Yellowstone River October Fishing Forecast: Hopper Hatches, Steady Trout Action, and Fewer Crowds

Good morning, anglers—Artificial Lure here with your Yellowstone River fishing report for October 15th, 2025. We’re waking up to a brisk fall day along the Yellowstone, where sunrise hit at 7:36 a.m. and sunset will close things down tonight at 6:36 p.m. The weather is classic October: you’ll want your layers, as it sits near 41° early and should top out around 57° with a light breeze, and there’s some residual haze in the air from far-off fires—just enough to soften the light and turn those trout eager for a well-drifted hopper.

Tidal influence is a non-factor up here, so focus on flows and clarity. According to the team at Yellowstone Angler, flows at Carter’s Bridge are steady at 1,750 CFS, and water clarity is a workable green with roughly two feet of visibility. Water temps are holding at 61-67°F—a little warm for mid-October, but the cooler nights are finally nudging it down.

The fishing’s been steady, with a strong terrestrial bite continuing thanks to those warm afternoons and lingering smoke. Peach and pink hoppers are still king—Morrish Hoppers, Grand Hoppers, and Sweetgrass patterns in sizes 8–14 are taking fish, especially above Yankee Jim and in the Valley. Floating ants are a close second, and getting a lot of attention from chunky cutthroat. If you’re nymphing, Euro nymphs in 12–14, bead-head Princes, and Blow Torches have been productive. Black rubber legs and Tung. Bugger patterns move feisty rainbows and browns out of their deeper lies.

Recent reports spotlight solid action across the board: anglers are landing rainbow and brown trout from 16–22 inches with a healthy number of 12–15 inch cutthroats mixed in. The best windows have been midday into late afternoon, when fish are looking up and cruising for hoppers tight to grassy banks. A few streamer chasers hooked into bigger browns using Black Leadeye streamers and yellow Sex Dungeons—best results are on cloudy swings, or just before dark.

If you’re gearing up, here’s what’s working best:
- **Hopper Patterns:** Morrish Hopper, Grand Hopper (peach, pink, or tan, size 8–14)
- **Ants and Caddis:** Floating Ants, Elk Hair Caddis, Missing Link Caddis (sizes 14–18)
- **Nymphs:** Bead Head Prince, Euro nymphs (sizes 12–16), Rubber Legs (black/coffee)
- **Streamers:** Slick Willie, Coffee Sparkle Minnow, Black Leadeye; fish these deep in the runs

Live bait isn’t permitted on the Yellowstone, so make sure to stick with artificial flies and lures—local regs are strict.

For hot spots, you can’t go wrong fishing the stretch from Emigrant to Pine Creek, where riffles and deep runs are loaded with trout. Another reliable bet is the section above Yankee Jim Canyon—expect less traffic and plenty of willing fish hugging cutbanks.

It’s worth noting: white-tailed deer are experiencing some localized disease outbreaks downstream, especially near Billings, but this hasn’t affected trout populations or fishing conditions on the Yellowstone itself. Otherwise, river crowds are thinning with the cooler weather, so you’ll find a little more elbow room each passing day.

As always, give fellow anglers some space and pack out your trash. Thanks for tuning in to your Yellowstone River update—don’t forget to subscribe for more local fishing reports and tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, anglers, Artificial war here with your Yellowstone River
fishing report for October fifteenth, twenty twenty five. We're waking
up to a brisk fall day along the Yellowstone where
sunrise hit at seven thirty six am and sunset will
close things down tonight at six thirty six pm. The
weather is classic October. You'll want your layers as it

(00:21):
sits near forty one degrees early and should top out
around fifty seven degrees with a light breeze, and there's
some residual haze in the air from far off fires,
just enough to soften the light and turn those trout
eager for a well drifted hopper. Tidal influence is a
non factor up here, so focus on floes and clarity.
According to the team at Yellowstone Angler, foes at Carter's

(00:42):
Bridge are steady at one thousand, seven hundred and fifty
cfs and water clarity is a workable green with roughly
two feet of visibility. Water temperatures are holding at sixty
one to sixty seven degrees fahrenheit, a little warm from
mid October, but the cooler nights are finally nudging it down.
The fishing's been steady with strong terrestrial bite continuing thanks

(01:02):
to those warm afternoons and lingering smoke. Teach in Pink
hoppers are still king. Moorish hoppers, Grand hoppers and sweet
grass patterns and sizes eight fourteen are taking fish, especially
above Yankee gym and in the valley. Floating ants are
a close second and getting a lot of attention from
chunky cutthroat. If you're men thing euronimps in twelve fourteen,

(01:23):
beat head princes and blow torches have been productive. Black
rubber legs and tongue bugger patterns move feisty rainbows and
browns out of their deeper lies. Recent reports spotlight solid
action across the board. Anglers are landing rainbow and brown
trout from sixteen twenty two inches, with a healthy number
of twelve fifteen inch cutthroats mixed in. The best windows

(01:46):
have been midday until late afternoon, when fish are looking
up and cruising for hoppers tight to grassy banks. A
few streamer chasers hooked in the bigger browns using black
lead ied streamers and yellow sex dungeons. Best results are
on cloudy swings or just before dart if you're deering up.
Here's what's working best mocker patterns Moorish hopper, grand hopper,

(02:10):
grand hopper, peach, pink or tan size eight fourteen, ants
and cattis floating ants, elcare cattus, missing link cattus sizes fourteen, eighteen, miphs,
missing hopper, beadhead prints, euro nymphs sizes twelve sixteen, rubber legs,

(02:31):
black coffee, missing hopper, screamers, slick willie, coffee, sparkle minnow,
black lead I fish these deep in the runs. Live
bait isn't permitted on the Yellowstone, so make sure to
stick with artificial flies and lures. Local rags are strict
for hotspots you can't go wrong. Fish in the stretch

(02:51):
from Immigrant to Pine Creek, where riffles and deep runs
are loaded with trout. Another reliable bet is the section
above Yankee Jim Canyon. Expect less traffic and plenty of
willing fish hugging cut banks. It's worth noting white tailed
deer are experiencing some localized disease outbreaks downstream, especially near billings,

(03:12):
but this hasn't affected trap populations or fishing conditions on
the Yellowstone itself. Otherwise, river crabs are thinning with the
cooler weather, so you'll find a little more elbow room
each passing day. As always, give fellow anglers some space
and pack out your trash. Thanks for tuning in to
your Yellowstone River update. Don't forget to subscribe for more

(03:33):
local fishing reports and tips. This has been a quiet
please production. For more check out Quiet please dot a
I