All Fishing Reports

Yellowstone Park Fishing Report

This Yellowstone Park fishing report is valid Nov 1 through Thanksgiving.

The park general season is now closed. The remaining open fisheries are the Gardner River downstream of Osprey Falls and the Madison near West Yellowstone, basically from the Barns Pools down.

Park Waters are presented in roughly their distance from us, then by water type for generalities like “small streams” and “lakes.”

Gardner River: Closed until Memorial Day Weekend, 2025 upstream from Osprey Falls. Open year-round downstream of the falls. Too cold down to the mouth of Sheepeater Canyon near the “high bridge” east of Mammoth. From the bridge to Boiling River, the pools are worthwhile on warmer afternoons. Fish stonefly nymph and egg pattern combos. The faster water is too cold. Downstream of Boiling River is good for a wider chunk of the day and in faster water, in fact the pocket water is often where the highest numbers are caught. BWO hatches will be fragmentary but can be great in the afternoons. Otherwise, fish the stonefly/egg combo in the bigger pools and the pocket water. Heavy brown trout spawning activity is underway in the riffles; do not fish them and be careful about where you walk. Regardless of where you’re fishing, beware of redds and avoid disturbing spawners.

Yellowstone River – Black Canyon: Closed until Memorial Day Weekend, 2025.

Yellowstone River – Grand Canyon: Closed until Memorial Day Weekend, 2025.

Yellowstone River – Headwaters and Lake to Falls: Closed until July 1, 2025.

Lamar River, Slough Creek, and Soda Butte Creek: Closed until Memorial Day Weekend, 2025.

Firehole River: Closed until Memorial Day Weekend, 2025.

Gibbon River: Closed until Memorial Day Weekend, 2025.

Madison River: Closed until Memorial Day Weekend, 2025 from Madison Junction down to the Barns Pools. Open year-round from the Barns Pools to Hebgen Lake. This water is a long way from here. The classy choice is to swing streamers and large soft hackles, but most people will nymph using stoneflies, eggs, worms, and the like. Heavy brown trout spawning activity is underway in the riffles; do not fish them and be careful about where you walk. Regardless of where you’re fishing, beware of redds and avoid disturbing spawners. Unfortunately it seems likely that a lot of so-and-sos will not follow this advice. I have been informed by a senior Park Service employee who shall remain anonymous that “if every bro from Bozeman shows up and Euro-nymphs the redds, I’m closing this.” So don’t do that.

Lewis & Snake Rivers: Closed until Memorial Day Weekend, 2025.

Park Small Streams: Closed until Memorial Day Weekend, 2025.

Park Lakes and Ponds: Closed until Memorial Day Weekend, 2025.

 

Yellowstone Park Fishing Report – Relevant Links

Note: We update our general fishing report far more often than our fishery-specific reports like this one, especially in the winter.

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