Gibbon River
For
the next 15 miles, the Gibbon rushes to meet the Firehole. For the most part
the road parallels the river through a series of meadows before dropping down
into the Gibbon Canyon to Gibbon Falls. During the heat of summer the meadow
sections can present some challenging fishing. In lieu of a good hatch, the
best bet here is if the sky is overcast, the wind is blowing and the hoppers
are popping. Below the meadows the river picks up speed and flows over small
cascades. Pocket water and some pools are available as the river narrows and
picks up speed before plunging over Gibbon Falls. Just below the falls is the
Gibbon Falls Picnic Area. Anglers may hike upriver a few hundred yards to
access Canyon Creek, which joins the Gibbon River on the east bank.
Canyon Creek offers good fishing for small brook trout in the 6- to 8-inch range, as well as a few resident grayling. Below the falls is a popular gathering spot for anglers fishing the fall brown trout spawning run. During the heat of summer, this section of the Gibbon River draws savvy anglers. The river offers riffles and long runs, and the road is high up on the mountain, which provides some sense of solitude. This last section flows through carved bench land until it meets the meadow section at Madison Junction.
Madison Junction to Yellowstone Lake
Madison Campground, Madison River
Centrally located, the campground borders the confluence of the Gibbon River and the Firehole. West Yellowstone is 14 miles. This 14-mile section of the Madison River offers numerous access points, but during the heat of summer it only offers fair fishing.
Firehole River
Offering a mix of geological wonders, the Firehole offers a classic mixture of brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout in this nutrient-rich stream that draws anglers from around the world to match their skills with some picky and educated trout. From its headwaters at Madison Lake, the Firehole resembles a mountain creek as it courses downward to Old Faithful and the Geyser Basin. The river is closed to fishing starting at the bridge a mile and a half east of Old Faithful to the bridge at Biscuit Basin. With the discharge of water in the Geyser Basin and the infusion of water from the Little Firehole, the Firehole reaches its maturity. Above Old Faithful the Firehole runs cooler throughout the summer and provides anglers with good opportunities for catching smaller brook trout.
With
the discharge of thermally-heated water from the closed section, fishing in the
Little Firehole provides cooler water and larger fish in the lower reaches and
smaller fish in the canyon pocket water.
From Biscuit Basin to Cascades, a distance of approximately 12 miles, the Firehole glides through a classic meadow with spring creek-type water. Here dry fly fishermen present their match-the-hatch offerings in early summer and fall. The Cascades change the nature of the river as the water spills and tumbles. The Firehole, joining with the Gibbon River, begins the Madison River. Shallow wading water in an idyllic setting promise more than what the river will produce during the summer months, when thermal heating drives the fish to cooler sanctuaries. The best time to fish the Firehole is during the spring and again in the fall. The season opens on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Many sections of the Firehole are easily accessed along the road from the Madison Campground to Old Faithful and beyond.
Shoshone Lake
The
second largest lake in Yellowstone Park with over 8,000 acres, Shoshone Lake is
huge, remote and accessed only by trail. When I taught in Jackson, Wyoming, my
first fishing outfitter was Roberta Knapp. Roberta was one of the first woman
outfitters in Wyoming. A tall, strong woman, this lady could fish and row a
boat under any conditions. I learned a great deal from her, as she was a
generous person and a passionate fly fisher. Driving out of the Gros Ventre one
summer day, she shared with me all of her great fishing stories about fishing
big browns and lake trout on the channel between Shoshone Lake and Lewis Lake.
If you are fishing the Park during the fall, be sure to take the Lewis Channel Trail, a seven-mile hike, or the trail just above it, which takes a straight line through the woods directly to Shoshone Lake, a distance of 4.5 miles. Fishing heavy fall streamer patterns for big browns and lake trout in the fall has to be a wonderful experience, and I am sad to say I never made it.
Shoshone Lake fishing is rated excellent during early summer with drys, nymphs, scuds and leech patterns. Later in the summer the trout retreat to deeper waters, which can be reached by canoe paddling from Lewis Lake, through the channel, and into Shoshone Lake (with a one-mile portage at the end of the channel).
Lewis Lake
Lewis
Lake allows motorized boats. Boat fishermen both spin and troll for large lake
trout and browns. The lake's east shore parallels the road leading to the South
Entrance. Fly fishermen fare well at both the inlet and the outlet to Lewis
River.
