Fishing Report 6/28/17: The Time Has (almost) Come!

Salmon Flies have arrived on the Yellowstone! We received a few reports yesterday of some bugs kicking around, and this morning we heard they were out in bigger numbers. One customer mentioned he grabbed a few and tossed them in the river and a fish came up to eat. The Yellowstone is still high, flowing now at 12,300 CFS, and it still remains off color, but if you are up for wading around some side channels in search of slower pools, it might be well worth the effort. Most of the Salmon Flies seem to be around Emigrant right now, but there should only be more in neighboring areas as the river continues to drop. The Yellowstone is predicted to be under 10,000 CFS (what we consider a “floatable” level) by Saturday, which makes for an awesome opening week of July. Stop by our shop to grab some big bugs and hit the water while they’re still around! Fishing will only get better in the following weeks, even after the Salmon Flies have left, Caddis, Golden Stones, PMD’s, Yellow Sallies and Brown Drakes will all be out and about during the next few weeks, and the trout have yet to seen many patterns at thus far in the year which makes for a phenomenal time to fish dry flies. You streamer junkies should also get excited, the Yellowstone off-color and on the drop is one of the best times to throw some meat. The time has finally (sort of) come.

Suggested Patterns:

Dries: Henry’s Irresistible Salmon Fly, Flutter Bug, Cat Puke, South Fork Secret (all sizes 4-8), Chubby Chernobyl in Orange, Purple, Pteronarcys, Black and Tan (sizes 8-10), Orange Crystal Stimulator (size 10).

Nymphs: Pat’s Rubberlegs in Black, Brown, Dark Brown/Olive, Coffee/Black, Dark Brown/Orange (sizes 6-10), Twenty Incher (size 8-10), Bitch Creek (size 2-8), Rubberlegs Stone Beadhead in Black and Golden (size 6).

Streamers: Anything Black and/or Olive that’s heavy and articulated.

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