Fishing in the Park continues to be best around the West Entrance on our perpetual favorites, the Firehole and Madison Rivers, as well as many of the lakes.

PMD and Nectopsyche (White Miller) Caddis remain the most important bugs on the Firehole these days. Afternoons are still the best bet to find rising fish, and if the forecast holds out, stormy conditions could generate some great emergences of PMD’s in the coming week. We’re still hearing reports of a few Flavs in isolated spots along the Firehole, as well salmon flies in the handful of spots that always have salmon flies.

The Madison River in YNP has seen some good dry fly fishing this week, and should continue to be a good option for the next few weeks. Hatches of PMD mayflies in the afternoons, and the subsequent spinner falls of those PMD’s in the mornings have brought fish to the surface in many of the flat water sections of the Madison from the top of Riverside Drive upstream to Madison Junction. Be sure to keep an eye out for the elusive Gray Drake Spinner on the Madison in the park over the next couple of weeks. The Madison in the Park is home to one of the more overlooked populations of these size 12 mayflies, and good water years’ like we’ve seen this year and last are the times to see good numbers of them. Keep in mind, many of the lake fish that migrated into the Madison last fall from Hebgen Lake remain in the river through the early season while the water temps are low and there is plenty to eat.

Flows on the Gibbon are improving, and there’s some fun fishing to be had here, especially in the pocket water sections below Gibbon Falls where stoneflies, caddisflies, and PMD mayflies are all abundant right now.

Yellowstone Lake is still a great option for anyone looking to catch an early season Cutthroat Trout. The best fishing has been with intermediate lines and leech imitations. Though, you may see the odd fish rising to midges or early Callibaetis mayflies.