Yellowstone River Fishing Report for Montana Anglers - Clear Skies, Hot Hopper Action, and Prime Trout Conditions

Artificial Lure here, and today’s September 20th Yellowstone River fishing report is shaping up nicely for all you Montana anglers. It’s just after sunrise—first light hit about 7:06 AM, and sunset tonight will fall around 7:26 PM. The river is running clear, chill, and at a favorable flow around 1580 cubic feet per second, with water temps fluctuating between 61 and 67 degrees according to the latest report from Yellowstone Angler and Montana Angler.

Weather-wise, the morning started *mostly sunny*, a crisp, bluebird Montana day expected to warm into the upper 60s with barely a whisper of wind until late afternoon. By nightfall, temps will slip into the high 30s. With no tidal influence this far inland, river levels are most affected by snowmelt and recent weather—not tides—so focus on water temp and flow.

Fishing action has been steady, with anglers finding success early before midday heat pushes trout to deeper, faster flows. Streamers and nymphs are pulling some nice specimens, but the star of the show right now is **hopper fishing**. Peach and pink hoppers, in size 8-14, have been particularly hot, especially with a smaller tungsten nymph or floating ant underneath. Valley and above Yankee Jim Canyon are seeing great action on floating ants and beetle patterns as well. Over the past week, several beautiful rainbows and cutthroat have been caught—best numbers coming from riffles and fast banks, so skip the frog water and fish where it moves.

Top flies reported lately:
- **Morrish Hopper** #6-14
- **Thunderthighs Hopper** #8-14
- **Sweetgrass Hopper** #8-10
- **Grand Hopper** #8-12
- **Elk Hair Caddis** #14-18
- **Rubber Legs** (black and coffee) #4-6
- **Pat’s Rubberlegs**
- **Bead Head Prince** #8-10
- **Little Spankers** #14-18
- **Coffee Sparkle Minnow** #4-6
- **Lawson’s Sculpin** #2-4

For bait, live nightcrawlers and stonefly nymphs are reliable, but most folks stick to flies and lures this time of year to match feeding patterns. Anglers using spinning gear have found success with small spinners and minnow-baits in deeper runs and undercut banks.

As for fish, you can expect **rainbow trout**, **cutthroat trout**, and **mountain whitefish** in good numbers. The river produced some hefty bows in the Valley stretch, and several clean cutthroat have come out of the lower river and park stretches. Mountain whitefish are active in deep eddies.

Two hot spots worth noting:
- *Above Yankee Jim Canyon*: Consistent dry fly and hopper action, especially in mornings.
- *Valley Section*: Riffles loaded with feeding trout, best for prospecting with hoppers and ants.

Remember, with water temps approaching stress levels for trout later in the afternoon, fish responsibly—land fish quickly, limit handling, and avoid playing them to exhaustion. Closures remain in some Yellowstone Park stretches to protect native trout from warming water and low flows. If you’re on open water, fish early for best results.

That’s the rundown for Yellowstone River this morning, September 20. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more up-to-date reports and tips! 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