Yellowstone River Fishing Report

Guys and gals are getting out there and fishing the river!  Through town as well as the areas around Pine Crk have been accessible.  Farther up valley there have been big ice dams a good portion of the winter and there's still 4-6 feet of ice built up on the banks making it really tough to be walking around on the banks.  Floating is fine as long as you prescout your put-in and take out to make sure the ice is gone.  Some of our guides have been fishing through town and eastward down to  Highway 89 and having very good success.

Flow:1240cfs @ Livingston

Hatches: midges have been quite good.  You'll find fish up feeding on them in the big back eddies and foam holes when the wind isn't blowing.  Baetis should be in a few weeks time. 

Patterns:

Streamers: black lead-eye buggers, black and dark olive Sex Dungeon, olive/yellow Butt Monkey, and Sculpzilla have been good streamer patterns.  Don't strip the fly too fast!  The water is still really cold and the fish want to eat, but you gotta let 'em have it.

Nymphs: the tried and true small olive bugger dead drifted with princes, hare's ears, PT's, and copper john's are really hard to beat.  the "Ronald McDonald" rubber leg stone in 10s with the same droppers is also a year in/year out good bet.

Dries: find the midges clustered up in a foam hole and you shoule see some pods of rising trout.  Hard to beat a hi-vis para adams in an 18.  Here's a trick for you, try cutting the tail off so the para adams hangs in the film just a bit more.  Also good will be small royal wulffs and H&L variants.  Put a size 18 or 20 BH black or red copper john on the back or a thin flashback PT for a dropper and you should find your way to a bent rod.