Lakes Report - July 17, 2025

It’s been a while since the last lake report.  No excuses other than the river and stream fishing has been so good and fun that those fisheries have overshadowed the lakes to some degree.  That said, a few of you have been asking where the lake report went, and so, with you diehard Stillwater anglers in mind, here is a midsummer update. 

Mid July marks the time of year when we have THE MOST and THE MOST INTERESTING Stillwater angling options available to us here in West Yellowstone.  We are truly fortunate to have lakes and ponds in our immediate area of all shapes and sizes, and from elevations from around 4,500ft all the way up to 9,500 ft and a bit more.  And right now, if you pick the weather windows right, all of those lakes are fishing!

As you can imagine, an alpine lake at 9,000ft will be fishing quite a bit differently than a lower elevation reservoir like Hebgen.  That said, there is one thing you can probably expect regardless of where you choose to angle:  some sort of bug activity will likely be driving your decisions about where to look for trout and how to best trick them. 

The higher you go, the later in the morning/day you should expect insect activity.  Down lower, this is a good time of year to be on the lake at dawn, fishing through the morning hours until the midday heat pushes fish off their shallow feeding areas until evening returns. 

Up in the high alpine, ice out is not that far gone, and insect activity will likely include chironomids as a primary hatch.  That said, in the shallow margins, it’s not too early to find Callibaetis, caddis, and damsel/dragonflies.  Keep an eye peeled for early showings of terrestrial insects on the water too.

On the remainder of our lakes including Hebgen, Henry’s, Yellowstone, and many lesser known waters, insect activity is absolutely booming.  With some location specific variation, you might encounter trout feeding on anything from leeches and baitfish in the low light hours, to chironomids, Callibaetis, Tricos, caddis (both big and small), damselflies, dragonflies, and/or early season terrestrials during hatch or egg laying periods.  Situational awareness is critical to determine what the fish might be feeding on.  If you see emerging Callibaetis or damsels, it is probably worth the effort to change that woolly bugger to something a bit more imitative. 

It’s a fantastic time of year to hunt for those wily surface feeding trout that have primarily been eating nymphs all spring.  Warm and calm morning conditions are prime for this sort of angling, as are the hours just before dark in the evening.  Just remember, while this is super fun, visual, and interesting angling, do not expect catches to come easily!  Stalking, fooling, fighting, and landing a big, surface feeding Stillwater trout in clear, calm water is a great challenge, and every success should be celebrated.

With that in mind, here are a few things to consider if you plan to take on the challenge.

1. Maximize stealthiness and delicacy in your presentation.  Fish finer tippets (5x or 6x mono for small dries and 4.5x flouro for nymphs), longer leaders (12-15+ft), and sparser flies, and consider your rod size and weight.  The 10ft 6wt you’ve been chucking sinking lines and indicator rigs with all spring may not be your best option when trying to feed a big spinner-sipping brown. 
2. Put in your time on the water, and cover water to find feeding fish.  Get out there early, and stay out as long as you can.  Also, don’t be afraid to move around and check a few of your favorite spots, or even search some new areas you’ve never fished.  Be observant and LOOK and LISTEN for signs of feeding trout.  Then target those zones.  My good friend and mentor Arrick Swanson told me once, “If the fishing is slow, fish fast, and if the fishing is fast, fish slowly.”   That advice has served me well for 25 years.
3. Look for fish in water that is shallower than you might normally expect.  Insect activity is busiest in the shallow, vegetated margins of most stillwaters.  Additionally, spent insects (aka, dead bugs) generally end up getting washed or blown into areas along the lake margins.  These are easy pickings for big lazy trout.  While we often equate boats, kayaks, or float tubes with maximum access and opportunity, this can be a time of year when simply wading the shallows slowly and quietly and result in some outstanding encounters.
4. Be sure that the trout are actually seeing your fly before giving up on a pattern.  When trout are actively feeding on the surface, they often move unpredictably while cruising just inches below the surface of the water.  As a result of that shallow track, their window of visibility on the surface is often only 1 foot wide or so.  It’s very easy to make a series of presentations and never actually have a feeding fish see your fly.  As a result, it’s easy to think that you are fishing the wrong fly, when really its just fine and that trout just never knew it was there.  Ideally, if you can see the trout under water, in between rises, you can present your fly more accurately.  If you cannot see the fish between rises, there are a couple of ways you can maximize your chances of guessing right.  The easiest way is to fish 2 dry flies, spaced 2-3 feet apart.  More flies = more chances.  You can also choose dry flies which sit partially below the surface, making them easier for a fish to spot from a distance than a high riding pattern.  Lastly, you might even do the “unthinkable” and present a fly subsurface in an effort to get the cruising trout to break it’s cruising pattern.  Generally speaking, I stick to my guns with fly selection until I know that a fish saw my fly – eg it swam directly under it or clearly refused it one or more times.

Alright, Stillwater amigos, get out ere and have some fun, and please do stop by the shop or shoot us an email letting us know how you are doing out there.

Take Care and Fish On,

Matt