Yellowstone River Report 09/24/25: Hoppers, Caddis, and Streamer Tactics for Late September Trout

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your September 24th, 2025 Yellowstone River report, coming at you just after sunrise in Park County, Montana.

First, let’s talk conditions. The river’s running at 1580 CFS near Livingston, with water temps ranging 61 to 67 degrees according to Yellowstone Angler’s most recent update. That’s surprisingly fishy for late September, especially after this summer’s heat, and worth noting: all hoot owl restrictions are off. That means you can fish throughout the day, but please remember, up in Yellowstone National Park proper, afternoon and evening fishing closures remain in effect due to warm water and low flows to protect the trout. If you’re inside park boundaries, wrap up by noon.

Today, we’ve got a little more haze and maybe a hint of wildfire smoke hanging around, filtering that morning sun, which came up at 7:11 AM and will drop behind the Absarokas at 7:17 PM tonight. Winds should stay light and variable till midday, with just a bit of a southeast push. Expect highs hovering in the low 70s and humidity sticking around 40 percent—just enough to keep the bugs popping.

Onto the fishing itself: Hoppers are still king on the Yellowstone right now. Peach and pink variations in sizes 8 to 14 have been turning trout—cutts, bows, and some browns—in the valley sections and above Yankee Jim. Mix those up with your favorite floating ant patterns, or pair a small single hopper with a tungsten nymph dropper for more depth through midday. Elk Hair and Butch Caddis in #14-16, or a Missing Link Caddis, have been working especially well during those softer late morning and dusk hatches.

Nymphers are doing plenty of damage on bead head Princes, Euro nymphs, and especially the Blow Torch Black in #12-18. As for streamers, try Coffee Sparkle Minnows, Black Leadeye buggers, and the trusty Sex Dungeon in black or olive from #4-6, especially on overcast afternoons or when the wind kicks up a little chop.

Recent creel reports coming in to the shops show steady numbers—anglers pulling in solid rainbows and the occasional Yellowstone cutthroat, averaging 14 to 18 inches with a few bruisers over 20 coming from deeper pools below Emigrant and Carter's Bridge. No real reports of whitefish running heavy this week, but they’re out there if you scale down to smaller rubber legs or midge patterns.

Hot spots this week? The stretch around Mallard’s Rest remains a favorite, especially mornings and again late with ant patterns. If you want a bit less traffic, head upstream above Yankee Jim or try the pocket water below Grey Bear access—these are holding nice resident trout hungry on terrestrials.

As always, be respectful of fellow anglers and our wild river. This is the time for lighter tippets, careful releases, and keeping fish in the water as much as possible, with temps creeping toward the upper range.

That’s it for your Yellowstone River rundown! Thank you for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s fishing report. Don’t forget to subscribe for more daily tips and local insight. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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