Yellowstone National Park
Inside of Yellowstone the road between Madison Junction and Norris is closed for construction. Fishing the Gibbon, Gardiner, Lamar and its tributaries requires a very long drive from West Yellowstone.
Madison River (Yellowstone National Park) 10-07-09
Fishing for Hebgen Lake fall run fish has been good when the weather has cooperated with clouds in the sky. Fishing hasn’t been as productive when the trout are staring into the sun, but thankfully, more snow is in the forecast. Soft hackle fishing has been quite good in the Park. Tossing streamers has been more hit and miss, but can turn up some nicer fish. Nymphing anglers who get decent drifts are catching their share as well. 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 10-07-09
As expected, the cloudy weather made the Firehole turn on. Fantastic Baetis fishing can be had between noon and four on cloudy days with about one tenth the number of anglers the river sees in the early season. Most of the naturals are #22’s with a few #20’s tossed in the mix. We’ve had our best luck fishing emergers, though fish do key in on duns later in the hatch. Casting to pods of fish can be intimidating for fishers unfamiliar with the process. Pick out a fish and put short clean drifts over it. Avoid false casting over the fish, flock shooting at the pod, and try to keep a low profile. When there are a lot of naturals the fish can be tough to fool, but don’t get discouraged and keep at it. If dry fly fishing isn’t your thing, fishing soft hackles on the Firehole has been exceptionally good in the past week. Fish feeding in riffles are suckers for this presentation.
Gallatin River 10-07-2009
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.