The fall colors and cool mornings this weekend reminded me that it is time for the summer fishing recap. Summer is the time to be in and fish the Yellowstone Region, so it’s hard to see it come to an end.
This summer was another memorable one in my fishing journey and for many in the region. Conditions made it tough, with inconsistent hatches and low flows. I spoke with multiple anglers who share the same opinion, many of whom have fished the region for much longer than I have. That isn’t to say we don’t live in some of the best trout fishing in the world, where it is hard to have a bad day of fishing with plenty of trout and beautiful views.
In this article, I recap the summer fishing season, sharing what made this summer unique. I also share the equipment I used, what I learned, and what left me curious. I hope you had a wonderful summer of fishing, and I would love to hear your opinion on how the fishing was this summer.
Summer Fishing Recap in Yellowstone Region
Inconsistent Hatches
As I described in my Mid-Summer article, this summer was tough for me in regard to match-the-hatch fishing. Many hours were spent waiting for hatches to commence and fish to rise. Our rivers were ahead of the usual schedule, and the hatches came and went rather quickly. A few examples that I witnessed include a nonexistent flav hatch on the Henry’s Fork, a shortened stonefly hatch on the Yellowstone River, and minimal PMD fishing on various rivers. As a match the hatch angler, I was a little disappointed in the hatch fishing that this summer provided. That is not to say it was all bad, and there were opportunities for those who were patient and in the right place at the right time.
Gulpers
I found a love for gulper fishing this summer. “Gulpers” are trout rising to insects on the surface of the lake, earning their name from the audible “gulp” sound made when rising on a calm lake. There is no sweeter sound to a stillwater angler than a gulp from a large trout. Gulpers are famous to Hebgen Lake because of its epic callibaetis mayfly hatches and the big rainbow and brown trout that rise to them.
I’ve spent eight summers fishing the Yellowstone Region and never fished gulpers on Hebgen Lake. What a shame. I finally changed that this summer, and wow, have I been missing out. There is nothing I love more than a Hebgen brown trout, and to get them on a dry fly is truly epic. If you have ever spent a day fishing gulpers on Hebgen Lake, you know how special it is.
While Hebgen is known for its gulper fishing, many lakes around the Greater Yellowstone Region offer a similar experience. I spent a lot of time this summer exploring the lakes and leading stillwater trout with dry flies.
What makes gulper fishing unique is the challenge and solitude. Gulper fishing takes patience, keen observation, and a good cast. Even when you do everything right, the trout will refuse your fly or go in a different direction. Some days make you want to pull your hair out, others you feel on top of the world. And in regard to solitude, many hatches across the Yellowstone Region bring the crowds. While many people chase gulpers, there is plenty of lake to spread out and find open water. Technical dry fly fishing with no one around, sign me up.
Terrestrial Fishing
While the hatch fishing was a little slow for me this summer, the terrestrial fishing made up for it. We had an extended terrestrial season, which got going in mid-July and continues to provide opportunities today. Many of my most memorable dry fly fish this summer were caught on hoppers, beetles, and ants. Having a fully stocked terrestrial box and knowing where to fish them will pay dividends all season long in the Greater Yellowstone Region, and this summer was no different.
The trick to finding a good terrestrial bite is finding less pressured fish. That means finding a lake, stream, or river that does not see flies and anglers every day. The Madison is an epic hopper river, but with how much foam those trout see, they begin to nose more hoppers than they actually eat. If you can find a stretch of river or tributary that hasn’t been fished for a few days, you will find much more willing fish on terrestrial patterns. I know, easier said than done.
Many Nights In The Troutmobile
Between the first weekend in April and the second weekend in August, I did not have a weekend when I slept in my normal bed. While not every weekend was a fishing trip, many of them were, and I feel so grateful to have spent many nights in the bed of the truck this summer. We each have our own version of a troutmobile, and mine is a 2000 Chevy Silverado with 291k miles. The backseats have been replaced for storage, and the bed has seven inches of mattress padding. It is stocked and ready to go for my weekend adventures.
I hope you had the opportunity to fish a lot this summer and have many memories from the season. Regardless of the fishing, the Yellowstone Region is one of the most beautiful places to drive through, camp, and take in the views.
My Setup
As per usual, much of my fishing this summer involved floating lines, long leaders, and dry flies. Here is the setup I used most often this summer.
Reel: Orvis Hydros II
Leader: 9 Foot 2x Standard leader with 2-6 feet of 3x-5.5x tippet
A few flies have become staples in my arsenal and proved to be effective once again this summer. My go-to flies this summer included the Last Chance Green Drake, PMD sparkle dun, callibaetis sparkle dun, sweetgrass hopper, and Harrop’s CDC ant. You can view these flies, as well as the many others I carry for the Yellowstone Region hatches, in The Curious Angler Fly Box. Pictured below are a few of my best flies from the summer fishing in the Yellowstone Region.
What I Learned
Every summer fishing season brings many opportunities to grow and learn. I believe the best way to grow is to put yourself through new challenges and follow your curiosities. In fly fishing, this means trying new techniques, fishing new waters, and testing different flies.
What grew my fishing knowledge this summer is the effectiveness of inlets and estuaries when lake fishing. Time and time again this summer, I experienced epic fishing in the inlets and estuaries of the Yellowstone Region lakes. These areas proved to be some of the best fishing spots on the lake, and I learned to start my exploration at these areas when visiting a new lake.
Estuaries and inlets of lakes are home to many trout and offer excellent fishing opportunities for a variety of reasons. To start, these areas bring a lot of food into the lake and host some of the best hatches throughout the season. Equally important, the tributaries often bring cool water into the lake, making for comfortable water temperatures for trout throughout the warm summer months. This, combined with plenty of structure and weed beds for trout to hide in, makes the inlets and estuaries of lakes one of the most productive areas to fish. They also make for some exciting fishing, being perfect areas to sight fish for big trout.
What Left Me Curious
To fish a new stream or learn more about one I already know? This question was on my mind a lot this summer as I contemplated where to fish each weekend. I do my best to push myself to fish new water, exploring as many fisheries as I can of the Greater Yellowstone Region. I talked about this in my 2024 fishing recap.
But this year, I found myself yearning to learn more about the fisheries I love most. Looking to explore the bends of the river I have yet to see, fish rivers in different times of year, and try new tactics on my favorite waters. It’s a joy to learn new honey holes and catch fish on a variety of hatches in fisheries I once previously thought I had “figured out.” Doing so led to a few of my best days of fishing this summer, while leaving me skunked on just as many. This summer sparked a passion and curiosity to learn more about the fisheries I frequent most, giving me a new and humbled perspective on the water.
I hope you learned something new this summer and come away with just as many questions as answers. Fly fishing is a lifelong passion where there is always more to learn. Please let me know in the comments what you thought of this summer’s fishing, or feel free to send me an email. With another summer behind us, I hope to see you on the water this fall, chasing the big trout that fall is known for.
Thanks for reading The Curious Angler. It means more than you know.
Nick
2 thoughts on “Summer Fishing Recap 2025”
Sick recap man!!! Looks like it was an awesome summer
Thanks for reading Carson! It’s hard to beat a summer fishing in and around Montana. I hope you had a wonderful summer as well and hope to see you around. 🙂
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