As the Yellowstone makes its way through Montana it goes through many transformations. The upper river, from Gardiner down through Yankee Jim Canyon, has some short sections of white water and is full of cutthroat trout. After leaving Yankee Jim canyon the river slows a bit and enters the beautiful Paradise Valley.

This is the most well known section of the Yellowstone River. The mix of trout species begins to have a more balanced combination of cutthroats, rainbows, browns and the hybrid cut-bows. This section of river is roughly thirty five miles and the scenery through Paradise Valley is just breathtaking. A float down the Yellowstone through Paradise Valley will have you gliding past snow capped mountains and past a wide variety of wildlife. It is very common to see Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Blue Herons, Geese and several species of ducks. While not as common as their smaller cousins the Bald Eagle, it is not unusual to see a Golden Eagle soaring above the valley. Often the view of the mountains and a Bald Eagle sitting on its perch is just too gorgeous to pass by, so we'll stop the boat to sit back and just soak it all in. In addition to the birds it is common to see both white tail and mule deer by the riverside.

After leaving Paradise Valley the Yellowstone next enters a section that we refer to as, “Going through town”. Actually, the river flows just along the outskirts of Livingston, Montana. Here the rainbows seem to be the most abundant trout and it is generally accepted that there are more trout per mile here than most of the rest of the river.

After leaving Livingston behind the Yellowstone makes a turn to the east and this is the beginning of what we call, “East of town”. In a very short distance the Yellowstone and the surrounding topography go through a very drastic change. The river leaves the mountains behind and enters a more arid and high desert geology. Here the river seems very different. It feels and fishes like a bigger river. There are long runs with fewer rapids and clearly defined pools. The river is undoubtedly more difficult to fish here, but the rewards are very often well worth the effort!

This is where we go when we want a very realistic chance to tie into a truly larger fish. This is the home to some truly large brown trout. While the number of fish caught are generally not as high, the average size of the fish often makes up the difference. The fishing will be tougher, you will need to be focused and willing to fish hard, often with large streamers, but you just may hook up with the trout of a lifetime.