Yellowstone River

GAGE LOCATION

DAY/YEAR
GRAPHS

CURRENT
STAGE/FLOW

WHAT TIME

Shields near Livingston

7 30 year

/

N/A

Boulder at Big Timber

7 30 year

/

N/A

Lamar near Tower Falls

7 30 year

/

N/A

Gardner near Mammoth

7 30 year

2.06 / 105

5 am

Yellowstone at Lake Outlet

7 30 year

2.63 / 497

5 am

Yellowstone at Corwin Spring

7 30 year

1.30 / 1010

5 am Yest.

Yellowstone near Livingstone

7 30 year

2.27 / 850

8 am Yest.

CITY

Gardiner

NOAA

Accuweather

TWC

Livingston

NOAA

Accuweather

TWC

Billings

NOAA

Accuweather

TWC

HATCH

NYMPH/
LARVA

PUPA/
EMERGER

DUN/
ADULT

EGG-
LAYER

Spotted caddis

Green caddis

Little brown stonefly

Midge

Sculpin

Baitfish

Roe

The Yellowstone can be a problem in cold weather, with floe ice turning the river into a giant slushee. But if a chinook comes through and warms up the water, you might do well with some big streamers and may even find a midge hatch or two--if the chinook didn't melt so much snow that the river is blown out.

Some better, more reliable options in the area are the private Paradise Valley spring creeks. They are open, not terribly busy, and the price is around $50 for a day of fishing. There are far worse ways to spend $50 in winter.

See the Rivers in General report for additional winter fly fishing tactics.

For more on January tactics and flies, see the Rivers in General report.