If you have ever done any fly fishing for trout at all, you shouldn’t need a guide. You cannot float any stream in the park and any trip with a guide is a walk-in wading trip. Often, the guide is just another target for the trout to spot and spook. As far as a best location is concerned, it will be common knowledge shared by most everyone that will be there fishing. We have customers fishing just about every day of the season and you can call us at 899 594 4726 or write us a sales@perfectflystore.com, for advise on where to fish. The last several post on this site deals with where to fish at different time periods of the season. Be sure to read the ones that apply to the time period you will be fishing.
We recommend an eight to nine foot fly rod in a four to six weight. A floating, weight-forward fly line will handle most all the situations you should encounter. Full-sinking lines can be used fishing lakes. Felt-soled, full size, chest-high waders are our preference. You will not be able to wet wade as the water is usually to cold and due to the fact there are a lot of nasty leeches in the streams. You should take rain gear with you every day in spite of the weather forecast. It is usually cold in the early morning but may reach the low nineties during summer days. It is always a good idea to take a variety of clothes with you so you can change in layers. Also, the weather and temperature changes a lot based on the altitude of the stream you fish and it may be entirely different weather from where you are staying.
The most important items you should have are flies – not just trout flies, but flies that are specific imitations of the foods and insects that are most likely to be plentiful and available at the particular time you are fishing. Flies are the only thing the trout should see. You fly rod and other items of gear and equipment aren’t nearly as important. Many of our Perfect Flies were developed from video and photos of samples of insects found in the park as well as our experience of fly fishing in Yellowstone park. All of the Perfect Flies are more realistic imitations of the foods trout eat than anything on the commercial market. We can set you up with a selection of flies for the specific time of the season you will be fishing in the park. You can call or write us in advance of your trip and we can fix you up with the flies you should be using. There is no cost for shipping in spite of the size of the order. The regulations require barbless hooks. We don’t sell them because they are a waist of money but rather prefer to mash the barbs down flat with pliers or forceps. It is perfectly legal to do so. We can do it for you free of charge, but many anglers prefer to do it as they use the flies so they have hooks with barbs to use otherwise such as streams outside the park boundaries. It is fast and easy to do.
We also have a four hour long instructional fly fishing DVD on fly fishing Yellowstone National Park that shows all the major streams and all the most important small streams in the park as well as provide information on the best methods and techniques to use to fish them successfully. It was produced over several years time during each all the seasons you can fish the in the park.