Flyfishing Montana's Paradise Valley
and the Greater Yellowstone Region

A Paradise Valley Spring Creek	Fly-fisherman drift down the Yellowstone River

The Yellowstone River, Paradise Valley’s most popular fishery carved this beautiful valley. The Yellowstone originates high in the Absaroka Mountains in extreme northern Wyoming. It flows north till the river enters Yellowstone National Park 15 miles from its headwaters and then into the southeast arm of Yellowstone Lake. About 30 miles downstream of the lake outlet the river flows over the Upper and Lower Falls, through Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, past Tower Falls and then through the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone. The first major tributary is the Lamar River entering just below Tower Junction in Yellowstone Park. The next major tributary, the Gardiner River, enters near the town of Gardiner, MT. North of Gardiner the river flows through approximately 15 miles of mostly privately owned land and then through Yankee Jim Canyon, a two-mile white-water reach that is within the Gallatin National Forest. While fishing in Paradise you may catch Rainbow, Brown, Yellowstone cutthroat, trout and Whitefish.

The Yellowstone River from the Yellowstone National Park boundary to the I-90 bridge in Billings is open the entire year for fishing. Special seasons do apply within the park.National Forest fishing access sites with boat launching ramps include the McConnel access site 3 miles north of Gardiner, the Corwin Springs access site 6 miles north of Gardiner, and the Joe Brown access site near Yankee Jim Canyon. The Bureau of Land Management maintains an access site with a boat launch near the Carbella bridge, 1 mile downstream of the canyon. Many other state fishing access sites are located along the river throughout Paradise Valley downstream to Billings.

The Yellowstone River between Gardiner and Livingston hosts an internationally renowned cold-water trout fishery. In 1959, the Montana Fish and Game Commission classified the river from Gardiner, MT to Big Timber, MT as a "Blue Ribbon" fishery. These 103 miles of river 23% of the Blue Ribbon trout water in Montana and is the longest single stretch of Blue Ribbon trout water. The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks currently classify the Yellowstone River between Gardiner and Springdale, including Yankee Jim Canyon, as a Class 1 river according to the current rating system. Class 1 is the highest value rank possible and indicates an exceptional resource based on sport fishery potential, habitat conditions, species composition and other recreational values.

Most fishing in the Yellowstone River below Gardiner is done by boat; however, some bank fishing is possible at many of the fishing access areas.

The DePuy's (pronounced Duh pews) portion of the spring creek that makes up Armstrong/Depuy's is approximately three miles in length and consists of a large variety of water, from the wide, shallower flats to deep narrow runs. There are lots of chutes, drop-offs, and riffles that hold good fish.

Nelson's Spring Creek is a smaller stream than the other creeks, and varies in width from thirty to seventy five feet. There is a lot of flat water here, making a careful approach and presentation critical. The fish are not as spooky as they are selective. 6X and 7X tippets are the rule, and you'll need to have the right flies and "match the hatch" to catch fish here.

The legendry fishing of the waters in Yellowstone Park are world-renowned and have been a fly-fishing destination resort for a hundred years. Yellowstone has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to trout water. The Firehole, Gibbon, Madison, Yellowstone, Gardiner, Lamar, Fall, Lewis, and Thoroughfare Rivers all blue ribbon trout fisheries. Oh did I forget to mention the abundance of lakes and creeks? Well you get the idea.

Chuck Yeager & Guide Mike Lawson - One Fly Fishing Contest

Jackson Hole One Fly Fishing Contest • Each year in September, flyfisherman from around the world gather in Jackson Hole Wyoming to participate in one of fly fishing's most unique events. It is a weekend filled with fun, challenges, adventures and of course, the famous Snake River Cutthroat trout.

Give the Cutt-slam a try. • If you want to see some breathtaking country, do a little camping and accomplish something that only around 300 people have done, you might want to give Wyoming’s Cutt-Slam program a try.  This year marks the 10th anniversary of the program that recognizes anglers for catching Wyoming’s four subspecies of cutthroats in their native range. Back in the mid-90s, Wyoming fisheries coordinator, the late Ron Remmick, had an idea to try to bring more public awareness to Wyoming’s cutthroat trout and the management efforts benefitting these fish.  The Cutt-Slam was hatched and a program was developed to recognize anglers for making the effort to catch the Snake River, Bonneville, Colorado River and Yellowstone cutthroat subspecies. 

Daryl L. Hunter trying his luck on the Wind River south of Dubois Wyoming. The Wind River carves a beautiful path through the badlands of Dubois.

