What a beautiful fall we had here fishing in the Greater Yellowstone Region. As I write this during Thanksgiving week, we have no snow on the ground. This time last year the rivers were frozen and I was ice fishing. When I got out last weekend it was 50 degrees and the baetis hatch was strong. Funny how different it can be year to year. While I am looking forward to snow, I’m not complaining about the unbelievable weather we had this fall.
However, this nice weather made for inconsistent fishing. Bright, sunny days are not what you want when chasing migratory brown trout. This didn’t stop me from making the best of fall fishing and learning on our renowned rivers and lakes. From sunrises throwing streamers to afternoon dry fly fishing, here is my fall recap of fly fishing in the Greater Yellowstone region.
Fall Fishing In The Greater Yellowstone Region
The fall is a special time to explore with a fly rod here in the Greater Yellowstone Region. September through October is the most beautiful time of year and may be my favorite few months to fish. I felt overwhelmed this fall with so many fisheries to explore and not enough time.
As water temperatures cool, all of our fisheries get back to prime water temperatures for trout. This cooling kicks fall hatches into gear, moves migratory trout throughout the rivers, and triggers stillwater trout to feed before the ice forms. I’m grateful I got a taste of it all this fall.
While I caught and witnessed some remarkable fish, what stood out to me were the sunrises. There was nothing more special than being the first car in the parking lot and enjoying the beautiful sunrise while making the first casts. This is how I spent many of my days fishing the past few months. Photos just don’t do these sunrises justice.
I ended the fishing season just where I started it, exploring Yellowstone National Park. I added to my tally this fall completing 20 days of fishing within Yellowstone’s boundaries.
As fall began to show its colors, I spent a few days “guiding” my father-in-law on some of my favorite Yellowstone waters. These few days camping and fishing may go down as my favorite of the season. It was an honor to show my fly fishing mentor around Yellowstone for the first time. The highlight of this trip was the dry fly fishing that came from my first encounter with the hecuba hatch. A large, grey mayfly that is unique to this region of the world. This hatch along with terrestrials made for some of the best dry fly fishing of the season.
I wish I made more time to fish the region’s lakes this fall. The fall provides stellar fishing opportunities on the lakes and a chance at a true giant. While I didn’t spend much time exploring these fisheries, we made the few days on them count. From one of the best hatches I’ve seen in Montana to one of the biggest fish I’ve seen landed, the days on the lake were unforgettable.
As October came around I transitioned to chasing migratory brown trout. While I love catching quality fish, I do not go out searching for big fish on most trips. However, this fall my mindset shifted and I spent a lot of time looking for a personal best brown. I may talk about dry fly fishing often, but I fished a streamer more than any other technique this fall.
I’m happy to say I did not find the size of trout I was looking for, but it was fun to hope. I trust it will happen when it’s supposed to and until then I’ll enjoy the chase. Plenty of quality fish were landed that were more than satisfactory, sporting beautiful fall colors.
The migratory fish were not easy to catch this year. The warm, sunny weather put these fish down during the middle of the day. I found the best time to target these fish was at dawn and dusk. This made for beautiful views and the best fishing of the day. I’ll never get over how beautiful these fish get in the fall and how willing they are to chase a streamer.
The end of October brought our first storm of the year. Temperatures in the single digits and a few inches of snow made for some cold outings. My friend Addison was in town from Northern Montana and we had plans to fish. It was one of those trips that we had committed to no matter the weather, though we probably wouldn’t have fished if we knew the weather in advance. Though we experienced poor fishing, it was great to catch up, tie flies, and talk about fishing for a few days.
The weather quickly returned to favorable fishing weather and I shifted my mindset to dry flies. I spent the last few weekends honing my skills on the pseudo hatch. Nothing brings me more joy than casting small dry flies to Montana trout, and this hatch is one of my favorites. Thanks to a few followers of the blog, I have developed and learned some new patterns for this time of year. I also learned the advantage of 6x tippet and size 22 flies. This led to my most successful year fishing this hatch, landing many more fish than years prior. I usually try to get away with 5x and bigger flies, but switching to lighter tippets has made a significant difference.
Some other general points about fishing this fall. The crowds were minimal. Other than a few days, I had many places to myself. Many anglers switched their fly rods out for rifles, leaving the rivers empty.
Some of our most famous streams in Southwest Montana were closed due to declining fish populations in recent years. There is lots of controversy on this topic, though we can’t deny the fact that these rivers are experiencing issues and action needs to be taken. I will link some articles and organizations that are working on this issue. Thank you to those working so hard to save these great fisheries.
