Yellowstone in Shape!

The Yellowstone in the Columbus area has cleared up and is fishing well. Fished Bratten to Twin Bridges yesterday. Trout were eating the Yellowstoner Chubby, Batman Nymphs and Prince Nymphs. The Chubby bite was fair, nymphing was good. The streamer bite was good, as well. There are hoppers around, but stonefly colors were fishing the best.

Be careful out there. Flows are still high and the river has changed quite a bit. Lots of trees and debris in the water. Twin Bridges access was totally rearranged. You need four wheel drive to launch a boat. There’s only room for one or two rigs at a time, so prepare to stage in the parking lot and pull down to the river only when ready to launch. When taking out, trailer your boat and pull into the lot to stow things away. It’s already busy out there, so remember your river etiquette.

Area Rivers Shaping Up for Wade Fishing

We should be able to wade fish more of the local water this coming week with the flows dropping nicely. Be careful, it’s pretty spicy out there. Stay on the bank and fish the pocket water. A dry fly with a dropper should produce. Try small stimulators, Jack Cabes and PMX’s, size 10 or 12. Drop any beadhead of the hook.

Floating the Stillwater is still great! We are moving to the lower sections, below Absarokee now. Fish are eating dry flies some days and not some days. Nymphing is consistent. There are several types of bugs around. Mayflies ranging from yellow to dark grey, as well as caddis are popping on cloudy days.

This nice pure bred Cutthroat ate a Purple Haze on the Stillwater a few days ago. We always celebrate catching a pure Cutty below Cliff Swallow. There aren’t many left that far from the mountains.

 

Pure bred native Cutthroat on the Stillwater.

PMDs and Golden Stoneflys on the Stillwater

The Stillwater continues to run high and fish well. Flows dropped to 3000 cfs yesterday. Some of the big rock shelves are starting to fish well with the dropping flows. There are yellow sallies, golden stones and pmds in evidence. Fish are eating a size 10 yellow stimulator well. Size 14 Montana prince nymphs and pheasant tails are working for a dropper. Be sure to use a long dropper line, at least two feet, to get it down deep while the river is still high. Be sure to check quiet eddies for fish rising to pmds.

Wade fishing is going to be all but impossible for a while yet. Rock Creek is mostly too high and fast to wade, as are most of the streams in the area. Try the East and West Rosebuds up on the forest service land and Rock Creek just below the Glacier Lake trailhead to find wading water.

 

Great day on the river!

Stillwater River Finally Coming Down!

The Stilly dropped below 4000 CFS today! Float fishing is good, wade fishing won’t be safe or effective for a while yet. Floated Cliff Swallow to Johnson’s today. It’s quite a ride, but the fish are ready to eat. Big stonefly drys, stonefly nymphs and mayfly nymphs all got eaten. Try Yellowstoners, Chubbys and Stimulators in sizes 8 and 10 for dry flies. Girdle bugs, also sizes 8 and 10 got ripped. Montana Prince and traditional Prince nymphs in 14 also worked well.

This nice brown hammered a Yellowstoner!