Gardiner to Livingston

A fishing guide guides his clients down the Yellowstone through Paradise Valley Montana

This section of the Yellowstone flows through drop dead gorgeous scenery. The surrounding country is rugged, mountainous and breathtaking. Here the river flows through beautiful Paradise Valley under the towering Absaroka and Gallatin Mountains.

Access to the Middle Yellowstone is fairly easy because of the highway to Livingston runs along the river much of the way and numerous state-run sportsmen's access points can be found. Bank fishing here is popular because of the easy road access. Most of the Yellowstone River after it leaves the Yellowstone Park north of Gardiner is best fished from a drift boat though. Floating will allow you to cover more water and see more of the scenery. The river is wide, and this upper section flows very fast. The river is also too deep to wade across, limiting a bank fisherman's ability to reach some of the better fishing spots

Above Yankee Jim Canyon there are several miles of pool and drop rapids, twists and turns, deep swirling water, and rocky freestone river bottom characterize the stretch.

Brown Trout like this one have pleased many a fisherman on the Yellowstone

Browns are the predominant fish in Yankee Jim Canyon, here you will find large browns and some class III whitewater. Below the canyon is several miles of smaller rapids and pools like those above the canyon then it changes to slower water until the Paradise access area, where the river picks up its pace again. Below the Yankee Jim Canyon you will find a mix of large brown trout, cutthroat and rainbows.

Many feeder creeks come into the Yellowstone River along this section; the fisherman who has a boat or is willing to hike to reach these creeks can be rewarded with excellent fishing. Some of these creeks will run clear when the river is blown out from a thunderstorm often saving the day for a guide.

As the Yellowstone nears Livingston, a number of braids and channels begin to occur in the river. These side channels often produce large fish and negligent fishermen tend to ignore these side channels and braids, so fishing pressure tends to be less. The most heavily fished section of this stretch of the Yellowstone River is from Carbella Access to Livingston. Cutthroat and rainbow trout dominate on this stretch of river.

The Yellowstone  winds through Paradise Valley Montana

Late winter and early spring hatches are limited to midges before the spring runoff however excellent fishing can be had by using small nymphs such as the beaded hare's ears and beaded Pheasant Tails, these weighted nymphs get to the bottom in the quick current. Additionally, large streamers like giant woolybuggers and double bunnies are effective on big browns and stoneflies nymphs such as Anderson's Golden Stones and halfbacks, also work well when fished in the deeper water along the bank.

A happy fisherman shows off his catch

A good stone fly hatch occurs from late May and lasts until early July, this hatch includes salmon flies and golden stones, but as luck would have it the hatch usually coincides with spring run-off, turning the water muddy, often sidelining this great hatch. The silver lining is that without a fishable hatch less fishermen show up and the fishing remains better later in the year because the fish don't get stung by so much early in the season. Nymphing is a good way to take advantage of these runoff hatches. Nymphs should be large (sizes 4-8), and should be floated in the slower sections of river or right along the bank. As the water is muddy, darker colors work best.

The Yellowstone River begins to clear up in late June or early July during normal water years, bringing caddis fly hatches. These caddis hatches are not as prolific as many of Montana's other fly-fishing rivers. Starting in July you will find hatches of pale morning duns, small western green drakes, and gray drakes. Late July ushers in hopper season, As the river flows through the Paradise Valley, the riverbanks are lined with hayfields and grassy banks, prime hopper areas. The fishing becomes excellent along this stretch of river. Size 4-8 Dave's hoppers, para-hoppers and hare-wing hoppers are very effective floated right along the banks. Hopper fishing is always an excellent choice lasting well into the fall providing there is a good Indian summer. The cooler weather of fall brings on the hatches of Blue Wing Olives.

Livingston to Big Timber

From Livingston to Big Timber the Yellowstone receives far less fishing pressure than the river in Paradise Valley. Below Livingston browns will be the predominate fish as the river begins to slow. This stretch of the Yellowstone enters high plains country. The landscape has fewer trees except for cottonwood groves along the raparian areas along the river. This high prairie is a series of scenic rolling hills and the Crazy Mountains and the Absaroka Mountains are all visible in the distance for your viewing pleasure.

The river here still runs cool enough for excellent trout fishing. Healthy populations of rainbow and brown trout are abundant on this stretch of the Yellowstone. These trout tend to run bigger here than in the more popular stretches above Livingston. Larger fish combined with reduced fishing pressure can result in some memorable fishing. The combination of distant mountains, cottonwood trees and the high plains and rolling hills all make for a distinctively different fishing experience.

The Yellowstone River here is big water and has a moderate to fast current so except during very low water years wading can pose problems for the fisherman hoping to wade to the best fishing spots. Drift boats once again are the answer to ideal fishing. Large trout are found in the many deep holes and the best way to coax them out of their lies are big streamers casted with sinking tip line. Hatches and the hopper action and technique are much the same here as they are on the Gardiner to Livingston section that flows through Paradise Valley.

Big Timber to Billings

© Daryl Hunter - The Hole Picture

As the Yellowstone River approaches Billings, the mountains begin to fade into the distance as the river continues through the prairie.

This area of the Yellowstone receives the least amount of pressure; wade fishermen who are willing to hike away from the access sites and float fishermen will likely have this stretch of the Yellowstone to themselves. The Yellowstone is slow and meandering through here, with many deep holes. The mountains of the Yellowstone region can still be see on the southern horizon but fade into the distance as the river approaches Billings.

The upper half of this section of the Yellowstone has the best fly-fishing. The closer you get to Billings, the lower the quality of the fishing, however there some good surprises to be had in the brown trout category. Fishing this stretch is not much different than the stretch between Livingston and Big Timber.

Below Billings the Yellowstone turns into a warm water fishery of large walleye, catfish and sturgeon.