Montana Freestone
Yellowstone River Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
The upper Yellowstone where it leaves the national park at Gardiner and runs north through Yankee Jim Canyon. Big, open freestone water that rewards a boat, with a full stonefly season once the summer runoff drops out.
Freestone
Montana
5,080 ft
Gauge 06191500
Right now
Live conditions
An expert read, in your pocket
Rivus knows your river right now. Live conditions, what’s hatching, and what to tie on, the moment you open it.
When the day turns and nothing’s working, ask Eddy and change the plan.
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The hatch chart
Yellowstone River hatch chart
The emergences that come off the Yellowstone by month, straight from the Rivus hatch model.
| Hatch | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midge Midge, #18-22 | ||||||||||||
Skwala Stonefly, #8-10 | ||||||||||||
Blue Winged Olive Mayfly, #18-20 | ||||||||||||
Grannom / Mother's Day Caddis Caddis, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Salmonfly Stonefly, #4-8 | ||||||||||||
Golden Stonefly Stonefly, #6-10 | ||||||||||||
Little Yellow Sally Stonefly, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
Pale Morning Dun Mayfly, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Grasshopper / Terrestrial Hopper, #6-10 | ||||||||||||
October Caddis Caddis, #6-8 |
How it fishes
A Montana freestone
A freestone river runs free off snowmelt and rain, so it swings hard with the seasons. It blows out and browns up in spring runoff, then drops and warms into summer. The hatches track the water temperature more than the calendar, so you time your trip to the flow and the thermometer.
Flow and gauge
Reading the flows
The Yellowstone is metered at USGS gauge 06191500. Watch the trend as much as the number: a river that is dropping and clearing fishes very differently from one that is coming up.
Low
under 3,000 cfs
Optimal
3,000 to 7,000 cfs
High
above 10,000 cfs
Access and regulations
Before you fish
Access and the right to fish are the angler’s responsibility, every time. Public access, private water, and seasonal closures vary along the river, so confirm where you can legally stand and wade before you go. We do not point you to a specific spot.
Read the current rules, license requirements, and any special-regulation water before you go. Regulations change season to season, so check them fresh.
Flow and water temperature from USGS, weather from NWS and NOAA, refreshed hourly. Real-time USGS readings are provisional and subject to revision. The hatch chart and river read are Rivus model output.