Fishing Report 7/24/25

A little better this week! Good news… flows from IP Reservoir have come down. Bad news… the reservoir is sitting at 50% — it could be a long winter of low flows. In comparison, on this date last year IP Reservoir was at 89,573 acre feet; today’s reading is 69,486 acre feet. Releases are rolling around 1000 cfs and word on the street is we should stay in that range for the next little bit before the faucet gets turned off to save what water we can. We received a bit of moisture recently, at least enough to knock down the dust , but we are still in a severe drought with no relief on the horizon. In fact, we will be pushing 90 degrees next week which is pretty warm around these parts. Water temperatures are climbing, so please take time reviving and releasing your quarry. 

Box Canyon (1000 cfs, about 1200 below the Buffalo): We’ve had some very good fishing in the Box with Golden Stones throughout the canyon and a few Gray Drakes and Caddis coming into the Last Chance take-out. Nymphing under an indicator remains quite productive as well: have your Rubberlegs #6-10, Perdigons, Daggers, PTs, Zebra Midges, and the usual assortment of bead heads in sizes #14-20. I wouldn’t hesitate to dead-drift or strip some streamers. 

Last Chance and The Ranch:  Alright. Okay. Well then… we’ve seen a few more rising fish this week with the drop in flow. Water clarity has drastically improved as well, and she’s running clear up here, however, the weeds are coming quickly on the lower end and with it some color. Make sure you’re stocked with tippet down to 6x. The most consistent reports and activity are still coming from the middle of the Ranch and downstream of Osborne Bridge. I’m still just not finding a whole lot of activity behind the shop, but there are some fish up here and there in the mornings and evenings. We are seeing PMDs #16-20, Callibaetis #14-16, Tricos #18-22, Caddis #16-20 (and even smaller if that’s your thing), and Yellow Sallies #14-16. As always, have a solid assortment of all life cycle stages and a mixed bag of Spinner patterns for the early mornings and evenings.There are still a few Gray Drakes and Flavs around. The Flav hatch this year was anything but remarkable and the downward spiral unfortunately continues for what was arguably one of the best Fork hatches. (It was my favorite hatch, anyway, and it really pains me speaking about it in past tense). We had some perfect stormy, windy, Flavalicious weather last week, but I didn’t see much in the way of bugs. Major bummer, but “the nymphs are there” is what we keep hearing. It’s getting on Terrestrial Time: I’m kicking up more and more Hoppers each day and have seen a few smaller red and black Ants out and about. It’s still not lights out by any means out there in the Ranch, but anglers are finding a few heads up in contrast to reports and experiences the last several weeks. I (optimistically) think this should continue into August if we can keep the flows consistent. Also, shhhhhhh, not many folks around on the water right now.

Warm River to Ashton:  Guides are still reporting that WR-A is consistent as ever and producing the occasional trout over 18″. It’s a Hopper-dropper and nymphs-under-an-indicator game. The streamer bite has been productive as well. 

Below Ashton (1770 @ Ashton, 950 @ St Anthony): Water temps are pushing 70 in places. Get out there early if you want to fish down off the hill. Hoppers Hoppers Hoppers.

The Madison (1040 cfs at Hebgen, 1110 at Kirby):  The Maddy continues to fish well and is still quite crowded. There are Caddis and PMDs out and about as well as Terrestrials. Have an assortment of Hoppers, Chubbies, and Ants.

Yellowstone NP: The Madison (and all tributaries), Firehole (and all tributaries), and Gibbon downstream of Norris Campground are closed until further notice due to high water temperatures. I don’t expect these rivers to reopen until the Fall. The upper Yellowstone has been solid, but it is summer after all, so it’s not going to be on fire all the time.The Northeast Corner, The Gallatin, and Gardner Rivers are all fishing quite well. Have an assortment of PMDs, Golden Stones, Gray and Green Drakes, Caddis, and Terrestrials for the Park waters. Callibaetis cruisers on Yellowstone Lake are in full swing as well.

Stillwaters:   Local stillwaters are a great bet as we start to get into the dog days of summer. I’ve had a couple of good reports on Henry’s Lake from a few locals bobbing chironomids around the creek mouths. Have your Leeches, Scuds, Thin Mints, PTs, Damsels, etc. Hebgen is in full gulper mode. Have an assortment of Callibaetis, Tricos, Damsels, Caddis, and Terrestrials. 

Have a great week and give us a shout if we can help. We’re here from 7am to 8pm.