Adams, various #18-20 grayish Baetis patterns, Griffith’s Gnat, Parachute Midge Emergers.
- Nymphs & Wets: #18 Radiation Baetis, #18 PT Little Green Machine, #18 Lightning Bug, #18 Frenchie, #18 Prince Albert, #18 Sunkist Baetis. You might be noticing a trend with the pattern size. Trail these behind a slightly larger nymph or a Girdle Bug.
- Streamers: Woolly Buggers and other generic, buggy flies that look good fished on a slow drag. Don’t go too big, for the most part.
Learn more about fishing the Yellowstone River (in Montana).
Info about our float trips, a majority of which take place on the Yellowstone.
Yellowstone River Streamflow Data
Sudden spikes on the Corwin Spring gauge suggest mud is on the way. Fish further downstream. Also check the gauges on the Yellowstone Park page for the Lamar River and Gardner River, as these also show mud coming into the Yellowstone. When water temps are peaking over 22 degrees Celsius (a bit over 70F), we suggest quitting by 2:00PM. Mandatory closures begin when flows are hitting 73F (22.75C).
The graphs are presented from upstream to down. For more granular data, check out the new USGS Montana Streamflow Data pages. It is not possible to embed this more in-depth information on external websites.
Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs – Flow
Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs – Water Temperature
Yellowstone River at Livingston – Flow
Yellowstone River at Livingston – Water Temperature
Also keep an eye on the following water temperature gauges. These areas are downstream of Livingston and are more prone to getting too warm in late summer. Flow data is not available at these sites, but there’s not a lot of change downstream of Livingston during fishing season, since all tributaries on this reach are pretty small.
Yellowstone River at Springdale – Water Temperature
Yellowstone River at Big Timber – Water Temperature
Yellowstone River Webcam
This camera (courtesy Montana Whitewater) is prone to failure and may operate intermittently.
Yellowstone River Fishing Report – Links
- Lamar River, Gardner River, and Shields River streamflow data: Sudden flow spikes in these waters will bring mud into the Yellowstone, the Gardner first.
- Gardiner, Corwin Springs, Emigrant, Livingston, Big Timber, and Columbus weather forecasts. Watch the wind speeds and avoid floating Livingston-Columbus when east winds are forecast.
- Gardiner Webcam This raft company webcam gives a good sense of Yellowstone River level and clarity for the Upper River.
Note: We update our general fishing report far more often than our fishery-specific reports like this one, especially between November and April.