Yellowstone River

Continued from Waters We Fish

The Yellowstone River is our "home water" and one of the great trout streams of the world. The Yellowstone is the longest undammed river in the lower 48 states, and there is excellent trout water from its tributaries high inside Yellowstone Park, downstream through Gardiner, the Paradise Valley, Livingston, and on to well below Big Timber, a stretch of nearly two hundred river miles. Guides float many different stretches of the prime water between Gardiner and Big Timber, depending on fishing conditions and water levels.

The Yellowstone is a big river varying in width from 75 to 300 feet. Only in low water can one wade across the river, so the best access is by boat. The most scenic portion of the Yellowstone is through "Paradise Valley" and this is also some of the very best fishing. The water closer to Livingston holds the most trout, where you will find a pleasant mix of browns, rainbows and our native cutthroats. Rocky Mountain whitefish are abundant, and provide plenty of action and fun on days when trout are tougher to catch. Although the guides use Mackenzie-style drift boats to float the river, they often stop to wade fish the better runs.

Yellowstone River Sections

Yellowstone Lake down to Yellowstone Falls

Inside Yellowstone National Park is some of the most gorgeous flat water fishing for pure Yellowstone cutthroats you'll experience anywhere. A portion of this stretch (through Hayden Valley) is closed all year, but the rest is easily accessible and easily wadable. No floating is allowed. Wonderful hatches occur just after the opener, on July 15th. PMDs, Green Drakes, Gray Drakes, caddis and even salmonflies are found at that time. The river can be crowded at popular access points like Buffalo Ford, but if you like to hike a bit, there are many good spots where you can get away from the crowds.

The Yellowstone Canyon and Black Canyon

The canyon reaches inside Yellowstone National Park are accessible only by hiking or horseback. This is some terrific fishing at times, especially during the salmonfly hatch in early to mid-July. Good access points are at Canyon Village, Tower, and Gardiner with a couple of other trailhead access points in between. If you are in good shape and like to combine some hiking and fishing, this is great water to explore. The scenery is magnificent. The river here is usually quite swift, with sheer canyon walls in spots. Wading can be dangerous in these sections, so be careful. The payoff are big fat cutthroats and some very nice rainbows. Below Knowles
Falls, about four miles upstream from Gardiner, you'll find browns and whitefish in addition to the rainbows and cutthroat trout.

From Gardiner to Yankee Jim Canyon

This section of the Yellowstone holds a good population
of medium-sized rainbow and cutthroat trout, with a few big browns as well. The first half of this section from Gardiner to the bridge at Corwin Springs is mostly fast water, with some class II and III white water. From Corwin Springs to Yankee Jim Canyon, the river flattens out substantially and gives the angler more time to cast to fish along the banks. The last pullout before the canyon is Joe Brown Access so don't miss this one!

Yankee Jim Canyon

Yankee Jim Canyon is the Yellowstone's best white water, with several major rapids. Steep canyon walls make it a difficult stretch to fish, but although it looks like there must be some huge fish here in the canyon, we have found that this is not the case. Because of the potential danger floating the Canyon (more than one drift boat has been demolished here), our guides do not float this stretch. Recreational floats, in big rafts, through this section are fun and available from outfitters in Gardiner.

Tom Miner Bridge to Emigrant

From the Tom Miner Bridge (or the Carbella access just downstream) down to Point of Rocks, there is some excellent water, lots of fast pocket water with several nice pools. Once the river reaches the Point of Rocks, the gradient decreases substantially and you get into slower, longer pools. The lower end of this stretch (below the access at mile marker 26) can be slow going in an upstream wind, so the guides will often spend less time here.

Emigrant to Mallard's Rest

Just downstream from Emigrant is one of our best access points, Grey Owl. From here down to Mallard's Rest there is a pleasant mix of big pools, great banks to fish and lots of big browns and rainbows. The "Bird Float" is one of the most popular, with both the guides and clients.

Mallard's Rest to Carter's Bridge

This section of river provides some of the most spectacular scenery on the Yellowstone, along with some of the best fishing. You'll find one good pool after another, and more holding water for trout than the upriver sections. This is the stretch of the river where the spring creeks flow into the Yellowstone. Rainbows dominate this stretch, but there are some very nice browns here also. You can have some wonderful wade fishing in this stretch, although we nearly always use a boat to cover the water. The Absaroka Mountains provide a gorgeous backdrop to the east, with the Gallatin Mountains to the west. Beautiful scenery, and easy rowing make this Paradise Valley section very popular with anglers and recreational floaters.

Carter's Bridge to Highway 89 Bridge

Because the Yellowstone flows right through Livingston between these points, this is known as the "town stretch". Especially given the upstream presence of the spring creeks for spawning, this reach of fast water is ideal habitat for rainbows, and they make up most of the population here. The use of a drift boat is the best way to access this stretch, especially to get to some of the good runs on the opposite side of the river. We fish out of the boat as we float along and then stop to fish the many good runs and pools. There are several good spots to gain access if you walking and wading. Carter's Bridge, 9th St. Island, and Mayor's Landing are the best access points.

Highway 89 Bridge to Columbus

This section starts about five miles to the east of Livingston, just off Interstate 90, where Highway 89 turns north, toward White Sulphur Springs. This lower river, from here on down through Big Timber is similar to the water around Livingston, but the riffles and pools are farther apart so there is more unproductive water. The fish populations are not as high as in the upper river and water through town, but there are some very large rainbows and browns to be caught in this stretch. Fishing and floating pressure is much lighter though, and you often see less boats. The guides love these lower stretches, from Springdale to Big Timber and below, especially later in the summer when the hoppers are out in full force. Wind gusting across these hayfields blows a lot of hoppers in the river and creates some explosive and exciting action from big fish. Good access points are at Highway 89 Bridge, Sheep Mountain, the Pig Farm, Springdale, Grey Bear, and finally Otter Creek, Grey Cliff, Bratten, Indian Fort, Twin Bridges, and Itch-Kep-Pe Park.