Get Ready!

It’s almost time to be back fishing the Yellowstone River. Flows have bumped up a little today due to the hot weather. But the general trend is downward, and it’s predicted to go below 10,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) by this Sunday. That’s still a lot of water, but a decent rower can handle the Bird Float (Grey Owl to Mallard’s Rest) at that level. Just promise me you’ll be careful, whether you’re floating or wading.

What about the fishing? Well, we obviously don’t have any recent reports, so it’s a little bit of guesswork. There’ll still be some color to the water, but there should be enough clarity for drifting nymphs or throwing streamers. I generally prefer dark-colored flies when the river’s dirty – browns, blacks, olives. I’d definitely go with a Rubberlegs, Wooly Bugger, or other larger stonefly imitation as part of my nymph rig. Salmonfly season is just around the corner. Then maybe a size 14 or 16 CDC Pheasant Tail, Prince of Darkness, or Soft-Hackle Copper John as a dropper. The fish will be holding in the slower water near shore, so get your casts within a foot or two of the bank. If you’re fishing with streamers, don’t forget about smaller patterns. It seems like a lot of folks are singularly focused on throwing huge streamers on heavy rods these days. But a size 6, 8, or even 10 streamer can be mighty effective. And isn’t it more fun to fight a nice-sized trout on a 5- or 6-weight? Just a thought.