Montana and Wyoming

[pete41]

Sounds like a teacher to me.

 

[pete41]

and to follow on Afish-
if you haven't been in the big sky country, after you been out there for a couple weeks and go back east you will realize how green and closed in it is. been away from the east for ten years or so its almost claustrophobic .
One thing you want to treat yourself to if you are around Bozeman-head up Bridger Canyon to sky lift- hike up to top of mountain and just gaze.It's worth it or go south and climb Spanish peaks to top[above tree line].Awesome experience every flatlander should treat them self to...
Should add if you plan to spend much time in the high country [not down in the valleys and plains] make sure your teeth are in good shape-it takes awhile for your body to adjust to less O2 and nagging tooth aches can take the fun out of it.Be danged sure to try the better steak houses[not chains]-you can't get meat like that back here or heah for less than $100 a pop.
Which it is out there.
Boy am I envious but its young bucks country not old what ever's,

 

[zenherper]

Thank you all again for all of your kind, and detailed responses. You are all providing valuable information! I do plan to explore a great deal. I know the timing isn't ideal for fishing, but it is ideal for me. Fortunately, I have a very understanding wife who "get's it." She knows I really want to do this, and has been very supportive.

I've already checked out Blue Ribbon, and plan to do a lot more research. But like many have suggested, I will be keeping my plans "loose" so I can be free to explore. My next step is to have a list of campgrounds available in different areas when I may end up.

Thanks again guys!

 

[pete41]

remember--the real run off hasn't started yet- june is the peak--may is Caddis time.

 

[afishinado]

pete41 wrote:
Sounds like a teacher to me.

Not sure. The kid was a predator lender until they caught up with him. I know he made a fly-fishing tour around the country (on our tax dollars) for a couple of years. I'm not sure what he is doing for a living now. I think he may be a reporter?

 

[pete41]

He's a little bull headed though.
Got fond of his posts and since I had moved away broke the golden rule[silence is] and tried to put him on the very best spot in the whole state to catch trophy[ five pounds and up] TROUT.
Gave him in infinite detail the where,when and how. everything he needed to know.Within yards..
I knew that from catching and releasing more than 200 that size right there over the years.Okay they were lake living on their spawning run so cheating a wee bit but they were in the river.It counts.lol
When he got back I asked if he tried it--he said "nah ,but we drove by there one morning".
Just kidding,kid.

 

[Oregon_Owl]

Very low snow pack throughout the Rockies this year. Mid June may be OK this year. I know west slope streams are well below normal, flow wise.

 

[Chaz]

If you would like to fish streams with native trout, you pretty much won't find many in the western half of yellowstone, so do your research. Craig Matthews wrote a book Fly Fishing Yellowstone I think. It's worth the money.
Blue Ribbon Fly Shop has patterns that work. They are in West Yellowstone, and if you're down along Henry's Fork, Trout Hunters has local pattern that work too.

 

[pete41]

Good advice from Chaz and those that have the time and interest to look can find some ponds and creeks in the Gallatin valley that have brook trout that they won't believe and nobody bothers with.

 

[zenherper]

All good information and again, much appreciated. I will definitely want to get into some cutthroat while I'm there, and I will certainly be exploring plenty of the backwoods streams.

 

[SlowMutants]

Some words of advice. I'm not sure if this is your first trip to Montana or not. If it is a dedicated fishing trip, try to limit your windshield time. Pick a main river or main area and fish it hard for a couple days with one off trips to check out some other areas.

I see you mentioned Bozeman as a potential base. While Bozeman is within striking distance to may great rivers, it's really not close to any save the Gallatin, and to me the best fishing due to a combination of fish populations and scenery is the canyon section down toward Big Sky.

Apparently most on here are not fans of the west side of the park, but in my opinion this could be one of your top options during your time frame. The Firehole, the Gibbon and the Madison are all great steams. There is literally no trout steam in the world like the Firehole, and when there is a hatch on you could see a hundred fish rising. These rivers are all roughly 2 hours from Bozeman.

Another good option will be the Upper and Lower Madison. The Upper Madison is about an hour fifteen from Bozeman, while the Lower is about 45 minutes. On the lower I recommend Bear Trap Canyon. Its a wilderness area and allows you access to 9 miles of the river. Just watch out for rattle snakes.

Bottom line though is things can change and continue to check the fishing reports prior and during your trip. By late June its possible all the rivers I mentioned, save the Gallatin an Upper Madison may be to warm to fish.

 

[zenherper]

SlowMutants wrote:
Some words of advice. I'm not sure if this is your first trip to Montana or not. If it is a dedicated fishing trip, try to limit your windshield time. Pick a main river or main area and fish it hard for a couple days with one off trips to check out some other areas.

I see you mentioned Bozeman as a potential base. While Bozeman is within striking distance to may great rivers, it's really not close to any save the Gallatin, and to me the best fishing due to a combination of fish populations and scenery is the canyon section down toward Big Sky.

Apparently most on here are not fans of the west side of the park, but in my opinion this could be one of your top options during your time frame. The Firehole, the Gibbon and the Madison are all great steams. There is literally no trout steam in the world like the Firehole, and when there is a hatch on you could see a hundred fish rising. These rivers are all roughly 2 hours from Bozeman.

Another good option will be the Upper and Lower Madison. The Upper Madison is about an hour fifteen from Bozeman, while the Lower is about 45 minutes. On the lower I recommend Bear Trap Canyon. Its a wilderness area and allows you access to 9 miles of the river. Just watch out for rattle snakes.

