The Yellowstone River offers a wider variety of fly fishing experiences than any other Montana trout river. From the mellow flows and mountain scenery of Paradise Valley where brown and rainbow trout lurk, to the raging canyon water in Yankee Jim Canyon, home to native cutthroat trout, it’s possible to fish the Yellowstone for a week straight without doing the same thing twice.
We’re blessed to have this river as Yellowstone Country Fly Fishing’s home water, and we look forward to introducing you to it—or to the under-the-radar options on its tributaries. Our owner and head guide Walter Wiese has been guiding fly fishers of all ages and experience levels on the Yellowstone for almost 25 years, and we’re eager to share our knowledge, tips, and tricks. We customize every trip for every party to be sure you get the perfect trip.
Walter takes all bookings personally and always will, and your guide(s) make final arrangements about where to fish based on current conditions. In other words, there’s no chance out-of-touch sales staff can mess things up.
Top Trips on the Yellowstone and Tributaries
The Yellowstone River and other great local fisheries are famous names for a good reason. Whether you’re looking for a mellow float in Paradise Valley, an exciting, fast-action one through Yankee Jim Canyon, or one of our other options on the Yellowstone or its tributaries, we’ve got a trip for you. Here are some favorites:
River Float Trips
100+ miles. That’s how much float water we have on the Yellowstone River within 45 minutes of our front door in Livingston, and that’s before we add its top tributaries and the nearby Madison River. Whether you’re a rookie looking for your first “bent rod” or an expert looking to fish with another expert to fish the Yellowstone a bit differently than you ever have before, we’ve got you covered.
Available late March through early November.
Walk & Wade Trips
Hike in for epic scenery and epic fishing in the strongholds of the Yellowstone cutthroat trout: the Yellowstone River’s Grand and Black Canyons. Hunt big fall-run browns on the Yellowstone’s best year-round tributary, the Gardner. Go for a change of pace on tiny mountain trickles. All these trips and more are possible on our wade-fishing trips.
Available year-round.
Private Water Trips
None of the Yellowstone River is private, but some of its best tributaries are. The Paradise Valley spring creeks are the famous names, but many anglers think the private lakes feeding the Yellowstone are even better—and that includes us. Check out that brook trout!
Spring creeks available year-round. Private lakes are available from April through June and again in the fall.
Multiday Trips
Whether you’re looking to float the Yellowstone a week straight or to explore both the Yellowstone and other nearby waters, we’ve got a bunch of multiday packages that might be just the ticket, and that only counts our discounted prepackaged options. We’d be happy to set up a custom trip just for you, too.
What Our Clients Have to Say
If you are planning to fish the great trout rivers around the Livingston region Walter is your man. And if you do, tell him Bud and Dave say thanks!
Also, we had bad weather/water conditions on the scheduled day but were able to reschedule for another day on our trip, which made us very happy!
Overall, great day on the river. Would definitely recommend booking with him.
The whole experience was excellent from start to finish and made for a very memorable day. I would definitely book another trip with Yellowstone Country Fly FIshing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fishing tackle is included, but you are also welcome to bring your own. Flies are also included, including many custom fly patterns our guides have developed specifically for local waters. Do you like to tie your own? No problem. We'll let you know what to tie, and you can check out our YouTube fly tying tutorials to learn how to tie some of our specialties.
We do not supply wading gear. It is not needed on our most popular trips, and may be rented from local shops if required.
Livingston is by far the most central option to fish the Yellowstone itself, and has the most hotels, campgrounds, and rentals. Lodging options in Paradise Valley also make sense. If you also expect to fish tributary streams and rivers, staying in Gardiner or Big Timber would be good bets, while Bozeman works if you also want to fish the Madison River.
As the longest and most-varied fishery in our operations area, the Yellowstone has something to offer everyone, from beginners who’ve never picked up a fly rod before to experts who want to target big fish on streamers or lots of cutthroats on dry flies. It also offers a wide variety of scenery, and water types from gentle meadow stretches to raging whitewater.
We’re called “Yellowstone Country Fly Fishing,” and we chose that name because it sums up where we fish: the Yellowstone River, its tributaries, and other waters that originate in Yellowstone Park, such as the Madison. Many other fisheries can be combined with the Yellowstone on a multiday fishing trip.
The best time to fish the Yellowstone depends on your goals, interests, and skill level. Beginners love late summer and early fall for the easier techniques required, while experts might prefer slinging bushy dry flies under the bushes in early July or chasing big brown trout in October. The tributaries and other area waters likewise offer different things at different times of year.
We’ve got good fishing whenever it’s warm enough to get on the water, so give us a call to discuss options if your travel plans are already set, or to figure out when to come for a trip that will tick every box on your checklist.
For the Yellowstone itself, the answer is easy: from sometime in early-mid May until sometime in mid-late June. This is the spring snowmelt period, and the Yellowstone River is too high and muddy to fish most days for four to six weeks during this period. The precise dates depend on the winter snowpack and spring weather, but suffice it to say that if you’re dead set on fishing the Yellowstone itself, it’s best to avoid May and June.
Rest assured that we have plenty of good options during this period, though.
Absolutely. While we don't include lodging in any of our rates, we have some preferred hotels and campgrounds that work best for our clients. Give us a call and we'll give you our recommendations based on your budget, timeframe, and fishing goals. We'd also be happy to help with other travel planning.
Are You an Information Junkie?
If so, our website will be just the ticket. You'll find plenty of additional info about our guide services, our specialty flies, and more. We also provide more helpful content about area fisheries and fishing tactics than you'll fine in many guidebooks. All this is intended to help you plan your trip - whether you decide to fish with us or not.
Sound good? Grab a cup of coffee or something stronger, click or tap the button below, and get ready for a deep dive into fly fishing Yellowstone Country.
As you absorb all the info on our site, we ask you to consider one thing: think about how much we hold back for our clients….
