Yellowstone National Park
Inside of Yellowstone the road between Madison Junction and Norris is closed for construction and at this time the road between West Thumb and Lake is closed due to the Arnica Fire. Therefore we will no longer be guiding day trips to the streams in the Lamar Valley or Yellowstone River.
Madison River (Yellowstone National Park) 9-30-09
From a purely non-scientific standpoint, it appears that the run out of Hebgen Lake is better at this point in the season than it has been for a few years. Anglers are finding quite a few nice fish, both browns and rainbows, despite the summer weather that just broke. With cool, wet weather in the forecast for the next few days, fishing should be very good. Streamers, nymphs and soft hackles are all effective ways to catch some fish. As angling pressure continues to increase, it is important for folks fishing the Madison to show each other a little respect. Avoid entering a run below someone fishing downstream, give anglers space and don’t sit on a run without moving for long periods of time. There are plenty of fish to go around.
Firehole River 9-30-09
With wet weather finally here, expect to find Baetis hatching on the Firehole in staggering numbers. These small mayflies normally hatch between 11 and 3 in the afternoons and can be prolific in ideal conditions such as we are experiencing now. Most of the insects are #22’s. Coming armed with a good emerger pattern like Baetis Paramergers, imitate duns with Thorax or CDC Comparaduns and bring along some nymphs to fish in the surface film. At times the hatches can be too thick to fish and the trout are always very picky once they are locked into the naturals. Fish feeding in riffles are almost always easier to catch then the fish in slow pools.
Gallatin River 9-30-2009
Baetis fishing on the Gallatin can be a lot of fun this time of year, but we often find ourselves headed to the Firehole instead as it tends to have thicker hatches. There are plenty of fish to be found on the Gallatin feeding not only on the surface insects, but on the small nymphs as well.