Late Fall on the Yellowstone: Cutthroat, Browns, and Winter Prep

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure checking in with your Yellowstone River fishing report for Wednesday, November 26th, 2025.

We woke up to classic late November weather out here—mostly cloudy, cold, and crisp. The forecast from the National Weather Service is calling for snow showers tapering off, with daytime highs struggling to make it out of the teens to low 20s. Winds from the southwest are picking up at 10-15 mph, gusting to 25. No tide worries on our Yellowstone, of course, but keep those layers handy and watch for icy banks.

Sunrise hit at around 7:37 AM, and our shorter days mean sunset's rolling in just after 4:39 PM. That gives you a tight window, so plan your outings well and carry a good headlamp if you’ll be out late.

Fishing’s still holding up surprisingly well for this time of year. Reports from the Yellowstone Angler note that the NE section through the Park is fishing strong, with folks landing some beautiful native Yellowstone Cutthroat and the odd hefty brown. PMDs are still coming off mid-morning in the slower seams, and you might run into a few spare green or gray drakes if we get good cloud cover.

Best bets for flies today: Hoppers in sizes #8-12 are still getting late-season grabs if you’re working grassy banks. For your dropper, a Tungsten Sunken Ant in #18–20 or a Black Mini-Chernobyl in #14–16 can stir up action. There have also been flying ants, beetles, and the reliable PMD sparkle dun in smaller sizes. Streamers—think Sparkle Minnows or Olive Sculpzillas—have moved some thick-shouldered browns out of the deep runs, especially right as the sun starts dipping and the temperature drops.

If you’re a conventional angler, you’ll want to reach for small jerkbaits and Rapalas in brown or gold, worked slow and deep. On bait, drifted nightcrawlers are hard to beat—just be prepared for the occasional whitefish mixed in with your trout. The bite has shifted to midday, especially with this cold snap, so sleeping in won’t hurt your odds.

Recent catches have included plenty of healthy cutthroat, a solid handful of browns, and some whitefish keeping rods bent in the deeper holes. Lately, fish activity’s focused around the mid-morning warmup until about 2:00 PM before things tap out. If you’re keen on numbers, the edge of town at Livingston’s Sacajawea Park stretch and the riffles upstream toward Mallard’s Rest have given up some good trout with less angling pressure. Lamar Valley up in the park is still a go-to hotspot if you don’t mind a brief hike.

Just a reminder—the colder water has really condensed fish into wintering holes and slower tailouts. Slow down your presentation and target that deep water. And with deer season still rolling, remember to wear some orange if you’re hiking into the brushier banks.

Thanks for tuning in to the latest from the Yellowstone. If you found this report helpful, make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inside scoop from Artificial Lure. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI