Yellowstone National Park offers anglers an extraordinary experience of fly fishing while often within view of impressive wildlife and gorgeous scenery. Located mostly in Wyoming with approximately five percent of the Park located in Montana and Idaho, anglers fishing Yellowstone get to explore some of the best of what the Northern Rockies have to offer.
Yellowstone covers a vast amount of land and can experience a wide range of conditions when it comes to weather, water, and terrain. Below, I’ll break down gear recommendations for anglers traveling to America’s first national park.
Rods
While there are some exceptions, notably Yellowstone Lake, much of the trout water in Yellowstone is made up of small rivers and creeks and some high country stillwaters. To keep things simple, we’ll exclude Yellowstone Lake to avoid the huge variations of gear recommendations. That said, smaller weight rods are the go-to. There are instances in which someone might want to go even smaller, but in general, a 4-weight or 5-weight rod covers most waters. If you’re focused on dry fly fishing, a medium to medium-fast action rod is recommended. Rods such as the Scott GT, the Winston Pure 2, the Sage Classic R8, the Echo Trout X, and the Orvis Helios are top picks.
If you might be fishing a dry-dropper, bigger flies, or a nymph rig, medium-fast to fast 5-wight rods might be the ticket. Top rod recommendations include the Scott Centric, the Sage R8, the Orvis Helios, and the Winston Air 2.
Reels
How much trout reels matter on smaller waters is a matter of debate, but I will say, I had a lesser trout reel once break (not on a fish) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and it greatly impacted the trip. For me, a lighter reel is ideal, and I do not want to worry about the durability and mechanics of the reel. The Nautilus GTS and X reels are favorites. There’s also something nice about a louder clicking reel on small waters. Among standouts for that “feature” are the Sage Trout, the Orvis Battenkill and C.F.O. reels, and the iconic Hardy Perfect reel.
Lines
High quality lines make a big difference on the water. Consider RIO, Scientific Anglers, Airflo, Cortland, and Orvis lines that pair well with the rod you choose. As for tippet and leaders, unless you are tossing big streamers, a 9-ft 5x leader will be ideal in most situations. A range of tippet from 3x to 6x ought to be all you need.
Flies
The Madison and Firehole Rivers are among the rivers I always want to match a hatch and see what comes to the surface. Good, small baetis, pale morning dun, callibaetis, tricos, and midges are essentials. A variety of caddis patterns are also important to have on hand. There aren’t many big bug hatch events these days, but some stoneflies, drakes, and terrestrials can be fun. To make things easy, the Montana Fly Assortment from Yellow Dog is a good selection of flies.
Accessories
In Yellowstone, a little walking goes a long way, especially during the summer months when the roads can be a bit busy. Many don’t realize Wyoming and Montana can be very hot in the summer. It doesn’t take long before the water is warm enough that wet-wading is sufficient. Nevertheless, if you are planning to walk some, a good backpack can go a long way. Patagonia’s Guidewater series of packs are waterproof, which can be gold. The Fishpond Thunderhead Submersible Backpack is waterproof and outstanding, and their POW Edition supports Protect Our Winters.
If water resistance is sufficient, the appropriately named Fishpond Firehole Backpack comfortably carries a good amount of gear, and the Patagonia Stealth Fishing Backpack is a great pack for carrying everything from water to apparel layers, and more. Other Patagonia accessories such as the Stealth Switch Fishing Pack and the chest pockets from the Stealth Convertible Vest can be added to the backpack to make it customizable.
A good net is vital, especially for the health of the fish. Rubber netting is easier to manage when there is a fish in the net, and getting hooks out of this webbing is much easier than with other materials. Fishpond makes numerous lightweight, durable nets. Highly recommended.
Apparel
Aside from hatches, weather and water conditions are the biggest variables to plan around in the Rockies. No matter the season, be prepared for sun. It can be easy to get a sunburn, so skin and lip protection can be valuable. Light sun masks from Buff offer great protection for your neck and face. In my opinion, the Patagonia Sun Mask is a little bit lighter and more breathable. Good gloves can be great for both sun protection and warmth. The Patagonia Sun Gloves aren’t too hot when it’s hot. When I want to keep my hands warm, the Merino Liner Pro from The HEAT Company are outstanding.
The water on most rivers in the Park can be fairly warm, fairly quickly after runoff, so wet wading might be ideal. In addition to your wading boots, the Simms Guide Guard Wading Socks and the Simms Neoprene Flyweight Wading Socks are good options. I use the Patagonia Yulex Wading Socks, but at times I would prefer the Patagonia Yulex Wading Socks with Gravel Guard.
Other Gear
There are a number of non-fly fishing-specific gear items that can be very important. In addition to sun block and lip balm, bear spray is very important. You can’t fly with bear spray, but outdoors stores and even grocery stores around the Park will have it. Or you can have it shipped to your destination to be there when you arrive. I do recommend getting the larger canisters (7.9 – 10.2 fluid ounces) and learn how to use it before going out. Helpful instruction from Danielle Oyler in a video from MeatEater can be found here.
Among other essential gear, quality polarized sunglasses not only help you see fish, but they protect your eyes from hooks, sun, and glare. Smith, Costa, and Bajio make excellent angling-specific frames and lenses.
While Yellowstone is setup to accommodate visitors, please do know most of the Park does not offer cell service, and everything from weather to terrain can make for extreme conditions. Hydration is critical, so in addition to a good lightweight water bottle like the YETI Yonder, water filtering bottles such as the Katadyn BeFree is a very lightweight and packable way to get water in a pinch. A rechargeable headlamp such as the Black Diamond Storm 500-R is lightweight and easily recharged. A headlamp is great for light in the tent, on the trail, and for a variety of other needs. Additionally, in case you get in a pinch, the Garmin InReach device allows you to message and send SOS alerts if needed. And for me, a membership to Global Rescue brings peace of mind in case something goes awry.
Books
Bob Jacklin, Bruce Staples, Craig Mathews, and John Juracek are among the anglers and guides who’ve spent decades fishing Yellowstone and offer unparalleled experience and expertise. I recommend checking out Juracek’s website (here) for some great articles and also searching the web for some of his writings. Some of the best books one can get are Fly Fishing West Yellowstone: A History and Guide (Staples, Jacklin), Fly Fishing the Greater Yellowstone Backcountry (Staples), and Yellowstone Fly-Fishing Guide (Mathews, Molinero).
Finally, a recommendation I often make to people is if you haven’t yet booked the trip, just do it. It can seem intimidating for a lot of people to travel to Montana and Wyoming. But do remember towns such as West Yellowstone, Gardiner, Livingston, and others regularly accommodate new visitors, and these tourist towns are designed to meet the needs of guests. Book the trip and enjoy.
— Tim Harden
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