Yellowstone - Fishing

[Gobi King]

I am heading out to Yellowstone and then Pikes Peak (CO) area with the tribe.  I want to cast a few.

We are driving so I have to pack rods in tubes.

Here is what I am  packing:

1. size 10 spinners with 4 lb Berkley Trilene xl
2. Light/ML 6 ft rods
3. Small trout net
4. really small spinners, flies
5. Waders for me and the girls. Grandma is going to cast from the shore :-)

I have to read the regs but I think no-barb is in effect in Yellowstone, I wonder if it will be enough to use a pliers to squeeze the barb in?

[alantani]

barbless hooks are always best and can hopefully be purchased at a local tackle shop.  when in doubt, grind the barb down with a dremel.  you don't want a citation from an overzealous warden.   

[MarkT]

These are probably the key items.

Permits
Anglers 16 years of age or older must be in possession of a valid Yellowstone National Park fishing permit to fish in the park. State fishing licenses are not valid and aren't required.
Three-day permit: $18
Seven-day permit: $25
Season-long permit: $40
Park rangers may check permits and inspect tackle, fish, creels, or other containers where fish or tackle may be stored.
Anglers 15 years of age or younger have two options:
Children 15 or younger may fish without a permit if they are fishing under the direct supervision of an adult who has a valid park fishing permit.
Children 15 or younger may obtain a free permit that must be signed by a responsible adult. With this permit, a child can fish without direct adult supervision.
With either option, the accompanying adult is responsible for the child's actions and must ensure the child complies with all fishing regulations and provisions.

Tackle, Lure & Hook Restrictions
Each angler may use only one rod which must be attended at all times and used for angling only—intentional snagging of fish is not allowed.
Only lead-free artificial lures (e.g. spoon or spinner) or flies may be used. Leaded fishing tackle such as leaded split-shot sinkers, weighted jigs (lead molded to a hook), and soft lead-weighted ribbon for nymph fishing are not allowed.
Hooks must have points that are barbless, or the barbs must be pinched down by pliers. Lures may have only one hook with a single, double, or treble configuration. A single pointed hook is the best choice for fishing in Yellowstone. Treble hooks (3 points) can severely injure fish and are often constructed with toxic lead solder.
Each fly may have only one hook. Up to two flies may be used on a single leader (commonly referred to as "dropper," "dry and dropper," or "hopper and dropper").
Except for feathers and other typical fly-tying materials, the hook must be bare. No organic or inorganic baits are allowed. Organic baits include fish or fish parts, minnows, salmon eggs, worms, insects, or foodstuffs such as bread and corn. Inorganic baits include rubber worms and plastic "twister" tails.
Scented attractants (liquid and solid baits) are illegal. Putting any substance in the water for the purpose of attracting fish (chumming) is illegal.
Exceptions
Non-toxic split-shot, sinkers, and jig heads molded with bismuth-tin, molybdenum, or tungsten are allowed. Lead core line and heavy (> 4 lb.) downrigger weights used to fish for deep-dwelling lake trout are permissible because they are too large to be ingested by wildlife.
Artificial lures are not allowed on the Firehole River, Madison River, and lower Gibbon River below Gibbon Falls. These streams are fly fishing only.

[Benni3]

4lb is ok,,,but I use 8lb sunline or spiderwire ok same dia. as 6lb,,,when you hook a big one be read

[Gfish]

I don't think you can go wrong with a squeezed down barb on a fly. Maybe ya might attract more Park Ranger attention usin treble hooks on spinners. Check regulations for individual bodies of water as some, such as the Firehole River are flies only. There's also alota "catch and release" waters.
The Firehole is a good one for early season(June--mid-July) as the temps. are usually above 60 deg. F. with all the Geyser Basin hot water flowen in there.
"Overzealous" is an apt term for Rangers based on my experience there, I'd add to that:"young, inexperienced and..."  I once got into a big arguement with 2 non-ranger, environmentalist types about fishing too close to a nesting Arctic Swan, 'till I showed 'em the fishing map I got with my license and they gave-up. Tourists seem to get ticketed the most often for exceeding the 45mph speed limit. If you've never been there before be ready for drivers who stop in the middle of the highway when they see wildlife, like it's onea those safari parks.

