James Marsh

Lighting Conditions: Bright skies and/or cloudy Skies affect your fishing as much as anything. Low lighting conditions and bright lighting conditions affect the way trout can see your fly. In bright light conditions, trout, especially the brown trout, tend to stay deeper and/or under the cover of vegetation, undercut banks. Low light conditions exist either at dawn or dusk or hen there’s heavy cloud cover.… Read More »04/17/24 Fly Fishing Report for Yellowstone National Park – Knowing How These Variables Affect Your Fishing

When the fishing season first opens, there are many anglers already at the park anxious to start fishing. It is very common knowledge that the Firehole River is a very good stream to fish when the season first opens. Other areas are the lowest part of the Madison River and the lowest part of the Gibbons River, however, these sections are often overlooked. The “catching”… Read More »03/15/24 Fly Fishing Report for Yellowstone National Park – Notes on the opening week of the season

The tackle and gear you need for fly fishing in Yellowstone National Park is really not much different that what you would use fishing many other small to medium trout streams across the nation. A nine foot, 5 weight fly rod would work for any of the streams. A four weight is okay but would be a light side. A 6 weight would work but… Read More »02/20 Fly Fishing Report for Yellowstone National Park – Recommended Tackle and Gear

Yellowstone National Park is managed by the National Park Service. It has its own rules, regulations and requirements separate other National parks and from the surrounding states of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. You will need a Yellowstone Park Fishing License.   Yellowstone Park is home to two species of native cutthroat trout—the Yellowstone cutthroat trout and the westslope cutthroat trout. A third cutthroat, the Snake… Read More »02/06 Fly Fishing Report for Yellowstone National Park – Fish Species Info

Four things that you need to know or consider when fishing the streams of Yellowstone National Park.  

Fishing the streams of Yellowstone National Park may require some skills you may not have thought about.  

The Firehole River provides excellent dry fly fishing as early as the season opening date. The water is usually warm enough for some species of aquatic insects to be hatching, thanks to the warmer geyser water. It is very accessible from the Northwest Corner of the park very close to Old Faithful not far from the town of West Yellowstone. The entire stream is easily… Read More »01/1 5/24 Fly Fishing Report for Yellowstone National Park – Firehole River Tips

One of the very first insects you will want to imitate when the season first opens in Yellowstone National Park are the Blue-winged olives. They can be one of the most complicated common names of all aquatic insects simply because it has so many different species that vary slightly in color and a lot in size. Most of the fishing that first occurs in the… Read More »01/08/24 Fly Fishing Report for Yellowstone National Park – The Blue-winged Olive Mayflies

The Yellowstone National Park opens for fishing on Memorial Day weekend (the Saturday) and lasts until the first Sunday in the month of November. The public is able to fish during the season from sunrise to sunset each day. Keep in mind that there may be areas that are closed from time to time due to water levels and even the fish population. Should a… Read More »01/01/24 Fly Fishing Report for Yellowstone National Park – Season Update

The Yellowstone River has finally cleared up and currently one of the best fishing options. There are still a few Salmon and Golden stoneflies hatching, very good caddisfly hatches and some hopper, carpenter ants and Japanese beetle activity. The Madison and Firehole in the park are too warm to fish. The Gallatin has cooler water temperatures and is still a okay choice. The upper Gibbon… Read More »07/23/23 Fly Fishing Report for Yellowstone National Park