Yellowstone River Winter Fishing Report: Trout, Streamers, and Nymphs in the Unsettled Weather

This is Artificial Lure with your Yellowstone River fishing report out of south‑central Montana.

We’re riding the edge of an early‑winter pattern. National Weather Service out of Billings is calling for a wet, unsettled stretch with an atmospheric river pushing rain and high‑elevation snow across the Yellowstone Valley, gusts 25–40 mph, and temps hovering in the mid‑30s to low‑40s along the river. Winds back off a bit this evening, but expect clouds to hang in. Sunrise is right around 8 a.m., sunset about 4:35 p.m., so your prime window is that late‑morning warmup through mid‑afternoon.

No tides here, just flows. USGS gauges near Livingston and Billings show bumped‑up, off‑color water from snowmelt and rain, but still very fishable with some stain. According to Montana Outdoor’s December Yellowstone River report, anglers this past week have been picking up good numbers of **brown and rainbow trout**, plus the odd whitefish, mainly on nymphs and streamers in the softer winter lies.

Fish activity is classic early‑winter: slow in the dawn chill, then a solid push of action once the river gains a few degrees. You’ll find trout tucked into:
- Inside seams
- Deep buckets below riffles
- Soft edges behind mid‑river boulders and gravel bars

Best producers lately, per local shops from Livingston to Big Timber:
- **Nymphs:** stonefly nymphs (black/brown 6–10), perdigons, hare’s ears, pheasant tails, small red or wine midges, and eggs behind spawning browns.
- **Streamers:** olive, black, and brown sculpin patterns, Kreelex and Sparkle Minnow in gold/copper when the river’s dirty. Slow strips or a swing and hang in softer water.
- **Bait (where legal below the Paradise Valley section):** nightcrawlers drifted near the bottom and salmon eggs doing well for bank anglers; check current regs before you dunk anything.

Hot spots to consider:
- **Paradise Valley, Livingston to Yankee Jim:** Side channels and soft banks are kicking out healthy browns to 20 inches on weighted nymph rigs under an indicator, 7–9 feet to a BB or two.
- **Between Big Timber and Columbus:** Slightly lower pressure right now, with rainbows sliding into deeper winter runs; a small olive streamer on a sink tip swung tight to the bank has moved some better fish the last few days.

With the bumped flows and color, size up your tippet a bit, think 3X–4X on streamers and 4X–5X on nymphs, and don’t be afraid to go bigger and darker with your bugs. If the clouds hang and the wind lays down, keep an eye out mid‑afternoon for a light midge trickle—small griffith’s gnats or midge clusters in 18–22 can pick off a few risers in back eddies.

Boat folks: watch for floating debris with the rising water and gusty winds; wade anglers, mind that shelf ice and slick rocks—flows can change fast under this storm track.

That’s the word from the Yellowstone. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local fishing updates.

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