Fly-Fish-Hooky On The Henry’s Fork • By Reyn Bowman
Growing up, my Dad wasn’t into fishing so in the years before heavy chores began I hid my old hand-me-down fly-fishing rod near the low-lying Ora Bridge between our ranch and where I went to school in the town of Ashton, Idaho. .....................The tiny bridge crosses the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River in the shallow tailwaters, just below the century-old Ashton Power Dam and Reservoir as that North Fork winds its way from the mountains down to a rendezvous on plain 50 miles south and a bit west with the South Fork flowing out of Wyoming.............................I’ve learned as an adult that the the Henry’s Fork including the half mile of riffles and runs just above the Ora Bridge down through the deeper, spring-fed portion a couple of miles downriver to the Vernon Bridge (and even a bit further to the Chester Bridge) reportedly yields some of the best for trout fly-fishing in the world. There is even a lodge now a short distance from there.......................To me it was just convenient...................rest of story

Jackson Hole's Flat Creek • By Scott Sanchez
All of us have waters that have made a special connection to us. Wyoming's Flat Creek is one of mine. Part of the attraction is nostalgic, since this is where I learned the intricacies of spring creek fishing. This stream was my schoolroom for spotting subtle rises, sneaking up on the fish, picking a good imitation, and then presenting a drag-free drift. Flat Creek is also special because its scenic location a few miles north of Jackson, Wyoming, on the National Elk Refuge.........more

Fly-fishers go crazy saving flies • By D Dave Strege
One fly-fisher stripped his clothes off and swam naked into the river to retrieve his fly that got snagged. Another stood on the shoulders of the guide and used pruning shears to cut down the branch where his fly was lodged. A lucky one hooked a big fish that snapped his line, losing fish and fly, only to wait five minutes before the fly somehow dislodged from the trout's mouth and popped to the surface. He netted it — the fly, that is. What would lead a fly-fisher to go to such extremes to save a fly caught in a tree limb or a log in the riverh.................More

Jack Lee of Swan Valley floats and fishes his way through section two of the South Fork of the Snake River.

Henry's Heaven  • By Jack Ballard
Lake or river -- take your pick. The world-renowned Henry's Fork country of eastern Idaho boasts some of the finest trout fishing in the nation. Who's Henry? That's the question that kept buzzing through my head the first time I motored through a mesmerizing mountain valley just southwest of Yellowstone National Park. The name seems to be ubiquitous in eastern Idaho, with landmarks such as Henry's Lake and the Henry's Fork of the Snake River...............................more

Fishing Henry's Fork of Island Park • By Ben Arellano
Fly Fishing the rivers and lakes around Island Park is an experience that an angler seldom forgets. The spring fed tributaries, creates an ideal situation for enjoyable and unparalleled fly fishing. Not only will you experience the exceptional fly fishing of this area, but you are surrounded with the beauty of the Targhee National Forest, the wildlife and history of people and the life they lived. ...........................more

Fishing The Famous South Fork of the Snake River • By Ben Arellano
It is between the Henry's Fork confluence and Palisades Dam that the South Fork is known as one of the finest dry fly rivers in North America. All of the Fish in the South Fork are wild and fish between eight and sixteen inches must be released because they are the prime breeders. The South Fork typically becomes fishable for the fly fisher sometime between the first week of July and the middle of July, depending on the spring run off. This year (2001)  the run off was for a very short period, thus fly fishing was productive in the middle of June. 

Al the former CEO of Woolrich and his wife Dotty trying their luck on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park

Yellowstone National Park and surrounding waters offer world-class fly-fishing- a fly-fisher's nirvana • By Dave Strege
WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONT. – A bartender in town gave a hint as to the essence of West Yellowstone on the fishing landscape." There's as many fly shops here as bars, and we're a hard-drinking town," quipped Thor from behind the bar at The Gusher. West Yellowstone is a town of fewer than 1,000 residents yet features six fly-fishing shops, evidence supporting the claim this is the mecca of fly-fishing. Each year, more than 50,000 anglers drop a line in 220 lakes and 1,000 streams that make up 2,650 miles of running water - and that's just in Yellowstone National Park.........more

Follow the bugs to a good day of fishing for trout • by Chester Allen
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — The noon sun blasted down and through the gin-clear water of the small meadow stream.Long strands of water weeds twisted like big, green snakes in the gentle current, and you could see every pebble and rock on the bottom. Not one trout was in sight. But they were there —..........................more

Fishing Yellowstone • By Daniel D. Lamoreux
With a bit of research and boot leather, you can escape the crowds that invade Yellowstone National Park each summer and catch trout that rarely ever see humans.....................................Roughly 3 million people visit Yellowstone National Park each year. While that number may seem staggering, the reality is that its piscatorial treasures are often underestimated and usually overlooked...................................Fewer than three of every 100 people who enter the park buy a fishing permit, and not all of those bother to go fishing. And more than 97 percent of the caught fish are released to fight another day......................................more

Fly fishing Backcountry Yellowstone • By Mark D. Williams
Don't let Yellowstone National Park's 3 million visitors spoil your idea of high-elevation trout fishing. There's a virtual fishing paradise just a short hike away from all those crowds..............................You would think that with over 2.2 million acres and 1,000 miles of rivers, there wouldn't be any crowded water. But most anglers fish near access points, road crossings, parking lots, campgrounds, bridges, anywhere a river parallels road.........................more