On the Fly Magazine: The Greater Yellowstone Fishing Guide

Fishing Report
Saturday, April 28 2007 / 11:46 AM

Location: Greater Yellowstone Region

WOW! What a beautiful weekend here in the Yellowstone area. Temps are reaching the mid 70’s for daytime highs and just barely freezing overnight in the mountains.
The tributaries of the Snake are flowing a littel higher than last weekend and have that greeish tint to them. This is a sign that runoff is right around the corner. It won’t be long before the freestone streams are unfishable and muddy. Keep an eye on the weather forecasts. If the mountains see lows below freezing and the valleys cool off durning the day, fishing can turn on again.
Talked with some friends on up in Ennis, MT the other day. The Mother’s day caddis are starting to show a bit early. If you’re after a dry fly game, think about hitting the river around 6pm. Before that the fish will be feeding under the water. SOUTH FORK :
As you can see if you follow the streanflow links on our site, the South Fork of the Snake is rising a bit every day. The flows from the dam will continue to get bumped up for a while. Word is that the highest flush will be at the end of May. Keep an eye on conditions and if you see the level plain out for a couple days, hit the river! Focus on the slower water and side channels for the best results.

Runoff is almost here in the Yellowstone Ecosystem but there is still some fishing to be had before everything blows. When we do see the Goo start flowing, check out the regional tailwaters and don’t forget about the incredible lake opportunities we have in this area. Stay tuned for upcoming reports, once runoff sets in. We will detail some great lake fishing options as well as the best tailwaters in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.

Cheers,
The Crew at On the Fly