Bottom line though is things can change and continue to check the fishing reports prior and during your trip. By late June its possible all the rivers I mentioned, save the Gallatin an Upper Madison may be to warm to fish.

This will be my first trip out west. Thanks for the advice. After more research on campgrounds, I think I may be spending some time around West Yellowstone. I plan to stop in and talk with the guys at Blue Ribbon Flies. Hopefully they will direct me to some decent water.

How far is the canyon section that you mentioned from West Yellowstone? Do you have any more info on that area with regards to fishing?

 

[SlowMutants]

Bear Trap Canyon is much closer to Bozeman than it is West Yellowstone. Probably about two hours from West. Its a good spot early spring and in the fall. Approaching July it gets to warm for the remainder of the summer. One of the main flies to use is a crayfish pattern.

Coming from West Yellowstone you would have to drive by the entire Upper Madison to get there. I like the canyon but the Upper Madison is a better fishery.

 

[pete41]

Bear trap for its scenery[and rattlesnakes] but better fishing above Ennis lake.Later on in august,sept . The upper Madison is a good night fishing river.Catch 20 or 30 nice fish right near the campgrounds while the dudes are sleeping and having nightmares about how slow the fishing has been during the day...lol
same for the Yellowstone ,especially down river from Livingston.

 

[zenherper]

pete41 wrote:
Bear trap for its scenery[and rattlesnakes] but better fishing above Ennis lake.Later on in august,sept . The upper Madison is a good night fishing river.Catch 20 or 30 nice fish right near the campgrounds while the dudes are sleeping and having nightmares about how slow the fishing has been during the day...lol
same for the Yellowstone ,especially down river from Livingston.

Hahahahaha... That will be me...

I am doing my best to keep from getting overwhelmed. I have been reading the Flyfisher's Guide to Montana and Wyoming. I think my tentative plan will be to spend the majority of my time in West Yellowstone. I may spend a day or 2 up towards Bozeman before heading down to West Yellowstone. After that, I'll head down through Grand Teton and spend a few days there.

The plan is getting a bit more clarity. I just hope to not be so overwhelmed. I really want to have time to find some beautiful back country cutthroat streams.

I appreciate everybody's input and help.

 

[pete41]

As I have mentioned before-cut throats are a novelty but as someone else mentioned and I agreed many put them in the same league with whitefish ,one step above trash fish.They have no heart and the smallest of pea brains. why they are trying to re establish them is a mystery.You might not want to budget too much time to them..Some mighty fine brown,brook and rainbow fishing out that way.

 

[afishinado]

pete41 wrote:
As I have mentioned before-cut throats are a novelty but as someone else mentioned and I agreed many put them in the same league with whitefish ,one step above trash fish.They have no heart and the smallest of pea brains. why they are trying to re establish them is a mystery.You might not want to budget too much time to them..Some mighty fine brown,brook and rainbow fishing out that way.

Lol....they, the cutties are the native fish to the region.

The same could be said for the native brookie in the east. Brookies are not much of a challenge to fool and browns grow bigger, bows fight better.......

Hey, largemouth bass are the native fish in Florida, but the peacock bass grow bigger and fight better. Why not start a petition down there to kill off all the LMBs and replace them with Peacocks...let me know how you make out, Pete.

 

[pete41]

I would enjoy that-peacocks are bruisers-maybe my knock against cutts comes from the first couple I caught -looked like bows in the water but sure didn't fight like them.thought maybe they were just sickly or something but when I landed them saw they weren't bows but cutthroats.
Afish ,you say our posts aren't lost. Wish you could find the time I told about catching the salmon hatch on the Lamar.. Caught a huge number of cuts that day but was so disappointed with their fight the only thrill came from PO"ing a Californicate dude by showing his cutey wife the how and where to fish.She started catching so many he got angry and disappeared up stream and was really boiling when he got back.. she was satisfied.
One of my very favorite fishing memories.
browns -brains
Rainbows -beauty and brawn
brook-both but never caught one over 14 inches or so
dollies-not really,something similar caught in Idaho
cuts-well,pretty
grayling-unique but nothing else special..
my feelings -others would disagree but mostly they wouldn't care what I think...lol

 

[mt_flyfisher]

Looks like you have gotten plenty of replies so far, and I think your plan to concentrate your time around West Yellowstone is a good one. There are plenty of forest service campgrounds in the area outside the park, and you shouldn't have any trouble finding one available, assuming you are tent camping. ?

Ask the guys at Blue Ribbon Flies about some back country cutthroat streams in the area and I'm sure they will put you on some. However, don't forget bear spray, and make sure you know how to use it before venturing out there. Your gun might give you comfort to carry, but spray is the better protection.

I live on the Yellowstone River during the summer, midway between Livingston and Gardiner, where I am as I write this. And, incidentally, I was in Bozeman yesterday. Since there is an abnormally low snowpack this year, I would not be surprised if many of the rivers around here will be fishable by the time you get here, and the Madison and Firehole, already mentioned, are already fishing well. The Yellowstone here is already running below 10,000cfs at Livingston, a level I consider as fishable if the water clarity improves, which it should in a couple weeks (when many of the major hatches get underway).

I could give you a few more suggestions than you have already received for streams in this area, but I really agree with what others have already said: namely, you will be far better off to stay in one area and concentrate on the fishing there than trying to hit a number of places in a single trip -- save that for the next time.

John

 

[Chaz]

Is it illegal to carry in the Nat. Park?