Yellowstone River Fishing Report: Classic Fall Fare and Chilly Conditions

This is Artificial Lure with your Yellowstone River fishing report for November 7th, 2025.

The Yellowstone’s running cold this morning. Sunrise came at 7:08 AM with sunset expected at 5:03 PM, making for a solid window of daylight to work the water. No tidal movement here—Yellowstone’s a big freestone, so flow depends on runoff and weather more than any saltwater push.

We’ve got classic November conditions. According to Mountain Weather, expect highs in the low 40s, dropping into the teens at night. Cold fronts have rolled through with some snow at higher elevations, which dusted Paradise Valley midweek and brought a few slide-offs to park roads, as reported by Montana Outdoor. Winds are breezy, moving west at 10-15 mph, so layer up. The National Weather Service says precipitation today will mostly be rain and snow showers, tapering off in the afternoon, then clearing tonight.

River flows remain below average but are slowly improving after a dry summer, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The water is cold and clear, with some shelf ice starting to form in the slow bends. Fish are getting sluggish but haven’t shut down yet. Early mornings are pretty slow; the best action picks up mid-morning through about 2 PM, especially on the lower river sections.

Recent reports from Bozeman Fly Supply and Montana Outdoor say the bite’s been classic fall fare: anglers are still finding solid numbers of **brown trout** in the 14–20 inch range, with the occasional bigger buck showing fall colors. Rainbows are scattered but will take a well-presented drift. Whitefish are stacked deep in the tailouts and biting well—good action for folks looking for numbers.

Your best shot is nymphing deep runs with stoneflies (think Pat’s Rubber Legs), smaller beadhead patterns like **pheasant tails** and *zebra midges*, size 16–20. With bugs sparse on the surface, streamer fishing has been most productive for browns—dark-bodied streamers like black or olive **Sculpzillas** and **woolly buggers** moved slow and low. On bright days, switch to white for that flash in the cold water. Egg patterns are also producing, as the whitefish spawn continues—try a bright Orange Otter Egg or similar.

Not much dry fly game this week, but if you see midday midges, tie on a #20 Griffith’s Gnat in the eddies. For bait anglers where legal, worms fished on the bottom tempt sluggish trout, but check local regs—Yellowstone mandates artificial-only in many stretches.

Two hot spots worth a look:
- **Emigrant Access:** Browns are stacked around the gravel bars and slower side channels. The deep troughs along the eastern bank are holding pods of rainbows if you can nail the presentation.
- **Pine Creek Bridge:** Consistent action for both trout and whitefish. Hit the tailouts with nymph rigs, especially once temps rise late morning.

Park access is still fine, but icy banks mean watch your footing. Watch for bison moving down toward the river as Park Service activity increases for winter herd management. As always, keep an eye out for rising water or fast-changing weather—November in Montana can flip quick.

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