Spring fishing in the Yellowstone Region has really grown on me over the years. When I first moved to Montana, I fell in love with the fall fishing for migratory fish and the beautiful scenery. I thought spring was too difficult because of runoff and sporadic weather patterns. Now that I have been fishing the area for many years, spring is one of my favorite seasons. This spring encapsulated everything I’ve fallen in love with when it comes to spring fishing in the Yellowstone Region.
I hope you had an awesome spring of fishing, and I hope you enjoy the 2026 spring fishing recap for the Yellowstone Region.
Epic Spring Hatches
Spring hatches are epic, and this year was no exception. We experienced some great dry fly fishing all spring long, with the baetis, caddis, and skwalas providing the best of the fishing. Per usual, one had to time the flows right to experience the best of the hatches, but there was plenty of opportunity from March through May to do so. Salmonflies and PMDs came on strong in the latter half of May and rounded out the spring dry fly fishing.
The story so far this year is how early the hatches have been compared to “normal” years. With the dry winter and abnormally warm spring temperatures, spring hatches began much earlier than usual. To this day, the hatch cycle runs about two or three weeks early.
A little firsthand experience to put the early hatches into perspective. My father-in-law and I basically share a birthday, so we head down to Eastern Idaho every year to celebrate and do some fishing on the Henry’s Fork. Our birthdays are April 16th and 17th. In the seven or so years we have been fishing that weekend together, this year was the first one I had ever fished caddis on the Henry’s Fork. Usually, we launch the boat over snow and hope for a few baetis, but this year we had blanket caddis hatches. A solid two weeks early. That is just one example of how early the hatches have been this year.
Despite them being early, the hatches have been strong, and the fish have eaten with reckless abandon. There were a few days of caddis and PMD fishing that will go down as some of the best fishing I’ll experience this year. With how good the dry fly fishing was this spring, I can count on one hand the number of days I resorted to a bobber to catch a trout. Gotta love spring dry fly fishing.
Breaking Habits
Each year, I set a goal or two for my fishing. These goals help me stay motivated and learn on the water.
This year, my goal has been to get out of my comfort zone and out of my regular fishing cycle. As time goes on, I find myself returning to the same fisheries at the same time of year because of the good fishing I experienced on previous fishing trips. I’m sure we all do this to some extent, and it’s great for encountering good fishing and learning a specific fishery. But I want to break a habit this year and either learn new fisheries or expand my horizons by fishing fisheries at different times of year.
As you would expect, trying new things has made for some very hit-or-miss fishing this spring, with considerably fewer fish in the net. While it can be hard to stomach a fishless day when you know how good another fishery is fishing, I believe it’s an important part of growing as an angler. The days I spent on new fisheries this spring have pushed me to become a better angler and enjoy new parts of the region. I have really enjoyed it thus far and hope to continue this trend into the summer. I invite you to get out of your comfort zone and experience new things this year as well.
Sporadic Weather
I don’t know what it is, but the weather this spring seemed to be against us weekend warriors. All week would be beautiful and sunny, only to change to wind and rain by Friday through Sunday. Like come on man, give us a break!
With the complaining out of the way, this wet spring has been everything we could ask for after a low-snow winter. Plenty of rain in the high elevations to help keep water flowing throughout the region. The temperatures have been mild, keeping many fisheries flowing with cold water. While it’s made for some wet days on the river, it has been refreshing. I feel optimistic heading into July with green hillsides and more rain in the forecast.
The wind has been another story, as it brings little value to the fly angler. It has been on a tear, and I hope it stops soon. Or blow on Wednesday instead of Saturday.
Concluding Spring
Overall, it was an epic spring. Everything we could have asked for with a weird summer looming. I fished plenty, but not as much as I would’ve liked to. I think we could all say that for any time of year. With the weather and lack of a reliable camping vehicle, I didn’t plan any multi-camping trips. Luckily, this fishing near Bozeman is plenty good.
With everything being early and the low water, I do not know what to expect from this summer’s fishing. There will be fish to catch, but we might have to get creative about where we find cold water. The wet, cool spring has significantly helped our situation so far this year. If the wet weather continues throughout the summer, we may be just fine with water temperatures. That said, we have already seen the effects of low snowpack across many fisheries. I can’t imagine hatch season lasts that long, and expect hoot owl restrictions to go into effect at some point this summer. I hope I’m wrong and we have an epic summer season, but it’s hard to see that coming to fruition.
To not end on a negative note, spring really was a phenomenal season. There seem to be plenty of big fish throughout the rivers after the light winter, and the hatches were excellent. Optimism is in the air as we head into the heart of summer, and we look forward to the backcountry opening up and summer hatches. It’s my favorite time in the Yellowstone Region. Get out there and take advantage of it.
My Setup
Dry Fly Setup:
Rod: Orvis Helios 9 Foot 5 Weight 3f
Line: Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Trout Taper
Reel: Orvis Hydros
Leader: 12-foot 3x leader with additional tippet added for extra length
I’ve been doing some things a little differently so far this year. I’m fishing longer dry fly leaders than ever before, often in the 15-20 foot range. Very few bobbers have been used, as I’m doing more dry dropper or just hunting a dry fly, no matter what. I tried stripping flies in the lakes rather than using a bobber. It’s not quite as effective, but it’s a new challenge. I’m cleaning my lines much more often, and I got rid of my chest pack system. Now I am just running with a backpack and a few flies in my pocket.
Flies that stood out to me this spring included a parachute hare’s ear, brindle chute, iris caddis variation, sparkle dun, and a bugger legs. See pictures below. If you have any further questions about my setups, send me a message. I do not keep secrets when it comes to gear and flies.
What I Learned
The adage of “you don’t know until you go” was front and center in a lot of my fishing this spring. With the volatile weather, fluctuating flows, and early hatches, us anglers had to just get out on the water and see how the fishing was. It was very hard to predict where to be at the right time this spring, at least for me.
There were many days when I just had to go fishing despite the weather and the uncertainty about the day. Some days turned into busts, but others blew my mind. It reminded me of the importance of just getting out on the water and seeing what the river brings. There is no way of knowing how a day will pan out, and the only way you will be out there when the fishing is epic is by going fishing.
What Left Me Curious
I mentioned this above, but I am genuinely curious about how this cool, wet spring will affect our summer fishing season. Is it going to be enough to counter the effects of low snowpack and provide good fishing all summer long? If so, that would be pretty incredible.
As I write this article, the weekend ahead calls for a few inches of rain and a low in West Yellowstone of 36 degrees. That is cold for this time of year, and colder than many winter nights this last winter. By this time last year, we had already seen our first hoot owl restrictions in place on the park fisheries. While fisheries across the region have neared and exceeded 70 degrees so far this year, we have not yet seen any restrictions.
How long does this cool weather last and keep our fisheries in play? Does it extend hatch season well into July? All we can do is hope and see how it plays out.
Thanks for reading The Curious Angler blog. I have been busy fishing this past month, and getting an article out each week has been a challenge. I also have many website projects that I have put on the back burner. I hope you haven’t noticed, because you’re also too busy fishing. As always, send me a message with any questions or comments on fishing the Yellowstone Region.
Thanks,
Nick
