After two shots of cool, wet weather this past week Park officials were prompted to lift the Hoot Owl restriction that had been in place on the Firehole River since earlier this summer.  The Firehole is now fully open adding one of our favorite fall fisheries back to the list for the remainder of the season.

As with all other YNP waters, the Firehole saw a bump in FLOWS following the most recent storm that dumped up to an inch of rain across the park and snow in the highest elevations. Despite the higher water, you can expect to find fish rising in the afternoons to small #20-22 Baetis mayflies. Cloudy afternoons will produce more mayflies and rising fish. Sunny afternoons are a good time to prospect undercut banks with small hoppers, beetles, and ants.  

The Madison River in YNP benefited greatly from the bump in flows and scuzzy skies over the last 7 days. Every year we wait anxiously for the first fall storm of the season to jump start the fishing, and this one did not disappoint. Migratory fish from Hebgen Lake prefer low light levels, and often wait for a bump in flows to begin their journey upstream into the Madison in anticipation of the upcoming spawning season. It’s still early in the run, and many more fish are on their way, but Hebgen browns and rainbows are now throughout the system in all of their annual spots.

The forecast is dominated by bright, sunny days for the upcoming week. So, try to focus your efforts on the Madison in the Park to the early morning and late afternoon / evening hours when light levels are at their lowest. Traditionally, we love to swing large soft hackles or strip streamers for these migratory fish, but dead drifting a stonefly or soft hackle deep is also a good approach, especially during brighter conditions. This fishing will only get better in the coming weeks. So, stay tuned for the best fishing of the season on the Madison in the Park.

Flows are currently high and off color on our beloved northeast corner cutthroat trout fisheries the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek. It will likely be several days before conditions are back to fishable. Keep an eye on flows HERE, or stop by the shop for the latest update. When flows do return to normal you may find some of the last afternoons of terrestrial fishing for the year.

The Gallatin River in YNP will continue to fish well in the afternoons this week, making it a great option when high sun chases you off the Madison in the park. Sparse Baetis hatches, and the last of the hoppers may bring fish to the surface. When they are not looking up, nymphing with tungsten nymphs and stoneflies like the Category 3 Code Red or Cheeky Fella will produce.