High Water Leaves Mark on Park, Has Up and Down Side for Anglers
The last of last winter's record snowpack is just now rushing through Yellowstone National Park. At its peak that water flooded trails and campsites, and set records for high water. A record flow of 15,700 cubic feet per second was set on the Lamar River on June 24, and the July 9 water level under Fishing Bridge reached 8.7 feet, just shy of the record (8.9 feet) and flood stage (9 feet). The Boiling River swimming area near Mammoth Hot Springs didn't open until July 30; the Firehole swimming area, near Madison Junction, remains closed.
The high, rushing water also kept large numbers of fishing enthusiasts off park rivers and lakes until the end of July, especially in north Yellowstone, said Richard Parks of Parks Fly Shop in Gardiner, Montana, who has observed every fishing season since 1953. "If you're contemplating a fall fishing trip, though, this is the year to do it," anytime after the equinox, he added. Water levels should still be more than 50 percent higher than normal. This year, the fishing season runs through November. 6.
About 3 percent of all park visitors, some 75,000 people, fish in Yellowstone each year. The required Yellowstone fishing license can be purchased in the park or at fishing outfitters in gateway cities. State licenses are not required.
Yellowstone has a barbless hook rule, and all native species (cutthroat trout, Arctic grayling, and mountain whitefish) must be released. As part of an NPS effort to rid Yellowstone Lake of invasive species, lake trout caught there and on lake tributaries must be killed. This summer, NPS and contract crews have already removed 114,860 lake trout, a 50 percent increase over last year's total at this time. For complete regulations, current conditions, permitted guides, and more information, click here... |