Yes we have had some warm weather and the Yellowstone gained some (well a lot) of color to it the last few days but that doesn’t mean fishing is off! We just have to work a little harder for fishable water. The places to look for now are mouths of creeks and streams that are still running clear. Also, all of the tributaries of the Yellowstone River from the YNP boundary down are open year round thanks to new fishing regulations set by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks. We have plenty of options and the bugs are really starting to get active. Just yesterday we hooked and landed numerous trout at the mouth of a local stream on March Brown wet flies. Don’t have those? Try a Tungsten Jig Soft Hackle PT nymph or a Delekta’s Big Spanker in PT sz 14-16. Both great patterns for this time of year. Another good bug is a Soft Hackle Hares Ear or even a regular gold ribbed hares ear nymph. We saw the occasional splash on top in the foam lines so fish are looking up for that big Mayfly despite the mud. Other bug life to notice are the midges (Bugs observed yesterday were black and grey), and still a few baetis milling around. Buggers and streamers in Black, White, and Dark Olive are your best bets. Something with a little flash is worth a try too. Still some visibility on most banks. Those big bad brown trout are just waiting in the depths for their next meal. Give them one!
