Here's this week's Yellowstone National Park Fishing Report. 

While the federal government is currently in a shutdown, Yellowstone National Park remains open. Roads, trails, and rivers are accessible to the public, though some visitor services may be limited. For anglers, that means it's still full steam ahead for fall fishing in the Park.

There’s a quiet reverence that settles over Yellowstone this time of year. The final week of the fishing season is here, and with winter pressing in from every direction, each moment on the water feels fleeting, like the last pages of a good book that you don't want to end.

The season officially closes on October 31. That gives us just a handful of days to make one more cast, share one more sunset, and add one more memory from another great season in the Park. So grab your gear, layer up, and savor these final days. I hope to see you out there!

Firehole River

It's always fitting that we end each season right where it started, on the Firehole. Just as it did on the very first week of the season, the Firehole will produce great dry fly fishing in the afternoons. As weather settles in this weekend and temperatures drop, don't be in a rush to hit the water. The best dry fly activity will be in the afternoons, offering plenty of time to fish in the mornings for migratory fish on the Madison in the park, or in the lower canyon stretches of the Gibbon and Firehole. Small size #20-22 baetis mayflies will be the main attraction, and has been the case all month, you will want to come prepared not only with hand-warmers and plenty of layers, but also some fine tippets in 5x-6x and good drag-free drifts. 

Madison River (in YNP)

We couldn't ask for a better set up weather wise for the end of October on the Madison in the Park. Another round of cold temps and moisture will definitely bode well for anyone looking to target migratory fish. For a second year now, the river will remain open year round from the MT/WY state line downstream to the Park boundary. That means that opportunities remain for anyone willing to hike into the river after the closing day on Oct 31.

As we reach the end of the month (and beyond) it’s worth noting that we’re now seeing active brown trout spawning and visible redds on many of our local rivers. While fall fishing is still legal in these areas, it’s our responsibility as anglers to fish ethically and minimize our impact on these vulnerable fish and their habitat.

If you spot redds — the clean, shallow depressions in gravel where trout spawn — please give them a wide berth. These areas may contain actively spawning fish or fertilized eggs, both of which are easily disturbed by wading or fishing pressure. Targeting fish actively spawning on redds is not just frowned upon, it’s flat-out unethical.

Even if fish aren’t visibly on the redds, wading directly on or even just upstream of them can stir up silt that settles into the gravel and smothers eggs. Many trout will also move off redds during the day to hold in deeper water nearby, so keep that in mind when choosing where and how to fish.

The bottom line: when in doubt, steer clear. There's still plenty of great fishing to be had while respecting the reproductive cycle of these wild and native fish.

If you’d like to learn more about how to minimize your impact on spawning fish, or have questions about identifying redds and choosing where to fish, don’t hesitate to reach out. We're happy to help.