Yellowstone Fly Fishing - Yellowstone National Park

Introduction.

While the vast majority of my posts, including "Yellowstone Adventures - Discover Yellowstone National Park", concentrate on general visiting and hiking in National Parks, I have come to realize from my readers there is an extremely large interest in fishing activities within the national parks. Therefore, this post will be dedicated to fishing activities in and around Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone Fly Fishing.

Yellowstone National Park is the place that many people visualize when daydreaming about being on a gently flowing river, surrounded by soaring mountain peaks, making the perfect cast across the sun-drenched water. No other location in America offers quite the same combination of natural beauty and great fishing that you’ll find while you are Yellowstone fly fishing on the legendary Yellowstone River, and other rivers within the park. A lifetime would not provide enough time to fish all of the water of Yellowstone National Park, it is that huge. The park offers the most water in any one area of the United States, that is open to the public to fly fish.



Due to these facts and others, nearly 50,000 people fish in Yellowstone National Park each year.

The fishing season begins the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and runs through and includes the first Sunday in November. Exceptions must be noted and information is available from the National Park Service. A Yellowstone National Park Fishing Permit is required to fish in the park. Anglers 16 years of age and older are required to purchase either a $18 three-day permit, a $25 seven-day permit, or a $40 season permit. Fishing permits are available at all ranger stations, visitor centers, and Yellowstone Park General Stores.

Fly fishing inside the park is exclusively walk and wade only, by regulation. Additionally, it is the angler's responsibility to know locations of fish species within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park and the rules that require the return of all native fish back to the water immediately. The native fish which must be released unharmed include:

• Arctic grayling
• Cutthroat trout
• Mountain whitefish

Some sections of the park are "catch and release only" and some areas are "fly fishing only". You will need to check the regulations booklet from the National Park Service for the applicable rules.



Yellowstone is perhaps the most famous fishing spot in Wyoming, with anglers drawn by the legendary trout in its rivers. Brook trout, brown trout, rainbows and native cutthroat trout are the prizes for those fishing in Yellowstone. Farther south, in Grand Teton National Park, others seek out the Snake River cutthroat, a colorful fish found in its namesake river. In the fall, the spawning run of brown trout darkens the waters of the aptly named Miracle Mile in the North Platte River. Although Wyoming is known as a mecca for trout, its waters teem with more than 22 species of game fish, including sunfish, crappie, yellow perch, whitefish, pike and sturgeon.



Fishing in Wyoming is truly a unique experience. In the unspoiled wilderness, you're likely to encounter more wildlife than other anglers, allowing you to find your own private fishing paradise.

From the research I have done, the word is you can’t call yourself a complete angler until you have gone Yellowstone fly fishing, one of North America’s premier fly fishing destinations.