Yellowstone
Mother’s Day Caddis
Target dates April 25 to May 15
Best section Emigrant to Springdale
Flies #12-16 Hi-Vis Elk Hair, Goddard Caddis, Sparkle Caddis Pupa
Gear 4-, 5-, or 6-weight rod, depending on wind; 7- or 8-weight for streamers
Good day 10 to 20 fish per angler in the 12- to 16-inch range, with one or two over 18 inches on drys
Epic 30 to 50 fish per angler, with several near or over the 20-inch mark
The Mother’s Day Caddis hatch is one of the most difficult hatches to hit perfectly. This is because the same warm temperatures that trigger the emergence of Brachycentrus occidentalis also initiate spring runoff. And the combination of a thick hatch, with fish keyed on the bugs, along with clear water and no wind, is rare near Livingston.
In a perfect year—which happens about once every 10 years—we are blessed with nearly two weeks of incredible dry-fly fishing. Most years we only get a three-day window of optimal conditions.
The good news is that even if you can’t fish the Mother’s Day caddis hatch, there are always several outstanding plan Bs in the area.
Keep your options open during late April/early May and you’ll find incredible fishing somewhere nearby, whether it’s on Paradise Valley spring creeks, local tailwaters, or private trophy lakes.
If you hit the Mother’s Day hatch right, the Yellowstone comes alive with rising trout. The best sections for caddis are from Emigrant to Springdale.
Key water temperature of around 52 degrees F. makes the caddis “pop.” Since the hatch is water temperature related, it starts on the lower river and works upstream. Caddis arrive earlier on local spring creeks since the water is flowing out of the ground at 52 degrees year-round.
Once fertilized, caddis females dive or crawl back into the water to lay their eggs on the undersides of rocks and sticks. Slap your drys down hard to mimic the egg-laying females trying to break through the surface.
René Harrop ties a deadly CDC Fertile Caddis, with a bright green tail. My other favorite drys include #14-18 Hi-Vis Elk Hairs, Trudes, Goddard Caddis, and Butch Caddis. [See page 50 for info on Kelly Galloup’s Butch Caddis and Goober. The Editor.]
While it’s more fun to catch fish on drys, caddis emergers are also killers during this hatch.
In addition to caddis, late April and early May also have impressive hatches of March Browns, Baetis, and midges. Yellowstone trout seem to focus on the largest insect of the day. If skies are overcast, bring larger #10-12 Parachute Hare’s Ears to match Western March Browns.
Salmonfly Fever
Target dates June 25 to July 10
Best section Gardiner to Loch Leven
Flies #4-6 Flutter Bugs, Sofa Pillows, Rogue Golden Stones; #14-16 Morrish’s Iron Sally, Stimulators
Gear Fast-action 6- or 7-weight rod
Good day 10 to 12 fish per angler around 16 inches, with one or two over 18 inches
Epic 30 trout in the boat, with several hogs over 20 inches spewing live Salmonflies
Salmonfly (Pteronarcys californica) fever infects many guides and local fish bums in late June and early July on the Yellowstone. Since the Yellowstone is the last river to clear after runoff, and the last to see Salmonflies, many Montana anglers have already been bewitched for weeks.
Before you peel out of the parking lot, it’s a good idea to have a plan. You might want to stay strategically ahead of the hatch and fish nymphs; fish in the middle of the hatch with impressive numbers of huge bugs crawling all over you; or fish below the hatch with no bugs, but fish rising to drys again.
You’d think the best fishing would occur during the mid-hatch time frame, but due to the quantity of food in the river, the fish become gorged. Remember how you felt last Thanksgiving? Well, the trout also have to loosen a belt before dessert, and often take a day or two off before they actively start feeding again.
Hank Fabich was the first to turn me on to the incredible fishing above the hatch with big Rubber Legs or Bitch Creek patterns. When fishing above the hatch, not only are you away from the crowds, but you’re also one of the first to get flies in front of large fish.
Most anglers fish two nymphs with split-shot 3 to 6 feet below an indicator. I use large black Rubber Legs that show up better in turbid water, with a #6-8 Prince Nymph as my dropper.
A George’s Brown Stone or a Bitch Creek with white rubber legs also shows up well in murky water. As with all nymph fishing, practice perfect dead-drifts and control the line so that when a fish eats, you’re able to strike quickly and keep it tight.
For the ultimate dry-fly fishing, float your chosen section three to five days after the hatch has passed. Even though the event has moved on, the trout haven’t forgotten and are finally hungry for more. For whatever reason, trout often take Golden Stones or a caddis dropper over a Salmonfly, so don’t be afraid to fish two drys.
One of my favorite drys this time of year is a Chubby Chernobyl Hopper. I love this fly because its white Antron wing is easy to see, and it floats like a battleship.
Behind it I trail a yellow Stimulator or a Hi-Vis Elk Hair, trying to get my flies as close to the willows as possible. Since Salmonflies and Golden Stones flutter on the surface, a small twitch as soon as your flies hit is effective. Also, the females skitter along the surface of the river as they lay their eggs, so constantly twitching your fly like a popper can be a good technique.
The best section to look for Salmonflies is from Gardiner to Loch Leven. Like caddis, the hatch is temperature and light related, so the lower portions of the river get these big bugs first.
Unlike caddis nymphs, Salmonfly nymphs live up to three years before crawling out on rocks or willow stalks to hatch into adults. Also unlike caddis, the head of the hatch moves upstream fast—conditions and numbers change daily. You may see Salmonfly adults swarming one area, then return the next day to find nothing.
Once the Salmonflies hit Gardiner, they continue moving upstream into Yellowstone National Park. It’s illegal to float in the park, but there’s incredible fishing on foot.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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