As we go into the holidays, I can’t help but take this time to reflect on the year. I feel so blessed to live in this region of the world and to have found something I am deeply passionate about. I’m excited to take some deep breaths and spend quality time with my family in the coming weeks. It’s also when I get back to the vise and begin planning the next year’s trips.
I also plan to make some updates to the blog. It’s been a fun first year writing these articles and I want to make it better for my readers. I’ve got some ideas on new content and website updates that I hope you enjoy. I greatly appreciate your time reading my articles and any feedback you’ve given. For a multitude of reasons this blog has already been a success in my mind, and I’m excited for what’s to come.
I hope you enjoyed fishing this fall and I would love to hear about it. Winter is upon us which brings its own unique fishing opportunities. I look forward to ice fishing with good friends and chasing afternoon midge hatches. Stay curious this winter and let me know if you want to talk fishing. I’m easy to reach.
My Setup
This fall I used many techniques that proved effective in fooling our educated trout. I found myself switching from a mono rig to a bobber rig, then rigging up the spare rod I brought for dry flies on many occasions. One day I’ll be able to commit to one technique, but until then this is how I’ll fish in the fall. Here is a quick overview of the setups that worked best for me.
Streamer Fishing:
Rod: Echo Shadow 2 10.5 foot 4wt
Fly Line: 30-foot mono leader
Leader: 30 feet of 20 lb mono to a tippet ring
Tippet: 2x fluorocarbon below the tippet ring. I also attach a tag of sighter line to the tippet ring to tell how deep my streamer is.
Nymphing:
Rod: Orvis Helios 9 Foot 5wt 3F
Fly Line: Scientific Anglers Infinity Taper
Leader: Standard Taper 7.5 foot 2x leader to a tippet ring.
Tippet: Below the tippet ring, 3 feet of 4x fluorocarbon. Nymphs tied in line to the bend of the hook.
Dry Fly Fishing:
Rod: Orvis Helios 9 Foot 5wt 3F
Fly Line: Scientific Anglers Trout Taper
Leader: Standard taper 9 foot 3x leader with a few feet of tippet added (total length 10 to 12 ft)
Tippet: 5x or 6x tippet
I had fun testing out some new fly patterns this fall. A jig bugger was my most productive streamer for the second fall in a row. A variety of nymphs worked for me, including the juju baetis, girdle bug, and crystal meth egg. I played around with a few dry flies, with my most productive being an EP comparadun. Here are a few pictures.
What I Learned
This fall I learned the importance of communication and respect with other anglers on the river. I’ve always respected other anglers’ space, though I’m usually not one to approach other anglers while fishing. It feels weird and I question how other anglers will react.
This fall I came across two groups of anglers on separate days that changed my mind. Both anglers approached me and we respectfully made a gameplan for the next few river bends so that we weren’t in each other’s way. This made for an enjoyable day on the water where both parties got to fish the water we wanted. I appreciated these interactions and hope to have similar ones in the future.
This set in when we got back to the parking lot to find another angler who had two tires slashed on his vehicle. He suspected it was from a bad interaction he had on the river that day. This was sad to see and by no means do I believe there is ever justice in doing such a thing. Respect and kindness will take you far in life, and it is no different on the river. In the end, it’s just fishing.
What Left Me Curious
Something I struggled with this fall was the amount of gear I brought down to the river. With all methods of fly fishing being effective this time of year, I often had a hard time deciding how I wanted to fish for the day. This resulted in extra fly boxes, reels, and rods to accommodate all possible techniques. How do I combat the FOMO I feel when choosing one method over the other?
Don’t get me wrong, I loved having the flexibility to change setups on the river to the most effective method or adapt how I wanted to fish a certain hole.
The problem is the indecisiveness it brought and the overall weight of my backpack throughout the day. With the option to fish nymphs, streamers, or dry flies, I often found myself going back and forth on how to fish a run. Some days I would’ve been happier committing to one technique without the fear of missing out on the fish I could’ve caught on other methods. It’s a conundrum all of us anglers face.
Not to mention the difficulty the fall brings when layering clothes. Starting the day in below-freezing temperatures and ending the day in the mid-50s makes for an interesting layering situation. I left the river many times this fall with two rods in hand and a backpack stuffed with jackets. Some days I wish I went out with a puck of flies, one rod, and a light jacket. For me, that’s much easier said than done.