[PacRat]

I have always done best with very light Panther Martin spinners. The lead ban will limit your choices but they do have lead-free. Mepps are very good too and are lead-free. I've been hearing good things about Joe's Flies but haven't used them.
I've had my best luck fishing bright and flashy during clear sunny conditions and switching to black when things get muddy following a rain.
Use the lightest spinners that you can get away with in the current.
Good luck/tight lines!
Mike

[Bill B]

Like Mike said, Panther Martins and Mepps are my go to, along with KastMasters.......A friend has some really old lures called Metl-Fly and are reported to be better than the above listed.  These lures are long out of production, but may have been brought back for a limited run a couple years ago....Bill

[jurelometer]

It's a good idea to read the MOST RECENT regulations closely.   Felt sole waders are increasingly being  banned in  locations throughout the USA.  I would be surprised if they were still allowed in Yellowstone.    Rangers and  wardens take this pretty seriously as fishermen have been accidently transporting non-native snails  and other species, creating quite a problem.  In terms of being a good citizen and going beyond what is legally required,  there is specialized disinfectant  available to add to water and dip your waders and other gear (one brand is Bright Water).  I  haven't  stream fished in a while,  so I don't have any experience with the dip.  Just ran accross this: https://www.fs.fed.us/invasivespecies/documents/Aquatic_is_prevention.pdf

The regulations for the state and park and warden/ranger discretion will be the final word.   Opinions  on regulations from alantani.com while useful,  is probably not binding in Montana state and federal courts

[philaroman]

!!! UL Rods (AT LEAST ONE well under 6') !!!

[happyhooker]

It may all be catch and release as well.  At one time, all lake trout coming out of Yellowstone Lake (and tributaries?) could NOT be returned to the water, but I don't know if that has been changed.

Think about taking a shot at grayling.  Not too many places in lower 48 you can find 'em.  There were some in a couple of small lakes north of the road between Canyon & Norris, but you have to hike in.  I heard, but don't know for sure, that they also turned a couple of former fishless lakes on the west side of the road between Madison & Old Faithful into grayling lakes.

Frank

[Benni3]

I use stronger gear,,,,because the faster you get them in and unhooked,,,better release,,,#2 blue fox,brown Joe's fly,gulp minnows,,and my favorite is gulp nightcrawers cut up,,,,I hope you get the big one 

[Gobi King]

Sorry guys, I have ooo packing. Finally got the van ready somewhat, took the middle bench seat put, now we more space, we are down to 9 seats from a whopping 12. I think that will enough for the 4 of us  . I have to fly out to work tomorrow, so I need to get the van packed and leave it in the driveway tomorrow  . Heading out to YS next week Thursday, I fly back the night before. Talk about down to the wire.

I was waiting at the doctors office with the oldest and I skimmed through the Yellowstone regs.

Alan, Yes, not worth a ticket or argument, I am leaving my tackle box behind and going to buy hooks and flies either at the cabelas in Sidney, NE or in Jackson.

Mark, Yes Sir, grandma and I are buying passes and the girls will have passes signed by me, so I can step away if I need.

Benni3, ok, back up reels with 10 lb braid packed :-), I am not sure if I will be able to fish the YS lake or the Teton lake. But the 10lb braid has a breaking strength of 16 or 18 lbs from what I read.

Gregg, Mike, Bill - Looking the zones and regs, I will stick to barbless flies, I might do spinners at the south side of the lake but I will switch out the trebles for a single hook.

Philaroman, 2 Uls packed, I am avoiding the log fly rods, they might not come back in one piece.

Jurelometer, Yeap, I am very careful not to contaminate, I will probably buy new hip waders or just stick to the bank. You are correct the regs require a check and sanitizing.

Frank, Yes, catch and release other than invasive species in the zone I will be fishing. Not sure which areas are open, I will confirm when I am there. Graying might not happen during this trip, we are definitely going to back next year for longer.


After going through the regs, I think the biggest problem is going to find easy access for all of us to fish, I found an accessible site south end of the YS lake. I will look though the maps and see if I find streams close to parking spots.

I will grab a few mepps and panthers from cabelas, but the section I will probably fish is fly only.

We are staying in Jackson and driving into the park everyday, 2 days in YS and 2 days in the tetons, How is fishing in the tetons?

on the 5th day we are heading to pikes peak and probably cast a few there too