Snowpack Update and Summer Streamflow and Fishing Forecast for April 19, 2024
Posted on April 19th, 2024
Winter and early spring 2023-2024 has been warm and dry in Yellowstone Country, just like it has just about everywhere except California through Colorado. For a while we were flirting with record-low snowpack and the potential for a very short fishing season. After strong improvement from mid-January through March, April has seen a decline in snowpack and we’re looking at tough conditions again in late summer and early fall.
Because of anticipated low and warm streamflows and a forecast for a hot, dry summer, we encourage anglers to visit sometime between June 20 and July 20 if you’re looking for consistent summer-type fishing with dry-dropper combos, fast, cold flows, etc. July 20 through August 20 are likely to see very low water and widespread 2:00PM mandatory closures. August 20 through September will see better conditions, but low, clear water will still make for difficult fishing on sunny days. Only in October and November will we be sure of aggressive fish again.
With Yellowstone Park opening portions of the Gardner and Madison Rivers to year-round fishing beginning November 1, this may be a year to skip August and come in early November instead, especially if you’re an angler who likes to walk-wade and doesn’t mind cold weather fishing.
Anglers who visit in late summer and early fall are strongly advised to be flexible as far as destinations, tactics, trip start times (we will likely want to meet before dawn) and durations (morning half-days might be the way to go in August) and even target species. Anglers here on August 15 up for doing oddball stuff like throwing grasshoppers for carp might be a lot happier than anglers who insist on trying to fish the same flies on the mellowest stretches of Paradise Valley on the Yellowstone on the same date…
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Yellowstone National Park to Host a Presentation on Native Fish Conservation
Posted on April 15th, 2024
On April 30, YNP is hosting a virtual presentation about ongoing native fish (Yellowstone and westslope cutthroat trout and Arctic grayling) recovery efforts in the park. There’s a pretty fair chance they’ll talk about the rationales and details on the new year-round fishing opportunities on the Gardner & Madison Rivers, too.
The meeting takes place at 11:00AM MDT on Tuesday, April 30.
Here’s the official announcement.
The meeting will take place on Microsoft Teams (online video meeting software). There are usually Q&A opportunities associated with these meetings. Here is the link to the Teams meeting.
YNP Opening to Year-Round Fishing!
Posted on April 7th, 2024
Year-round fishing in Yellowstone National Park will be possible for the first time in many decades beginning in November. The park is opening sections of two rivers to year-round angling. This will be the first time in decades any portion of the park will be open to fishing during the winter.
The Madison River from the WY/MT state line (near the Barns Pools) and more importantly for us the Gardner River from Osprey Falls to the Yellowstone River confluence will officially be open year-round starting May 25.
The Gardner River will be one of the best winter and spring wade-fisheries in the Rocky Mountain West. Due to the influence of the Boiling River hot spring, this water never gets too cold for trout and insects to remain active, and the late winter and early spring rainbow run rivals the fall brown trout run, without the crowds.
We will be offering SUBSTANTIAL discounts for brave anglers who want to plan a December-March ski/fish trip or and April-May shoulder season fishing trip. Details will appear on our website in the next few weeks, along with a winter fishing page and edits to other pages.
This might well revolutionize our business: fifteen trips a year between November and April inside YNP is a Roth IRA contribution for the year, or the payment on a new truck…