Some of the best fishing in Yellowstone takes place in remote waters, simply because reaching them requires a little more effort than usual. Here are some ideas:
Lava Creek: Located east of Mammoth just off the park's Grand Loop Road, Lava Creek is a great place to wet a line in the park for the first time. It's not too far from the road, but with a little hiking, a fly fisher can wander farther than most would bother. It's loaded with willing brook trout that are good for the ego.
Blacktail Deer Creek: Situated just a bit east of Lava Creek, this small stream is good for first-time visitors because its upper reaches (south of the highway) are in open country, which allows for ease of casting. Again, brookies are the dominant species.
Tower Creek: This stream tumbles over the awe-inspiring Tower Falls on its way to the Yellowstone, but its upper reaches provide good fishing, mostly for brook trout with the occasional Yellowstone cutthroat thrown in. These fish won't be big, but the angler will fish in the lush Tower Valley that, in 1988, was completely consumed by fire.
The Upper Gibbon River: Located between Norris and Canyon on the Grand Loop Road, the upper Gibbon winds along the road until roughly the Ice Lake trailhead. By working upstream just west of the trailhead, the fly fisher can get away from the highway (and most of the other anglers) and work north into the Yellowstone backcountry. Brook trout and rare Arctic grayling await.
Winter Creek:Another brook trout stream, Winter Creek is located in a meadow to the west of the Grand Loop Road between Norris and Mammoth. Anglers are almost guaranteed fast and furious results here while chasing brookies. The stream meanders far enough away from the road to discourage most anglers from even considering it.
Nez Perce Creek: Situated between Madison Junction and Old Faithful, Nez Perce Creek is mostly a brown trout stream, and its best fishing requires a little hiking to get away from the road, and from the downstream thermal features that make life tough on trout. Within a mile of leaving the road, the fishing picks up significantly, and some of the browns are nice-sized – in the 15–16-inch range.
Lewis River: Located just north of the South Entrance, the Lewis is followed by the park's South Entrance Road for its entirety. That said, it's in a fairly deep canyon and not many anglers bother to fish it.
Flies for Fishing Yellowstone
Fly anglers visiting some of Yellowstone's lesser-known waters aren't going to be pressed by stringent "match the hatch" angling – simple attractor patterns like Royal Coachmans, Adams and generic mayfly variants will work well. Later in summer, try grasshopper patterns and other flies that resemble terrestrial insects, like ants and beetles.
Fishing Yellowstone need not be intimidating, and anglers new to the park will have better success if they start with some of the more remote streams, away from the road or in places the average fisher won't be too interested in visiting.
Yellowstone Wildlife Adds to Experience
In these remote areas, it's wise to be alert and, if possible, carry a can of bear spray. Yellowstone is home to grizzly and black bears, and while most will not announce their presence, there's always a chance of a surprise encounter. But don't let that be a deterrent – seeing the park's wildlife on their terms simply adds to the fly fishing experience.
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