Unfortunately the fishing on the Yellowstone never got as nutty as we were all hoping for.  With expectations of Caddis mats for Tuesday and Wednesday we instead saw a rising river that remained fairly cold and just spotty caddis activity.   But never fear, it looks like we may have another round of fishing.  As we look towards the weekend we have a river that is dropping again at Corwin. So combined with overnight lows in the the 30′s tonight and tomorrow, we may yet have another wonderful Mother’s Day on Sunday.  Keep in mind the best caddis fishing of the year for the last two years running was on Mother’s Day.  Can you say Threepeat?

Enjoy the shot of Tony Valeriano holding a nice Yellowstone River brown.  To book a trip with Tony Valeriano please email or call the shop.  406 222 9393.  Thank you for checking the Yellowstone River Report and we hope to see you this weekend.

There was great caddis fishing up toward Carbella yesterday in the late afternoon and evening. Nothing much caddis-wise was happening down here near the shop, though the dry-dropper fishing was very good from Emigrant to Mallard’s Landing. So you might want to head upriver today. Clarity could be an issue today. There’s still a good 2 feet of visibility here at the shop, but the Lamar is up, as are flows at Corwin Springs. As long as you’ve got a foot or so of visibility, it should still be fishable, even with dries along the banks. If you’re not getting anything on top, try drifting something big and dark (a black stonefly nymph or Conehead Bugger?).

Caddis Cutty

As thoughts turn to runoff, it’s good to remember that there remain a number of good options for fishing in the area. There’s always the Spring Creeks, of course. You can also go after big fish for a modest rod fee at several private lakes in the area, including Story Lake near Emigrant. Give us a call at the shop (406-222-9393) if you want to discuss the options or arrange a day at one of these spots.

The predicted warm weather today and tomorrow could get the big caddis hatch going. It all depends on how much the water warms up. If it happens, expect the bugs to be out in force starting in the mid-afternoon. Chances are, the hatch should be best from town up through the Paradise Valley. Prior to the hatch, you might try a caddis pupa pattern; start fishing it deep and move it up in the water column (e.g., as a dropper off a dry fly) as the hatch time nears. Streamers can be effective, too, even during the hatch itself. Take an afternoon off and get out there!

A week from Mother’s Day and the fishing remains steady on the Yellowstone.  The weather was colder than expected yesterday and the dry fly fishing wasn’t as productive as Thursday or Friday, but the fishing was good.  Floating in the lower valley we were able to pull fish off the banks between squalls, generally fishing a dry dropper combo.  It seems that the Sweetwater McDougal continues to be the Hot Dry and the nymph of the day was a toss up between the King Prince and the CDC Pheasant Tail (go figure).

Looking forward it appears as if the Yellowstone is going to stay in shape for at least the first part of the week.. Over night lows will remain in the 30′s….so get out and fish!  Thanks for checking the Yellowstone River Report and please stop by the shop for updates and recommendations.