Wild Trout Fishing on the Yellowstone River, Wyoming

The Yellowstone River, the largest tributary of the upper Missouri in western USA, is some 676 miles (1,080 km) long and its headwaters and tributaries drain a vast area stretching from the Rocky Mountains near Yellowstone National Park across to the high plains of southern Montana and northern Wyoming. This is a big river, in places more than 100 yards wide, and for the most part wading right across is impossible except in very low water conditions.

The Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park, seen
here in low-water conditions

The Yellowstone River rises in northwestern Wyoming near Younts Peak, on the Continental Divide. It flows northwards into Yellowstone National Park, feeding Yellowstone Lake and then leaving the lake to pass over the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls at the head of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The river flows on through Black canyon and continues northwards into Montana across the northern Great Plains. The scenery is quite breathtaking, especially in the canyons.

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River

Tributaries
Clarke's Fork of the Yellowstone (named after William Clark who, with Merriwether Lewis, explored this part of the Wild West in 1804-1806) joins the main stem near the city of Billings, below which the Yellowstone is also joined by the Bighorn River. It is fed a little further down by the Tongue River, the confluence being near Miles City. In eastern Montana the Powder River adds its flow to the Yellowstone, and then the river passes through Lake Sakakawea before entering the Missouri near Williston.

Trout fishing
The Yellowstone River is a great trout fishery, providing excellent sport for at least 200 miles down from its highest tributaries inside Yellowstone National Park. Rainbow trout and cutthroat trout are the main quarry but there are also good brown trout. Rocky Mountain whitefish are plentiful on the Yellowstone and very easy to catch.

Pat O'Reilly with a big cuttroat trout from the Yellowstone

Tackle
Light tackle (AFTM #4 or #5 rod) and fine tippets are ideal for this clear-water river. Dry flies and small nymphs to match the seasonal hatches are all you really need on calm days, but when the prairie winds get up big hoppers get blown onto the surface and a suitable imitation can provide explosive sport.

What to expect
We fishing inside the Park, where the fishing opens on 15th July (towards the end of the Salmon Fly hatch - these are very big stoneflies); but by mid August most of the really big cutthroats in that area have left the main river (where they spawn) and returned to Yellowstone Lake. A couple of big cutthroats per angler per day counts as a pretty good catch in the Park, where all fishing is from the bank or by wading. Boats are permitted further down the river, and a float with a knowledgeable local guide is a great way to cover more of the river (and almost certainly catch more fish).

Accommodation
There are hotels inside Yellowstone National Park and in West Yellowstone, just outside the Park.

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